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Posted Monday 10/26/2009 4:00 PM in
Auto by Maxim Staff
Filed under: ferrari 599 fiorano gtb hgte, cars, ferrari, rise of the machines
THE STALLION: As the ruler of the Maranello stable, the grand-touring, range-topping 599 GTB had already claimed a spot in the Maxim Dream Car Garage, but with the Handling Gran Turismo Evoluzione upgrade version now available, we’re just gonna have to make room for another. The front-midengined beauty shouts speed and seduces even at a standstill; under its shrink-wrapped skin, the HGTE package makes the 599 quicker and harder handling. Its tires are stickier, its suspension is stiffer, and the ride height has been lowered. The exhaust note of the 6.0-liter V-12 engine has also been retuned (from “godlike” to, uh, “godlike and louder”), and the six-speed manual-automatic F-1-style transmission now shifts a bit faster (those pesky, lightning-quick 100-millisecond shift times? They’ve been shaved down to 80 milliseconds.) Hey! Every little bit counts when you’re trying to make it to work on time. Helio says: with a car this incredible, even the subtle changes the Ferrari engineers have made—the quicker gearbox, the lighter weight—all make a huge difference in the way it performs on the track. And, my God, that noise!
ABOUT OUR TEST DRIVER: Danica's still got our heart, but Helio Castroneves reigns as the coolest driver on the IRL circuit. With his win this year at "The Greatest Spectacle in sports,” he became only the ninth driver to win the Indy 500 three times. The 34-year-old Brazilian’s signature victory celebration: climbing up the safety fence, a move that consistently riles up fans and pisses off track officials. Yeah, he also won Dancing With The Stars. Here he dances with supercars.
