Ferrari 599 GTO revealed

This is the Ferrari 599 GTO, the company's fastest ever road-going car. The GTO is powered by a 661bhp six-litre V12 with 63.18kgm of torque, propelling it to 100kph from standing in just 3.4secs and on to a top speed of 335kph. It is linked to a six-speed gearbox which can shift in 60 milliseconds.

The car delivers peak power at 8250rpm, but Ferrari says fluid dynamics and component improvements mean there is no loss of flexibility even at low and medium revs.

In order to achieve its pace, Ferrari says the car, which will be limited to just 599 units, shares more with the hardcore track-focused 599XX than the production model 599.

Examples of this cross-over of knowledge include the car's ability to generate 144kg of downforce at 194kph, says Ferrari. This has been achieved through changes to the nose of the car, where a front spoiler incorporates a separate lower wing, and the adoption of F1 style wheel doughnuts, a disc positioned outside the brake disc, that ensure hot air exiting the wheel arch stays close to the side of the body and reduces drag.

By using thinner aluminium and glass, Ferrari has also been able to save weight over the standard 599. Coupled with the carbon-ceramic brakes, and lightweight transmission and exhaust systems, the 599 GTO has a dry weight of 1495kg, and delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 448bhp per tonne.

The main changes from the standard 599 are focused on the chassis, however, with Ferrari engineers keen to find the optimum balance between electronic driver aids and a body set-up fine-tuned to be close to the limit.

Inside the cabin, the GTO has been fitted with longer and more user-friendly carbonfibre gearshift paddles. While the standard 599 has an 'ice' traction setting, it is replaced in the 599 GTO by a CT-Off function which turns traction control off.

The car is also fitted with Virtual Race Engineer, which monitors the status of the car and gives feedback on vehicle performance.

No prices have been released, but a leaked brochure for the car last month - which Ferrari denied was accurate - suggested a starting price of around £285,000.