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SUPERCAR CLUB

Horse for the course

To be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari has announced the birth of its new supercar. Called the 599 GTB, this is Ferrari's most powerful V12-engined production car of all time. It will be a concentration of Ferrari's most innovative and technologically advanced engineering solutions applied to a mid-front engined two-seater coupe. The result is expected to set a new benchmark in performance, driver involvement and design, according to the official statement.

The Ferrari 599 GTB will boast class-leading power thanks to its 5999cc V12 - derived directly from the Enzo, Ferrari's other supercar - which produces no less than 620 bhp at 7600 rpm for a weight/power ratio of just 2.6 kg per horsepower.

With an all-aluminium construction for the body and chassis, its unmistakable Pininfarina design gives the Ferrari 599 GTB aggressive yet elegant lines, perfectly integrated with the advanced aerodynamic solutions adopted to reach out to high performance figures.

This new model is the symbol of Ferrari's production - the V12 Berlinetta - and represents the latest interpretation of a theme that has seen such classics as the 250 GT, the 275 GTB, and the 365 GTB4.

The Ferrari 599 GTB replaces the last in that great line of Berlinettas, the 575M, of which - together with the 550 Maranello introduced in 1996 - no fewer than 5,700 have been produced, a record for this type of model for the Prancing Horse.

ASHISH MASIH

For your eyes only

James Bond fans may be disappointed that Pierce Brosnan will no longer play the suave secret agent. This thespian is not going to be too happy either, considering he just missed a cinematic go with Aston Martin's new DBS.

Instead, the man counting his lucky stars is Daniel Craig, set to star in Casino Royale, the next Bond film due out in November 2006. The said gent visited the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire,to view his new 007 car and met Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, members of the workforce and took the opportunity to take a short test drive.

In the true tradition of Bond, full details of the car to be used in Casino Royale are being kept top secret but Dr Ulrich Bez said, "It's great news that Bond will drive an Aston Martin again and we have built him something special to enable him to do his job in style."

Oh, about the car - the DBS will replace the five year-old Vanquish and from the sketch you see, its profile seems compact, like the Vantage V8. The new DBS is set to cash in on the rest of the Aston range's VH platform and is a mix of aluminium extrusions for the floor pan and bulkhead, carbon fibre taking over the roof, the A-pillars, sills and the rear three-quarters.

Coming back to James Bond, the super spy's association with the marque began in 1964 in Goldfinger, when the DB5 was fitted with `optional extras' such as ejector seats and rockets. The last Bond film, Die Another Day, featured Aston Martin's then-flagship model, the Vanquish.

SRIRAM NARAYANAN

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