Lightweight. Compact. Exclusive. Carbon fiber construction. Red detailing. Built for the road. Beautiful sound. These are a few of the qualities listed on the special edition Blackbird Carbon Fiber guitar, but they could just as easily be talking about a Ferrari sportscar. And while the Prancing Horse marque has put its logo on everything from laptop computers to home gyms, here we give you the first Ferrari-branded musical instrument.

The Blackbird Rider Carbon Fiber Travel Guitar is the brainchild of Joe Luttwak, a designer who spent some time working for Ferrari in Maranello. The Ferrari edition is further distinguished by a red interior, a red A string and a Scuderia shield on the head. Although prices and production numbers weren’t released, the model on which it’s based sells for a whopping $1,499.

The entire run - each individually autographed by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen - sold out shortly after it went on sale in Ferrari Stores. Which may be unfortunate, but we’ll just have to content ourselves listening to Ferrari exhaust notes instead.

First up is Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion who Ferrari is paying to vacate his seat in order to make room for Fernando Alonso. Following earlier reports that Kimi would stand to make more by sitting out next season, the Finnish driver’s manager has reportedly announced that he’ll be taking a sabbatical. This, after negotiations with McLaren broke down over such issues as salary, promotional obligations and freedom to drive the occasional rally. Raikkonen’s repeatedly reiterated that he’s only interested in a winning team, and could take the year to hone his rally skills instead. A tie-in with Red Bull could provide him with a WRC drive and a return to F1 for 2011.

Meanwhile, Kimi’s predecessor, Michael Schumacher, is reportedly changing his role with the team as well. For the past couple of seasons, Schumi has served as a special adviser to the Scuderia, often showing his smiling mug on the pit wall at various grand prix events. But while the seven-time World Champion has signed on for another three years to help with the development of future Ferrari road cars, his F1 role with the team has apparently ended. In an effort to sort out why Schumi won’t be active with the team any longer, speculation has escalated that Michael could reunite with Ross Brawn and return to the cockpit as a driver for the newly christened Mercedes Grand Prix team, while others suggest he could join his former boss Jean Todt with a role in the FIA.

Finally, Luca di Montezemolo is eying a change in his role as well. The chairman isn’t leaving his post as head of either Ferrari or parent company Fiat, but he has announced that he’s likely to step down as head of the Formula One Teams Association. The representative body was formed to negotiate on the teams’ behalf with the FIA and Formula One Management, but with Montezemolo’s longtime underling Todt now heading the FIA, many have been citing a potential conflict of interest. For his part, Montezemolo says he wants to concentrate on his job as chairman of the Italian automakers.

Have you ever been in a car accident situation? Have you damaged your Ferrari? If both answers are Yes, then you know how important is to have car insurance.

Car insurance does not just protect you. If an accident occurs, the insurance covers you, your vehicle, and any other people that may have been involved. There are different policies that you can purchase depending on what amount of coverage you want. For example, you can choose to guard yourself against accidental harm, burglary, and fire. I personally recommend searching for the best Car Insurance Quotes online, just make sure that they meets your needs and your budget.

Typically if you get into a car accident and you’re at fault then you need to put the claim through your insurance. This will mean that your insurance company will pay the damages to the vehicles and also any medical expenses that anyone faces, if any. Without car insurance it makes you liable for the damages and medical bills and this is where it gets very serious. You can be sent to jail for injuring someone in an accident without any insurance and you will most definitely be sued by the family. This will often result in you losing everything you own.

There are many insurance companies to choose from. Do your research to find a company that will offer fair rates and full coverage.

The new Ferrari cronograph, also available in Ferrari Stores worldwide starting from the end of August, is the new watch developed specifically to meet the needs of the Scuderia Ferrari: packed with features, it is the ideal all-round, high performance chronograph. Analogical display with a high-precision Swiss movement; digital display for two secondary time zones; chronometer, partial time tachometer, timer. The rubber strap, along with antireflective glass in a solid stainless steel waterproof case guarantee functionality and comfort under extreme conditions. Price: 295 euro – www.ferrari.com
Key features
SWISS ISA 9001/1300 ANADIGIT MULTIFUNCTION CHRONOGRAPH MOVEMENT
STAINLESS STEEL CASE WITH BLACK PVD TREATMENT. CASE BACK WITH SPECIAL LOGO ENGRAVED
44mm CASE
TOP RING WITH TACHOMETER INDICATIONS
ANTIREFLECTIVE MINERAL CRYSTAL
ANADIGIT MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY WITH TWO LUMINESCENT HANDS
WATER RESISTANT TO 5 ATM
3 TIME ZONES
DIGITAL ALARM
DATE – DAY – MONTH – YEAR DISPLAY
WEEK NUMBER DISPLAY
CHRONO 1/100 SECOND
TACHOMETER
TIMER
DURABILITY OF BATTERY 47 MONTHS; END OF LIFE INDICATION
BLACK RUBBER STRAP, FRONT WITH FERRARI SHILED LOGO, INTERNAL PART WITH ‘SCUDERIA FERRARI’ EMBOSSING
STAINLESS STEEL BUCKLE, BLACK PVD TREATMENT

The first Ferrari Store in Germany was officially inaugurated today at a very special location: the Nürburgring, which nestles in the gentle Eifel hills and provides the fascinating venue for the German Grand Prix. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed by Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, who had already been out on the track in the run-up to Sunday’s Grand Prix. This is also the first Ferrari Store to open at a circuit and comes as part of an ambitious expansion plan to turn the Nürburgring complex into an all-year round leisure and business centre. With this in mind, major new structures are being added, including the shopping centre housing the Ferrari Store, an events centre, a conference centre and hotels.

The 240 square metre Nürburgring Ferrari Store is spread over a single track-level floor. Developed entirely by the Studio Iosa Ghini, its concept sees it as much as a homage to the history and spirit of Ferrari’s twin souls of racing and luxury as a straightforward store. Each area has thus been carefully designed as a special, one-off space in which shoppers can truly embrace the Ferrari experience. It will offer a wide selection of products from the Prancing Horse ranges for GT car clients and enthusiasts, and Ferrari tifosi. This latest Ferrari Store will also include an elegant lounge with a business section for meetings and a relaxation area directly overlooking the track itself.

The Nürburgring Ferrari Store joins the other prestige Prancing Horse retail locations around the world, including those in Milan, Rome and Venice (Italy), London (UK), Barcelona (Spain), San Francisco and Miami (USA), Macao (China) and Abu Dhabi (UAE). It was created and will be managed by the Zender Group, which operates in the automotive sector, and has owned the official Ferrari dealership at Mülheim-Kärlich since 1981. The Ferrari Store development programme includes plans to bring the number of openings to more than 40 over the next three years in Europe, America, and the Middle and Far East.

Although speed demons can’t do much for their higher auto insurance rates, that doesn’t stop them from marveling at the fastest cars in the world. But what makes one car faster than another? It essentially comes down to maximizing horsepower.

Engine
Horsepower refers to an engine’s strength. This is how drivers can accelerate to high speeds in a matter of seconds, carry loads of various weights, and stop in mere moments. The fastest cars accelerate to a given speed in the smallest amount of time and are able to stop immediately. A typical car usually has a 120-horsepower engine, while the fastest cars can have up to an 800 or more horsepower engine. There are a number of features that engines can have to maximize its horsepower.

The more cylinders an engine contains, the greater performance it will exhibit. When an engine has more cylinders, it has more pistons to pump and turn the crankshaft, leading to combustion and powering the engine.

When air is allowed to enter the engine more freely, the pistons of the engine are able to work more efficiently. So a car with a large air filter or smaller intake piping will be faster than an engine with a smaller air filter because more air is being filtered in the same amount of time. Also, cars with polished or smoothed intake manifolds decrease air resistance, allowing air to flow in much easier. More intake and exhaust valves also mean greater airflow.

Cars with an intercooler radiator are able to decrease the temperature of the incoming air, therefore contracting it and allowing more of it to run through the cylinders and in turn, increasing horsepower the cylinders can churn out. Turbo chargers also pressurize incoming air and allow more air to enter so that the pistons can go to work more efficiently.

A high-performance exhaust system makes a car faster because it allows the exhaust to exit freely, instead of backing up, which makes an engine lose power. High-end systems have a header, free-flowing mufflers, and large tail pipes. These help exhaust move out from the engine and reduce air resistance.

Weight and Design
But the engine’s power isn’t the only thing that makes one car faster than another. Lighter cars with a lower weight to haul around help engines perform better. Therefore, if two cars are identical in every way, the weight of the driver can be a factor in determining which one will be faster. Lightweight parts take less energy to function and enable the engine to rev up faster.

The sleek and stylish designs of the fastest cars in the world aren’t all just for looks and admirable glances. The design of the body does serve a significant purpose when it comes to speed. The sleeker the car is, the less air resistance it faces. Faster cars have streamlined, rounded bodies that cut through the air like a warm knife through cold butter. Therefore if two cars with identical engines were to race, the one with the sleeker design might win out.

The European patent office has leaked another tidbit about Ferrari’s future plans. The image above is part of a patent application by Ferrari for a new type of twin-turbo engine. The design can be used with v6, v8, v10, or v12 engines. It utilizes two turbos, one for low engine speeds and a second that kicks in for maximum power.

7th of May 2009 ‘The fastest, the furthest, and everything in between’
This film demonstrates how Shell pushes the boundaries of both performance and efficiency in an epic journey across Europe. It highlights Shell’s technical partnership with Ferrari, as well as its hosting of the annual Eco-Marathon, whose record holders covered over 3300 km on the equivalent of 1 litre of fuel.
The Shell Eco-marathon challenges the world’s greatest young engineering minds to design, build, and test vehicles that travel further using less energy.
Watch the video of the epic journey across Europe, showing Shell’s involvement with the fastest, furthest and everything in between.

The Annual General Ferrari Stockholders’ Meeting took place today under the chairmanship of Chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

The Meeting approved the 2008 balance sheet and annual report which, as announced over the last few days, revealed record results across all of the main economic indicators. The first and foremost of these was, of course, profitability with the ROS (Return on Sales) rising to 17.6%.

Ferrari recorded revenues of 1,921 million euro (+15.2%) in 2008 with its Brand-related activities (licensing, retail and ecommerce) growing particularly strongly (28%). Investments were up to 18% of turnover too.

Also at today’s Meeting, Chairman Luca di Montezemolo announced Jean Todt’s decision to resign his membership of the Ferrari Board of Directors and from all of the other positions he holds in the Company. The Chairman then thanked Mr Todt on behalf of the Board of Directors and everyone at Ferrari, for the major contribution he has made to the success of the Scuderia over the years, and the commitment and dedication he has shown in all of the positions he has held since he arrived at Maranello in 1993. Mr Todt’s appointments at Ferrari included those of GES Director, CEO and Member of the Board of Directors.

“Jean Todt has been one of the leading protagonists of the Ferrari story of the last 15 years,” declared Montezemolo. “Skill and passion have always characterised his work and have won him the respect and affection of my staff, the Company as a whole and Prancing Horse enthusiasts everywhere. I would like to wish him the very best for the future which I hope will prove extremely satisfying both personally and professionally.”

“All of these years we’ve spent together – victories and tough times included – have forged a link between Jean Todt and Ferrari that will never be broken,” concluded the Chairman.

A special ceremony to mark the 1,000th Ferrari delivered in Hong Kong took place in Victoria Harbour yesterday. Over 65 international media from Hong Kong, Macau and the adjacent markets participated in this significant milestone for Ferrari in the Asia-Pacific region. From the first Ferrari delivered to a Hong Kong customer in the early 1960’s, now, some 45 years later, this 1,000th car is a new 612 Scaglietti ‘One-To-One’, the flagship of the current Ferrari range which was specially commissioned by the owner last year.

The handover ceremony took place in a truly unique way. Believed to be a ‘first’ for any automotive company in Hong Kong, the car was presented to the Hong Kong owner, Mr Didier Li, on board ‘Huan’, a Chinese Junk, in Victoria Harbour during the late afternoon. ‘Huan’ is a fitting symbol of Hong Kong’s history and the backdrop of Hong Kong Island’s modern skyline providing a truly spectacular and exclusive ceremony for the handover of the 1000th Prancing Horse car in one of the most mature markets in the Asia Pacific Region.

In Hong Kong, Ferrari delivered 115 cars in 2008 and 1,089 cars across the whole Asia Pacific region; Japan continues to be the primary market for Ferrari with 433 cars delivered to clients in 2008, an increase of 15%, while more than 200 cars were delivered in China for the first time, an increase of 20% on 2007 to 212.