A vintage F1 car, claimed to be Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari 312B3, has just failed to sell on eBay. The car had a US$1.25m reserve and attracted no bids.
According to the listing the car offered for sale by racershop is chassis #15 and was used by Lauda to win the Spanish GP and Dutch GP.
The best part about the listing is the comprehensive image gallery. We’ve been a bit naughty and nicked a few of the pics to share with you all.
[Source: eBay | Thanks to Wes for the tip]
A Sunday drive has ended in tears for a group of supercars in Japan. Consisting mostly of Ferraris, the convoy came to grief on the Chugoku Expressway when the lead car hit a barrier after attempting to overtake another car. That set off a chain of events resulting in the carnage you see here.
It’s been reported no drivers or passengers from the 14 cars involved, including eight Ferraris, were seriously injured. However, bank balances and pride have taken a big hit. Other marques caught up in the mess include Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota (it was a Prius, apparently).
A brief Japanese-language news clip can be seen after the break.
[Source: The Telegraph]
Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have lodged notice to quit the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) amid concerns over the Resource Restriction Agreement.
The news emerged after a meeting at the recent Brazilian Grand Prix and was confirmed by a FOTA spokesperson. “FOTA confirms it has received the resignation of two teams,” the spokesperson told Autosport. “Whilst considering its next steps, FOTA will continue to work on behalf of its members to achieve the aims of the organisation.”
At the Korean Grand Prix in mid-October both Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari) and Christian Horner (Red Bull) cast doubt on the relevance of FOTA.
Horner stated, “I think that FOTA has reached the crossroads where it needs to deal with some of the key issues moving forward or we’ll stop. It’s as simple as that.
“The principal issues are obviously the Concorde Agreement, the direction that goes in, and fundamentally the RRA (Resource Restriction Agreement). If we can’t find agreement within FOTA on that, then what is the purpose of FOTA?”
Respected YouTube contributor Marchettino brings us closer to the Ferrari 599XX EVO with his video shot from the floor of the Bologna Motor Show. You get a much better appreciation for the aero package on the car as well as ripping view of the side exit exhausts.
Check out the clip after the break.
We got a sneak peak at the Ferrari 599XX with evolution package a couple of weeks back. Now Ferrari has made it official with a press release published to coincide with the car’s public debut at the Bologna Motor Show (3–11 December).
So, we can confirm the Evo tips in at 35kg less than a regular 599XX. A side exit exhaust and a subsequent retune is responsible for a modest increase in power, taking the maximum to 551kW (750CV). Torque has also been given a small boost and now peaks at 700Nm.
However, Ferrari is most excited about the ‘opening gap’ featured in the new active rear wing. By factoring in key parameters the wing will adjust itself to provide the optimum opening to allow for increased cornering performance.
Throw in a few other minor aero tweaks and you end up with one of the world’s most expensive automotive toys that can lap Fiorano in just 1 minute 15 seconds. Which is pretty handy when compared against the best times around Ferrari’s test track.
In our final F1 in pictures post for the year it’s great that we can reflect on another grand prix victory for Mark Webber. It’s scant reward in the wake of a dominant season from the other side of the Red Bull garage, but a win is a win and for most drivers they don’t come too easily.
As usual there’s some great pics for you after the break; a job touring the globe shooting F1 cars is one we’d rather like if we had the skills.
We trust you’ve enjoyed this series again in 2011 and we’ll be back with our F1 picture galleries in 2012. If there’s anything you’d like to see added future collections please let us know in the comments section below.
This image first appeared a bit over a year when Formula One and Ferrari were celebrating 60 years of the world’s premier motor racing category. Of course, Ferrari is the only team to have competed in F1 every year since it began in 1950.
Perhaps, like us, you missed this poster at the time; it displays all the Ferrari F1 cars to have graced racing tracks over the last six decades. No need to miss it twice. Click on the image above for a 1500px version. If anyone knows of a larger sized image out there please drop us a line in the comments section below.
Just in case you haven’t forgotten all about the snore fest that was Lewis Hamilton’s redemption here’s 90-odd pics to help you relive the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. There’s a nice mix of day and night shots, with a few colourful sunset shots in between. Actually a few of the shots illstrate well the undulations of the Yas Marina circuit; something television tends to mask too well.
Official word of Allan Simonsen’s new lap record at Bathurst has come through from Ateco Automotive, importers of Ferrari into Australia, confirming the new benchmark of 2:04.956 set in the 458 GT3.
Simonsen, who will race a Ferrari 458 GT3 at the Bathurst 12 Hour next year, said afterwards, “This car is damn fast! Given this is our first test, it’s certainly nice to break the lap record finally and we did it in style.
“The power and the chassis are so complementary and I’m feeling really comfortable in the car and with the team.
“These new generation cars are all going to have a fast pace, and there’s no doubt the (Bathurst) 12 Hour is going to be very fast and incredibly competitive – it’s an event I’m definitely looking forward to on the calendar.â€
It certainly looks as though the Bathurst 12 Hour is being taken more seriously by high-level European teams. That’s great news for local motorsport fans.
The track-only Ferrari 599XX is already pretty damn awesome. It has a raucous V12 good for 540kW and can lap the Ring in less than 7 minutes. What, then, do we make of this new Evolution version? What has Ferrari done to make it better than the regular XX? There’ll be more power, obviously. There’s a few new winglets and aero tweaks. Not to mention that side exit exhaust visible in the pic above.
The 599XX EVO was unveiled at the Finali Mondiali event on the weekend apparently, and will be a regular at Corse Clienti events. It’s due for a public reveal the the 2012 Geneva Motor Show next March.
[Source: WCF]
A Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, similar to the one pictured above, broke the lap record at Mount Panorama during the Sprint Bathurst event held on the weekend. Danish driver and endurance specialist Allan Simonsen set a fastest lap of 2:04.956, some 1.85 seconds faster than Craig Lowndes’ previous record time of 2:06.801.
Formula One driver Jenson Button, driving a McLaren MP4-23, posted a much quicker time around Bathurst in March this year. However, the promotional event was not officially timed and so his 1:48 lap is not recognised as an official record.
Simonsen was taking part at Sprint Bathurst in order to prepare for the 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour race.
UPDATE 15 November: Click HERE for the official word.
Well there’s something you don’t see every day; a Formula One podium with no Red Bull drivers present. It’s been 19 races since that last happened (2010 Korean GP). Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, tortured soul, apparently, has given his life new meaning by winning the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
As can sometimes be the case in F1 there was action aplenty on lap one before boredom set in. So it proved at Yas Marina when Sebastien Vettel made a clean get away only to spin out of the race thanks to a tyre failure. Hamilton then made sure his McLaren led the remaining laps that counted, only surrendering his lead during his two pit stops.
Likewise, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso made a ripping start and was quickly up three places into P2 half way through the first lap and that’s where he stayed. Jenson Button was the only one on the podium to earn his money really. The McLaren driver had a reasonable scrap with Mark Webber. They swapped places a couple of times, but ultimately the DRS overtaking zones favoured the McLaren as Red Bull’s achilles heel of poor top speed left Webber powerless to defend.
Due to a woeful first pit stop Webber then found himself behind Felipe Massa. Can you imagine the embarrassment! For Mark’s second stop RBR gambled by sending him back out on soft tyres, but with clear track ahead of him it was hoped he could build enough of gap over Massa to stay clear when he made his compulsory final stop to fit the harder compound tyres. In the end it was a formality after Rob Smedley radioed Massa to say, ” Felipe, your rear tyres are faster than your fronts, do you understand?” The subsequent spin by Massa indicates he understood.
At the back of the field Daniel Ricciardo lost position to his HRT teammate, but managed to work hard to establish a comfortable gap over Liuzzi. However, an electrical failure ended Ricciardo’s race with just three laps to go.
After the break you can read what the first three drivers had to say in the post-race press conference.
[Pics:Â Ferrari & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]