AutoTrader Find of the Week: 2009 Ferrari 599 is the Last of Its Breed

I’m old enough that when I think of “a Ferrari,” I immediately think, “V12, manual transmission with a gated shifter.” I don’t necessarily picture a mid-engine car. In fact, I’ve personally always been more drawn to the front-engine Ferraris. Maybe because a front-engine layout harkens back to Ferraris produced when Enzo was still alive. Or maybe because every bozo with a crypto scam runs out and buys a mid-engine Ferrari (see the “self-indulgent wiener” scene in the Gone in 60 Seconds remake).

But at the tender age of 35, I think I’m probably a member of the very last generation of people who will reflexively conjure this image in their head at the mention of “Ferrari”.

No doubt Gen Z immediately assumes Ferrari means “V8” and “paddle-shift transmission.” And what Gen Alpha will picture… god only knows.

Still, I’m not so old that I don’t also feel an instinctual draw towards what you might consider “neo-vintage” Ferraris. Still not considered “classics,” still firmly in the modern era of modern design, these liminal supercars are also free of trend-seeking hype and irritatingly modern features.

It is in that exact sweet spot where one finds this aging-like-fine-wine 2009 Ferrari 599 GTB.

A 6.0-litre V12 engine from the Enzo hypercar; 612 horsepower; 0 - 100km/h somewhere in the low 3-second range. Still wicked performance by modern day standards. More than enough to keep up with any YouTube influencer’s leased McLaren.

Finished in the epically tasteful “Grigio Silverstone” with an interior suite in “Cuoio” leather (fun fact, although “cuoio” directly translates to “leather” in Italian, it refers as much to a warm, rich burgundy colour as it does the material itself), this 599 contains a laundry list of factory-equipped options which Ferrari undoubtedly gouged somebody’s eyes out over.

Optional “Daytona Style” seat upholstery. Nuovo Cuoio (“new leather” in Italian, again doesn’t really work in English) matching carpets. Scuderia fender shields, 20-inch “Challenge Style” wheels. This one has got all the good stuff.

But the most notable feature of this Ferrari 599 GTB is that unlike the overwhelming majority of 599s, it does not sport the commonplace F1-style paddle-shift transmission. Instead, you’ll find a glorious, classic gated shifter in its cockpit.

Perhaps unbeknownst to some, you could actually opt for a manual 599 from the factory — it was, in fact, the very last manual-transmission car Ferrari ever produced.

Most people remember this title going to the F430, produced from 2004 - 2009 — but the F430 was only the last mid-engine V8car with a manual. For a V12 with a manual, you had to opt for the 599. And because its production cycle lasted until 2012, it was the very last one. This mis-remembering is excusable, as it’s said Ferrari only built 30 manual 599s. Not 30 a year. 30 total.

They’re so rare, that at time of writing, what is presumed to be the last one built (which would make it the last manual Ferrari ever built) is at auction and expected fetch well over $1 million USD.

So then what’s the story with this car? Is it one of the fabled 30 original manual 599s?

No. Which is why it has an asking price of $269,900 and not double or triple that (almost makes over a quarter million dollars seem like a bargain).

This car began life as most 599s did, with the F1-style flappy paddle unit, before undergoing a conversion to a manual setup by Clarkson Fine Cars in Oakville, ON., using a kit from a UK-based company called Out of the Gate. The set-up looks entirely OEM and uses the exact same “shift rod” set up as a factory manual car — except it’s very likely an improvement on a real factory manual 599, as the aftermarket ECU tune apparently knocks out some of the bugs the factory cars were known for.

Factory imperfections? From Ferrari? Non ci credo!

For purists, this Ferrari is offered for sale with all the original factory F1-shifter bits. It’s also worth noting that it is an original Canadian car with full service records, and a comprehensive service completed this year.

Sure, it’s not an original factory manual car and that may be a strike against it for meticulous collectors … or just a lot of Ferrari enthusiasts in general. But I would submit that this perfectly captures the spirit of a Ferrari. A V12-powered grand-touring coupe with a gated manual shifter? That’s about as Ferrari as a Ferrari gets. At least, for ages 35 and up.