| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Red Carpet Car Crash: Ferrari California Vs. Two Limos
Rear-end collisions involving supercars are no new thing. A large percentage of their owners have no real regard for the speed limit and tend to launch these super-expensive machines into the rear end of slower-moving vehicles. Because of how common these wrecks are, we typically pass them off as not newsworthy. Of course, when an accident looks more like it happened during the red carpet affair at the Emmy Awards ceremonies, our ears tends to perk up a little. This time around, a $200K Ferrari California “lightly tapped” the rear end of what appears to be a Lincoln stretched limo. By “lightly tapped,” we ultimately mean slammed into the rear end at a fairly high rate of speed. This California driver hit the rear end of the limo so hard that it pushed this massive luxury transporter forward hard enough to smash it into the rear of yet another Lincoln stretched limo. We managed to scrounge up a video of the accident’s aftermath, but unfortunately, we were not able to find footage of the actual accident, which was likely an extravagant display of speed and complete disregard for public safety. By looking at the accident’s results, it doesn’t look like anyone was hurt. The Ferrari owner’s wallet, on the other hand, is likely hurting pretty badly, as is his ego. You really have to wonder how fast this guy was driving to push a car nearly three to four times its weight forward into another car, while at a stop. Sit back, enjoy the above video, and have a nice chuckle. Let this be a warning though, just because you drive a supercar, you are not automatically a super driver.
Ferrari dumps Hy-kers system and patents new hybrid system
  At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari unveiled the Vettura Laboratorio HY-KERS concept - the company’s first attempt at a hybrid vehicle. The concept combined a V-12 engine with a Formula 1–inspired KERS hybrid system, but that setup may be old news now that Ferrari has patented a series of new images for a more conventional hybrid system. This new system will combine a conventional engine with two electric motors: one for the propulsion duties and the second to feed the ancillary systems like air conditioning or power steering. By using a second electric engine, Ferrari will ensure that the auxiliary systems will not steal torque from the internal-combustion engine during acceleration, a measure taken to deliver better performance. Ferrari’s patent drawings reveal two possibilities. The first shows the main electric motor in the engine’s V valley, while the second has the motor in the rear of the car with the transaxle. Wherever the electric engine is placed, Ferrari says that this hybrid system will be used in a car with a front-mounted, 90-degree engine. Maybe we are looking at a setup for a future, hybrid California?
Ferrari 458 Italia looks great with HRE Wheels
If you were to pick one of the latest Ferrari models that we like the best, the 458 Italia will be our choice. And we are 100% sure of that! But we have never imagined how cool that car can get when you add a new set of wheels, and more importantly the right photographer to take the pictures. Do you know those moments when you discover another great look on the person you love, just because she or he sits in a different light? Well, this is exactly what Michael Burroughs from StanceWorks did with the 458 Italia. And, after watching his images over and over again, we came up to a conclusion: the 458 Italia is not just a car to drive, it is also a car to love! Do you think we exaggerate? We don’t! While about the 458 Italia you know everything you need to know, lets offer you some details about the new elements on the car: a new set of HRE Wheels 505 Vintage in Satin Bronze alloys. The wheels are made in aerospace-grade 6061-T6 forged aluminum for high strength-to-weight ratio and they are offered with ARP high strength stainless-steel fasteners.
2012 Ferrari 458 Italia China Special Edition
Ferrari is celebrating its 20th anniversary on the Chinese market with the introduction of a special edition 458 Italia. This new edition will be limited to only 20 units and since it will be exclusively offered in China, will be characterized by unique Chinese elements. The 458 Italia will be finished in a brand new color called Marco Polo Red specially developed for this exclusive car. Since this is the "Year of the Dragon," the car’s livery was inspired by the longma theme which is an old Chinese idiom which means "the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse." These elements include a golden dragon on the front bonnet, which is offset by gold and black livery stripes symbolizing a racing track. The golden dragon is combined with a gold finish for the rims and the aeroelastic winglets. On the interior, this special edition adds gold embroidery on the car’s head rests, while the engine start button on each of the 20 cars is inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for "start." Each unit will also receive a "20th Anniversary Special Edition" plaque in the dash. If You Can’t Own a Supercar, You Can Drive one for Under $100
 At one point in every automotive buff’s life, he has a dream about driving a supercar down a racetrack. Then he wakes up, looks out the window and his 1993 Metro is staring him in the face. Well, you can hop into that Metro, drive to New York and live your dream for $99. Yup, an exotic car rental company that typically rents Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Mercedes, and other high-end cars for thousands of dollars per day is allowing people to take these monsters around a racetrack. Gotham Dream Cars has taken its Dream Car Sprint program to the New York Auto Show, which opened up to the public today. The Dream Car Sprint program typically charges $249 for three laps around their parking lot-based racetrack, but at the New York International Auto Show they have brought along a Ferrari F430 and a Lamborghini Gallardo], and have discounted the three-lap price to just $99 + tax. The track is roughly one-mile long and you have to drag an instructor along with you. This pretty much means that you can’t really have any fun in these supercars, but just to be behind the wheel is enough to make us happy. As the auto show progresses, the Gotham Dream cars might add other vehicles to this program, but for now we only know of the Ferrari and Lamborghini. So, if you are over 21, have a valid driver’s license and car insurance, plus a spare $105.93, you can hop in one of these and see just how far the push these cars until the ride-along instructor stops you. We bet one of us could end that drive in about 15 seconds… $1.5 Million in Luxury Cars Seized by U.S. Customs
There are a lot of new car scams in the world and most of them are initiated by the new car dealer, not the buyer. A group of buyers flipped the script on several Los Angeles dealerships, by using fake identities to purchase 20 cars and were shipping them to Hong Kong and Vietnam to sell them for two to three times their U.S. value. It was a laundry list of luxury vehicles, such as a $280,000 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia, an Audi Quattro, 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, along with several Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, and BMW SUVs among others. For some reason, the thieves even threw in a Toyota Tundra. The one that got these fraudsters busted was the Ferrari 458 Italia, as Ferrari fitted the supercar with a GPS system as standard, which Ferrari used to track the car once they found out they were defrauded. This led U.S. Customs and the California highway Patrol to conduct a full investigation and find the cars on a ship that had already pulled away from the port. Needless to say, that ship was forced to come back and all but four of the cars were recovered. The four non-recovered cars are due to be shipped back by Vietnamese Customs. According to the report, had the fraudsters not gone after the Ferrari, chances are they would have gotten away with this scam and made a ton of money in the process. The total amount of the vehicles seized by U.S. customs is estimated at $1.5 million, which would have pulled in around $3 million in Hong Kong and Vietnam. We are still trying to figure out what in the world a Toyota Tundra was doing in the mix with all of these high-end luxury cars. We also wonder which thief drew the short straw and was stuck going to the Toyota dealership to pick this thing up?
Official Patented Drawings Of Eric Clapton’s Ferrari SP12 Leaked
 We’re positive that we have all seen Eric Clapton’s one-off Ferrari 458 Italia by now, but up until this point we’ve only seen blurry images and a less-than-exciting video shot by YouTube personality ‘Shmee150’. However, now we can show you the official patented drawings for the car which were constructed well in advance of the car actually being made. The original pictures published make the incredible supercar look relatively odd. It’s likely fitted with a lifting system and we wouldn’t be surprised if that was activated throughout the event it debuted in. Furthermore, it’s quite hard to actually pick the lines of the 458 Italia of which it’s based off, but these high quality drawings do give us a clear indication of the styling direction Clapton chose for the car. The car has a much wider stance than the regular 458 Italia, and this makes it look quite reminiscent of the legendary Ferrari Enzo, and of course, the Enzo headlights help finish off the aggressive look. The most interesting part of this particular car, however, is its under tray. We’ve yet to see any real pictures showcasing just how the regular car looks from underneath, but Clapton’s SP12 has a very smooth under tray to improve airflow with its aggressive rear diffuser helping to add even more downforce to the driven wheels. Initial reports suggested that the SP12 would feature the V12 from the now-extinct 599 GTB, but it was later confirmed to have retained the standard 4.5-liter V8 producing a little over the standard 570HP.
GTO London commemorates 50 years of the Ferrari GTO with luxury cufflinks
The going price for a Ferrari 250 GTO, at least in the auction market, has a base of seven figures. That means that if you have plans of owning one, you need to have a pretty deep set of pockets. But if finances are a question, you can still own something akin to a 250 GTO, except that instead of the actual classic Ferrari, you’ll be going home with a set of cufflinks. Courtesy of GTO London, the gentleman’s accessory specialist, the Ferrari 250 GTO Barrel Ignition Cufflinks are probably the next best thing to owning an actual Ferrari 350 GTO. The cufflinks have been expertly hand-crafted and engineered to the finest detail, even featuring GTO London’s precisely-engineered signature cuff anchor mechanism. In addition to the cufflinks, GTO London is also offering a slew of other items as part of their ‘Accensione’ collection. If cufflinks aren’t your thing, you can opt for a key fob and tie pin that has been designed to look like a Ferrari 250 GTO ignition. All these items, according to GTO London, are created from sterling silver, or, in some cases, with touches of Real Ferrari Metal. And unlike an actual 250 GTO, owning these accessories won’t cost you a fortune. The Ignition Cufflinks retail at £245, which is north of $600 based on current exchange rates. As for the tie pin, that sells for £115 ($390) while the fob sells for £155 pounds ($390). Breaking: New Ferrari Dino to be launched in Paris
2012 will be a pretty busy year for Ferrari. After the F12berlinetta and the new Enzo replacement, the company will take a little break from developing V12 supercars and will focus on offering the long rumored successor for the legendary Dino instead. In the past few years, Ferrari has been up and down when asked about a new Dino, but now Ferrari sources have confirmed to us that a new Dino is currently being developed and that it will be unveiled this fall at the Paris Auto Show, with the production to follow in early 2013 - as a celebration of the car’s 45th anniversary. The new Dino will be the smallest model in Ferrari’s line-up and will be powered by a detuned version of the V8 engine used in the 458 Italia. This means we’ll see a total output somewhere in the 450 HP area. As for its exterior design, expect to see the classic Dino brought to our modern days: it will combine elements from the latest 458 Italia, FF, and F12berlinetta and will still offer a 2+2 seats configuration. The best part is that the car’s legendary nose will remain, but will look a bit modernized. As for the car’s price, our sources have confirmed that the new Dino will be the cheapest model in the line-up, but you’ll still have to dish out about $200K if you want to own one. UPDATE 04/02/2012: In case you hadn’t realized it yet, April Fool’s!! This information is 100% false and was created for our amusement on this wonderful day! Ferrari and Movado strike deal to build special watch collection
When Ferrari partners with another company to create a crossover product, they’ve got some pretty high standards to live up to. Which is precisely why their newest timepiece partner raised some eyebrows within the industry. Despite its previous tie-up with Panerai, a company known for their high-end luxury timepieces, the Italian automaker took a different in choosing their next time piece partner. Enter the Movado Group. For all intents and purposes, Movado also caters to the luxury watch market, but there’s no mistaking that they’re not on the level of Panerai. Nonetheless, the Ferrari-Movado tie-up should make consumers happy considering that they’re going to be a little more affordable than the ones Ferrari and Panerai used to make, including the Ferrari Officine Panerai Watch Collection, which retailed for a base price of £8,900 ($14,200) and went all the way up to £28,300 ($45,200). Compare those prices to the timepieces Ferrari and Movado are preparing, which could retail at somewhere around $2,000 and really, it’s not even close. As part of their deal, Ferrari and Movado will be working through a multi-year deal to build a number of time-pieces, most of which will be available in Ferrari stores, its online shop, and select wholesale distribution outlets. “This agreement is the perfect complement to our branded watch business in an innovative and highly competitive segment," said Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo. "We look forward to benefitting from Movado’s expertise in design, development and distribution in order to reach our fans around the world." Expect the first of these watches to officially make its debut at the 2013 Annual Watch & Jewelry Fair in Basel, Switzerland. | featured reviews:Ferrari cars reviews2015 2014 2013 2012
* prototypes, future cars, modified cars (tuning) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferrari cars
|
|