Ferrari 599January 2006

The 599 GTB Fiorano is Ferrari's ultimate regular production model, a mantle it inherits from the 575 Maranello, 550 Maranello, 512TR and Testarossa before it. It's a V12, of course, it's front-engined and serves a spectacular 620bhp, a power output sufficient to fling it to 62mph in a fleeting 3.7seconds when you indulge the drama of its electronic launch control system. Top speed? That'll be 205mph, which is good to say even if your never see it. And this car is a huge step ahead of the old 575, which turned out to be a rather flawed development of the fine 550 Maranello. It's engine is a development of the lightweight V12 used in the limited edition Enzo - it weighs 19kg less than the Maranello's motor - and most buyers will choose to hook it to a six-speed paddle shift transmission that can swap ratios in a lightning 0.1sec, which will be far faster than anyone handling the standard manual six-speed gearbox can manage. So, there's no shortage of go, although there isn't quite as much mid-range punch as you might expect of an engine with this many horses, because its torque output is a slightly less impressive 448lb ft. And maximum pulling power arrives at 5600rpm, so you'll need to stretch the engine to get at it, but then, that's the point of a car like this, the excitement piled on with an 8400rpm revlimit that illuminates a string of colourful LEDs in the upper rim of the wheel. Not that there'll be much time to admire these when you're wringing the engine like this.

The 599 certainly has the chassis to deal with all that power, its capacity for changing direction quite startling when you consider that this is not a small car, and that it is not mid-engined. Instead, the front-engined layout gives you the confidence to sink the throttle deep when you're exiting bends (mid-engined machines can sometimes pitch you into a spin) and if you're brave/foolish enough to de-activate traction control by swivelling the steering wheel-mounted manettino a notch beyond 'race', the tail can be teased sideways with relative ease. So, though this is car is actually more rapid than the legendary limited edition twin turbo F40 of the 1980s, it's vastly easier (and less heart-stopping) to conduct at speed.

It's also surprisingly comfortable. True, it's hard not to feel that all's right with the world when you slip into the 599's exquisitely leathered cockpit, but this Ferrari's classy ride quality rams home its ability as one of the ultimate wheeled continent compactors. Clever magnetic dampers are partly responsible for the more soothing progress, an electric charge instantly altering the shock absorbers' resistance to suit the road below. Of course it's not limo-like, and you're never short of feedback, but this is far from being a car you'll be longing to escape from after a couple of hours.

Practicality? The main impracticality is financial, of course - it costs a lot to buy, it sheds value (if far from as rapidly as some high-end supercars) it gorges fuel and won't be cheap to service. Good news, however, is the twin-plate clutch of you go for the F1 semi-auto, which should last a lot longer than the single plate item of Ferrari's original paddle-shift transmissions. And Ferraris are considerably more robust than they were a couple of decades ago.

Such issues fade when you consider the 599 GTB in totality, however - this is an ultimate supercar, looks like it and delivers in a mightily complete manner. It's the best front-engined V12 Ferrari yet, and that's some compliment given the history of the Prancing Horse.