There was a time when this car was cruising down the road, showing off its beautiful Rosso Corsa paintwork, complementing the sleek silhouette. Now, it has been reduced to a pile of metal, and you can hardly tell the rear from the front end. Stare at it for the rest of the day, and still, you wouldn't be able to guess what it used to be.
We won't let you toss about it too much, and we will tell you that what you are looking at used to be a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Codenamed F141, the car rolled off the production line back in 2007, the second year of production for the model, as a two-seat grand tourer, designed to replace the Ferrari 575M Maranello.
The Ferrari 599 GTB was penned by Pininfarina under the surveillance of New York-born Jason Castriota, who also worked on the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the SSC Tuatara hypercar. Ferrari debuted the model at the Geneva Motor Show in February 2006, flaunting optimized aerodynamics with distinct sail panels on both sides of the rear window for better airflow.
The car was powered by the 6.0-liter Tipo F140 C V12 engine, which delivered 612 horsepower (620 metric horsepower) and 448 pound-feet (608 Newton meters) of torque, redlining at 6,400 rpm. It was actually a 5,999 engine, hence the name of the model, also inspired by Ferrari's private test circuit, Fiorano.
Those figures made the 599 GTB the most powerful series production Ferrari road car back then. The V12 was mated either to a six-speed manual or a six-speed automated manual. The car what-is-left-of-the-car you are looking at used to be a manual.
Photo: A Better Bid | Copart
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano could flash from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 kph) in 3.7 seconds, hit 124 mph (200 kph) in 11.1 seconds, and reach a top speed of 205 mph (330 kph). Now, long gone are the days when this Ferrari flashed past other cars on the highway or cruised down the city streets. Its top speed right now is the speed by which the trailer will take it either to the crusher (if it is not crushed already as it is!) or to a shop that deals with used car parts market.
The 599 GTB Fiorano was the first GT to receive an aluminum chassis instead of the tubular steel chassis used in its predecessors. The move brought more rigidity and less weight. The car tipped the scale at 3,726 pounds (1,690 kilograms). Right now, it is way less, because the windows are all gone, the body panels have melted, and the whole interior has vanished in the fire.
The pile of metal is auctioned off on a salvage car website in Albany, New York, and it is probably the worst thing to look at from their yard. You can't even tell the front from the rear end, not to mention the make and the model. It is obvious that the Ferrari was crashed and burned and everything in between, but the listing does not mention how those events happened. It just indicates "Burn" as the Primary Damage.
One thing is for sure. As pitiful as it may look, it still has something to offer. The four tailpipes will surely find their way to another Ferrari. Three of the four wheels are still salvageable, and we could throw in a spare wheel, too. The passenger door and the right-side quarter panel are just slightly deformed, so they might as well have another lease of life.
Photo: A Better Bid | Copart
Other than that, there are just ashes. Nothing remained of the dashboard, which integrated a combination of analog gauges and screens, or of the leather seats. The driver in the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was positioned slightly oriented to the center in order to provide the one sitting in it with a better driving position.
If this Ferrari had aluminum or carbon fiber shift paddles behind the three-spoke steering wheel, we will probably never know, because they were melted by fire together with everything else. Whoever will place the highest bid will need a shovel to put the remains of the sports car on a trailer.
According to the listing, which showed up online on May 10, the 599 GTB Fiorano has had a single owner since 2007, when it rolled off the production line of the factory in Maranello, Italy, and only 26,204 miles (42,171 kilometers) on the clock. Not that it matters so much right now. The model was reportedly involved in two accidents, but the last one surely put the tin hat on this car.
After three days online, the highest bid is $225. Right now, the shipping would cost more.
Ferrari built 3,600 599 GTBs for the global market between 2006 and 2011. There were 1,082 more for the US market, and this was one of the 400 units built in 2007. It seems that only 399 survived.
Google News