A ferrari on fire…

Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali looks forward to this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and he expects the Italian team to continue its recent return to front-running form.

Ferrari 458’s are going up in flames all over the globe and automotive journalists are loving it. But why do these exotics go up in flame?

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

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 Ferrari News on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Ferrari, UK

Practical considerations aside, cost no object, if you could have any car ever made, what would it be? We’d bet that a large proportion of you would be thinking of the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO. Unfortunately, cost is an object for the vast majority of us. And considering how the iconic GTO is one of the most valuable, most sought-after classic sportscars ever made, the overwhelming likelihood is that most of us - make that practically all of us - could never stand a chance of owning one.

It’s only natural, then, that there should be replicas made. Scratch that - “tributes.” But if you’re going to replicate a GTO, you’re not going to start with an old Firebird as your underpinnings. You’re going to start with another classic Ferrari. Just one not quite as valuable.

That’s what the owner in that other video did. And that’s what you’re looking at here. This 1965 Ferrari 250 GTO “Evocazione” started its life as a Ferrari 330 GT, and in 1993 was sent to Italy to have its chassis modified before being fitted with painstakingly handmade aluminum bodywork in the UK. Attention was paid to every detail, down to the gauges and Borrani wire wheels. And now it’s up for grabs, courtesy of newly inaugurated auction house Historics at Brooklands. Once it crosses the block there on September 25, it’s expected to fetch around

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari

Detailing an uber-rare exotic like a Ferrari F40 isn’t exactly like slathering your Corolla with Dawn dish detergent in your driveway. Restoring the paint on a Prancing Horse of that caliber requires equal parts chemistry, experience and patience. Need proof? Look no further than detailing guru Todd Cooperider’s 60-hour job on a 3,500-mile F40. The 43-year-old Cooperider has been obsessed with bringing out the best in paint since he was a kid, but turned to professional detailing just three years ago. Since then, he’s become the go-to-guy for owners of exotic metal of various vintage, make, model and flavor. He even had the honor of being named one of AutoWeek’s top 9 detailers in the U.S last year.

For most of us, getting anywhere near one of the world’s most legendary supercars with a power tool is a recipe for the kind of disaster that’s funny later but expensive now. But Cooperider’s extensive experience allowed him to tackle the big-bad Ferrari with all of the weapons in his arsenal without fret. Even with so few miles, the paint had suffered the effects of 20 years of occasional enjoyment, and as such, multiple scratches and blemishes were present all over the car. Cooperider worked out which polishing compound, pad and sealant to use with this particular car and set to work.

Follow the jump to see how he did it…

Continue reading How a 60-hour restorative detail brought this Ferrari F40 back to life

How a 60-hour restorative detail brought this Ferrari F40 back to life originally appeared on Ferrari News on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Driving my Ferrari 458 Italia in Cannes flatout Tags:Nitrous, Need for speed, garn turismo, jay z, eminem, rihanna, trance, drum and bass, Armin van buuren, , London supercars, supercars, cars in London, hypercars, sportscars, Ferrari, Ferrari enzo, scuderia, 16m , maranello, superamerica, 599 GTO, FXX Evolutione, Challenge Stradale , Modena, Spyder, Lamborghini, Valentino Balboni, LP560-4, LP570-4 Superleggera, LP640 roadster, LP670-4 SV, Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, Diablo SV, Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4, Bugatti Veyron V Mclaren F1, Top Gear, Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir, Sang Dargent, Sang Bleu, Grand Sport, Acceleration , Exhaust Note, Decat Tubi Revs, Revving cars , Mercedes Mclaren F1 SLR, SLS AMG, SL65 AMG Black series, S Class, BMW M5 M3, Maserati Gran turismo s, Maserati MC12, MC Victory, Mansory Cyrus, Mansory Tuning, Kahn, Koenigsegg CCX R , CCX , Aggera, Travita, Pagani Zonda, Zonda R, C9, C12 s, Horacio pagani, Ferrari 45 Italia, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, matte black supercars, chrome, rims, Fast , F1, valentine rossi, murcielago, Gallardo superleggera, audi r8 v10 spyder, Aston martin dbs volante, Aston martin 0ne 77, , ultimate aero ssc, brabus Mercedes, fifth gear, evo magazine, fastest cars in the world, Bentley mulsanne, supersports, gt speed, e gear, 50 cent cars, gemballa avalanche, Porsche carrera gt, 911 turbo acceleration, concept Porsche, alfa romeo 8c competizione spyder, dodge viper, corvette zr1, tesla, ascari, novitec rosso, gullwing …

Filed under: Ferrari, Design/Style

We’re gonna let you in on a little secret from our world over here. Most of the time we spend at auto shows, we’re pretty busy bringing you the latest from the show floor. But everyone deserves a coffee brake, and when we need our caffeine fixes there’s no shortage of automakers eager to one-up each other with the best cup of java. Ferrari’s espressos consistently rank among the best of ‘em. Only fitting then that the company of the Prancing Horse should have its own espresso machine, right?

Following in the footsteps of Lamborghini’s and Brunopasso’s (metaphorically) octane-infused machines comes this one from Nespresso, designed for that winningest of merchandizing brands. It comes, as you can see, packaged inside a racing helmet, the visor lifting to expose the spout, the chin pulling out like a drawer and various panels exposing the other compartments. Just the thing for when you need a dose of Vivalto Lungo to go with your Forza Ferrari. Unfortunately it’s only a concept for the time being, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s the boys from Maranello.

[Source: Yanko Design via RideLust]

Cappucino Rampante: Nespresso makes a machine for Ferrari (sorta) originally appeared on Ferrari News on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The team behind the Ferrari P4/5 Competizione recently revealed renderings of how they expect the finished car to look. Based on the Ferrari F430 GT2 ALMS race car instead of the Enzo, the racer will take to the tracks at the 2011 24 Hours Nürburgring race

News on the last Pagani Zonda, not the R, another version that the company claims will be the last of the series. Also Jim Glickenhaus builds another P4/5, though this one is not based off the Enzo and it will be racing