Ferrari 599XX smashes Nürburgring record
Extreme version of the 599 breaks the seven-minute barrier at the "Green Hell" -- the first production-based sportscar to do soFerrari is the latest manufacturer to claim Nürburgring bragging rights as its racetrack-only 599XX has lapped the Norsdschleife in 6 min 58.16 sec, making it the first production-derived sports car to break the 7-minute barrier.
The new record was set on 21 April 2010 with Ferrari road car test driver Raffaele de Simone behind the wheel, beating a time of 6 minutes 58.5 seconds set by German touring car ace Florian Gruber in another Ferrari 599XX.
In a stark indicator of how much progress has been made in the last three decades, the mark also eclipses Niki Lauda's 6min 58.6sec pole-position lap in the Ferrari 312T Formula One car in 1975. This still stands as the best-ever time for an F1 car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit.
The 599XX's feat puts it ahead of that other Nürburgring luminary, the Donkervoort D8 270RS, which was the previous record holder with a time of 7min 14.89 seconds.
To put this in perspective, the best time recorded by the Ferrari Enzo was 7min 25.3sec, while the Ferrari F430 Scuderia's fastest lap time was 7min 39sec.
Ferrari has long used the Nordschleife for testing and development, and the prancing horse last year opened a Ferrari Store at the track.
Like the FXX that preceded it, the 599XX is essentially a rolling test-bed designed for track work, but not competition. Some of its innovations include F1-inspired wheel doughnuts that reduce turbulence and drag, and improve brake cooling.
It also features Ferrari's 'High-Performance Dynamic Concept', an integrated design and chassis set-up that uses sophisticated electronics to optimise the car's handling.
The 599XX's aero trickery includes an 'Actiflow System' that increases downforce and/or cuts drag depending on the car's trim during cornering. This plus other aero aids allegedly enables the 599XX to generate up to 630kg of downforce at 300 km/h.
Ferrari says it relied extensively on its performance partners -- Brembo for the carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin for the tyres and Shell for the fuel and lubricants -- to squeeze the maximum out of the 599XX.
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