First Ferrari 599 GTO arrives in Singapore

The first example of the Ferrari 599 GTO, the company's fastest-ever road car, has arrived in Singapore. Only a handful of the exclusive limited edition Ferrari specials will be delivered here, lining up alongside cars such as the California hardtop convertible, the 599 GTB Fiorano, the 612 Scaglietti and the 458 Italia mid-engined coupe.

Just 599 of the new 599 GTO models are being hand-built for clients around the world who seek the ultimate expression of high-performance driving, and the entire production has been sold out since April 2010. Designed on the platform of the production Ferrari 599 GTB, but developed to offer the ultimate performance, the 599 GTO is effectively a road-going version of the 599XX, the advanced experimental track car which led the Ferrari Owners Club track parade at the Singapore Grand Prix in September.

The 599 GTO is already a record-breaker, having set the fastest-ever time by a road car around the Ferrari test track at Fiorano in Italy in 1 minute 24 seconds. Further evidence of the performance available from the 670 hp V12 powering this 1495kg car is a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of just 3.35 seconds, as well as a top speed of over 335 km/h.

There have been only two previous models in Ferrari's history which have carried the 'GTO' (Gran Turismo Omologata) title. The Ferrari 250 GTO made its debut in 1962 and dominated sports car racing in the early 1960s. It is now one of the most sought-after and valuable classics in the world. The 1984 Ferrari GTO featured a twin turbo-charged 2.8 litre V8 engine and was the first street-legal production car to reach 300 km/h.