The driver’s seat engulfed like a long-absent lover. We pressed a switch to make it hug even tighter, in anticipation of severe sideways maneuvers. There’s plenty of room for two in here; in keeping with its luxury GT mission, no awkward bending or spindling is necessary to settle in. Front and center was a large red 10,000-rpm tachometer flanked by a 360-km/h speedometer and a digital screen that's capable of displaying dizzying amounts of information, including car status, navigation, and circuit lap times. A small LCD display in the center indicates the current gear.

The red (can it be any other color?) “Engine Start” button on the steering wheel triggers a deep-throated growl that can only be a Ferrari V12. The 5.99-liter power unit is lifted from the Enzo limited-edition supercar. It produces 620 bhp and can rev to a screaming 8400 rpm, remarkable for such a big engine. We pulled on the right lever to shift into first, and pointed the car down the track’s main straight.

We punched the throttle to the floor, and our whole body is slammed backward into the seat. 0-100 km/h blinked by faster than we could say “Luca di Montezemolo.” As the engine spins rapidly to redline, LEDs on the steering wheel light up, prompting for an upshift. Shifting is by fingertip pull on either steering-wheel paddle. Upshifts take only an eyeblink: 100 milliseconds, nearly as quick as Ferrari’s single-seaters. Downshifts are even more enjoyable, with a sharp 12-cylinder bark as the computer blips the throttle. The transmission is essentially a robotized manual, and this robot can shift like Schumacher. The huge engine displacement and its configuration ensure smoothness at all times. Forget to shift and leave it two gears too high, and the car will still pull away with no complaint.

Many sporty cars are compared to go-karts, but this one is the real deal.  Changes in direction are instant and direct.  A drive on Fiorano highlights the incredible balance and precision of the 599. Nearly all of the V12’s substantial length is tucked behind the front axle line for nearly even weight distribution between front and rear axles.

Braking after a full-throttle blast down Fiorano’s  782 meter straight is eye-poppingly effective. Regularly shrugging off 300 km/h is the job of carbon ceramic discs at all four corners. This material allows the system to provide consistently powerful braking with no fade, lap after lap. Standing beside the car after the test drive, we could feel waves of heat emanating from the brakes.

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