Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Twelve cylinders, a long sweeping hood and only two seats. A Gran Turismo car, or GT for short, is meant to be driven long distances. A GT is both a sports car and a luxury automobile. Ferrari has been making GT's for a while, their first true GT being the 166 Inter in 1949. Ferrari has come a long way since then. Ferrari's latest example is the 599 GTB Fiorano.

 

The 599 was introduced in 2006 at the Geneva Motor Show and went on sale late that year with sales beginning worldwide in 2007. Using Ferrari's latest technology like their F1-Superfast transmission and magnetorheological shocks the 599 takes the term GT to a new level. The letters "GTB" in it's name stand for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. "Fiorano" is the name of Ferrari's factory test track and the place where each new road car gets tested before being delivered, along with Ferrari's Formula 1 cars.

The Model

Hot Wheels has an exclusive license with Ferrari to produce all of their cars in 1:18 scale. This decision by Ferrari has been very controversial although some nice models have come out of it. Hot Wheels new Elite line has increased detail over the regular releases. Unfortunately, Hot Wheels began reducing the detail and quality on their regular models to get the collector to buy the Elites. For around $30-$40 dollars more you get more detailing throughout the model including photoetched badges, carpeting and much improved paint details both inside and out of the cars.

 I was lucky enough to find an Elite 599 at Marshall's for $20 thanks to a tip by member Prowler on DiecastXchange.com. That's quite a bargain considering the prices the model is going for right now at places like eBay. At around $70 it would be a decent model with enough detail to probably justify the price. At $20 you're getting near Autoart or Kyosho level detail for about the same price as a Maisto in a Walmart. The Elite 599 comes in red or silver or a deep metallic red like my example. The official Ferrari color is called Rubino Micalizzato, or Ruby Metallic. It's a very special color and one that must be seen in person to be truly appreciated. In darker settings it's a nice deep rich red. In the sunlight it transforms into a bright metallic red that really catches your eye. I like my Ferrari's in red I'll admit but this red is a breath of fresh air. Hot Wheels usually does a nice job on the paint work I have found and my 599 is no exception. No orange peel. No uneven areas or thin spots and no bare metal to be seen. A clear coat finish is applied as well. Superb.

Exterior 9/10

The Ferrari 599 is a big car. It dwarfs my Bugatti Veyron! According to the specs on Ferrari's web site the 599, when shrunk down to 1:18 scale, should be 10.2 inches long which the model is. It's also 4.29 inches wide which means Hot Wheels is spot on and this model is a true 1:18 scale diecast. Something a little unexpected was how much actual diecast metal was used. Every single body panel is diecast metal which makes for a very solid feeling car. An interesting note though, the less expensive mass produced models(non-elite) have plastic hoods.

Starting at the front of the car you first see the large air dam, on each side are too smaller air inlets. The middle air dam has a metal grille with prancing horse logo. It has a slight bend to it, like the car is smiling, which is correct. The two smaller air inlets have black metal mesh. All three inlets are perforated. Above the air intakes are the headlamps. A single projector beam in each housing makes for a classic yet modern look. The lenses are attached securely with no visible mounting points at all. The projector lights have little ridges on top of them just like the real thing. Also, the projector "bulbs' are separate pieces and they look very realistic.

Between the headlamps is a rectangular Ferrari badge. While there are many badges on the car I'm not sure whether these colored ones are photoetched or are just separate decals. Either way, all are applied nicely and look fantastic. The nose of the 599 is low but gently rises as you move toward the windshield. The hoods sweeping lines make for a dramatic scene eyes move rearward. Two vents integrated into the hood are perforated and feature black metal mesh. On the real car, these vents are used to vent hot air from within the engine compartment. Moving to the sides of the car we find some more Ferrari badges. This time two cavallino rampante's(Ferrari Race Team shield) on each side of the car in the same material as the front badge. Being separate pieces, they look great against the darker red paint. Below them are amber colored side turn signals which are separate pieces. Again, no mounting points are visible.

 

Next to the badges and turn signals are more air vents. These are also used to vent hot air from the 6.0L V12. These vents are not perforated but do have simulated metal mesh. Below these vents are small "Pininfarina" photoetched badges. Mirrors are sturdy and appear to be the same design used on the F430. The twin-stalk design fits well with the rest of the car and help improve aerodynamics. The doors open on realistic hinges unlike some other Elite models which still have dog leg hinges. The windows on nearly all Elite models are unusual in the way Hot Wheels chose to position them. Normally, a models windows are either up or down but here they are half open. I didn't like it at first but it actually looks kind of neat. The rear air inlets that are used to cool the brakes are not perforated either but are again simulated metal mesh pieces. The gas cap is molded into the car and is well defined.

Now we move on to one of the coolest features of the 599. To improve aerodynamics around the rear of the car, Ferrari designed buttresses that extend out from the cars' c-pillars to create more down force. These "flying butresses" create enough down force so that a spoiler isn't need. Because of these, the rear window curves sharply around the back of the car just before the trunk. Rear tail lights are nicely finished and unlike many other Hot Wheels Ferrari diecast, don't have any paint on them at all. The centers of the lights are actually clear plastic instead of white paint which is a welcome improvement over past models. The trunk fully opens and inside is a little surprise! Little Ferrari luggage bags! I wish more companies would include little touches like that. On the rear of the car, on the trunk, are more photoetched badges. A prancing horse is attached on the back of the trunk and the Ferrari name is above it on the top of the trunk.

 Four large exhaust tips extend out through the rear diffuser and are both hallowed out and blackened inside for even more realism. Nice! The underbody diffuser houses two small red backup lights on either side and the venturi ducts.

Interior 7/10

 One of the most impressive things about this car is it's interior. It's by far the best Hot Wheels interior I've ever seen and is one of the best in my collection. It's not that it's super detailed or that it breaks any new ground in the industry. It doesn't, but it is a solid attempt at an interior. The dash board has simulated leather grain and looks really, really nice. The air vents on top are actually photoetched pieces! The little air vents that point toward the driver and passenger are hallow nd are well defined. The center console features a Ferrari logo underneath the two air vents. Just below that are little photoetched Ferrari/Pininfarina crossed flags. Push this area on the real car and the panel would retract giving you access to the radio/cd player. A neat little fact, the 599 was the first Ferrari to come standard with an iPod dock. The climate controls are nicely done as well. Below the climate controls are various buttons that let you reverse, use the auto setting on the transmission, or use launch control. The red button is for the hazard lights and the button beneath that is what I believe is used to open the trunk. The seats are soft rubber and have simulated carbon fiber backs. Seat belts are cloth and have little photoetched metal "tongues". Between the seats toward the rear is the storage net which is black plastic with a photoetched "rim". It looks decent but a real cloth net would have looked even better here instead. Behind that is the luggage shelf. Photoetched pieces are again used here to simulate leather straps and metal buckles. Overall the look is very convincing. The headliner(roof) is nicely done with no attachment holes and the rearview mirror is the correct shape and size. There is carpeting throughout the interior and there are actually little floor mats well! Nice!!! The steering wheel looks and feels nice to the touch. The red button on the left is the starter button and the switch on the left is the manettino which controls the launch control. Behind it are the turn signal and wiper stalks and the paddles for the F1-Superfast transmission. These allow the driver to manually shift the car if he or she wants to. Shifts happen in 100ms, or one tenth of a second. That's near F1 cars speeds! Amazing!

 

Engine 8/10

The 599's engine is a 6.0-liter V12. The 599 is the cars name comes from the fact the engine's displacement is 5999cc. The mighty V12 has a redline of 8500 rpm. Full torque, 448 lb-ft, is available from 5600 rpm with full power, 612bhp, being available at 7600 rpm. Hot Wheels did a very good job with the 599's engine bay. The 599 GTB and Ferrari badge beneath it are both photoetched as are the engine covers(in red with the Ferrari logos). The engine is plumbed and wired and the underside of the hood is finished with black plastic instead of painted metal. The radiator cover in the front section of the engine bay is done wonderfully. It's shaped correctly and is painted in the correct shade of silver.

Wheels/Tires/Brakes/Undercarriage 8/10

The wheels on this model have been the focus of many a discussion on diecast forums. Some think they look fine, others buy the car and change them. Then there are the people who simply won't buy the model because of it's rims. It's not that rims are too small, because they are not. The standard wheels for the 599 are the pentagram style rims with the Challenge style 20 inch rims available. I measured the rims on my model and the front rims are slightly larger than 1 inch; the rears a little larger than the fronts. Since the model is 18(1:18) times smaller than the real car(1:1) the rims are the correct size. Perhaps it is the tires causing the puny-rim effect? Tires are soft rubber and have a nice finish to them in that they have a flat, not shiny, look to them like real car tires.

I quite like them! In person the rims look much nicer. I hated them before but they look great sitting here on my desk. Another first for me, for a Hot Wheels at least, are the metal brake discs. They turn with the wheels while the brake calipers are static. The calipers are Ferrari red and have small printed logos on them. Underneath the car you'll find the usual black plastic although here there is a little more detail. The front suspension arms are painted in silver to simulate aluminum. Also visible is some silver heat shielding, the two exhausts and the drive shaft tube. The drive shaft on the real car is inside this steel tube. The tube rigidly connects both the engine and the six speed transmission to prevent torque-induced transmission movement. The silver mufflers can be seen toward the rear of the car. The underbody is flat except for the Venturi tunnels at the back.

Conclusion

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is one awesome car. It shares the same engine as the Ferrari Enzo all while being much more civilized(and cheaper!). The 599 retails at just under $270,000 but because of a two year waiting list prices are hovering around the 300K to 500K mark depending on the color and options selected. As Ferrari's most powerful true production car ever you can certainly see why. The Hot Wheels Elite Ferrari 599 retails for $70 at most online retailers. It's a very nice models of Ferrari's newest GT and one that will fit nicely into any collection whether you collect super cars or you only Ferrari's. It has a few let downs but overall it's a solid effort from Hot Wheels and one I highly recommend! For $20 I can't really complain!