Highlights
- One lady owner from new
- Only 14,300 kilometres (c.8,936 miles) from new
- Full service history
- Numerous desirable factory options
- Currently undergoing a service at Ferrari Maranello in readiness for the new owner
The Appeal
Ferrari’s F140 engine is something really special. A sonorous and vivacious 65-degree DOHC V12, you find this motor in some of the most desirable and aspirational machines ever to bear the Cavallino Rampante shields. When it debuted in the Enzo back in 2002, it set a new record for being the most powerful naturally-aspirated engine in a road car.
Styled by Pininfarina and engineered to have some frankly astonishing race-honed aerodynamics, the 599 GTB Fiorano could hit 62mph in 3.2-seconds and top out at 205mph. It’s well known that Il Comendantori liked his own Ferraris to be front engined GTs and that’s exactly what this 599 is. A proper Ferrari of the old order, but with the latest performance available, the 599 is perhaps the most authentic model of its generation. Comfortable, cosseting, opulently trimmed and lavishly appointed; you can tear across Europe in one frenzied hit, and emerge on Casino Square unruffled and carefree. The perfect automobile? It’s got to be on the shortlist, for sure…
Just 3,500 of these cars were built, and the one we have here today makes a very strong case for itself indeed: being a debut-year car, it represents the genesis of the model, and it has essentially been trapped in amber ever since. 14,060 kilometres / 8,736 miles is an extraordinarily low figure for a 2006 car to wear, and the condition bears it out: this is a beautifully-specced 599 that’s always been maintained with a no-expense-spared approach, the mechanicals kept tip-top and the interior and exterior thoughtfully looked after.
The History and Paperwork
- Specifically ordered new to Britain in UK specification but in left-hand drive for drives to St. Tropez
- Supplied by Clive Sutton
- Just one owner from new
- 14,300 kilometres (8,936 miles)
- Currently undergoing a service at Ferrari Maranello
- The service book then shows a service at HR Owen on 6,049 miles, the next – again with HR Owen – at 8,561, and the most recent was carried out by Spiro’s in London in December 2020
- Has spent some time carefully stored under wraps, with the last MOT test performed in December 2020 at 8,962 kilometres
- Supplied with two original keys
This 599 is both UK-registered and left-hand-drive, and there’s a very interesting reason behind that. When the car was first ordered from the specialist Clive Sutton, the buyer requested that it be a UK-spec car officially registered in Britain, but delivered to their house in St. Tropez – having the steering wheel on the left making it more usable in its first native land.
The car was fully loaded with desirable options, all of which are detailed below, and has evidently lived an easy, pampered life. With just 14,060 kilometres on the clock (that’s 8,736 miles), of course it’s been regularly and properly serviced despite this very low mileage, and it’s presented to market today as an extravagantly-specced one-owner car in utterly splendid condition.
The service book makes for interesting and reassuring reading. We can see that the car was officially imported by Ferrari Deutschland GmbH, and was serviced at 3,481 miles by Auto Palace S.A. in Mandelieu. (We can assume that the car then went into storage briefly, as the file also includes an invoice from a year later for a €1,435 service at Modena Motors Cannes on the same mileage.)
The service book then shows a service at HR Owen on 6,049 miles, the next – again with HR Owen – at 8,561, and the most recent was carried out by Spiro’s in London in December 2020. This last service included a full ‘168-month service’, a new battery, and fitting a new aftermarket stereo head unit. Also in the file we find a print-out of an email from Clive Sutton, confirming that the car was supplied by them in 2006, UK-registered and LHD.
It’s worth noting that, while the car was UK-registered from new, the duplicate-document V5 lists it as being first registered in April 2006 but first UK-registered in January 2008 – the reason is simply that this is when the car was repatriated, because it had briefly worn French plates for a while when it was in St. Tropez.
The Interior
- Extensive use of carbon fibre with Interior Pack 1 and 2 selected
- Sought-after electrically adjustable Recaro seats
- Carbon steering wheel with integrated LED shift lights
- Barely any wear to upholstery
- We’re assured that everything works correctly
The original owner specced this car extremely well. The most noticeable interior upgrade is the extensive carbon fibre, the Interior 1 pack adding carbon door cards and Interior 2 complementing it with a carbon centre console, dashboard, and – the coolest part of all – the carbon steering wheel with integrated LED shift lights. The full-electric Recaro seat option is very desirable, and they’re trimmed in wonderfully soft leather along with yet more carbon fibre.
As you’d expect of a car with such extremely low mileage, the cabin is in outstanding condition with very few signs of wear. The leather trim is excellent with no scuffs, holes or marks, and no undue bolster wear. The carpets are great, and the sumptuously trimmed luggage rack behind the seats looks as if it’s never even been used.
The various electric functions on the seats work correctly, as do the windows, mirrors and all the dials. The stereo has been swapped for an aftermarket Pioneer CD/radio unit with Bluetooth, although the original Ferrari stereo is in a box in the boot and could easily be refitted. Speaking of the boot, it’s all tidy, dry and correct in there; the factory toolkit is absent, but the underfloor-mounted tyre inflation kit is all present and correct.
Aside from a little light usage wear to a couple of the buttons on the centre console, this really is a very well presented interior indeed.
The Exterior
- Nero B/B Fer. 1250 - non-metallic gloss black
- 20” ‘Monolithic’ alloy wheels
- Pirelli P-Zero tyres (245/35 front; 305/35 rear)
- Exceptional original condition
The 599 is fabulously presented in Nero B/B Fer. 1250, which is a tasteful non-metallic gloss black that suits the swooping aerodynamic lines beautifully. The car is fitted with the optional 20” ‘Monolithic’ alloy wheels, which are all unmarked with no kerbing whatsoever to the rims; they wear Pirelli P-Zero tyres (245/35 front; 305/35 rear) with good tread.
The bodywork is remarkable throughout, testament to a car that’s been seldom used and carefully maintained. There are no scuffs, scratches, dents or evidence of anything untoward, every panel is straight and tidy with even shut lines and mirror-shine paint; the only blemishes to note are a very, very small parking ding in the centre of the driver door (which you really have to be looking for to spot), and a couple of very small stone-chips on the nose.
All of the correct trim and badges are in place, and this 599 wears the optional Scuderia shields on the wings (an option costing over £1,000 at the time). All of the window glass and light lenses are in excellent condition. The front number plate has been removed for that show-car chic, but is in the boot and easily reattached for road use. The under-bonnet area is extremely clean. This is absolutely one of the tidiest 599s we’ve ever seen – which is hardly surprising, given the tiny mileage and obvious care it has always received.
The Mechanics
- 6.0-litre V12
- F1 SuperFast transmission
- Currently undergoing a service at Ferrari Maranello
We started this listing speaking about the F140 engine, and it really is a masterpiece. The sound of that 5999 cc V12 on start-up is enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, and that’s nothing compared to the noise it makes when it’s properly warmed up and exploring the full extent of the rev range.
The genius of this package is that the F140 is not only a tamed race motor, but that it’s smooth and civilised and well-behaved too – if you’re cruising around town it’s well behaved, idling smoothly and keeping itself cool.
The F1 SuperFast transmission is an excellent accompaniment, providing ease-of-use as well as whip-crack shifts on demand. All of this is in very fine fettle here, with the car having been meticulously serviced. There are no mechanical issues to be concerned with, this is a sweet little runner that’s ready to play.
The 599 came as standard with magnetorheological semi-active dampers, and it’s also worth noting that this one is equipped with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes, with the callipers finished in yellow.
Summary
This example is arguably as close as it might be possible to get to acquiring a brand new 599 GTB Fiorano. It certainly still feels new, and everything is just as it should be. Truly as wonderful to drive as it is to behold, it’d be tough to track down another 599 as appealing as this one.
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UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check. On the HPI report, this vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently not covered by a finance agreement.
UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check. On the HPI report, this vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently not covered by a finance agreement.
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