Ferrari 599 GTO

There is a school of thought among certain members of the Ferrari cognoscenti that the 599 GTO is an imposter, a travesty even, as far as the Scuderia’s use of the sacred GTO badge is concerned. The 599 is not – never will be – a proper GTO, they claim, because it has no motor sport heritage to justify its legendary moniker.

And in a way they have a point. The 599 GTO – unlike every other car that’s worn the magic badge – has precisely zero direct motor sport history in its DNA, so it shouldn’t technically be called a GTO.

Except here’s the counter-argument. Haven’t all Ferraris got a whole heap of motor sport history in their DNA, purely because they are Ferraris? And if so, surely it’s up to Ferrari to do what it likes with the GTO badge, given that it is theirs to apply to whatever cars it thinks fit?

Either way, and whatever it should or should not have been called, the 599 GTO was, and still is today, one heck of a fantastic car to drive. In 2010 I was one of the lucky few who got to drive it on its launch in Italy, at the famous Moto GP circuit at Mugello, and on the amazing roads that surround the circuit. Ferrari’s then-boss Amedeo Felisa was present, as was test driver Marc Gené.

They taught us the track in the morning, showed us the car in the afternoon, told us all about its deeply trick new aerodynamic package, plus its improved chassis, brakes and engine compared with the regular 599. And then they let us do a kind of qualifying lap simulation in it, with full data-logging and a fresh set of tyres for each run.

It blew me away, frankly. From the noise it made to the grunt it had, to the sheer speed it could generate around the lap, and especially the feel it provided through its seat, steering wheel and pedals, the 599 GTO was utterly sensational. And for that reason alone I have always thought it worthy of the badge – no matter what the so-called

cognoscenti might think.