Paul Tan's Automotive News » Ferrari

Luca di Montezemolo to run for Italian presidency in 2013

Anthony Lim — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:51:34 +0000

Some news about Luca di Montezemolo – reports say that the Ferrari chairman has indicated his intention to be a candidate for the Italian presidency in 2013, the announcement being made in an open-letter to Italiafutura, a think-tank that he formed in 2009.

“The Second Republic has failed. Politics has been losing touch with the everyday problems of Italians and the challenges of a difficult international situation, but is also full of opportunities,” di Montezemolo said in the letter.

“If there is a country that should not be afraid of globalisation, it is Italy. If only we stop thinking defensively and start to invest resources on our core (culture and industry), benefits will not be long in coming,” he added.

The 64-year-old’s campaign is set to focus on creating employment as well as on issues critical to the country’s future, such as taxation and reform of the institutions. “We will promote the adoption of measures, concrete and operational, to respond to many emergencies in the country. We will begin by presenting a proposal for the rapid sale of public assets and lowering debt,” he said. It remains unknown if di Montezemolo will step down from his position at Ferrari.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari introduces free 7-year maintenance programme

Anthony Lim — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:53:05 +0000

Ferrari has announced a new customer care service, where clients ordering a California, 458 Italia, FF or 458 Spider from the authorised dealership network will be entitled to a free seven-year scheduled maintenance programme.

The service, which commenced in Malaysia with Naza Italia as of November 1, will be progressively available in all Ferrari markets, covering all global authorised dealership networks.

The Genuine Maintenance programme, as it’s called, covers each individual vehicle, and thus extends to any eventual subsequent owner during the entire seven-year period. The programme covers the scheduled maintenance at standard service intervals (20,000 km, or once a year, with no restriction on total kilometres) along with the relative original spare parts, engine oil and brake fluid.

The programme is unique, Ferrari says, being the first time a car manufacturer is offering such cover – the advantage to the owner is the assurance that the vehicle will be subject to regular annual inspection by Ferrari-trained personnel, using factory-approved dedicated diagnostic equipment.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Frankfurt preview: Ferrari 458 Spider

Anthony Lim — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:12:34 +0000

Ferrari will be debuting the world’s first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard top at the Frankfurt show next month – the 458 Spider is set to join the 458 Italia in the company’s lineup.

Power comes courtesy of a naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 offering 570 cheval vapeur (CV) – which works out to 562 hp – at 9,000 rpm and 540 Nm at 6,000 rpm. This is mated to a dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift seven-speed transmission with E-Diff, which integrates F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS.

The hard-top is made entirely of aluminium – the company says this offers a number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of 25 kg in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hard-top fits neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or performance, or even space – there’s still a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.

Styling-wise, the rear of the car – which sits on 20-inch wheels and 235/35 front and 295/35 rear rubbers – is characterised by buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes as well as the clutch and gearbox oil radiators.

For maximum comfort whilst driving top down, there’s a generously-sized adjustable electric wind stop, which slows and diffuse the air in the cockpit and allows normal conversation to be held even at speeds over 200 km/h, even though chances are you won’t be talking that much at that point.

Ferrari says that technical solutions adopted for the chassis guarantee identical levels of structural rigidity with the roof up or down, and that the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure that the car’s occupants are completely captivated by the drop-top driving experience.

Gallery after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari FF is here in Malaysia – 4WD, 4-seats, RM2.8 million

Danny Tan — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:18:05 +0000

UPDATE: Big image gallery from the event added

Naza Italia gave the media a preview of the Ferrari FF at their Petaling Jaya showroom this morning. The FF is the latest product wearing a Prancing Horse badge and it made its debut at the Geneva show in March. A replacement for the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, the FF is what Maranello calls “a completely new take on the sporting Grand Tourer theme”.

FF stands for Ferrari Four. The FF is a four-wheel drive (a first for the brand) four-seater GT with its engine in a “front-mid” position under that long hood. The powerplant in question is a direct injection V12 displacing 6,262 cc. It makes 660 horses at 8,000 rpm and 683 Nm at 6,000 rpm, 500 Nm of which is available at just 1,000 rpm.

Needless to say, performance is staggering – the 0-100 km/h sprint is covered in 3.7 seconds on to a top speed of 335 km/h. The FF weighs in at 1,880 kilos by the way.

Coupled with a seven-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox, efficiency has been significantly boosted too, with fuel consumption standing at 15.4 litres per 100 km and CO2 emissions at 360 g/km. This is 25% lower compared to Ferrari’s previous V12s, thanks to the HELE (High Emotions- Low Emissions) System that incorporates Stop&Start technology. Yes, even Ferrari has to think green in today’s landscape.

The patented 4RM four-wheel drive system has torque delivered mainly to the rear wheels, but a Power Transfer Unit sends drive to the front wheels when necessary on low grip surfaces. Torque to divided to each of the four wheels individually, and the car’s dynamic vehicle controls (E-Diff, F1-Trac and PTU) have been integrated into a single CPU.

The weight distribution is 53% to the rear. Those brakes are third gen Brembo carbon-ceramic items that are now lighter and longer-lasting, with “virtually negligible wear during normal use on the road”.

The CF rich interior features four individual seats (they look very body hugging) divided in the middle by a high tunnel.

With this Ferrari, once can bring the family along with their luggage – boot space is a generous 450 litres, and the independently folding rear chairs can expand it up to 800 litres. The matching luggage set looks really good, too.

There’s even a rear-seat infotainment system screens for watching DVDs and a 1,280 watt, 16-channel stereo with Dolby Surround Sound. Yes, this is a Ferrari!

Is this four-wheel drive, four-seat, Ferrari for the family your kind of thing? If all is agreeable, what’s left is the small matter of writing a RM2.8 million cheque to Naza Italia, and your own FF will be flown in from Italy.

Full gallery from the event is after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari to debut 458 Spider at Frankfurt, Scuderia in 2013

Danny Tan — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:47:10 +0000

We know that a topless Ferrari 458 is on the way, and it looks like Frankfurt will be the launch venue. The 458 Spider, sister to the fixed top 458 Italia, will replace the 430 Spider. Reports say that the new Spider will have a retractable hard top in place of the 430′s canvas top. European sales will begin in September, while the US will get their share in the first quarter of 2012.

The 458 family will expand in 2013, where a higher performance 458 Scuderia will be introduced. This will come before the standard 458 Italia gets a refresh in 2014, according to Automotive News.

There will be changes higher up the range as well. Next year will see Maranello replace the 599 GTB Fiorano a model codenamed F152. This one will stay as a two-seater, and will be motivated by a direct-injection V12 longitudinal engine mounted up front, with drive going to the rear wheels. A Geneva 2012 debut is planned.

The men in red are a busy bunch, as it’s reported that a limited edition successor to the Enzo is planned for next year as well. This flagship poster car will be all carbon fibre, previewing the weight/fuel saving tech that will appear in next generation Ferraris. It’s guaranteed to be highly exclusive – Ferrari built just 399 units of the 2002 Enzo and 349 units of its predecessor, the 1995 F50.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari technical chief leaves after poor start to season

Danny Tan — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:22:06 +0000

Ferrari’s poor start to the 2011 season – where they have scored only one podium finish so far, and are 110 points off the pace in just five races – has claimed its first casualty. The Maranello team has announced that technical director Aldo Costa has left the position.

The 50-year old Italian, who was appointed technical director at the end of 2007, will “take on new responsibilities within the company” the Scuderia said.

It’s more than just one person though, it’s a reshuffle. Former McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry is now the director of the chassis side while production will be handed to Corrado Lanzone. Luca Marmorini stays on as the man in charge of engine and electronics. The trio will report directly to team principal Stefano Domenicali.

The team in red will need to quickly find some pace to be in contention. Red Bull has been dominant from the start, with McLaren the only other team looking capable to match them.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Alonso extends contract with Ferrari till 2016 season

Danny Tan — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:10:15 +0000

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso has scored a contract extension with Ferrari. He joined the Maranello outfit last year and has a deal to stay till the end of the 2012 season, but this fresh four-year deal will see him race for the Scuderia till 2016.

The Spaniard did well to stay in the championship hunt till the final race last year, despite his red machine not being the most dominant. It didn’t work out in Abu Dhabi, so the ex-Renault man finished second in the championship.

“It is a great pleasure to have renewed our agreement with a driver who has always demonstrated a winning mentality even in the most difficult circumstances.

“Fernando has all the required qualities, both technically and personally to play a leading role in the history of Ferrari and I hope he will be enriching it with further wins very soon,” said Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.

Alonso on the other hand, has never hid his love for the Scuderia, and used this occasion to underline his commitment. “I am very happy to have reached this agreement. I immediately felt comfortable within Ferrari and now it feels to me like a second family,” he declared.

“I have the utmost faith in the men and women who work in Maranello and in those who lead them: it is therefore natural for me to decide to extend my relationship in the long term like this, with a team at which I will no doubt end my Formula 1 career one day.

“I am happy and privileged, and maybe in 2017 we will have another contract. I will see if I am not too old and if Ferrari still want me,” he added.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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The last say: Ferrari gives its 2011 F1 car final name change – from F150 to F150th Italia, now it’s the 150° Italia

Anthony Lim — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:30:38 +0000

Ah, nothing like a little, ahem, friendly tiff to bring out the best in people. The Ford dispute with Ferrari over the latter’s naming of its 2011 F1 car – in which the boys that make the F-150 said Maranello was taking things a bit too far in naming its racer the F150 – was supposed to have been resolved when Ferrari changed the name of its vehicle.

So, you’d think it was all over when the F150 became the F150th Italia, which the blue oval thought was okay and which brought the whole matter to rest. The prancing horse lads, however, have come up with what is the final say (and presumably, some virtual digits – and I don’t mean numbers – aimed at a particular direction as well).

The Ferrari 2011 F1 car will now be known as the Ferrari 150° Italia, with the F dropped and the “th” replaced with a symbol that’s the Italian equivalent of the suffix. Ferrari stated the change with a very nicely worded posting on its website.

“In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula 1 car with a pick-up truck, for their part, the men from Maranello have decided that the car will lose the F that precedes the number 150 and which stands for Ferrari, as it has done on numerous occasions when it’s come to giving a car a code name, be it for the race track or the road,” the posting stated.

“It appears that this could have caused so much confusion in the minds of the consumer across the Pond that, at the same time as losing the F, the name will be completely Italianised, replacing the English “th” with the equivalent Italian symbol,” it continued.

“Therefore the name will now read as the Ferrari 150° Italia, which should make it clear even to the thickest of people that the name of the car is a tribute to the anniversary of the unification of our country. Let’s hope the matter is now definitely closed and that we can concentrate on other matters, namely ensuring that our car that already seems to be pretty good out of the box, becomes a real winner,” it concluded.

Well, yes, so there it is. Certainly, the whole thing is definitely a pickup compared to what transpired at the beginning. Sorry, couldn’t resist that.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Novitec Rosso Race 606 – the California gets more CFRP

Anthony Lim — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:57:43 +0000

In essence, it’s pretty much the same vehicle as offered about a year ago, but German tuning specialist Novitec has gotten more zip out of its reinterpretation of the Ferrari California. It’s called the Rosso Race 606, and it makes its debut in Geneva next month.

Mechanically, there’s no change to the supercharged Euro IV-compliant 4.3 litre V8 block, with the Novitec Rosso engine conversion continuing to offer 606 hp at 7,900 rpm and 603 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. Same figures too performance-wise, with a 0-100 kph time of 3.8 secs and a 325 kph top speed.

In fact, pretty much about everything here is a dead ringer for the 2010 outing, from 35 mm reduced ride height and the button-activated hydraulic front lift system that ups the front by 40 mm to most of the aerodyanamic-enhancement package.

What’s new is that there’s a whole lot more carbon-fibre to be seen on this one – the front and rear spoilers and the rear diffuser are finished in matte clear-coated carbon-fibre, so that’s not so evident, but the elements that are include a hood centerpiece, the radiator grille, the outer skin of the folding hardtop and the taillight surrounds.

The revamped look is rounded out with the same three-piece Novitec Rosso NF3 wheels as before (as well as the tyres), now finished in a matte carbon-fibre coating. So, the same, but different, that’s what it is.

Gallery after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari changes reference of 2011 F1 car to F150th Italia

Anthony Lim — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:05:26 +0000

Seems that sometimes, if you make your point clearly everything can be resolved, and quickly at that. Helps somewhat if you go to court too. The Ford-Ferrari issue over the F150 nameplate looks to have been settled.

Ford had filed a lawsuit against Ferrari about the latter’s F150′s moniker for its 2011 Formula 1 car, stating that it was simply too close for comfort to its F-150 pickup, which is one of the best-selling vehicles in the US.

Reports have it that, faced with the lawsuit, Ferrari has backed down and announced that the racecar will now be called the F150th Italia, a name it says has been the official designation of the car all along. As of now, it will use the full description for the vehicle.

The Prancing Horse boys don’t really know why Ford is getting so hot under the collar over the name given to its racecar.

“Ferrari believes its own contender in the upcoming F1 Championship cannot be confused with any other types of commercially available vehicle whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford’s viewpoint on the matter,” the company said in a statement.

Ford’s response was to say it never thought anyone would confuse its muscular truck with a F1 racecar, but the motive behind the action was about protecting the brand from being diluted. Think F-150 in any form, hyphen or not, think a particular truck and nothing else, not even a flash drive, that’s what the blue oval wants to retain.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ford takes Ferrari to court over the use of F150 name

Anthony Lim — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 06:30:03 +0000

What’s in a name? Well, a lot, it seems, and if you thought the Lotus versus Lotus do has been the height of it this season, in comes another one to join the fray.

According to reports, Ford has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Detroit against Ferrari and its US sales arm over what it says is a violation of its trademarked F-150 name.

The Italian company seems to have stepped on Ford’s toes in naming its new Formula 1 car the F150, and the US automaker said the chosen name is too close to that of its pickup, hyphen or no hyphen. The blue oval has been using the F-150 moniker on its pickups since 1975, and trademarked it in 1995.

Ford is looking to block Ferrari from using the F150 name in the US, and this would include the importation, manufacturing or selling of any F150 products in the US.

The lawsuit also states that Ford wants Ferrari to surrender any profits earned in the US through the use of the F150 name. Elsewhere, in relation to the website Ferrari created for its racecar (www.ferrarif150.com), Ford is seeking US$100,000 in damages under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which prevents the creation of website domain names that can confuse users about products available.

Ford said in its suit that Ferrari is utilising the F150 moniker “in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark, and in order to trade off of Ford’s famous and winning trademark.”

Earlier, Ferrari announced that its 2011 Formula 1 race car would be called the F150, named in reference to the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari FF – yet more dynamic photos of the four-seater

Anthony Lim — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:57:33 +0000

Ferrari has released another set of photographs of its upcoming FF four-seater, and these have the car in action in the snow. The photos show both an advanced prototype and a final model hamming it up for the camera.

There’s been plenty of interest in the new shooting brake-styled 612 Scaglietti replacement, for sure. The boys at Maranello say that traffic on its official site – and channels like YouTube – has gone through the roof in the past few weeks, all scouring for more about the four-wheel drive vehicle, which of course makes its debut in Geneva next month.

Gallery after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Scuderia Ferrari’s 2011 Formula 1 contender – the F150

Harvinder Sidhu — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:09:00 +0000

This is Ferrari’s 2011 Formula 1 challenger, called the F150. The new Prancing Horse is currently racking up some precious mileage at the Ricardo Tormo circuit, in Valencia, Spain. Just like previous years, Ferrari’s Formula 1 livery pretty much looks the same, apart from some minor changes.

Among others, this year’s car has an Italian flag finishing on the rear wing. The name F150 and the flag points to the 150th anniversary since the unification of Italy. You can also see a different Scuderia Ferrari logo on the engine cover which moves away from the “bar code” version used previously. Ferrari received unwanted attention last season as the previous version of the logo reminded many of the Marlboro brand.

The new car has a slightly raised front end which is supposed to improve airflow. A stronger indention of the sidepods, the use of KERS and a moveable rear wing make up some of the changes as well. Like its rivals, the F150 is also planted to the ground with Pirelli tires. The driver line-up remains the same for the team with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Ferrari nearly clinched the Driver’s Championship last season but it went Red Bull’s way. Can Ferrari do it this season? We will see!

An image gallery is available after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari Four V12 – additional photos of the FF

Anthony Lim — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:09:42 +0000

Click to enlarge

More photos have come about for the new Ferrari Four, or by its acronym, the FF, including a new studio shot of the 6.2 litre V12-powered car in an elegant Grigio Ferro Metallic grey.

Click to enlarge

Besides the studio pix, there are images of the prototype development mule – used during the long-term testing of the Ferrari-patented 4RM system – clad in camouflage, taken while the car was undergoing development testing of the four-wheel-drive system over the snow-bound roads of Sweden and Finland.

The 660 hp beast, which is the first ever 4WD offering from the Prancing Horse, makes its debut in Geneva in March, so there’ll be more on it then.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari Four V12 – Scaglietti replacement with 4WD power!

Paul Tan — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:13:18 +0000

These are the first three shots of Ferrari’s first ever four-wheel drive car – the Ferrari Four, also known by its acronym FF. It has a shooting brake-like body style, with a long front bonnet that clearly says this Ferrari is front engined!

The Four in its name refers to its four seats and four wheel drive. Ferrari’s implementation is called 4RM, and Ferrari claims it’s weighs on average half the weight of a conventional four wheel drive system. We all know what a properly tuned system can do – just look at how the Nissan GT-R goes around the ‘Ring. Ferrari’s implementation is tied in to its electronic dynamic control systems to make sure the system doesn’t only just deliver power to a wheel for grip, but for maximum velocity around a corner as well.

The Ferrari Four is powered by a new 6,252cc V12 engine with direct injection, revving high to make 660 horsepower at 8,000rpm and 683Nm of torque at 6,000rpm. It is mated to a dual clutch transmission mounted at the rear axle. The combination of the engine, gearbox and 4RM takes the car up to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds. Other less exciting specs include 450 litres of boot space extendable to 800 litres. There’s also the option for the HELE system which includes various ‘green’ features like auto start-stop.

More details when the FF makes its debut at Geneva!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari’s China sales jumps by nearly 50% in 2010

Danny Tan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 04:30:19 +0000

China is the promised land for automakers today, not only for the mass market ones that want to tap into the huge population and growing affluence, but for the premium and exotic marques as well, which are racking up record sales. They need cars to go along with the Louis Vuittons and Cartiers, you see.

And a Ferrari is the perfect accessory. Maranello sold close to 300 cars in China last year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2009 and its best ever haul since exports to China begin. And if you figure in the sales figures for Hong Kong and Taiwan, “Greater China” becomes one of the top five international markets for Ferrari, which is amazing when one considers that an official network has existed for only six years in China.

The brand’s 999th client will be the centre of attention of a special celebration in Shanghai next week. The number is auspicious as the number nine is considered lucky and represents longevity in China.

Special attention to China is paying off for Ferrari. New dealerships in various cities will join the current 10 in the next few months, and 2011 will see the start of the first Asian championship in the Ferrari Challenge single-make racing series. The Prancing Horse brand also displayed its HY-KERS laboratory vehicle at the Shanghai World Expo (in the Italian Pavilion) and gave the 599 GTO its world premiere at the Beijing Auto Show.

Other initiatives include a scholarship programme for students from the Automotive Engineering faculty of Tsinghua University. Lucky undergrads got a stint at the Politecnico di Milano and scored internships at Ferrari’s factory in Maranello. The programme will continue in 2011, financed by proceeds from the special one-off 599 GTB with antique Ge Kin porcelain design from the Song dynasty.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Fiat looking to offload Ferrari shares to purchase more stake in Chrysler?

Jacob Alexander — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:21:41 +0000

Reports from an Italian publication have come in stating that Fiat is considering selling-off a partial stake in Ferrari to raise funds for a takeover of fledgling Chrysler. Fiat has a 20 percent stake in the US automaker, while it owns 85 percent of the Ferrari brand. Fiats are supposedly ready to sell quite a sum of its shares, as long as it retains a 51 percent majority balance of the shares.

Fiat already have plans to increase that 20 percent to 35, but money from Ferrari would allow the Italian automaker to purchase a controlling stake of 51 percent from Chrysler. Industry analysts state that Fiat plan to do this sometime in 2011 or 2012.

Fiat has denied all of these reports so at this point it’s all speculation. It also contradicts with a previous statement by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne that they are planning to take their share in Ferrari up to 90 percent.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Topless 599 – 661hp Ferrari SA APERTA 599 roadster

Harvinder Sidhu — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:55:28 +0000

Ferrari is not about to miss out on the action in Paris. The company has released initial images that depict the SA APERTA 599 roadster, which is pretty much a drop-top version of the 599. The limited edition roadster is motivated by the familiar 6.0 litre mouth-watering V12 engine that pumps out 661hp and 620Nm of torque. This is the same engine used in the 599 GTO.

Only 80 units of the roadster will be put into production and rumor has it that all 80 have been pre-sold. Why 80 units you might ask? Well thats because this car pays tribute to Ferrari’s favorite designer Pininfarina. It is Pininfarina’s 80th anniversary and the “SA” designation pays homage to both Sergio Pininfarina and son Andrea who passed away in 2008 following an accident while riding a Vespa.

The SA APERTA uses a removable light soft top “designed to be resorted to only if the weather gets particularly bad”. Other features include a low-slung windscreen, two roll bars that mimic the outline of the seats as well as a stiffened chassis. Ferrari also said that the SA APERTA has a “negligible weight difference” compared to the hard top 599. More details and images will be released once the roadster hits the stands at the Paris Motor Show.

You can view high-res initial images after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari escapes further punishment over team orders row

Danny Tan — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:01:27 +0000

Ferrari has escaped further punishment over the “team orders” incident at the German GP, where race leader Massa was ordered to let Alonso pass him to win the race. The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council met in Paris yesterday and announced that the $100,000 fine dished out to the Italian team would be upheld. No further sanctions would be imposed, although Ferrari will need to bear legal costs.

An FIA statement read: “On 25 July 2010, at the Grand Prix of Germany, the stewards of the meeting found an infringement by the Scuderia Ferrari to the prohibition of team orders interfering with a race result and then decided to impose a fine of $100,000 and to forward the dossier to the World Motor Sport Council for further consideration.

“The Judging Body of the World Motor Sport Council held an extraordinary hearing in Paris on September 8, 2010 to examine this matter. After an in depth analysis of all reports, statements and documents submitted, the judging body has decided to confirm the stewards’ decision of a $100,000 fine for infringing article 39.1 of the sporting regulations and to impose the payment of the costs incurred by the FIA.”

It also looks like the FIA wants to allow some degree of team orders in the future after the governing body announced that a review of the ban is on the way. “The judging body has also acknowledged that article 39.1 of the sporting regulations should be reviewed and has decided to refer this question to the Formula 1 Sporting Working Group,” the statement said.

F1 fans, is this the way to go?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Hot car: Ferrari 458 Italia recalled due to fire risk!

Danny Tan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:14:21 +0000

Ferrari’s latest 458 Italia is so hot, it has been catching fire across the globe. It has been reported that five of the cars have burst into flames since leaving the company’s Maranello factory. Incidents have also been reported in California, Paris, China and Switzerland. This has led the world’s most famous supercar maker to recall the model, which will involve 1,248 very wealthy customers.

Apparently, the problem lies in the glue used to secure the wheel arch lining to the car’s chassis, and this adhesive has been overheating as it’s near to the exhaust system. There’s a risk of it catching fire when the 458 has been driven for a sustained period of time at high speed. A Ferrari spokesman said that all 458 Italias built since the end of the July 2010 had been modified at the factory to resolve the issue.

In Malaysia, the 458 Italia is sold from RM2 million per unit by Naza Italia. At the car’s launch back in April, Naza Italia said it had 14 names in its order books for the 570 bhp 4.5-litre V8 Prancing Horse. Since there hasn’t been any sightings of burned 458s in our hot weather, it’s save to assume that they are all safely kept in the cool garages of Datuk and Tan Sri owners.

Check out BBC’s compilation of wrecked 458 Italias.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Turbocharged Ferrari Enzo to take on the Bonneville Flats

Jacob Alexander — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:41:45 +0000

The Bonneville Speed Week in Utah attracts the daredevils of the world who bring their own super machines to hit incredible speeds thanks to 142 kilometres of flat dessert sand under them. The salt flats have played host to various successful land speed record attempts.

One Ferrari owner decided to give it a go with his V12-engined Ferrari Enzo. Now before you think that he’s bastardized this classic, you should know that his car was previously a wreck as he crashed it in a rally back in 2006.

Along with a new body from the one-off Pininfarina P4/5, Richard Losee has went the forced induction route. The car now makes 850hp, at boost levels of 11 to 12 lbs. He says boost levels could be taken up to 18 to 20 lbs which could produce a power output of a 1,000 horses.

Helping with the vehicle dynamics, the car has been lowered and fitted with slimmer tires. A new carbon fibre nose is also fitted as they found the old one wasn’t stable at speeds of above 362km/h. No official details have been released of its performance figures, but it’ll definitely be faster than the Enzo’s top speed of 364km/h.

We eagerly await to see what the results are!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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GALLERY: Ferrari 458 Challenge action shots on track

Jacob Alexander — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:41:22 +0000

We’ve previously only seen one static shot, but Ferrari has now released pictures of the 458 Challenge in action as the race car was taken out on the Vallelunga race track in Italy. This was so that the two drivers testing the car – Maurizio Mediani (Italy) and Jaime Melo (Argentina) – can help in the fine tuning of the vehicle.

The race car will use the standard road car’s 4.5-litre V8 with 570 hp/540 Nm, while stripping the rest of the car down to the essentials and adding a race suspension setup. 19-inch Pirelli slicks and new generation Brembo CCM2 brakes have also been added. The 458 will take part in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli that will branch out an Asia-Pacific series in 2011. Click here for more details on Maranello’s latest race car.

Pics after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari team boss explains “team orders” at Hockenheim

Danny Tan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:08:00 +0000

Ferrari is back on the top of the F1 podium again, but the 1-2 finish led by Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim has attracted plenty of flak for “team orders”, which is banned. Indeed, the Scuderia was slapped with a $100,000 fine and the case is being referred to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC). After the race, team boss Stefano Domenicali faced a press pack full of questions.

When asked to explain why this situation wasn’t illegal team orders, Domenicali said: “I don’t know if I have to explain to you what are team orders. What I can say from my side is that if you are referring to the situation we have in mind, we gave an information to Felipe about what was the situation.

“Because we have already seen in the past that certain situations could not give the best result to the team. That was the information we wanted to give and we leave the drivers to understand and take notice of it in order to make sure the team, in terms of the global results, gets the best.”

The hacks pressed on, asking the chief if yesterday’s situation was any different from Austria 2002, where Rubens Barrichello was infamously ordered to let Schumacher pass and go on to win the race. “Honestly, I don’t know. What we said to him today was an information about the situation behind. That is what we said today,” he replied.

But didn’t Massa’s engineer Rob Smedley apologise to him? “It was not an apology this way. You have to consider the fact, and you can check with his communication on the radio several times in the past, that Rob Smedley’s is correctly in a very good conjunction with Felipe. This is the key of their success. He gave the information to Felipe and he saw what happened and he was not happy about the situation of the car that was not so fast – sorry – was slower than the other one,” was the reply given.

What do you think of this incident? Was Ferrari wrong in giving Alonso, who has a better chance of challenging for the title than Massa, a shot at the main prize?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari World Abu Dhabi unveils its ride attractions!

Jacob Alexander — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:31:24 +0000

You’ve got your usual Disneyland and Universal Studios, and now you’ve got another must see theme park to visit, especially if you’re a petrol head. It’s Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi which according to the press release, is an “exciting attraction designed to tell the Ferrari story, passion, excellence, performance and technical innovation to families.”

How they’ll pass that information on while hurtling you at 240km/h into the sky, remains a mystery even to me. If curious as to what are the Ferrari (speed) themed rides on offer, as mentioned before you have the world’s fastest roller coaster, the G-Force which shoots you 62 metres in the air in a seat inspired by the Ferrari Enzo, the Fiorano GT Challenge which is a duelling roller-coaster of Ferrari F430’s, and the “V12″ which as its name describes is a flume ride inside a 12 cylinder engine.

If you’re a little faint-hearted they’ve accommodated your needs as well with attractions such as Made in Maranello which is a virtual trip behind factory doors, Scuderia Challenge – a cutting edge race simulator used by the drivers of Scuderia Ferrari, and Viaggio in Italia which gives you a virtual aerial voyage over Italy.

Other attractions include a 4D fantasy journey, interactive 3D shows along with movies relating to the history of anything Ferrari. Kid’s will have a ball of a time as they’ve got something called Junior GT, which is a driving school where they get special instruction and drive reduced scale F430 GT spiders on a driving course.

After they’ve got the feel of the car, they can hop onto the Junior Grand Prix where they can enjoy the race track in a scaled down versions of a F1 car. Something for everyone, Ferrari World will have a range of concept restaurants and cafés offering authentic Italian dining experiences along with shopping venues.

You can forget about the holiday in Italy, all you need is a ticket to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The theme park will officially open its doors on the 28th of October this year. More pictures of the attractions are available after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari 458 Challenge revealed, Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series coming to Asia-Pacific in 2011

Jacob Alexander — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:48:01 +0000

Click to enlarge

The Ferrari 458 Challenge made its world debut at the company’s Annual Dealer Meeting in Maranello recently. This car replaces the F430 Challenge and will see action in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli in the 2011 season, which will also feature an Asia-Pacific series. The RM2 million supercar’s stock engine, which is a 4.5-litre V8 producing 570 hp and 540 Nm of torque, is maintained, but other bits have been fine-tuned.

First up are the modified gear ratios and the calibration of the dual-clutch F1 transmission, which they say guarantees higher torque at lower revs. Also available will be the E-Diff electronic differential that is no stranger to the Ferrari road car range. Contained within E-Diff is the F1-Trac traction control system which has a wet and dry setting. It constantly monitors grip levels for maximum road holding.

Acceleration has been improved using weight saving techniques (standard car does 0-100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds), among them reducing the thickness of the body panels and using materials such as carbon fibre and Lexan. This lighter body will sit on a new 30 mm lower suspension set-up made of solid aluminium bushings, stiffer springs and single-rate dampers. There are also centre-nut 19” racing rims, larger dimension Pirelli slicks and new generation Brembo CCM2 brakes, which is also on the track-only 599XX.

All these enhancements have been proven on track as Ferrari says that the car laps Fiorano in 1 minute and 16.5 seconds, a whole two seconds quicker than the F430 Challenge.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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GALLERY: Ferrari 599 GTO looking fabulous in action

Danny Tan — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:36:51 +0000

Previously, we’ve only seen studio images of the 599 GTO, but here’s Ferrari’s fastest ever road car basking in glory under the sun. And boy, does it look good strutting its stuff. As a recap, the 599 GTO made its public debut at this year’s Beijing Auto Show and this latest Gran Turismo Omologata is the road going version of the extreme 599XX. Only 599 examples will be made – this is sure to be a collector’s dream.

The 599 GTO’s 6.0-litre V12 makes 661 bhp at 8,250 rpm with maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6,500 rpm, while complying with Euro 5 and LEV 2 standards. Those Italian stallions can pull the 1,495 kg GTO to a 3.35 second run from 0-100 km/h and a top speed of “over 335 km/h”. This car lapped Fiorano at 1’24, which is faster than the Enzo.

Other highlights include a second generation magnetorheological suspension control system and new carbon-ceramic brakes that decelerates the car from 100-0 km/h in just 32.5 metres! The driver-car interface is integrated with Virtual Race Engineer (VRE) which provides the driver with instantaneous information on performance.

Go ahead and drool at the pics after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari prodigy Lance Stroll beats F1 driver in kart race

Jacob Alexander — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:29:12 +0000

As previously reported, Ferrari recently recruited a new member into the Ferrari Driving Academy in the form of 11-year old Lance Stroll from Canada. The talented lad joined the Scuderia at the recent Canadian Grand Prix for a go-kart session, and guess what, he ruffled some F1 feathers on track!

Almost everyone from the team took part in this friendly race where the 12 fastest drivers went on to compete in a final event. The dozen included both F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, but Stroll finished the day second! To achieve that, he must have left some test drivers AND one of Ferrari’s two F1 drivers behind in his dust!

Your guess is at good as ours as to who that might be, as Ferrari conveniently forgot to add that bit of juicy information to the press statement. Of course it isn’t exactly a level playing field due to factors like Stroll’s lower weight, but it still gives you an idea of what this prodigy is capable of. We did our share of racing with F1 drivers on karts before, but the best of Malaysian motoring journalists couldn’t come within two corners of the real deal! Read our account here.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari signs ex-McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry

Jacob Alexander — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:32:41 +0000

Ferrari has confirmed the appointment of former McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry as the Scuderia’s assistant technical director. The 46-year old Briton will work under technical director Aldo Costa starting from July. It’s likely that Fry will jump into the development of next year’s car.

Fry left McLaren last month after 17 years with the Woking team. He started his career with Benetton in 1987 and worked there as a race engineer and test team engineer till 1992 before moving to McLaren in 1993.

At McLaren, he was made chief engineer alongside Tim Goss in 2002 and both men alternate as lead designers – Goss is in charge of this year’s car, while Fry was working on the 2011 MP4-26 before leaving McLaren. Would he bring valuable information to his new team?

“Within our team, then, I think we’ve got quite a bit of a talent and depth, so in these situations it’s a great opportunity for someone younger, maybe hungrier, to come along and replace all of us,” McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said of Fry’s departure last month.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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11-year old Canadian snapped by Ferrari Driver Academy

Jacob Alexander — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:52:57 +0000

The tale of a 10-year old called Lewis Hamilton going up to Ron Dennis and telling the boss that he will race for McLaren one day is now a household story. Young Lewis was signed less than three years later, and he’s now the youngest ever F1 world champion. This young man you see here could well be the next Hamilton.

Only 11 years old, Montreal born Lance Stroll is the latest and youngest driver to be part of the Ferrari Driving Academy, which was created late last year to find and support talented young racing drivers with the eventual aim of getting them into F1.

At his age, Lance already has two wins at the Canadian national championship in Rotax Mini Max category, Coupe de Montreal and Coupe du Quebec Micro Max Championship in 2008 and both Mini Max Championships in 2009. He finished sixth in the World Finals at Lonato in the Mini Roc category and second in the Rotax Micro Max Florida Winter Tour. He also won the series this year in the Mini Max category along with championships for the Tag/Cadet Florida winter tour. Unsurprisingly, he has been nominated for the Rookie of the Year in 2008 by the Fedération Sport Automobile du Quebec and Driver of the Year in 2009.

“We are pleased to welcome Lance to our group,” said Luca Baldisserri, the Scuderia’s chief track engineer who runs the academy. “He is very young, but he has already shown in karting that he is exceptionally talented. We will follow him step by step in his forthcoming events in North America and he will soon also take part in our courses at Maranello.”

At the academy, Lance will join Jules Bianchi, a French driver who won the French Formula Renault 2.0 in 2007 and the F3 Euroseries in 2009 along with podium finishes in the GP2 Asia series. The fact that such an important man in the Ferrari F1 hierarchy heads this program shows how serious Ferrari is in wanting to find new talent.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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Ferrari announces plans for 599 GTB roadster!

Jacob Alexander — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:33:41 +0000

Ever thought that the noise from the Ferrari 599 GTB wasn’t loud enough for you? Well, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo could have a solution to that problem as he has just announced that a roadster version of the 12 cylinder engined car will go into production, allowing you to listen to the engine roar unobstructed.

“This is a very unusual car and it will certainly surprise you,” said Montezemelo. “It’s only going to be available to a very select number of clients who’ve been asking us for an open-top version of the 12-cylinder for quite some time now. We won’t be unveiling it at a show though. Instead, we’ll be organizing private presentations.”

This isn’t the first V12 convertible from Ferrari though, as previously there was the 575 Superamerica which was unveiled in 2004. The car had an unusual folding system as the panoramic sunroof lifted straight up and plopped backward on to the boot, to avoid compromising luggage space. Only gripe about the setup is the fact that it looked like a convertible Suzuki Vitara with the top up.

Unfortunately, nothing has been confirmed in regards to the roof system it will use, but you can always trust Ferrari to do what’s best for its supercars. For such limited numbers I’d expect a simple cloth roof to be used instead of designing a complicated hard top convertible system. What you can expect though, is an increase in price to pay for the work that goes into stiffening the bodywork.

The original hardtop 599 GTB costs around $300,000 when it first hit the market and featured a naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine that produces 611 bhp and an incredible 607 Nm of torque. We could expect to see a modified version of this engine housed within the new roadster to make up for the extra weight of the extra body stiffening.

Montezemolo has even hinted that there might be a suffix added to the title and said it will be a romantic name, along the lines of Fiorano, Italia and Maranello. Thus the best this writer can come up with is something like Venice or Verona. Ferrari 599 GTB Verona – sounds good? What do you think the new car should be called?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:22:26 +0000.

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