RSC Raptor GT does a wicked rotary-powered Fiorano impersonation

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe


RSC Raptor GT – Click above for image gallery

Based on the photo above, you might think that you’re looking at some version of the Ferrari 599. You’d be wrong, though, as this is actually a specially-built rotary supercar from an independent German manufacturer known as – you ready for this? – Rotary Super Cars.

Underneath what appears to be replicated fiberglass and carbon fiber Fiorano bodywork sits a four-rotor Wankel engine developed by RSC with parts sourced from that other House of Rotor, Mazda. The supercar is projected to offer four levels of trim including S, RS, RSR and N-Spec, featuring single or twin turbochargers with output ranging from 500 metric horsepower all the way up to 1,200. An in-house eight-speed sequential transmission is also part of the package, along with active aerodynamics and suspension, electronic differential and a carbon-aluminum driveshaft, making its resemblance to its Maranello counterpart (rotary engine notwithstanding) more than passing.

Inside, the RSC Raptor GT is also said to feature a pair of seven-inch digital displays coupled with a five-inch tachometer, gear indicator and shift lights, the entire package supposedly weighing in at a claimed 2,425 pounds. RSC also plans an all-wheel drive, mid-engine project with similar specs, which seems like a lot to bite off while they still appear to be chewing on this one. But in the meantime you can check out the trio of renderings in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Rotary Super Cars Raptor GT

[Source: Rotary Supercars via World Car Fans]

Continue reading RSC Raptor GT does a wicked rotary-powered Fiorano impersonation

RSC Raptor GT does a wicked rotary-powered Fiorano impersonation originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Video: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti caught testing at Fiorano

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ferrari

Ferrari 612 spy video

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti spy video – Click above to watch the video after the jump

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard any rumblings about Ferrari’s 612 Scaglietti replacement. The oldest member of the Prancing Horse marque is due for an overhaul in the very near future, and while we’ve only seen a singular spy video that barely shows off the new body style, we can confirm one thing: Ferrari makes one hell of a sweet-sounding V12.

Seen here running around Italy’s Fiorano racetrack, this 612 mule is obviously testing out new engine mechanics, and the revised exhaust is an aural delight for anyone whose ears perk up at the sound of naturally aspirated, twelve-cylinder, Italian-bred powerhouses. See (and hear) for yourself, after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Spy Video: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti caught testing at Fiorano

Spy Video: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti caught testing at Fiorano originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 458 Italia caught testing – Click above to watch video after the jump

A video camera can do strange things to reality. While we’ve always heard that training a lens on a person can add 10 pounds to their figure, it’s also true that focusing on a moving car can subtract 20 mph. Watching a car scoot around a track on screen and seeing the same action in real life, or even worse, from the cockpit, are two entirely different things. At some point during the migration from the real world to digital representation, things just seem to slow down, which is exactly why this video of the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge after the jump is so impressive. The beast looks down right fast on film, so we can only imagine the kind of tear in the space-time continuum it could develop here in the real world.

Ferrari has pulled something special with its newest track bully. While the car still breathes through the same 570-horsepower 4.5-liter V8 as its more civil sibling, the company shaved a considerable amount of weight and fitted it with the same globe-crushing brakes as the 599XX. The changes have been enough to give the 458 Italia Challenge the guts to lap the Fiorano circuit in a blistering 1:16.5. That’s a mere two-tenths of a second off of the lap time of the marginally more loco FXX.

That puddle on the floor? Yeah, that’s from our mouths watering. We’ll get someone on that.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Continue reading Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Three-seat Ferrari F1 car testing at Fiorano

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari, Specialty

Ferrari’s Marlboro Red Rush – Click above for high-res image gallery

Here’s a Ferrari unlike any you’ve ever seen, and that includes the amusement park rides. The Prancing Horse’s three-seater Formula 1 demonstrator, called the Marlboro Red Rush, was doing laps in the rain at Fiorano with either testing dummies or two tiny passengers. We’ve seen plenty of two-seater F1 cars, but this is the first we’ve heard of a factory-built three-seat joyrider and from the most unlikely source. We’d still like to know, though, how to get in? Oh, and “shotgun…”

UPDATE: Turns out this guy has been around for years and is a part of the Marlboro Red Racing School, and as one would expect of any Ferrari it sounds like a lot o’ fun… Hat tip to Jim

Gallery: Spy Shots: Ferrari 3-Seat F1 car

Spy Shots: Three-seat Ferrari F1 car testing at Fiorano originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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