The new images give us our first view of the California’s interior which looks very similar in design to the one found in the more upscale Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Kinda toyish and far from the elegant cabins featured in the Ferraris of the past if you want our opinion.
Latest reports suggest the Millechili will be the basis of Ferrari’s next supercar, a cut-downed two-seater weighing less than 2,200 pounds (1,000kg) and packing a 600hp (450kW) V10 engine. The latest claim comes from Car and Driver, which also reports that a modified version of the F430’s aluminum space frame will underpin the new car.
With a lengthened wheelbase of 104.3in and a raft of active aerodynamics on-board, the new car is expected to look very different to the Millechili. An estimated 300 cars will enter production in early 2010 with pricing expected to start at $500,000.
This new model isn’t expected to be the successor to the Enzo, however. The replacement for the aging supercar is expected to be based on the FXX experimental model, which Ferrari is continuously updating and is now in its latest ‘Evolution’ stage. While the specs for the FXX are always changing, the most recent update had its 6.2L V12 engine pumping out a peak 860hp (640kW) at 9,500rpm.
The introduction of the new dual-clutch transmission in the recently revealed California will also likely appear in more models as the advanced gearbox is both more fuel efficient and faster than the current F1-Superfast gearbox.
At 7.30am on Saturday 14th June, the morning of the Le Mans 24 Hours, some 60 Ferraris took to the circuit for the Heritage Parade, organised by Motor Racing Legends. This gives Le Mans-goers the unique opportunity to drive three high-speed parade laps of the full, 8.5-mile race circuit in their own cars, just a few hours before the start of the world’s greatest endurance race.
This year, the Parade was specifically for Ferrari owners and the early morning spectators looked on in amazement as F40s and 355 Spiders, F430s and Challenge Stradales, 328 GTBs and 550 Maranellos – a vast range of models from the Prancing Horse – swept by at full chat.
“There are very few people who get to drive the full circuit, with all the public roads closed, unless they’re actually racing there,” said Peter Everingham of the Ferrari Owners’ Club. “It’s a fantastic experience and a great privilege.”
Among the Parade participants was none other than the great racing driver Jack Sears, at the wheel of his own Ferrari 328 GTS, which he bought new in 1989. “We had a wonderful few laps,” said Sears after the Parade, “a really flowing journey round the circuit.”
Speaking to the Ferrari drivers at their post-Parade breakfast in the heart of the Le Mans circuit, it was clear that – for many – hurtling down the Mulsanne Straight was the highlight of the whole experience. Everyone seemed to know exactly what speed they’d reached: “We topped 250km/h,” said Peter Everingham, who’d been sharing David Edwards’ 550 Maranello. David himself, who had driven his Ferrari all the way from Australia – a trip of some 8000 miles – described his laps of Le Mans as “mind-boggling”.
Next year, Motor Racing Legends will be throwing open the Heritage Parade to a much wider range of marques – giving more people than ever the chance to drive the full Le Mans circuit on the morning of the 24 Hours. Applications will be accepted from drivers of both classic and modern cars, wherever the marque has a traditional link to Le Mans: Ferrari, Lagonda, Jaguar, Bentley, Austin-Healey, Riley, Morgan, Aston Martin and so on.
High-speed car chases on public roads often end in grief than joy. That is what one owner of a Bugatti Veyron supercar discovered after he was pulled over for speeding. The driver of the left hand-drive Bugatti Veyron was fined for racing a Ferrari 599 on Britain’s M27 motorway. The Bugatti as photographs suggest, lead the race for the majority of the ten minutes duration before being pulled over by a BMW Police car. The police car had to reach speeds close to 140 mph to catch up with the Supercar.
The driver of 599 got away with it as he used all of the V12’s 600-odd horsepower and his superior driving abilities to avoid punishment. Furthermore, the car had no number plates, so the cops found it impossible to track the car or the driver. The driver of the Bugatti was given three penalty points and a fixed fine of £60. He was clocked doing 97 mph on a 50 mph zone.
Ferrari 599
Aluminum Alloy V12
aspiration: Natural
valvetrain: DOHC, 4 Valves per Cyl
fuel feed: Multi-Point Fuel Injection
displacement: 5999 cc
power: 611 bhp
bhp/weight: 361.97 bhp per tonne
torque: 607.41 nm
redline: 8400 rpm
top speed: 330 kph
Bugatti Veyron
Aluminium, W16
aspiration: Quad Turbocharged
valvetrain: DOHC 4 Valves / Cyl w/VVT
fuel feed: Direct Sequential Injection
displacement: 7993 cc
power: 1001 bhp
bhp/weight: 490.45 bhp per tonne
torque: 1250 nm
redline: 6500 rpm
topspeed: 407 kph
As the creator of this image, CGI Automotive, already clearly states, this car may just be highly unlikely but don’t rule it out. Ferrari might just build a sportier and more exclusive Ferrari California for the collectors if the new GT convertible is a big enough hit.
So far Ferrari has been very reluctant to build a more affordable 2+2 sports car and has finally decided to move into a higher turnover market rather than stay exclusively in the limited production super car segment. It only stands to reason that the extremely rich and demanding Ferrari clientele will be appeased with a Limited Edition version.
Don’t expect much of a horsepower boost from the prancing pony for this limited edition but mainly expect to see weight-reductions and aerodynamic enhancements. The power boosts are sure to follow from tuners like Edo, Hamann and Novitec.
Italian sports carmaker Ferrari announced today that it will recall MY 2005 – 2007 612 Scaglietti vehicles equipped with F1 transmissions. The reason behind the recall is a faulty clutch sensor in the transmission that could malfunction under normal operating conditions due to the heat produced by the vehicle, resulting to improper function of the clutch assembly and making gear shifting very difficult. If you happen to be one of the 366 owners affected by the recall in the U.S., you may contact Ferrari at 1-201-816-2600.
The new Ferrari California will have sharper performance, better fuel economy and superior luggage space to take the fight to its most-obvious rival, the Aston Martin DB9.
Latest details reveal the two-seat Ferrari to be shorter and wider than the 2+2 Aston while sitting on a 40mm shorter wheelbase.
The California’s 4.3-litre V8 will offer its drive 453bhp and power the new Ferrari to 62mph in under four seconds. Now Maranello has announced a fuel economy of 21mpg and emissions of 310g/km CO2, bettering both the manual and automatic versions of the Aston Martin DB9 and its next obvious rival, the Bentley Continental GT.
Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo confirmed that the California is aimed at everyday drivers: “The California is also exceptionally easy to drive and has a space behind the front seats that makes it supremely flexible in terms of usage” he said.
The ‘easy-driving’ Ferrari will also have relatively compact dimensions, at 4560mm long and 1900mm wide. It sits on a 2700mm wheelbase.
Based on the Ferrari 599 Fiorano aluminium space frame chassis and mechanicals, the USD GT-S Passionata is a grand sports tourer which design language brings back the days of Ferrari’s iconic GT and race cars from the sixties.
The USD GT-s Passionata concept has been developed for the select customer that desires a perfect blend of neo-classical body design language and modern technologies and road performance. We present the USD GT-S Passionata as a feasible design concept, which indicates that when there will be a demand for customer conversions, production will be arranged.
Performance
Top speed > 370 km/h (230 mph)
0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) est. 3.5s
0 – 200 km/h (0 – 124 mph) est. 9.5s
0 – 300 km/h (0 – 186 mph) est. 22.0s
Features
Power increased to about 700 hp thanks to new exhaust headers like on the Ferrari FXX, high-flow catalytic converter, performance muffler, modified intake with ram-air system,
high-flow air filters and ECU recalibration
Stainless steel muffler with adjustable remote-controlled butterfly-valve, new exhaust tips
Exhaust sound level adjustable at the push of a button
Wheels can be custom-painted on request
Tire pressure monitoring system displaying air pressure and tire temperature for each wheel
Sport suspension for the road with adjustable compression and rebound damping like on the FIA GT MC12. Nose lift functionality is retained.
Special lightweight wheels with Michelin tires
Front: 10 x 19 with 265/35 ZR 19
Rear: 13 x 20 with 335/30 ZR 20
New high-performance clutch. Extremely lightweight. Two different friction compounds selectable (strada/pista)
New transmission control unit. Same shift times as on the Ferrari FXX
