Archive for the ‘Ferrari’ Category
September 6th, 2010 | 
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Remember a while ago Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said in an interview: “As Enzo (Ferrari) would say, we will never do four doors. And we will keep this tradition.” But today rumors suggest that Ferrari has plans to expand its line-up with a new model that will take on models like Aston Martin Rapide and the future Lamborghini Estoque. Apparently Pininfarina has already imagined a future four-door coupe and Ferrari will make a final decision soon. Until then, the Italian company will unveil a surprise at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.
If built, the future four-door coupe will be based on the replacement of the 612 Scaglietti, scheduled for 2012. It seems that the 612 is offering enough interior room for a second row of doors. Same rumors suggest that the future model will be built in limited numbers and will offer wealthy customers an alternative for the other four-door coupe models on the market.
Ferrari works on four-door coupe? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 6 September 2010 19:00 EST.
Remember a while ago when the guys from Oakley Design brought forth a tuning kit for the Ferrari 458 Italia? We thought nothing would make the Ferrari any better than it already was (that was, of course, before they started randomly spitting fire). Turns out, Oakley Design did create a better 458 Italia and the lucky guys from Performance Direct Motoring News had the chance to test drive one of the five souped up units! Not only did they get a chance to ride around in the exquisite sports car, but they also had the opportunity to pin it up against a Ducati 1198 ’Carbon Edition’. Some guys have all the luck!
As a reminder, the Ferrari 458 Italia offers a carbon-fiber front spoiler lip, carbon-fiber inserts on the radiator air exit ducts, wider side sills, a lighter carbon-fiber rear diffuser, a new rear spoiler and carbon-fiber roof panel, mirror covers, and an engine cover insert. The engine’s output was increased by 10%, obtaining a total of 627bhp and a peak torque of 567Nm. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph is made in 3.0 seconds, while top speed is 205 mph.
We could only come up with one conclusion after watching this video; OMG! That car can fly!
Video: Ferrari 458 Italia by Oakley Design originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 20:00 EST.
The holy grail of speed has always been the production car speed record. Car companies shoot for this record – if they can – in hopes that they can put their names in the history books. Some of them have succeeded and some have failed, but either way, these machines are fantastic.
Most of the cars on the list are very expensive and only built in limited numbers. You would be hard pressed to find any one of the top ten machines on normal streets. Hell, you would be hard pressed to find these cars on local tracks.
In order to get on the list, the car must be street legal, so no Formula One cars or land speed machines. The laws for getting on the list are also very tough, as there are no set rules. Nonetheless, the current fastest production car hit a speed of 267 miles per hour. Can you guess which car that was?
Hit the jump to find out.
TopSpeed’s 10 Fastest Production Cars originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 08:00 EST.
Posted in Bugatti, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, SSC, Saleen, Supercars / Exotic cars, Top Ten, cool fast cars | 
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Want to drive like some of the hottest Scuderia Ferrari drivers? Here’s your chance! Ferrari has unveiled the official trailer for their Virtual Academy – an online simulation racing game. With the Ferrari Virtual Academy, Ferrari fans from all over the world can hop into their computer chair and take the same laps as Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, and Giancarlo Fisichella, while also being privy to their racing line and driving technique secrets! Drive the fastest amongst all of the fellow Ferrari fans in the worldwide online tournament and you could be one of the weekly winners that will be awarded official Ferrari products. Better yet, if at the end of the Trofeo, you are within the top five fastest drivers, then you will be headed to the heart of Ferrari! That’s right, Ferrari will be sending you to Maranello to walk through the gates in Fiorano and participate in the exclusive Ferrari Driver Academy course with exceptional tutors from the Scuderia.
Drive around in some of the most famous tracks like the Fiorano, Mugello, and Nurburgring that have been digitally recreated with Laser Scan and Motion Capture. Master the laps and increase your speed because you may be one of the lucky five that will get the chance of a lifetime!
The game will be available for download starting September 9th.
Video: Ferrari Virtual Academy – Official Trailer originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 2 September 2010 21:00 EST.
Ferrari has finally issued a safety recall of the 458 Italia. Yes, finally.
After a disastrous few months that featured no less than five 458s inexplicably catching fire, the Italian supercar maker has finally conceded that there may, in fact, be something wrong with their new pride and joy.
Ferrari finally issued the recall after discovering that a certain adhesive material they used to attach a heat shield under the car’s rear fender has the potential to catch fire when subjected to high temperatures, which, in turn, could lead to a fire in the car’s engine. From all the photos we’ve seen of the burning 458s, each one of them looks to have taken place in the rear end of the car, which could indeed point to the adhesive as the main culprit behind the 458 barbecue fest.
To fix the problem, Ferrari has designed a new heat shield material that can replace the use of the defective adhesive by attaching it with rivets thereby completely removing the adhesive material that has caused all of these fires. So, if you happen to own a still-to-catch-fire 458 Italia, it’s absolutely a-must to contact your dealer as soon as possible and have this egregious problem fixed. You never know; if you don’t act quickly, that fire just might catch up to you and your beloved supercar.
Ferrari officially recalls the 458 Italia originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 20:00 EST.
Ferrari boss, Luca di Montezemolo, already informed us all of Ferrari’s intentions to go hybrid with the next Enzo, 599, and Scaglietti back in June during an interview with British magazine, Auto Express. And while, at the time, details were a little sketchy on what type of combination engine the Scaglietti would receive, things can be seen a lot clearer today.
The successor for the current 612 Scaglietti will be unveiled in March 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show and will come with a twelve-cylinder front engine that delivers a total of 550 HP with a 100-HP electric motor at the rear. The result will be a fuel consumption reduction of 35%.
On the exterior, the next 612 will be heavily inspired by the 458 Italia and the Vettura Laboratorio HY-KERS. The sports car will get a strong front, curved hood, and wider wheelbase. The Vettura Laboratorio concept combined a V12 engine with an 100 HP electric engine and a dual-clutch 7-speed F1 transmission.
Sales will begin in the summer of 2011, and prices are expected to be in the 300,000 euro area.
Next Ferrari 612 Scaglietti confirmed; it will go hybrid originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 16:00 EST.
There appears to be rumblings coming out of Maranello that Ferrari is finally doing something about all those burning 458s, and they’re doing it really soon.
Two members of FerrariChat seem to have been given the heads-up by a Ferrari dealer, saying that Ferrari will officially begin recalling all 458 Italia models by today.
Again, Ferrari has yet to make the announcement official, but according to one of the posters, Superquant, the recall is finally happening. In his post, he said: “My dealer just informed me that as of 1 minute ago he learned that Ferrari has issued a recall on ALL 458s due to the fire situation.
Ferrari has determined the cause of the 458’s that have caught on fire was from an adhesive that attached the heat shield under the rear fenders.?The heat shields were attached with an adhesive and became flammable under high temps. The new shield will be attached rivets, not any type of adhesive. Every 458 produced will get this new part so call your dealer now and set up your appointment which of course is free of charge.”
If this man is right in saying this, then that should be good news for all owners of the 458 Italia that have become weary of bringing their cars out of their garages over fears that they might get barbecued out on the road.
But as is the case with rumors like this, we’re going to hold back on announcements until we hear it straight from the (prancing) horse’s mouth.
Is the Ferrari 458 Italia recall coming soon? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 13:00 EST.
In the middle of all the hoopla that comes with the Pebble Beach Concours, one car, that nobody saw, supposedly made an appearance that now has the Internet abuzz.
From what we’ve heard, it looks like the Ferrari 599 Roadster made an appearance at Pebble Beach for a select group of owners, all of whom got a sneak peek at the new Ferrari supercar. Not much was made of the super-duper secret showing during the event, which pretty much explains why nobody even saw the car on the Pebble Beach grounds.
But with rumors circulating that the roadster was, in fact, present during the event, a poster from Luxury4Play uploaded what appears to be a scanned letter from Ferrari North American CEO and President Marco Mattiaci to a certain Nicolas Jimenez – we’re guessing he was one of the select owners that were invited for the sneak peek – where the former thanked the latter for his visit to “our Ferrari 599 presentation at Pebble Beach.”
Mattiaci then goes on and writes “the first feedback from the highly selected group of friends visiting us at Quial Meadows has been enthusiastic on this upcoming limited-edition product,” suggesting that Ferrari may have been asking for some input from its customers regarding the 599 Roadster.
It looks like Ferrari may have pulled a fast one on all of us by keeping this event so tightly guarded. But as is the case in the auto industry, you can’t keep a secret too long and, at some point, something’s going to get leaked out.
Ferrari 599 Roadster made an appearance at Pebble Beach? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 10:00 EST.
Posted in Ferrari, Pebble Beach Concours, Supercars / Exotic cars, ferrari 599, roadster, rumors |
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With reports coming out that Ferrari is in the process of doing a recall for the 458 Italia over the unprecedented number of fire incidents the supercar has been involved in the past month, we’re crossing our fingers that this recall happens sooner rather than later.
And it’s not hard to figure out why, either. To date, there have been about 11 incidents involving Ferrari’s new supercar either getting involved in some accident or getting burned down to a smoking block of twisted metal. We don’t know exactly what the cause is of these incidents, but clearly, something needs to be done there. So it’s good to know that the Prancing Horse isn’t taking these incidents sitting down.
But before we start letting out a collective sigh of relief, we’re back with yet more somber news for those 458-loving people out there. Apparently, there’s been another incident with the supercar in Glasgow, Scotland.
Read the rest of the story after the jump.
Ferrari 458 Italia has another crash scare in Glasgow, Scotland originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 15:00 EST.
When you get into this category, it’s hard to say if one is better than the other. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and McLaren are all wonderful products, but is one better than the other one in the real world? Probably not, but there are a few things we can look at to try and determine a solid list.
When you have this kind of money, performance is expected out of these machines and that is a key thing to remember. Every car on this list is fast enough for most people. Many will begin to point out numbers and statistics to prove that their car should be ranked higher up. What they fail to understand is that most of the people who buy these machines will never get close to those numbers. For them, it’s more about the car. With that in mind, we will look at styling, prestige, luxury, and the sensations that you get when you sit behind the wheel.
There is a never a right answer when comparing these machines. Everybody has their own opinion and everybody will think they’re correct. We really had to think about this one long and hard because, well, we had no idea how to rank most of these machines. The top ten supercars for 2010 is just one of life’s great mysteries.
Nonetheless, we persevered on your behalf to try and rank today’s best supercars. We would also like to point out price was not considered in this ranking. If you can afford any one of these cars, most of the time price isn’t going to be a big deal.
Hit the jump to see the list.
TopSpeed’s 10 Best No-Limit Supercars originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 08:00 EST.
Posted in Aston-Martin, Bugatti, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes, Pagani, Porsche, Supercars / Exotic cars, Top Ten, guide |
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In the midst of all of these fiery stories we’ve scattered about in the past couple of weeks, we finally get to write something good about the Ferrari 458 Italia. The 458 range is set to be expanded with two new models: the GTS Spider version coming in the spring of 2011 and the Scuderia, the sportier version, shortly thereafter. Today we will focus on the GTS version.
Despite previous rumors suggesting the Spider version would be offered with a fabric roof, it seems that the future 458 Italia Spider model will actually be getting a glass roof that flips upright electrically and disappears behind the seats. This is being done to ensure the car will be even more comfortable.
Under the hood the 458 Spider will use the same 4.5 Liter V8 engine equipped with the traditional Ferrari flat crankshaft as the coupe version. The unit produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 202 MPH.
We can only hope that Ferrari will solve the fire problem by next spring.
Ferrari 458 Italia GTS rendered originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 August 2010 19:00 EST.
It hasn’t been a secret that the Ferrari 458 Italia seems to have been hexed as numerous reports have come in stating that the sports car has either been crashed or has suspiciously caught on fire. It’s the latter situation that peaked the curiosity of Ferrari. The Italian car manufacturer recently began investigating these sudden fires and, according to Jalopnik, may have started the fire ball rolling during production.
Jalopnik states: “We’ve heard from one owner tonight that they received a letter from Ferrari claiming a gas overflow tube and gas vapor system were placed too close to the engine, thus creating the possibility of a fire. The owner was told they can take their vehicle to their dealer to receive a fix. We’re currently trying to confirm this report and will update you as soon as we get it.”
This recall has yet to be confirmed, but it would definitely be a valid reason for these random fires sprouting all over the place.
It’s a shame. After waiting forever for the Ferrari 458 Italia to make its production debut, owners have to now deal with fixing this catastrophic error that has been killing 458s everywhere.
We’ll keep you posted when more details surface regarding this recall.
Ferrari 458 Italia may be recalled due to fire risk originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 August 2010 15:00 EST.
Finally, we get write a news piece about a Ferrari 458 Italia that’s not on fire! We kind of missed pieces like this, didn’t you? This time, we get to see the Ferrari 458 Italia at the right place: a race track. Let’s just hope that by the end of the video the engine doesn’t get set on fire.
The 458 Italia was put to the test by the British magazine, EVO, at the Bedford Aerodrome. The target was a time of 1:21:07 set by the Scuderia. So, what do you think, will they manage to smash it?
The sports car is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine that produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM which gives the future super car a power output of 127 HP/Liter. Weighing in at only 3042 pounds, the new Ferrari will rocket from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds and won’t stop until it hits a top speed of 202 MPH.
Video: Ferrari 458 Italia on the track originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 August 2010 08:00 EST.
We’re not the least bit surprised that after having reported on an inordinate number of Ferraris catching fire under suspicious circumstances, we finally learn that Ferrari has been keeping tabs on all these incidences, and in response, is looking into the potential issues – and subsequent mess – they’ve found themselves in.
To date, at least 10 Ferrari 458 Italias have either crashed or burned down and the Prancing Horse is investigating on whether these incidents, specifically the fire-related ones, came as a result of driver’s error or whether it’s manufacturer-related.
According to a Ferrari spokesman who spoke to the Daily Telegraph, the company is taking the measures needed to learn more about these incidents and determine where the issues are. “We are taking all the reports very seriously and are looking into them but we are treating them all as separate incidents,” he said.
The spokesperson also noted, in an interview with ‘Just Auto’, that “it is important to differentiate between what is a vehicle fire and outside factors and I would include driver error. Six have been incidents where it potentially could be the driver or other factors.”
We can’t fault Ferrari for acting all defensive with this because it’s certainly something that should be taken seriously. We’re just hoping that whatever problems this otherwise beautiful car has can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Hit the jump to check out all of the Ferrari 458s that encountered some fiery deaths.
Ferrari investigating fire incidents with the 458 Italia originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 August 2010 12:00 EST.
If you’ve ever heard of Murphy’s Law, then you pretty much know how it goes; “Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” And if you have been keeping tabs on the Ferrari 458 Italia recently, then you wouldn’t be the least bit remiss when you start associating that famous – or infamous – tenet with the Italian supercar.
You see, over the past few days, 458 Italias from all over the world have crashed and/or burned down more times than Lindsay Lohan has had tequila shots. The figures, unfortunate as they may be, speak for themselves. In the past three months, nine models have already been sent to the heap yard and this latest one, which happened in the Czech Republic, pushes the total to ten. Only this week, we’ve reported on four other incidents and with this crash, that’s five reported incidents of the new Ferrari supercar burning down or crashing in a heap.
This recent case, though, may be the most frustrating of them all because this car was as brand new as a shiny new pair of fresh-out-of-the-box Air Jordans. With only 300 kilometers – that’s a little less than the distance from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland – on its odometer, the owner just got his car fresh from the dealership when the crash occurred. That’s about the worst imaginable way to waste a supercar of the 458 Italia’s stature.
Then again, at the rate it’s going, we have no idea how many more of these unfortunate incidents are going to happen in the future. For the sake of everybody who has one, let’s all hope that the car’s mortality rate slows down significantly.
Ferrari 458 Italia gets involved in another car crash originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 23 August 2010 10:00 EST.
Apparently, a 570hp vehicle just isn’t for everyone. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly who it could be for considering everyone seems to be crashing theirs! Back in May we reported the first crash of a 458 Italia followed by not one, but two more 458 crash stories. Only last week we reported on a Ferrari 458 Italia that smashed into a tree just in front of the Maranello factory. Today it’s time for yet another horror story: a 458 Italia has crashed in Marlow, United Kingdom. Now, seriously, what’s going on with this gorgeous car? How can we get people to stop harming these beauties?
In this case, a woman is to blame for the accident. Well, kind of. Apparently the driver was trying to impress this lady and ended up losing control and hitting the barrier that stops cars from falling onto the carriage way below. The spectacle was completed by the car being spun around.
As a reminder the new Ferrari will rocket from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds and won’t stop until it hits a top speed of 202 MPH, so when you try pushing it to its limits, you better known what you are doing!
Another Ferrari 458 Italia crashed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 16 August 2010 19:00 EST.
Unfortunately this is not the first time we are reporting about a crashed Ferrari 458 Italia. But, if we remember correctly, this is the first crash at the sport’s car home, Maranello Italy.
According to the guy who caught the accident, this car was driving through Maranello just a day before the crash. A day later… well it looks like in the video. He says there were no injuries in the accident, but the 458 Italia looks pretty bad, we strongly doubt the owner will bother repairing it. He gave no details on what exactly happened in here, but we’re pretty sure high speed was involved.
Refresher: The Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine that delivers 570 HP and sprints the car from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds. Top speed is 202 MPH.
Video: Ferrari 458 Italia meets tree in Maranello originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 13 August 2010 09:33 EST.
Chances are, you will never fly to the moon or become a billionaire. An even more unlikely scenario is to see an original Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione up for sale. To say the occurrence has a once in a blue moon chance is a bit of an understatement. That being said, get your checkbooks out and get ready to write down a number well into the 8-figures – but not yet.
The car up for sale is not a real 250 GTO Evocazione. Although the car is a real Ferrari, it started its life as a much more modest 330 GT. The owner then decided to mod the car to resemble a 250 GTO. And not just any GTO, the only right hand drive 4-liter V-12 model Ferrari made to compete at Le Mans.
The fact of the matter is that, although you are not getting a real 250 GTO, the replica is sure to make you just as happy as the real thing. Once in a lifetime will you ever see a real 250 GTO Evocazione up for sale, so for an astronomically lower price, you have the opportunity to own a piece of racing history.
The Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione replica is expected to fetch $377,000 – a far cry from the $18 million of the original – on September 25th at the Historics at Brooklands in England.
Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione up for sale at Brooklands Auction originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 13 August 2010 09:00 EST.
How often do you have the chance to see a Ferrari 599XX? Not very often, right? Well, photographer Sevan Calians was able to get pictures of two Ferrari 599XXs at the Paul Ricard High Test Track. Talk about being at the right place, at the right time; Calians was also able to capture a Pagani Zonda R right next to them! Now, that’s a perfect combination.
In case anyone has forgotten, the record-breaking 599XX’engine delivers a maximum output of 700 HP at a screaming 9,000 RPM and is mated to an all new SuperFast gearbox that is able to swap cogs in a mere 60 milliseconds. The 599XX is characterized by an innovative system called the “High Performance Dynamic Concept” which has been designed to get the maximum performance from the vehicle by managing the combination of the car’s mechanical limits with the potential of its electronic controls.
We’d love and hate to be the ones testing those cars on that track. Can you imagine having to pick between those voluptuous beauties for testing? Let’s just hope the test drivers were able to catch a ride in all three!
Matte Black and Black Gray Ferrari 599XX captured originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 12 August 2010 16:00 EST.
The new Ferrari 458 Challenge has been taken to a place where it should feel very much like home: a racing circuit. And at home it was. We think it can go unsaid that a car like this was able to give the driver a very blissful experience when zipping through the circuit with a certain amount of ease and power. A little advice: turn up your volume before watching this video, so you can fully enjoy the amazing sound of the engine.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine equipped with the traditional Ferrari flat crankshaft that gives the mid-engine sports cars their signature top end bark. The unit produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM which gives the future super car a power output of 127 HP/Liter. Weighing in at only 3042 pounds, the new Ferrari will rocket from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds and won’t stop until it hits a top speed of 202 MPH.
Remember to close your gaping mouth when the video ceases.
gallery: Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge spied
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width="180"Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge on the track originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 11 August 2010 11:00 EST.
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