Road test:Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE (2009-) Review

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano won rave reviews in mid-2006, but to keep the car at the top of the exotic GT class the Italian company is now offering it with an optional handling pack and minor cosmetic changes for your £200,000 outlay.

Performance from the headline 620bhp Enzo-derived engine is unchanged. with 0-125mph achieved in 11 seconds, but work - mainly on reducing internal friction - on the engine has reduced CO2 emissions and improved overall fuel consumption from a scary 13.2mpg to slightly more socially acceptable 15.7mpg.



The real goal though was to make it an even sportier, faster-reacting car but not too much at the expense of ride comfort.


Wider front wheels, a new rubber mix from Pirelli for the PZero tyres, new calibrations for the suspension dampers and a 10mm drop in ride height to lower the 599s centre of gravity are the main changes.


Roll stiffness, up 19%, and pitch by 16% together with a faster (85milliseconds) paddle gearchange make the HGTE pack car 0.6 seconds quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than the 'standard model.


Prices for the Ferrari 599 GTB equipped with the HGTE pack start from £207,194.