well, yes, the F40 is a true icon. Will the car ever look dated? It will always be the mother of all supercars. The 599, on the other hand, will never be an example of a beautiful Pininfarina-design, but I think it'll holds it's own, like, for example, a 360 does. The competition for 'greatest looking Ferrari of all time' is a very tough one, and with today's regulations it is pretty safe to say, the greatest looking Ferrari of all time, will not be a future Ferrari.
Sorry to break it to you but I do.... The 599 GTB Fiorano will be quicker and faster. 0-60, 0-100, 1/4 mile, top speed, and I'm sure braking (F40 brakes are far from good) and other performance areas are all going to be in the new cars favor. Who cares that one is older, it was the SUPERCAR then, so I think it's pretty impressive non the less. PS, The F40 was in production before 1988. Ugh, I made a statement that not only is my opinion, but 90% fact....
No, the F40 in a straight line would get beat by the new F-car. That "reporter" has no clue. The F40 is still one amazing car, but it is orgin is in the mid 80's.
With no doubt, looking at those data figures, 599 GTB is one of the fastest road-used Ferraris of all time. BTW, Ferrari is just focusing most on its PERFORMANCE, but not much on its APPEARANCE, IMO.
Whether by luck or error ,he is right. A 599 GTB anihilates an F40 on a race track....and thank goodness it does. If it didn't the 19 years that separate the 2 would not represent much in the way of progress. It is not just the 138 bhp extra, or the CCM brakes or the modern tyres, or the gearchange that is done in 100/1000ths sec that make it faster, it is the whole package. You cannot compare the 2. They put them in a photo shoot together so that they reoresent the Icons of their eras. Never heard anyone argue that a 250 GTO was quicker than an F40 and yet the 2 were separated by only 24 years.... By the way, a CS is SIGNIFICANTLY faster round Fiorano than an F40, so what? THe 599 is faster than a Porsche Carrera GT and for half the price (and it is a whole lot better looking) - now THAT is an achievement worth talking about.
For Enzo-based performance at 1/4 the price I can ignore the little things. This will be the closest many of us will get to Enzo performance for awhile. If a 1000 people design what they think a GT car look like, there will be a 1000 different designs, which is a persuit with no ending. Also, Pentagrams != devil worshipping. Not sure if the comment is meant to be funny, or sarcastic, but surely not realistic. Do the research on pentagrams and learn the multiple meanings of this age old symbol, its pretty interesting. I'm not sure what the Ferrari designers were thinking when they brought them back, perhaps they are meant to take on one the of original meanings "harmony", or perhaps because they most closely resemble the spoked wheels of the 275GTB. In time I'm sure it will come out. I think this car has lots of hidden elements which are not yet completely understood or appreciated.
Mike: I'm not in denial. I'm on the list. But when I see comparisons of a pure bred purpose-built race car for the street (forget the image, icon, etc.) to a productoin GT, I scratch my head a bit and wonder what is going on. Performance numbers mean little, IMO. As far as driver involvement, it's not even a fair comparison. So let's focus on usable performance - I still say that par for par (equally comfortable in both) - an F40 will be quicker around most roads and definitely on track than a 599. I'm not trying to take away from the 599, just being realistic in the comparisons. My honest guess about the first drive is that I'm going to think this car is soft. --Dan
Fair enough, you get one and I'll get the other, and we can trade back and forth, and life will be complete.
My friend I stand corrected if I misinterpreted your views of the car. Although I still don't see the "humps" you say remind you of a 911. I also stand corrected and apologize if I implied you did not have good taste, for the the CS is the acme of the 360. It is one of the all-time classic designs, to my eyes, in every color. It's shape, compared to earlier Ferrari's is decidedly more three dimensional but because we're accustomed to it's base shape, it's lines were much easier to digest. It sharpens and in many ways brings the 360's very graceful lines to a more muscular finale and climax. With the 599, I believe Ferrari and Pininfarina have moved forward even further in the 3-D style but they also echo more of the classic GT lines from the 60s. To me the 599 is to the 250 GTO as the 575 was to the Daytona. I must disagree with you about the reaction this car stirs. Read the replies to this post and the others. People are talking about this in a way they didn't talk about the 430 or the any recent Ferrari save the Enzo. One gent on this thread said I was crazy for suggesting the Enzo was more special. LOL I think you'll love it when you see it in person. Don't let initial photos spoil your sight. Forza, Cavallini
Good points but I don't think it's faster than a CGT, maybe to 60 with launch control and such but around a track with the same equally skilled driver, I doubt it, primarily because of weight, ride height, and set-up. That's like saying the 599 will be as fast as an Enzo- not quite. It may not be much faster than an SLR around the same track. BUT, the difference between the 599 and an Enzo, K-egg, CGT and a Zonda won't be very great. It is undoubtedly and achievement, just like the CGT, Enzo and Zonda F. Forza, Cavallini
As someone else said, the F40 never did much for me from a design perspective. Compared to the 288 GTO, it's a step closer to the racetrack which necessarily means less design, less creativity from the designer. The F50 is more involving and intriguing and attractive as a design than the F40, to say nothing of the Enzo. The F40 is just very easy, almost lazy from a design standpoint. Simple and attractive but not much compared to the 288. The 288 is the most beautiful Ferrari ever. It is simply an utter and complete masterpiece, even moreso than the 250 GTO, the Daytona and everything since, except perhaps for the CS. But the newer designs are different, different expectations, different competition, different materials and technologies, different regulations, and it is perhaps because they are so new and different, unlike the past beauties that we have a difficult time appreciating them now. It would be interesting to see how people reacted to the classics when they first debuted. Not everyone understood Coltrane when he started breaking all the so-called rules, and he wasn't the first. Forza, Cavallini
Interesting article here, I don’t know if it’s a repost, if so I apologize. http://www.italiaspeed.com/2006/cars/ferrari/01/f139/2501.html
These two pics are not to same scale which is why it is not possible to see the comparison. Ok, some angles are similar, but there will always be similar angles to many cars. Scale is important when making comparisons. Reason #99 why photos are deceiving ..
Well remember, no matter how close to these cars it is. Even if it beats some of them (which it could do), these cars are not really a fair comparo. With HUGE price differences. BUT the impressive thing is how the 599 will stack up, pretty amazing if you ask me!
Actually the prices are pretty close. a 599 is goign to run you low to mid 3's out the door depending on how you optoin it. a good but not concourse f40 is goign to run you about the same --Dan
Sorry new to this thread but I would like to point out as a practicing pagan that the pentagram whilst sometimes used by devil worshippers is actually just a symbol representing magic nothing more.
Well, remember that the 250s, 330s, 500s, 275s and their humps on their fenders came first than the F355s.
