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Ferrari

VIDEO: Behind the wheel of a Ferrari 599 GTO

Ferrari 599 GTO

The Ferrari 599 GTO has been so eagerly anticipated by cashed up buyers that all 599 cars were sold before the car even had its official launch. So, then, videos from motoring journos are likely to be one of the few opportunities availble to try and experience just what it might be like to sit behind the wheel of Ferrari’s newest GTO and imagine what that 500kW 6.0 litre V12 would feel like.

Lucky for us, then, that UK mag Car has done just that and released a video of the 599 GTO lapping the Mugello circuit. You can check it out below after the jump. Let me know what you think. It’s hard to tell if it is the recording, maybe the sound has been muffled, but it seems like a fairly anodyne experience. Of course, I’d be sure to come to a different conclusion if it were me behind the wheel.

UPDATE: Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar has also filed a video review of the 599 GTO. He’s driven the 599XX, too, remember. After watching this second clip—this is more like it!

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Ferrari Formula 1

Felipe Massa debuts Ferrari 2009 F1 car

Felipe Massa debuts Ferrari F60 Formula One car

Most F1 fans will be up on the news that Ferrari launched their new 2009 F1 car, the F60, a few days ago. Video footage has recently surfaced showing Felipe Massa driving the F60 around Mugello. TheYouTube clip, along with a few photos, are shown below.

The cars looks will quite different in season 2009, with the return of slick tyres and radical changes to the aerodynamic regulations. Just check how narrow the rear wing looks on the F60 for an example. And, with the introduction of the KERS regenerative braking system all F1 teams are working their backsides off to make it to the starting grid for the Australian Grand Prix in late March.

Massa undertook a relatively light practice session of around 100km, and explained the steep learning curve ahead, “The car is completely different to what we were used to up to last year.

“Today was not the day to do 100 laps and post times because when the rules change so greatly from one year to another, like KERS, for example, you have a completely different feeling for driving the car. In the end, we used it a little to start with and gradually increased the power and this is very positive.

“At the moment, we are at the start of a different cycle in Formula One and it won’t be an easy experience,” he said.

Don’t forget the video footage can be viewed after the jump.

Source: FerrariWorld and GrandPrix.com.au

Categories
Ferrari

Ferrari celebrates with sweet 16M

Ferrari Scuderia F430 16M

Lewis Hamilton may have snatched the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship, but Ferrari took home the constructors’ gong. To celebrate their F1 World Constructor’s Championship, Ferrari’s sixteenth overall, they have released the Scuderia Spider F430 16M. The 16M was revealed at the World Finals in Mugello and will be limited to 499 examples, all marked with special badging and build plates.

Showing that the 16M has as much horse as it does prancing, the limited edition Spider is the fastest open top ever around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track.

The 16M tips the scales 80kg lighter than the regular F430 Spider and the lazy 510hp (380kW) V8 propels the car to a top speed of 315km/h while taking a mere 3.7 seconds to go past 100km/h.

More words and images below…