Ferrari 599 GTO

Ferrari 599XX shown for comparison

Is the legendary “GTO” badge set to make a comeback at Ferrari? While rumors of a new GTO have been circulating for awhile, EVO seems to think it’s a done deal. The magazine is reporting that Ferrari has shifted the 599 GTB Fiorano from its internal “GT” classification to the “Sports Car” division, signaling a change that will allow the “development of a more extreme version of the 599, much in the same way that the Scuderia was developed from the standard F430.”
The 599 GTO would essentially be a street version of the 599XX track special, with a whopping 700 horsepower coming from its Enzo-based 6-liter V12. Using the company’s 599 HGTE as a benchmark, the 599 GTO would offer even better handling and performance that could conceivably make this Ferrari’s fastest road car ever. Evo is predicting a 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed that would eclipse the Enzo’s 217 mile-per-hour V-max.
If the speculation is true, this would be the first Ferrari to wear the “GTO” name since the F40-preceding 288 GTO went on sale in 1984. The “O” in “GTO” stands for “Omologato,” a designation used for street cars that are being sold to homologate the model for racing. It was most famously used on the 1962-1964 Ferrari 250 GTO, which did battle with the Shelby Cobra in FIA GT racing back in the day. It was revived on the 288 GTO when Ferrari decided to build a model for the ill-fated Group B racing class. With only the Porsche 959 as a challenger the class was disbanded and the 288 GTO never raced.
Labeling this new supercar a 599 GTO would seem to imply that Ferrari was planning to race the vehicle, but exactly where it would compete is a mystery. Still, Evo is reporting that 50 of the vehicles will be built and sold in the UK, priced at £300,000 apiece. That’s the equivalent of $480,000 at the current exchange rate. Deliveries could start as soon as May of this year.