Ferrari 599 HTGE package & the 599XX

Ferrari is busy doing what it does best – making the most of the exceptional cars it makes.

All the glory of late has been focused on the  Ferrari California – but not for the right reasons. The California grabbed the headlines for two reason; it was the first Ferrari with a folding tin rood and the cheapest Ferrari currently available. Both very valid reasons for all the press, but not the core of what Ferrari traditionally stands for.

Ferrari are announcing the HTGE handling pack for the 599 at Geneva '09

But the HTGE package is. It’s about taking the already mighty 599 and giving it an edge. The HTGE pack gives you a stiffer suspension and some lightweight alloys, plus a set of seriously uprated brakes. It also gets some triple-coated high gloss paint, which explains the gleam in the picture. Expect a few cosmetic tweaks inside and out, but it’s unlikely there will be any power boost.

But Ferrari is also going to reveal something called the 599XX Experimental Car. Now we don’t think that this a a new car, rather a way of developing the 599 for the next generation. Probably much like the Ferrari FXX project, which was Enzo based and allowed, in exchange for some €2 million, wealthy clients to race Enzos specially built by Ferrari and featuring components and systems being developed for future use. Ferrari monitored all the cars when they were raced and the feedback helped with development.

So we wouldn’t expect to see the 599XX as a road car, but a limited race track only car. Never mind, you can comfort yourself by saving a chunk of money and just getting the regular Ferrari 599 with the HTGE pack.