Archive for Ferrari

The cracked-glaze-vase look special one-off Ferrari 599 China was auctioned off for a final price of 1.2 million Euros, which translates to just over 6 million ringgit. The car was auctioned off at a gala dinner organised by Ferrari at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing.

The cracked glaze paintwork by Chinese artist Lu Hao was inspired by Song Dynasty Ge Kiln pottery patterns. There are more Chinese-inspired features inside including a jade-encrusted start button and rev counter numbers written in Xiao Zhuan script. There is nothing technically special about the car except the fact that it comes standard with the HGTE package.

The buyer is a Chinese but was unnamed in Ferrari’s press release. The money will go to the Tsinghua University’s Department of Automotive Engineering. Top students from the department will be sent to study at Italy’s Politechnico di Milano University and then do an internship at Ferrari’s factory.

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What exactly is a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE China Limited Edition? For some xenophobes, anything that’s associated with the word China is likely to be scorned upon. But maybe this car will change their mind. It just shows us how important China is becoming in our world economy. More and more people are interested in Chinese culture now and need to learn the language to conduct trade.

The 599 China Limited Edition was developed together with Chinese artist Lu Hao. The car comes in a two-tone paint that I think looks pretty good actually, maybe some Ferrari owners could like to emulate it on their existing cars. The body is red as usual (this shade is called Rosso Fuoco, or fire red) but the pillars and roof is done in a shade of medium grey.

There is more to remind you that this is a special edition car on the inside. Just look at the rev counter! I took some Mandarin classes when I was very young and that’s all gone to waste now but I can still recognise the numbers one to four.

And of course like its very long name suggests, the car also gets the HGTE package. Less than 12 will be made and there is one one-off car that will be sold in an auction. For this one, the “cracked glaze” pattern of the paintjob was inspired by the Ge Liln porcelain of the Song Dynasty. Er, I’d rather stick with the red and grey paintjob. A vase, no matter how expensive or precious it is, doesn’t exactly tie in with the qualities that one would associate with a Ferrari.

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I can definitely ignore how bad the new 458 Italia looks after this video… plenty of engines screaming and tyres screeching. Two Ferrari 458 Italias battle it out on a track. It should help any potential owners decide between yellow and red… heh. Check the video out after the jump.

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No, this isn’t a video about Schumi trashing the new Ferrari through the bends but more of Schumacher waxing lyrical (er, sort of) about the new Ferrari 458 Italia in this third video in a series which features Ferrari and related (Pininfarina?) executives giving their scripted opinions about the new car. Nothing being said is particularly interesting but watch it just for the sights and sounds of the 458 Italia on the track.

Other Ferrari 458 Italia Videos:
VIDEO: Ferrari 458 Italia Styling Elements
New video on the new Ferrari 458 Italia

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I’m sure there are some of you that wonder why the new Ferrari 458 Italia looks the way it does, especially those that don’t really like it. According to Ferrari, every design feature on the 458 Italia is driven by aerodynamics, and the video after the jump explains each grille’s function as well as how the deformable winglets at the grille area work. Watch the video after the jump. There’s also one previous video, in case you missed that.

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Maranello-based Ferrari has released eleven brand new high-res images of the recently unveiled Ferrari 458 Italia. Some of the images were taken outdoors, which is good news. The 458 Italia is motivated by an all new 4499 cc V8 with direct injection, that can crank out 562HP (570PS) at 9,000 revs and 540Nm of torque, achieved at 6,000 revs (with over 80% available from 3250 rpm). It sprints to 100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds and delivers a top speed of slightly more than 325 km/h. Mated to a 7 speed dual-clutch transmission, the engine consumes 13.7 liters to deliver 100 kilometers (combined cycle), which is lower than the F430’s figure.

Look after the jump for a high-res image gallery of the 458 Italia.

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Ferrari has released a new video on the Ferrari 458 Italia and the video gives us a new view angle on the 458 Italia that I don’t think we’ve seen before. It’s a view of the car’s tail lamps, which are lit up with LEDs.

Anyway, the video basically features Ferrari Senior VP of Commercial and Brand Dany Bahar and Ferrari Technical Director Roberto Fedeli talking about how awesome and Ferrari-like they think the new Ferrari 458 Italia is. We also learn that the aerodynamics generates 55kg of downforce at 125km/h, and up to 365kg of downforce at 325km/h.

Still not much footage of the actual car in action. More sights and sounds of the car please! For now, watch the video after the jump.

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Here you go, the all-new Ferrari that will make 360 and 430 owners whip out their checkbooks, or so Ferrari hopes.

The new Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a new 4.5 liter V8 engine producing 570 horsepower at a mind-boggling 9,000rpm, and 540Nm of torque at 6,000rpm (over 80% of this available from 3,250rpm onwards), thanks to high-revving, a 12.5:1 compression ratio, and direct injection. The torque numbers are pretty darn high for a normally aspirated of this size, thanks to direct injection and the high compression. Ferrari pointed out that out of the 570 total horses, 5 are gained only at higher speeds thanks to a ram air effect.

Power goes to the rear wheels via a new 7-speed dual clutch F1 gearbox (no mention of a stick shift so far?). This combination of a V8, a twin clutch, and a dry weight of 1,380kg takes the car up to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, and the top speed is set at over 325km/h. For those who even bother, fuel consumption is 13.7 liters per 100km on a combined cycle and Ferrari says this is the best in its segment.

See the triple exhaust setup at the rear? It wasn’t mentioned in the press release but apparently it is said that they work in stages, with all three pipes only working from mid-rev onwards. I’m still looking for more confirmation on this.

Do I like it? No. I mean, it’s not ugly but it won’t win any beauty contests for sure. I’m sure it will be an object of lust and attention in the metal but I’m seriously not digging the overly cab forward design of this new car. It takes after the Enzo too much but ends up looking like a Pagani Zonda from the sides.

I’m not sure if the decision to make the car look overly futuristic was influenced by the fact that many are falling for Lamborghini’s cleaner, simpler, straighter and futuristic fighter jet design cues. The new 458 somehow seems to lack the class that a Ferrari is supposed to have.

Ferrari says the car’s styling is heavily influenced by aerodynamic needs. The nose features small aeroelastic winglets which help generate downforce and contributes to the 140kg of downforce generated at 200km/h.

Look after the jump for a few more photos of the new 458 Italia, and watch a teaser video of the 458 Italia accelerating from a stand-still – however it looks like, the sound and performance of that V8 overshines it all!

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All the poor owners of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano who bought the car before the car with the HGTE package was offered and are now jealous of their mates can now fit the HGTE package as an aftermarket package, although it will not include the interior trim modifications that are part of the factory HGTE cars.

Look after the jump for full details on the package.

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Ever wondered what a lucky (and rich) dude on a weekend spirited drive in his Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M experiences? Well, can’t give you that experience but through this video you can get a virtual passenger view of sorts.

The V8-powered Scuderia Spider 16M completed a 1.16 mile hillclimb at the Sunday Times Supercar Runs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in just 59 seconds. Also available are similiar videos of the 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE and two videos of the new Ferrari California. What makes these videos quite interesting other than the lovely sounds are the fact that you can compare the different kind of sounds that Ferrari V8 and Ferrari V12 engines make, they’re quite different!

Check the vids out after the jump!

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