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Front-engined Flagship
Ferrari
 Ferrari's
front-engined flagship model started life in 1968 in the form of
365GTB/4 Daytona. Today it is still regarded by many as the definitive
Ferrari front-engined GT, thanks to an exotic design, ground-breaking
performance (174mph and 0-60mph in 5.4sec) and good handling. The
Daytona was superseded by the
mid-engined Berlinetta Boxer in the mid-70s and then Testarossa in the
mid-80s. Nevertheless, the mid-engined supercars sold by exotic image
rather than real talents, as their rearward weight bias and high center
of gravity (engine mounted onto the transmission) actually deteriorated
handling.
In 1996, the flagship line returned to front-engined. 550 Maranello and
its modified version 575M improved greatly on handling, cabin comfort and user
friendliness. In the next 10 years they sold 5700 cars. But that was
still less than the 8500 units Testarossa series recorded in its 11
years life. What happened?
Undoubtedly, the Maranello had its own
weaknesses. First of all, it did not look very beautiful - a deadly sin
for Ferrari. Secondly, its V12 engine was too civilized, playing only
the sound of silence. Thirdly, it was neither powerful nor light enough
to produce super performance justifying its top position in
Ferrari's production model lineup. It was repeatedly embarrassed by the
cheaper V8 line, 360 Modena and F430. The reputation was so bad that
people started believing front-engined could not make the best Ferrari.
 That was
a misconception, of course. In fact, front-engined grand tourer was
always the format preferred by Enzo Ferrari himself. He approved
mid-engined layout only for race cars and the small-engined Dino
because he believed the combination of powerful V12 and mid-engined
could result in poor balance, oversteer hence disasters to his
customers. (If not forced by Lamborghini Countach, he would not have
approved the flawed BB)
Today, Maranello's engineers also believe front-engined layout can make
the best Ferrari road car, beating even the high standard set by F430.
If they succeed, they will have a car matching the classic status of
Daytona. Yes, this car is 599GTB Fiorano.
New Born King
Although not as ground-breaking as Daytona, 599GTB is a much
better looking car than 550 / 575M. It was designed by Pininfarina
studio under the guidance of Ferrari design boss Frank Stephenson. The
design theme follows 612 Scaglietti, but added more tension and
aggression. The profile is an integration of sharp nose, flowing belt
line and muscular shoulders. It brings back the emotion lost in 550 /
575M.
 Highlight
of the design are the "flying buttresses" C-pillars which stand freely
away from the rear glass. They not only look
special but also improve aerodynamic downforce, as they draw airflow
towards the tiny tail spoiler. Cd is just 0.336, remarkable
for a car generating 190kg downforce at very high speed. Credits must
go to the big diffusers.
Enter the cabin through the
conventionally hinged doors, you will find plenty of space, even more
than in 575M. Likewise, the big, 320-litre boot can swallow a weekend's
luggage or a couple of golf clubs. Space and visibility is no longer a
thing you need to sacrifice in Ferrari. More worrying is the visual
quality – is the carbon-fiber deco as good looking as leather and
aluminum? is the analogue-LCD hybrid instrument panel as delicious as
conventional one? and what about the Formula 1 / PlayStation-like
multi-functional steering wheel? Like all recent Ferraris, this cabin
lost the visual attractiveness of traditional Ferrari cabins. We miss
the days when all Ferraris featured wooden steering wheel, chromed
gauges and metal spherical gear knob.
 Anyway,
the beauty of 599GTB is not from design, but from its engineering. Base
on a shortened version of the 612's aluminum space frame chassis and a
detuned version of the Enzo V12, you get the idea how it works… look at
these figures first: 620 horsepower, or 105 horses more than its
predecessor; Kerb weight 1690 kilograms, 40 kilos lighter. Its
power-to-weight ratio will beat a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
Now the performance figures: 205mph-plus, zero to 62mph in 3.7 seconds,
0-124 mph in 11.0 seconds. Now it is comfortably faster than F430 and
the new 911 Turbo, and should give the Lamborghini flagship a lot of
hard time. However, the most mind-blowing fact is that it is now faster
than the mighty F40 (that 478 horsepower, 1100kg carbon-fiber road
racer). Ferrari said it laps Fiorano 5 seconds quicker !
Matured Technology
In the 599GTB, I have a feeling that various technologies have finally
matured. The first one is the front-engined chassis. 550 / 575
Maranello showed that a front-engined machine could deliver fabulous
handling, but it had not optimized the layout yet. People still
preferred mid-engined layout for supercars because of superior
rear-wheel traction (as more weight acted on the rear wheels) and
responsive steering (as less weight over the front wheels). However, in
the 599GTB Ferrari achieved a
front-rear weight distribution of 47:53 (while 575M was 50:50). This
was implemented by pushing the front axle forward and mounting the
gearbox at the rear axle. The figure is almost optimum for the best
handling, with traction, balance and security considered. If the
engineers could shift more weight towards the rear, I guess they would
still prefer the current setting.
 Apart
from balance, the Scaglietti's all-aluminum body and chassis also
benefits dynamics, for it is lighter yet stiffer. Its lightweight
bodyshell and small diameter twin-plate clutch help achieving a center
of gravity 20mm lower than 575M. As before, it rides on classic
unequal-length double-wishbone suspensions. What's new is the
introduction of Delphi's magnetorheological adaptive damping (similar
to Chevrolet Corvette's Magnetic Ride Control, also by Delphi). It can
infinitely alter damping stiffness by applying current to the
magnetorheological medium. Braking is provided by either conventional
cast-iron discs or Brembo carbon ceramic discs.
Another technology finally getting
matured is the F1-Superfast gearbox. In automatic mode where it used to
be jerky, now it shifts reasonably smooth. However, the most impressive
is how fast it makes gearshifts in manual mode: only 100ms, versus
150ms in F430 and 250ms in 575M. It makes full-blown acceleration
almost uninterrupted. Very exciting !
As for the V12 engine, we have little surprise. It shares the same 65˚
engine block, 6.0-litre capacity and 11.2:1 compression with Enzo's
660hp unit, as is the fully variable valve timing. But it employs a
fixed intake system and steel connecting rods instead of titanium ones.
Strangely, the engine is capable to spin to 8400rpm, 200rpm higher than
Enzo. It produces 620 horsepower at 7600 rpm, 448 lbft of torque at
5600 rpm. From 3500rpm ninety percent of the maximum torque is
available, so this engine is super powerful yet tractable.
On the Road
 From the
moment you start the engine, you will realize this is one of the few
future classics you could encounter in your life. Like all the best
Ferraris, it has a wonderful V12 engine which loves to rev, to sing and
to deliver output in a linear, easy-going manner. Unlike Maranello, the
599 engine produces a marvelous soundtrack whose volume and urgency
progress linearly according to rev.
With 620 horsepower on call from a flexible engine, acceleration is by
all means sensational. We have no reason to doubt Ferrari's performance
claim, especially in the presence of the effective launch control and
the super-fast gearbox. In fact, its performance is clearly beyond the
reach of F430, and closer to the level of Enzo. It will eat Mercedes
SL65 AMG for breakfast. It won't fear McLaren SLR either.
The ride is firm but composed, thanks to the adaptive damping. However,
most impressive is handling. Read this: it has better handling than
F430 ! it has a body control superior than the mid-engined Ferrari. It
corners flatly, thanks to the great chassis balance and long wheelbase.
It steers so responsively and eagerly as if there were no mass at the
nose. It has bags of grip and powerful braking (although brake pedal
lacks initial bite). The steering occurs to be too light at first
acquaintance but is actually full of feedback.
Whatever mid-engined supercars can do, so can the 599GTB. At the same
time, it offers the confidence-inspiring driving manner and the
packaging advantage (cabin space, luggage room and visibility)
unavailable in mid-engined supercars. It can be a daily car driven to
work. It can be a cross-continental express. It can be exploited on any
kinds of roads. Its talent is far broader than Murcielago, Enzo,
Carrera GT, SLR, Zonda, Veyron, Koenigsegg... Yes, Enzo Ferrari was
right. The best Ferrari should be V12-powered and front-engined. If he
see this from heaven, he would be proud of 599GTB.
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