Category: Ferrari

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Ferrari News

Oh yeah!

Ferris Bueller Ferrari

If you’re a Gen-Xer like me then Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will be right up there with one of your favourite films of all time. Just one of the things that made the movie great was the Ferrari 250GT Spyder California belonging to Cameron’s dad.

The good news for cashed up Gen-Xers is that they now have an opportunity to buy the car from the movie. And it’s actually likely to be more affordable than you think. The rarity and value of genuine 250GTs is such that the film’s producers commissioned two replicas to be made, using an MG chassis. Of course, one of the cars got destroyed in the making of the film, but the unique surviving piece of movie history could be yours.

UK auction house Bonhams will offer up the car on 19 April. They expect the replica to fetch between £30-40K (AU$50-66K). I have to admit, this would be one very cool piece of memorabilia to own. A reminder of the car in action can be seen after the jump, thanks to the glory of YouTube.

[Source: Bonhams | Thanks to Tom for the tip]

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Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Renault

2010 Australian GP in pictures

2010 Australian Grand Prix

It’s safe to say that the final result in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix is not on the majority of Australian F1 fans were hoping for. Local boy Mark Webber had his best chance yet to win his home race. He qualified on the front row, alongside pole sitter and teammate Sebastien Vettel.

However, through a combination of poor tyre strategy and some over exuberance on his own part, Webber’s race ended in tears after a coming together with Lewis Hamilton with two laps to go while fighting for minor placings. Finally, Webber regathered himself to stumble home in ninth place.

Just as in Bahrain, Vettel looked like he was just out for a lazy Sunday drive. He held a comfortable lead until his front left brake rotor exploded and sent him crashing out.

This left Button in the lead after he put his fortunes in the hands of an early switch to slick tyres on lap six. A move that eventually took the reigning champ from zero to hero. From then on it was a case of managing tyres and through a combination of cooler weather and a smooth driving style Button was able to complete the race on the softer compound tyres.

So, then, it has taken Button just two races to get the better of Hamilton. And do you think the 2008 World Champion was happy about that fact? Not on your life. It had Hamilton blowing smoke of a different kind with stern questions asked of his team and the tyre strategy his team employed. Apparently he deserved better.

Well, that’s enough commentary, let’s look at some pics. After the jump you can feast your eyes on over 50 of the best images from the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Teams featured include Red Bull Racing, Renault, Ferrari, MercedesGP, Williams, Lotus and Virgin Racing. See a pic you like, then simply click on it to load a 2000px super image.

Next weekend it all starts again, with the Malaysian Grand Prix from Sepang. Can Red Bull Racing finally find some luck and land a win that their current early season pace would indicate they deserve?

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Ferrari Green Machines Motor Shows

Geneva: Ferrari ‘Vettura Laboratorio’ HY-KERS

Ferrari HY-KERS

It would appear that hybrid technology is the new black at the Geneva Motor Show this year, with even Ferrari getting in on the act with their HY-KERS model. Based on the 599 GTB Fiorano the ‘vettura laboratorio’ (experimental vehicle) has an electric engine coupled the a 7-speed F1 style transmission providing over 100hp to complement the car’s familiar V12.

As the name suggests the HY-KERS also employs brake regeneration technologies developed from Ferrari’s Formula One program. This helps to charge the batteries for the electric motor. Emissions for the HY-KERS have been cut by 35% over the regular 599’s urban cycle.

Ferrari are also pushing the greening of their Maranello production facilities and there’s very impressive photos of huge meccano sets included with the press guff.

Pics and video available after the jump.

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Ferrari

Autocar drives the Ferrari 599XX

Ferrari 599XX autocar review

Steve Sutcliffe from UK mag Autocar gets some first class assignments sometimes, but not many could better this one. He was the first person outside of Ferrari to drive its working test laboratory—the 599XX.

Just 29 of these 540kW V12 powered machines will be made and, according to the YouTube clip below, none will be used for racing. As we know, none will be road legal.

Sutcliffe has also written a review of his experience behind the wheel of the 599XX, and here is a snippet of his thoughts on Ferrari’s €1.1 million hyper car:

“I drove the car at Vallelunga circuit, near Rome, and it was nowhere near long enough; you could drive this car all day, all week, and still want more. But it was sufficient time behind the wheel to realise that, for its audience, the 599XX has a very clear purpose in life. Not just as a development platform for future technology, some of which will appear on a new rumoured GTO version of the 599 later this year, but also as a means of providing unmatched thrills and driving dynamics for a front-engined GT car. For pretty much any car, come to think of it.”

[Source: Autocar]

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Ferrari Oh the humanity

Ferrari 360 lights my fire

Ferrari 360 fire

The Ferrari 360, such a beautiful car, but this is such a horrible sight. These two pics were spotted on Flickr and show the Fezza being barbecued on Highway 101 in California.

In the second pic your stomach just drops when you see a man watching the 360 disappear as he looks on helplessly. Ashes to ashes…

[Source: Jalopnik]

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Ferrari Formula 1

Division bell

Ferrari F10

An anonymous blog entry on the Ferrari website has savaged Max Mosley’s Formula One legacy. The article under the banner of The Horse Whisperer is titled “For whom the bell tolls” and brings in to question the merits of introducing new teams into F1. It’s not so much that new teams are in the sport that is the issue, but more the structures employed by the FIA to facilitate these introductions that is causing concern in Maranello.

The closing paragraph of the piece reads, “The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula 1. This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand … and, as for the fourth, well, you would do better to call on Missing Persons to locate it. In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there’s not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?”

In the current off-season, then, we have seen the return of, arguably, the sport’s greatest driver. As a seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is certainly the most successful driver of all time. Reigning champion Jenson Button has moved in with the Hamiltons at McLaren. Journeyman Rubens Barrichello has similarly departed Brawn GP, the team he, along with Button, helped raise from the ashes to deliver the constructor’s title after both men were effectively unemployed a couple of weeks before the season began. That team, in itself, has since been bought out by the world’s oldest car manufacturer.

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Ferrari

Ferrari 458 Italia wins an award

Ferrari 458 Italia

Big news in the motoring world overnight with the announcement that the Ferrari 458 Italia has been awarded the “Supercar of the Year” by GQ Magazine. What next, are Horse & Hound going to announce the “Car of the year that best avoided the use of glue”?

Who really cares about the award, or what GQ mag thinks of the 458, or any car, for that matter. The best news is the press release came with these stunning images. If I plan to give up a kidney in exchange for a Turbo S, then, well, my wife is in the firing line now. I’m sorry dearest, but you’re out the door for the 458.

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Ferrari Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Renault

Formula One pre-season – Valencia photo gallery

F1 testing @ Valencia

There’s only a couple of days until Formula One pre-season testing resumes at Jerez (10-13 February). To help get you in the mood here is a 50-strong gallery of images featuring pics from Ferrari, MercedesGP, Renault and Williams. As usual you can click on your favourite images to load 2000px wallpaper-friendly sizing.

At the completion of the Valencia testing Ferrari was showing the rest of the field a clean pair of heels, with Fernando Alonso posting the quickest time (1:11.470), just three tenths ahead of teammate Felipe Massa (1:11.722).

Alonso, in front of over 35,000 parochial Spanish fans, was pleased with his time behind the wheel of the new F10, “The car went well and it was fast; it had a good set up, too, which is positive.”

He continued, “It’s absolutely impossible to say where we stand compared to the others. To be competitive you need a reliable car and we’re on the right track. The technicians have lots of data now to prepare us the best possible way for the next tests.”

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Ferrari Maserati

Ferrari Maserati Sydney open new showroom

Ferrari Maserati Sydney

Last night 550 guests witnessed the opening of the new Ferrari Maserati Sydney dealership, located on the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets in Waterloo. Making their way down under just for the event were Amedeo Felisa, the Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari SpA, and Raffaele Fusilli, Global Corporate Director of Maserati SpA.

The new digs, which also house the headquarters of importers Ateco, are spread over five levels and total 12,000 square metres. In a sign the worst of the world’s financial woes are behind us $30 million was spent on the new building and centralising Ferrari and Maserati operations forms a key factor in the future plans for both marques.

“Bringing these facilities together under one roof is central to our plan to expand our business and offer the highest levels of customer service,” says Edward Butler, Dealer Principal of Ferrari Maserati Sydney. “Our sales team will sell the first car to a customer, but it is the quality of our customer service and our ability to deliver to customers an all-encompassing Ferrari and Maserati ownership experience, which fully encapsulates the passion and style of these unique marques, that will encourage our customers to come back for their next Ferrari and Maserati.”

More pics and detailed press release after the jump.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Ferrari unveils 2010 F1 car

Ferrari F10 - 2010 F1 car

Ferrari have just released these images of their 2010 Formula One car, codenamed F10. They are the first team to show their 2010 racecar to the public, with a raft of reveals to follow ahead of next week’s testing at Valencia.

There’s no surprise in the livery and prominence of Santander sponsorship, that was pretty much confirmed last week. Rumours of Ferrari taking design cues from the 2009 Red Bull RB5 have proved correct, too, with this new Ferrari. Especially on the nose cone. Generally speaking, the 2010 car is a lot more rounded than last year’s F60.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali spoke at the launch, and here’s a bit of what he had to say, “This championship will be very important for us. We have two new drivers; Fernando Alonso, is a twice world champion.

“Felipe, we are talking of a new version of Felipe, but after such a dramatic championship like last year with the accident in Hungary and such a fantastic season, Felipe has all the assets to prove that he is a very successful one, he can prove that he wants to restart his pathway that destiny interrupted it in Hungary. Good luck to both of them.”

Ferrari were planning for Felipe Massa to give the F10 a brief shakedown at the company’s Fiorano circuit today, but that has been called off due to poor weather.

UPDATE: Video from today’s launch is now available below (thanks to Axis of Oversteer).

UPDATE 29 January: New images added, along with statements from Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Luca di Montezemolo.

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Ferrari

Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta

Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta

Towards the end of last year details emerged about this one-of Ferrari known as the P540 Superfast Aperta. It’s all a bit of an odd story, really. With the car based on an even more odd 1968 film called Toby Dammit. Anyway, if you’d like to see what endless supplies of money can do to a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano then Jalopnik has a heap of pics.

[Source: Jalopnik]

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Ferrari Formula 1

Alonso shows off new Ferrari F1 livery

Ferrari F1 livery 2010

The image above shows Fernando Alonso at the wheel of Ferrari’s 2009 F1 machine. Hmm, seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Well, probably, but it is nothing more than a promo piece by major Spanish bank Santander. As you can see their name features prominently on the Ferrari’s front and rear wings.

The image was released by the bank, with Ferrari’s approval, and follows a new five-year sponsorship deal between the two companies signed last year. Ferrari’s real 2010 F1 car, known as “281”, is due for its public reveal on Thursday next week. Ooh, excitement—the new F1 season is getting closer!

Oh, if you want to check out Fernando’s duds for 2010, take a peak at F1fanatic.co.uk.

[Source: WorldCarFans]