I have owned my 599 for over 3 years. I absolutely love it, and can't ever see selling it. But it is a GT car, not a true sports car. I love to drive it, apparently other people love to look at it, maybe because it is rare and stunning. I also have a 488 spider, they are a great compliment to each other. Both are spectacular in their own right. If you can, have a 599 plus a 4 series V8 of some kind, it is fun to enjoy both.
Drove a 599 for about 2 years before I got my 458. One thing I miss about the 599 is the sound of the V12 and the torque. I have to rev out my 458 for it to kick in whereas the 599 just had so much torque down low. This is a great example of a 599 at a great price https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/krazy-148k-free-delivery-2008-599-red-blk-with-hgte-package-13-000mi-mint-perfect.585337/
There's something regal about the 599 that the 8's lack. Get some seat time and it'll resonate! The car is literally a fire-breathing animal or as docile as can be, 100% dependent on your mood. One caution - we all know people typically fall into groupthink and regurgitate what they're told without real intimate experience. As expected, you'll get comments that categorize guidance based on what they think the cars are: "V8 is sports car and the V12 is a GT." Obviously! However, it's extremely marginal and does not really make a difference on the road 90+% of the time. Try to outrun a 599 driven in anger, anywhere. Ain't gonna happen! Not to mention, people also act like they hop in their 430's and rip around at 10/10's and for that reason prefer the "sports car." For normal people who do ordinary driving, the 599 is a dream. For aggressive driving, the 599 is a dream. For all out blasts, the 599 is terrifyingly powerful and is on another level. And the whole time it's a V12 Ferrari that brings a halo that the V8's lack. I find the 599 incredibly satisfying, way beyond expectations. Across performance, aesthetics, pedigree, and overall experience, I struggle to find anything remotely competitive at this price-point for the "badass street car" niche. It's pure Ferrari, which is something people probably don't give it enough credit for because they've been trained to think of the V8s as the wild exciting exotics. But a wild V12 is something else... but to my original point, you need some good seat time to get it! It's a very high caliber car. Flagship. I categorize it with Ford GT and SLR rather than with 430. Image Unavailable, Please Login -Joe
I love the bit where Harris says he would rather have had a manual but none were delivered to the UK and he probably would have had to import one from Germany and then he would worry about being able to sell it.... From the perspective of 2018, selling a 599 stick would not exactly be a problem !
This is how I felt when I drove it. I thought it was terrifying. In a fun way. When you really got on it. This was back in the day. I had driven a Gallardo around that time and thought it was boring. The 599 was really nice until it wanted to kill you. I always felt like I had better respect it’s power or die.
I belong to a Ferrari/Lamborghini owners group and a friend bought a black on black 599. The car is huge....like Mercedes s class huge. Like they would say on Shark Tank.... " ...and for that reason, I'm out" Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice!
Says the guy driving a Murcielago! The 599 is merely an iPhone longer (not the bigger one) and not even as wide.
Here is my experience with my 599, 599 with Pirrelli tires - a dream until the limit and then you better be careful, if you are not careful it can be terrifying. 599 with Michelin Super Sports - a dream until the limit and then an even better dream You either love the design or you don’t, no arguing either side; both views are subjective and are in the eye of the beholder, I think the design is timeless and love every aspect of it. If we could bottle the sound of the 599 V12 at 8400 rpm the world would be a better place. My $.02
I had a 599 for 7+ years. Its a little large and heavy but has that glorious Enzo V12. And its beautiful. Other things you should be aware of are the car has a propensity to rattle and can struggle to deploy all that power. Both of these issues are mitigated if you swap the tires to Michelin Pilot Super Sports- you can fit the 315s on the rear no problem. The biggest improvement will be the grip- you will now be able to put the power down much more frequently. And the ride will be improved as well. Other things to be aware of- which I think is obvious- don't be too greedy with the power coming out of a corner- especially in low grip situations! The car is usually friendly, but can bite. And on long trips I would constantly have to make adjustments to the HVAC_ but knowing its quirks I could always keep the temp comfortable. And the stereo is pretty bad (if that matters). The F430 is much more of a sports car, the 599 is much more of a muscular GT. The DCT cars have really moved the game on, not just with the transmission but also the basic platform is much more robust, and the exhaust plumbing has more in common with that they premiered on the GTO so you get better sound. If you can get a good deal on a 599 it is a lot of car for the money, but I think it is a platform that was transitional for Ferrari (going from the 550/575 old school way of building to the new school on the 612/599). Maybe we will be saying the same thing about the F12 10 years from now... But I don't think so.
No comparison. Just like the GTO, Fabio's 6-1 headers and 200 series cats eliminate the precats and the 3-2-1 headers. HGTE is just a different muffler set-up. 575M 6-1 headers and cats were around 8000 euros, so I imagine the 599 headers are similarly priced.
I switched the stock 599 muffler for an HGTE muffler and very pleased with results. I have the Capristo valve controller so i am able to quiet things down on long drives. If you can find a HGTE muffler this may be a economical way to get the richer sound than spending significant $$$ on the GTO set up. A lot depends on how often and how far you drive your 599.
Those are not the secondary cats that are bypassed, they are the primary cats. The ones in the headers are precats that warm up faster than the primary cats.
Why confused? If you want to swap out the primary/main cats on your Ferrari for straight pipes, go for it. All this talk about "secondary catalyst bypass" is just misleading marketing. On the GTO, they deleted the precats and kept the primary/main cats if that tells you anything.
