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Video: LaFerrari design secrets explored at Ferrari museum

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ferrari, Design/Style

For every finished vehicle design we see, there are probably hundreds of drawings and models that have long since been discarded. Housed in its own room inside the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the LaFerrari has a unique exhibit that shows off some of the car’s design evolution, and Autocar caught up with Ferrari design director Flavio Manzoni for an even deeper look at what went into creating this hybrid supercar.

In addition to the final product, the LaFerrari exhibit also reveals some of the designs that didn’t make the cut – two of which made it to the full-size scale model phase, though. The display shows off five different designs (three from Ferrari and two from Pininfarina) that were in the running to become the final LaFerrari.

The interview with Manzoni even adds in some juicy bits of info, including news that one of the potential LaFerrari designs has been locked away and could resurface as a special, one-off model. Manzoni gets in a couple of good quotes while voicing his opposition of the current retro design language currently being used by some automakers, as well. Check it all out in the video below.

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LaFerrari design secrets explored at Ferrari museum originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari

Rumors are swirling that Ferrari may be contemplating a return to Le Mans racing as soon as 2015. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports the Italian automaker may apply the development of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine for Formula One to an LMP1 car for Le Mans, and have it ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two years. This follows hints made by Scuderia Ferrari CEO Stefano Domenicali last month that the newly developed F1 engine could be used for “some interesting projects.”

Ferrari has a history of success in Le Mans racing, though it hasn’t won the big endurance outright since 1965. The image above captures the exact moment when the No. 21 car of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt crossed the finish line that year to win the race. That win was the last of six consecutive outright victories before the infamous arrival of the Ford GT40 in 1966. Despite never reaching the top of the podium again, Ferrari’s nine wins still stand as the third most overall by a manufacturer behind Porsche (16) and Audi (11).

If Ferrari does return to Le Mans in 2015, the LMP1 class will suddenly be teaming with worthy competitors for Audi, which has dominated the race since 2000. After Peugeot’s exit from the sport in early 2012, Toyota entered the race in 2012 and has continued to develop its TS030 Hybrid LMP1 car. Porsche, meanwhile, is well into developing a new LMP1 car that will first compete in next year’s race.

Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ferrari chairman ticked off by Alonso

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari, Racing

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo does not strike us as the kind of person we’d want to cross. We imagine the Chairman of Ferrari as sort of like an automotive Don Corleone, a thought that is further confirmed when we hear about the aftermath of last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso made some unsubstantiated remarks that have angered his team, with The Daily Mail reporting that when asked after the race what he wanted for his birthday, the Spaniard responded “Someone else’s car.” And while no one seems to know exactly what was said, it was enough to prompt a personal phone call from the boss of Ferrari on Alonso’s birthday for a dressing down.

Montezemolo reminded Alonso that, “All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own. This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.”

The Italian wasn’t done, though, presenting each of the team’s engineers with a symbolic gift – a knife to put between their teeth. We think there’s a pirate reference here, but aren’t certain. According to Sky Sports, he opened the post-race meeting by informing team principal Stefano Domenicalli that, “The Ferrari I saw in yesterday’s race doesn’t sit well with me.” We aren’t the only ones imaging the threatening undertones here, right?

Formula One is entering its summer break, meaning that each team has four weeks to get itself sorted out before the end-of-season grind kicks in. There’s no doubt that after this very public display from Montezemolo, that Ferrari will have its nose to the grindstone.

Ferrari chairman ticked off by Alonso originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auctions: Ferrari 458 with $1M wheels still hasn’t found a buyer [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Videos, Ferrari

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia with Vossen Wheels front three-quarter

Rule number one of modifying a car: When it comes time to sell, people want to pay for the car, and could care less how much you spent in the aftermarket. This is a lesson that the guys at Latitude Wheels in Miami are currently learning.

The wheel company’s “flagship show car,” a 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia was put up for sale on eBay weeks ago, as reported by Jalopnik. The price? Just a shade under $1.3 million. For a 458 Italia. That normally starts around $230,000. Yeah.

Latitude justifies the car’s price based on a very expensive set of wheels. To be exact, the 21-inch fronts and 22-inch rears are forged Vossen Precision Series wheels. Mounted on Pirelli rubber, Latitude claims the package is worth over $1 million. Add onto that the $20,000 in Novitec Rosso carbon fiber pieces – none of the fun, performance stuff Novitec is known for – and you come to an eBay starting price of $1,290,000.

The auction closed on Wednesday night, without so much as a bid. Check out the promotional video Vossen put together below.

Continue reading Ferrari 458 with $1M wheels still hasn’t found a buyer [w/video]

Ferrari 458 with $1M wheels still hasn’t found a buyer [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Father’s ultra-rare Ferrari to leave family for a good cause

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Videos, Ferrari, Luxury

1967 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spyder - video screencap - front three-quarter view, top down

It isn’t every day that the rarest of Ferrari models change hands. In fact, you can count your fingers to get the number of 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spyders that ever existed. The 1967 Ferrari you see here is one of those ten Spyders, and it has stayed in the same family since it was bought new.

The car was bought through Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari’s US importer at the time, by the late Eddie Smith Sr., a Ferrari collector and businessman from North Carolina. Smith kept it – and kept driving it – until the day he died six years ago. Since then, this remarkable machine has been collecting dust. Smith’s son, Eddie Smith Jr., spent some time with Petrolicious to give a history of the car and explain why he and his family are going to do the one thing his father never could: sell it. The catch? All of the money it earns on the auction block will be donated to charity.

“It’ll be a bittersweet thing, because we know the fact that all the money is going to charities that he would approve of,” Smith Jr. said about his father, and it “will really make him smile, because he loved to give back.”

Look for the car at this year’s RM Auction in Monterey next month, where it should net millions of dollars before it gets a new owner. In the meantime, be sure to watch the video below. (And if it doesn’t yank at your heartstrings, please check your pulse or watch more Petrolicious videos.)

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Father’s ultra-rare Ferrari to leave family for a good cause originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Filed under: Budget, Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Specialty, Electric

2014 Chevy Spark EV - front three-quarter view

Chevrolet’s new commercial for the 2014 Spark EV emphasizes the little hatchback’s performance over pretty much everything else, and it even goes as far as to compare it to a Ferrari 458 Italia. That’s right, the electric bubble is pitched in the commercial as having a higher torque figure than the Ferrari – and it does, with a massive 400 pound-feet ready to be unleashed.

That doesn’t translate into a quicker car, however, as the 458’s V8 with 570 horsepower and not-exactly-quaint 398 lb-ft gives it a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds compared to the Spark EV’s 7.6-second run.

“We think the fun-to-drive element is an area for us to differentiate ourselves,” Sam Basile, executive chief engineer for GM’s global minicars and emerging-market vehicles, told Automotive News.

EV makers who aren’t Tesla might want to take note of the Chevrolet ad, because, as the novelty of clean electric propulsion wears off, the Spark EV has planted something else in our minds: quick electric propulsion for the masses. That is, if its sales weren’t limited to California and Oregon.

Watch Chevy’s refreshing commercial below.

Continue reading Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Ferrari 458 Scuderia to be unveiled in Frankfurt?

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Rumormill, Racing

We’re heavy on the speculative side with this, but Auto Express is saying that “Rumours of Ferrari 458 Scuderia emerge, with possible debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.” To be clear, that’s the possible debut of a car that is still only a rumor, and we’re not sure it will be called “Scuderia,” either – remember, the track-day 360 was the Challenge Stradale. Admittedly, the rumor of its existence is strong and there is plenty of precedent: Ferrari has introduced some model or variant of its mid-engined V8 sports car at the last three Frankfurt Motor Shows.

Car and Driver went into a great deal of indepth speculation about the coming, track-focused 458 in a piece back in May, and also predicted it would be shown first in Frankfurt. According to C/D we can expect “roughly 600” horsepower and 9,300-rpm redline – up 300 rpm from standard – a faster shifting seven-speed gearbox, a dry weight under 2,900 pounds thanks to “exotic compound materials” and a “slightly stripped interior,” less exhaust silencing, uprated carbon-ceramic brakes and active aerodynamics on the rear diffuser.

As far as rumors go this one sounds thoroughly lovely. We hope to see it in made metal in Frankfurt in two months, you can enjoy a detailed gallery of the 563-horsepower Ferrari 458 Challenge above for now.

Ferrari 458 Scuderia to be unveiled in Frankfurt? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: José Froilán González, Ferrari’s first F1 race-winning driver, passes at age 90

Filed under: Etc.

José Froilán González, the first driver to win a grand prix race for Ferrari, passed away at the age of 90 on June 15, 2013.

The Argentinian, who was born on October 5, 1922, recorded his historic victory in 1951. The race was at the Silverstone circuit in the UK, and González defeated the legendary Alfa Romeo driver Juan Manuel Fangio, a five-time world champion. González competed in a total of 115 races, winning 46 times, including once at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and was also a successful driver of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow cars when they took part in Formula Libre events in Argentina.

González, who had been nicknamed El Cabezón (Fat Head) by his fellow racers, is survived by this wife, Elena. A full obituary can be found here.

José Froilán González, Ferrari’s first F1 race-winning driver, passes at age 90 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari Racing Days at Laguna Seca: Corse Clienti returns to Monterey (w/VIDEO)

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 599XX at Laguna Seca

Ferrari 599XX at Laguna Seca – Click above for high-res image gallery

The last time Ferrari’s exclusive Corse Clienti program made an appearance at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was back in 2008. At the time, the FXX was the only race car in the Corse Clienti stable, but the 599XX joined the party for the program’s return to Monterey this year.

A trio of FXXs and no less than seven 599XXs-almost a quarter of the total produced by Ferrari -took to the track last weekend, their high-revving 6.0L V12s echoing throughout the surrounding hills.

If you didn’t make it to Laguna Seca to see the Corse Clienti race cars in action, no worries. We’ve got a huge gallery of photos below as well as a video of the cars in action after the jump.

Continue reading Ferrari Racing Days at Laguna Seca: Corse Clienti returns to Monterey (w/VIDEO)

Ferrari Racing Days at Laguna Seca: Corse Clienti returns to Monterey (w/VIDEO) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari FXX worse for wear after incident at Laguna Seca

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Etc., Ferrari, Racing

Wrecked Ferrari FXX at Laguna Seca

Crashed Ferrari FXX at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was Sunday morning at the Ferrari Racing Days at Laguna Seca, and the Corse Clienti cars were out on track when corners workers began waving the black flag to bring all the drivers into the pits. Everyone came in, save for one of the three FXXs.

Moments later, we confirmed our fears: the driver had gone off track at the Corkscrew and stuffed the nose of the FXX into the tire wall.

We don’t know exactly what went wrong, but fortunately, the damage to the car seemed fairly minor and not serious enough to have hurt the driver. For the most part, it looked like the car will just need new front bodywork, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it was ready in time for its next scheduled outing next month in Montreal. You can get a closer look at the damaged FXX in the high-res gallery below.

Ferrari FXX worse for wear after incident at Laguna Seca originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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