LuxeSyndicate

Photos Courtesy of Ferrari S.p.A. 

Lawrence Ulrich opens up the new 599 GTB Ferrari–and lives to tell about it.

When test driving a Ferrari, I tend to focus on how fast I cover ground, not how much ground I cover.

But my drive of the new 599 GTB Fiorano isn't the usual flogging of the latest prancing pony from Maranello. Instead, my L.A.-to-Vegas blast has a higher purpose. It's just one leg of the Panamerican 20,000: an 84-day, 20,000-mile endurance rally that shooed a pair of 599s from Belo Horizonte, Brazil in August, slogged them through 14 countries in South and Central America, and is now crossing the U.S. and Canada before finishing in Manhattan on Nov. 17.

It's the kind of punishment usually reserved for Land Rovers. Yet the Ferrari twins–one red, one blue, both heavily decaled–have lapped it up with only the odd punctured tire and no mechanical failures.

 Following some brutal marathon sections on ruined gravel roads in South America, my stint from an L.A. Shell station to Las Vegas' Wynn Resort seems almost too easy. The consolation comes when I fire up the 6.0-liter V-12, derived from the Enzo supercar, and feel the shiver of 611 horsepower below its sexy, stretched hood. In fact, the 599 is the fastest production Ferrari in history, reaching 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, the quarter-mile in 11.5 and a top speed of 205 mph. Yet as the heir for a long line of Ferrari Gran Turismos–most recently the 575 Maranello–the $265,000 machine shows it's also designed for long-distance comfort, with body-hugging sport seats, a decent trunk and a parcel shelf that's ready for custom-matched Ferrari cases (optional, of course).

Heading East from L.A., as stray drivers buzz our Ferraris with camera phones blazing, I join them in admiring the 599's muscular Pininfarina design, notable for flying roof buttresses that look great but also create massive aerodynamic downforce to keep things planted at high speeds. The latest version of Ferrari's Formula-1 style, paddle-shift transmission is improved, with faster shifts and more seamless engagement than before. The fast-acting adaptive suspension, with its magnetic-fluid filled shocks, is adopted from a mere $60,000 Corvette–surprising unless you know how brilliantly it works on the Chevy. And the "manettino" controller on the steering wheel optimizes traction and performance for all driving conditions, from low-traction surfaces to "sport" and "race" settings. 

Crossing the Mojave National Preserve, I finally spur the magnificent engine to its improbable 8,400-rpm peak, accompanied by the V-12 aria that makes a Ferrari as much an aural experience as a tactile one. Snapping off shifts in full race mode, I hear and feel the Ferrari howl in delight–we're freed momentarily from the rally's relatively short leash. The getaway burst touches 240 kilometers per hour, or about 150 mph. Walkie-talkies blare in Italian, demanding that I return to the convoy and our support vehicles. I'm chastened, but it feels worth it.

Outside, the Ferrari hoods have been redecorated with a new welcome message for each country on the marathon tour. With the Panamerican 20,000 on its North American homestretch, it's currently a Statue of Liberty and a "Hi, United States."

We arrive in Las Vegas too soon, naturally. As we pull into the Wynn Resort, its Ferrari showroom throws open its glass doors and I drive through the threshold. Again, crowds gather and gawk.

For the first time ever in Vegas, I feel like a high roller on a lucky streak–without setting foot in a casino.

[Via Men's Vogue]