ferrari

Ah, the Ferrari 599 GTO. It’s still got a glorious V12 engine that produces 670 horsepower. It still does zero to 60 in less than 3.3 seconds and it still tops out at 208 mph. And with just 599 slated for production, it’s still an exotic among exotics.

So no, there’s nothing new to say about this beautiful machine. But Ferrari’s released a bunch of carporn, so we’re more than happy to share it. Try not to drool.

And if you don’t know what makes this car so awesome, we run it down here.

Photos: Ferrari via Autoblog.it. Lots more after the jump.

Purely gratuitous video of the Ferrari 599 GTO simply because there is nothing like the sound of a Ferrari V12. We concur with Axis of Oversteer in saying it should be the Italian national anthem.

Rumors continue to swirl around the MotoGP paddock these days, many surrounding some of the top riders in the sport. Specifically, Australian Casey Stoner, who currently races for Ducati, is said to have already accepted an offer to compete next season for Honda. Naturally, then, there will be a couple of high profile slots open, possibly both for Ducati and for Honda.

Luca di Montezemolo has never been one to mince words. The outspoken president of Ferrari - who until recently also chaired the Fiat group as well as the Formula One Teams Association - consistently makes headlines for speaking his mind, and has of late focused his criticism on the backmarker teams (principally comprised of newcomers), which most recently cost his star driver Fernando Alonso position - and arguably the lead - in last week's Canadian Grand Prix.

With this year's enduro at Le Mans in the books, when better to break the news of a past winner going up for grabs? The racer in question is a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France - class winner and third overall at the '59 24 Hours of Le Mans and winner of the 1000km of Nurburgring the same year.

The pristine example still sports its original race-winning red-and-orange livery bearing the number 11. Since 1959, it's only changed hands a few times, and has been held by the same owner for decades.

If a V12 convertible strikes you as the quintessential Ferrari layout, it may come as a bit of a surprise to realize that Maranello hasn't made one since 2006. That's when the bizarre flip-top 575M Superamerica finished its limited run of 559 units. And Ferrari hasn't made a V12 convertible since.

Any racing fan nut, automotive enthusiast or classic car nut worth his driving mocs knows the story of the Ford GT40. In the early 1960s Ferrari was on a six-time winning streak at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That's when Henry Ford II initiated proceedings to take over the Maranello sportscar-maker and racing team.

Ferrari aficionados will fondly remember the letters NART. The North American Racing Team was created by Ferrari's American importer Luigi Chinetti, and campaigned Maranello's thoroughbreds at premier endurance sports car races like Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. In fact NART even jumped into F1 when John Surtees raced the 1964 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, helping Surtees and Ferrari clinch the championship.

As motorists are confronted with constricting regulations and fewer places to unleash their sportscars, track-day cars are becoming a bigger deal by the day. But if you're going to take to the track, why limit yourself to something street legal? Especially if you've got the means. Like, say... $700,000.