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Ford takes Ferrari to court over the use of F150 name

February 10, 2011 at 2:30 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, Ford, International News

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.

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

February 7, 2011 at 11:57 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News

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.
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Scuderia Ferrari’s 2011 Formula 1 contender – the F150

February 2, 2011 at 12:09 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports

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.
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Ferrari Four V12 – additional photos of the FF

January 26, 2011 at 10:09 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News


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.

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Ferrari Four V12 – Scaglietti replacement with 4WD power!

January 21, 2011 at 9:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News

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

January 6, 2011 at 12:30 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Ferrari

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.

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

September 29, 2010 at 6:21 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Chrysler, Ferrari, Fiat, International News

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.

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Topless 599 – 661hp Ferrari SA APERTA 599 roadster

September 25, 2010 at 10:55 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Ferrari

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.
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Ferrari escapes further punishment over team orders row

September 9, 2010 at 3:01 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Ferrari, Formula 1, Motorsports

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?

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

September 2, 2010 at 1:14 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News

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.

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