At age 10, birthday gifts usually come in the form of a video game console, a bike, or a few boxes of Legos. For Jean, a young Dutch boy who just turned 10, the gift was on a whole different level. His father gave him the keys to a Ferrari 599 GTO, one of the rarest and most sought-after V12-powered Ferraris of recent years. A car now valued at approximately 1.6 million euros.
The father in question is Jeroen van den Berg, a Dutch entrepreneur and avid car enthusiast known on Instagram under the username «thehomelessguy.» To announce the gift, he posted a picture of the Ferrari along with a message addressed to his son: «To my dear little man, my son,» explaining that he was particularly proud of him. The handoff itself made the scene seem rather unlikely: according to the dealership, the keys were handed to Jean by Vik, one of his friends… who is also only 10 years old.
Not really his first Ferrari
As incredible as it may seem, this 599 GTO isn’t even the first Ferrari associated with the young boy. Jean reportedly already owns a Ferrari 488 Spider Tailor Made… and his older sister owns a Ferrari 488 Speciale Aperta.
It’s worth noting that his father has long been involved in the world of exceptional cars. Jeroen van den Berg runs Carlink, a company that specializes, among other things, in importing and exporting hard-to-find models. But for his son’s 10th birthday, the choice of the 599 GTO is particularly symbolic. Unveiled in 2010, this radical version of the 599 GTB Fiorano was produced in a limited run of just 599 units.
V12
Under its massive hood lies what accounts for much of its charm today: a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 670 ch and 620 Nm. Closely derived from the work done on the track-focused 599XX, the GTO can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and reach speeds exceeding 335 km/h. At its launch, its price was around 350,000 €. Sixteen years later, its value has literally skyrocketed. Examples available for sale have become extremely rare and can now fetch over 1.6 million euros.
A sight we're quite familiar with, by the way: just a few days ago, we mentioned another Ferrari 599 GTO that was spotted on the streets of Monaco with Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg behind the wheel. Jean, on the other hand, will have to wait a few more years before he can legally get behind the wheel of his spectacular birthday gift. Until then, this Ferrari V12—limited to 599 units—is likely to spend much more time in the family garage than on the road. And after such a gift for his 10th birthday, his father has certainly set the bar very high for the next one.
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