2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

The new 599 GTB Fiorano is heir to Ferrari's glorious tradition of front-engine V12 dueposti, except that there was nearly a 20-year gap between the 365 GTB4, the Daytona and the recently departed 550/575M Maranello (1996-2005).

The 599 GTB Fiorano accelerates quicker (Road and Track reported a 0-60 mph of just 3.2 seconds and a quarter-mile estimated time of 11.2 seconds), corners harder and shreds the matrix of space-time faster than the F40. The 599's top speed is more than 205 mph, and it manages to stay ground-bound even without the F40's preposterous rear wing providing down force.

Powered by an Enzo-derived 6.0-liter 12-banger channeling a ferocious 612 hp through the new F1-Superfast gearbox (which cracks off gear changes in as little as 100 milliseconds), set up on a new semi-active suspension and with all manner of next-generation traction and stability systems managing the tiller of Newton's laws, the 599 feels like the ultimate man-macadam interface: a big, comfortable, gorgeous, richly appointed sports car with the soul of a racing machine.

The aluminum space frame has a chassis stiffness that's an almost inconceivable 50 percent higher than that of the foundry-cast 575M. All that substance comes at a cost, of course: This two-door weighs in at 3,722 pounds (roughly 600 pounds heavier than a Corvette Z06). And yet compared with the 599, ordinary cars of that weight division feel like sagging, over-full diapers.

Fully 85 percent of the car's weight is situated between the axles (as compared with 70 percent for the 575M). That gives this front-engine GT the low polar inertia of a mid-engine car, and yet there's still space for a surprisingly roomy trunk. The weight balance, meanwhile, is an optimal 47/53, front-to-rear.

Tarmac-warping Pirelli tires, which are, incidentally, staggered: 245/40/ZR19s in front and 305/35/ZR20s in the rear.

New electric dampers that monitor the road, speed and steering and adjust in a mere 40 milliseconds, using a system called SCM Magnetorheological Suspension. These babies employ a special fluid that changes viscosity depending on the electrical charge the computers impart to it. This semi-active system helps the tires maintain an instantaneous grip while cornering even over broken pavement, nulls out body lean and can go from velvety soft to harder than dragon scales with a flick of a knob.

An adjustable dynamics system that allows drivers to incrementally increase the ride stiffness, redline and gear-change speed, as well as raise the intervention thresholds of the traction and stability controls. The adventurous can turn them off altogether. New is the race-derived F1-Trac, which might be described as traction control with a Ph.D. in computer science. On the company's Fiorano test track -- where the name comes from -- a 599 with F1-Trac lapped an amazing 1.5 seconds faster than one with conventional traction control.

The new F1-Superfast gearbox, which adjusts shifting crispness -- the degree to which the car whacks you between the shoulder blades -- exactly to how hard you're driving.

A singular bit of aero styling is the 599's wraparound rear, close bracketed by flying buttresses (shades of Pegaso and Bertone's BAT cars). The 599 generates significant downforce (352 pounds at 186 mph). It is also practically immune to crosswinds.

Gonzo fast, awesomely cool, harder than Simon Cowell's heart yet with a deep sense of owner preservation, the 599 reminds me that I don't want much in a car, as long as I can have everything. And here it is, the world's best front-engine sports car.

Ferrari 599 GTB

Base price:
$260,000 (est.)

Powertrain:
6.0-liter DOHC V12
48 valve, with variable valve timing and variable intake geometry
six-speed automated gearbox
rear-wheel drive with limited-slip differential

Horsepower:
612 at 7,600 rpm

Torque:
448 pound-feet at 5,600 rpm

Max engine speed:
8,400 rpm

Curb weight:
3,722 pounds

0-60 mph:
3.2 seconds

Wheelbase:
108.3 inches

Overall length:
183.7 inches

EPA fuel economy:
12 miles per gallon city, 15 mpg highway
*Figure from Road and Track