The technically advanced 612 Scaglietti implied Ferrari's next V-12 two-seater would be something very special, but few were prepared for the "shock and awe" of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Announced at Detroit in January 2006 and publicly unveiled the following month at Geneva, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano possessed the soul of the classic Daytona, the heart of the Enzo, and state-of-the-art technology developed over 60 years of world-beating competition experience.

Here was not just a worthy replacement for the Ferrari 550/575 Maranello but the most powerful, sophisticated front V-12 GT in Ferrari's proud history. One of the most beautiful, too, according to most every critic. There was certainly no doubting the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano's intent. Fiorano, after all, is the home of Ferrari's test track, so this name is revered as much as Maranello or Modena by heritage-minded Ferraristi and the company itself. But the 599 could carry that symbolic freight. Even by Ferrari standards, this was an exceptional automobile.