Category: Ferrari

No, it’s not the Ferris Bueller car, but, to quote Yello, it’s “even more beautiful”. This is a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina. It’s a stupidly long name for a car, but just look at it! Do 1960s cabrios get any better?

There were only six short wheelbase 400 Superamerica Cabrio Pininfarinas ever made. Pretty rare, huh. This one is the last one ever built. But you probably knew that because of the covered headlights, right? Yeah, I know, it’s the only one of the six made to have that feature. One of a kind, then.

This example has been fully restored and it recently took home some silverware at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concors D’Elegance. It has full documentation, including original books and tools. Under the bonnet is a 3.0 litre V12, good for a solid 240bhp. That’s still not bad by today’s standards.

Well, if you like this car you’re in luck—it could be yours! It will be up for auction in Monaco on 1 May. RM Auctions have got the gig, so you better start saving your pennies as this beauty is expected to sell for five million bucks. Back in the day this particular car was even used by Ferrari for their Geneva and New York Motor Shows. So it comes with good provenance, too. Go on, you know you want to.

This is the new Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta, and it’s the only one in the world. The car was built for Edward Walson, son of the man who gave the world cable television. Clearly, Ed isn’t struggling for a buck and this fact didn’t escape Ferrari’s Portfolio program who were only too happy to assist sir get what he wanted.

The P540 is based on a Ferrari 599 GTB but those paying attention will have noticed Ed’s creation doesn’t have a roof. That means extra strengthening and diluting of what makes the 599 such a great car. Well, doesn’t it? Apparently the reinforcing material only added 20kg to the car’s overall weight. Not too bad, and it shows what clever stuff carbon fibre really is.

So why the gold? Over forty years ago Federico Fellini made a film called Toby Dammit. It was inspired by an Edgar Allan Poe story and Fellini’s film featured a one-off Fezza made specially for the flick. That prancing horse made quite an impression on a young Walson who, now with more money than he knows what to do with, had Ferrari and Pininfarina build him a car to honour his memory of the movie.

You can see the car from Toby Dammit by clicking here. Although, be warned it’s a little bit strange and has a gruesome ending. Let’s hope Ed doesn’t go off recreating that, too. There’s also a couple of screen grabs after the break.

It took the Portfolio team a bit over a year to develop the P540 from sketch to finished product. It doesn’t look too bad, actually. What do you reckon?

And, more importantly, if you had an undisclosed wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket, what movie car would you like to see come to life? As a product of Generation-X I’d have to toss a coin to decide between the Ferris Bueller Ferrari or Doc’s Delorean.

European motoring hacks have started filing reports on the stunning Ferrari 458 Italia, which is great news for them, and frustrating for those of us never likely to drive one. So instead of looking at more pics, or listening to what some F1 has been says about the 458, let’s grab a few choice quotes from the scribes behind the wheel.

Chris Chilton from Car: “Definitely an everyday supercar in the mould of the Audi R8. The ride comfort is excellent, visibility good, noise levels low, build quality leagues above the F430’s and that dual-clutch gearbox means the 458 is just as happy trickling through traffic as blasting around Fiorano.”

Aaron Robinson from Car and Driver: “Turns out, driving the 458 quickly is practically effortless, like strapping on parabolic skis or doing square roots with a calculator … the grip is tenacious, the turn-in to a corner so fierce and direct that you’ll swear it has a rudder tilling the asphalt.”

Chris Harris from evo: “Performance: Fast! Really, really fast. It doesn’t tend to just build, it just goes from about 1500rpm up to about nine. Transmission: Well, I think it’s a little bit of a triumph actually. I was worried it was going to be anodyne, it was gonna be a bit removed, a bit clinical—because it’s obviously a double clutch gearbox—but it’s not.”

For added marks evo have been kind enough to allow video embedding of Harris’ first thoughts from the road and track. So, what are you waiting for, take the jump…

Last month Ferrari announced they would be selling this limited edition 599 GTB Fiorano at auction. With an exterior created by Chinese artist Lu Hao and inspired by Ge Kin porcelain the car did indeed sell at auction, and for a very tidy two million bucks, thanks very much.

The funds will allow students of Tsinghua University’s Department of Automotive Engineering to study at Italy’s Politecnico di Milano University. The sale of the unique 599 GTB and subsequent windfall follows the spirit of Enzo Ferrari, who often supported research projects that helped improve the skills and knowledge of young talents.

All the official guff after the break.

Is there anything that the United Arab Emirates cannot offer? Well, apart from environmental sustainability, that is.

The latest mega project for the country is this Ferrari World theme park, currently being built on Yas Island. Fittingly, the completely over the top, but oh so cool, extravaganza even points itself to the neighbouring Yas Marina Grand Prix Circuit. The complex is due to open in 2010.

At over 200,000 square metres, and with architecture inspired by Ferarri body parts, this Disneyland for revheads will cater for the wildest dreams of anyone slightly interested in Italy’s most evocative sports car manufacturer.

As well as every interactive and interpretive display imaginable, Ferrari World will also be home to the world’s fastest roller coaster. Said to match the thrill of riding in a Formula One car the rollercoaster can reach speeds in excess of 200km/h.

For more on this crazy piece of architecture and trimuph of marketing, check out the press release after the jump.

Some examples of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano go up in flames. Others get crashed by nancy boy footballers. But, this one, has been given the once over by Chinese artist Lu Hao.

Officially part of the 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Editions the car will be auctioned off early next month at a charity event in support of Chinese automotive engineering students. The glazed finish is inspired by the rare Ge Kiln porcelain of the Song Dynasty.

I’m glad this is a one off, I’m not sure that exterior is a great look for an everyday car. If you can call a 599 GTB an everyday car!

If you answered yes to the title of this article, then take a squiz here and play with Ferrari’s very nifty 458 configurator.

I was rocking it with the cool 1950s-60s colour Avio Metallic (you can just imagine the orange Gulf Racing stripes down the guts) and the forged alloys on the outside, and went for a charcoal/cioccolato leather combo for the interior. Y’know, just because I could.

What did you come up with?