Ferrari auto news

Motorsports: James Glickenhaus claims fastest lap by a Ferrari ever on the 'Ring

According to the timing sheets for the Nürburgring 24-Hour race, the now-hybridized P4/5 Competizione set a lap time of 6:51 during qualifying. That would make it faster than the "Production-Derived Sports Car" record of 6:58.16 set by the Ferrari 599XX in 2010, and the fastest Ferrari-powered vehicle to ever run the 'Ring.

In case you don't remember, the 700-horsepower 599XX was also a purpose-built, track-only racer driven by a test driver. On the other hand, we don't have specs on the P4/5 Competizione to compare, but that doesn't make the achievement itself any less impressive. The only car ahead of the P4/5 Competizione in the not-street-legal category is the Pagani Zonda R, which rocked a 6:47.50. Glickenhaus himself told Jalopnik he thought the feat was "pretty cool" and that Ferrari was welcome to challenge it.

Official: Ferrari marks 60th anniversary of 250 GT

Surely the most important of the classic Ferraris is the 250 series. Over its decade of production, the 250 series gave us some of the most recognizable models of the marque's history, including the GTO, the Testa Rossa, the Lusso and the original California Spyder.

This year Ferrari is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the series that was built around Giachino Colombo's enduring 3.0-liter V12. To mark the occasion, the Ferrari Museum in Maranello is displaying two unique and important 250s from its historical archives. One is the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta that Stirling Moss drove to victory at four races in 1961. The second is the so-called Breadvan, which was commissioned by Count Volpi di Musurata and developed by Piero Drogo and Giotto Bizzarrini. It was one of the original shooting brakes and provided the inspiration for the new FF.

The two are already on display in the museum for any visitor to see, but if your travel plans aren't sending you to Maranello anytime soon, you can still check them out in the photo gallery above and the press release below.

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Mansory channels Enzo styling in Ferrari 458 Spider Monaco Edition

Say what you want about the German-based tuner Mansory, but the company definitely has a style all its own. The same can be said for their latest creation, the Ferrari 458 Spider Monaco Edition, which is channeling quite a bit of the Ferrari Enzo on its snout.

Mansory says that the new body panels, all of which are constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, save a little over 130 pounds, and with power boosted to 590 horsepower the car is capable of hitting 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 3.2 seconds and reaching a top speed of 205 mph. The interior of the 458 Spider Monaco Edition gets the Mansory treatment as well, with custom upholstery done in leather, Alcantara and carbon fiber in a combination of red and white.

Mansory says it will produce just three of the Monaco Edition Ferrari 458 Spiders. No word on pricing, although we can't imagine the changes come cheap. Scroll down below to read the official details from Mansory.

Continue reading Mansory channels Enzo styling in Ferrari 458 Spider Monaco Edition

Auctions: Elegant classic Ferrari and Talbot-Lago to headline at Pebble Beach

RM Auctions only just finished pulling in record numbers at its event in Monaco, but it's already gearing up for the next event set to take place during Pebble Beach weekend in Monterey, California.

Headlining the Canadian specialist auctioneer's catalog for the August event are the rare 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Berlinetta and the timelessly elegant 1938 Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupe pictured together above.

Considered by some to be one of the world's most desirable Ferrari classic road car, this particular 410 Sport Berlinetta is the second of just four built and the only fixed-roof coupe. Chassis 0594 CM features bodywork by Scaglietti in ivory with blue leather. It will be making its first appearance both in North America and at auction, having only traded hands a few times between private European collectors until now.

The Talbot, meanwhile, is one of only five of its kind built (of four remaining) and the only such coupe built upon a four-seat chassis. The winner of several concours, this particular example of French art deco in motion is expected to fetch $2.5 to $3.2 million. Scroll down for the full press release and peruse the high-resolution images of the two cars together in Monaco for a sneak preview.

Continue reading Elegant classic Ferrari and Talbot-Lago to headline at Pebble Beach

Crushed Ferrari makes for world's most tragic coffee table

This post isn't for the weak of stomach or faint of heart. The sad truth of being an automotive enthusiast is that we're all hoarders on some level. We yearn to collect various bits of paraphernalia plucked from our favorite race teams and derelict junkyard hulks. Now Charly Molinelli Design has elevated our pack rat tendencies to high art. Or at least clever interior design. Using the cubed remains of an indistinguishable Ferrari, the designer set about crafting a coffee table that doesn't look like it belongs tucked away in a tacky man cave.

Behold, the Crashed Ferrari Table. The designer calls wedging the squared remains into the glass case "a dead hero placed into a coffin." Sounds fitting to us. There's no word on how much one of these would cost you if you wanted to take it home. Then again, there's something more than a touch depressing about seeing all that red crammed into a pine box. Head over to the Molinelli Design site for a closer look at the table's creation.

Auctions: 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa sells for $6.4M in Monaco

Few marques get auto collectors riled up quite like Ferrari, and of classic Ferraris, few are as highly sought-after as the legendary Testa Rossa. We're talking, of course, about the 50s-era roadster (as opposed to the 80s-era cheesegrater supercar), and the originals continue to fetch top dollar (or euro) whenever and wherever their fortunate owners are willing to part with them.

That when and where came this past weekend in Monte Carlo during the Historical Grand Prix of Monaco where RM Auctions sold some highly desirable classic metal. Topping the list was the rare 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Spider you see here, one of only two built, which sold for a whopping €5,040,000 - equivalent to over $6.4 million at today's exchange rates. That's considerably more than the $4m four-cylinder 500 TRC that RM auctioned last year, but substantially less than the record $12m it garnered for a 250 TR in 2009.

Of course the Testa Rossa wasn't the only car sold at the event, which brought in an astonishing €33.5 million (~$43m) in sales on 87 percent of all lots sold. In fact it wasn't even the only Ferrari represented there, though it was the most expensive by a wide margin. A 1966 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder and a 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder 'Tuboscocca' (one of only 12 Vignale Spyders produced) each fetched €2.5 million ($3.2m), a rare factory Daytona Spyder brought in over €1 million ($1.3m), the car which Michael Schumacher drove to the 2000 Formula One World Championship and that Ferrari hydroplane each brought in over €800k (about a million greenbacks).

Other notable racing machinery sold at the auction included a Peugeot 908 LMP (which won several Le Mans Series races), a Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 GT3 (raced by Blancpain CEO Mark Hayek in the Super Trofeo series), a Ferrari FXX Evoluzione and a pair of Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP racing bikes. Follow the jump for all the juicy details and scope out the headline Testa Rossa in the high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa sells for $6.4M in Monaco

First Drive: 2013 Ferrari California [w/video]

Every time I travel to Maranello for a test drive, the three hours or so prior to turning the red key are driven in a U.S. Interstate-style straight line along Italy's A1 autostrada in my 99-horsepower 2001 Opel Astra station wagon with five-speed manual. It's just about the perfect antithetical setup for the unleashing of the hounds that awaits just over the hills south of Ferrari HQ.

This trip over was for the midlife upgrade of the Ferrari California for our 2013 model year, a car that promises to weigh less, deliver more horsepower and torque, and go quicker.

Continue reading 2013 Ferrari California [w/video]

Official: Montezemolo confirms new Ferrari Enzo hybrid by year's end

Business has been good for Ferrari. Thanks in no small part to expanding its activities in developing markets, the racing team turned automaker raked in 556 million euros in revenues to generate 42.1 million euros in profit in the first quarter of this year alone - an increase of 13.2 and 17.2 percent, respectively. Those figures are driven by increased sales that amounted to 1,733 units produced and delivered in the first quarter out of an exciting model range that includes the 458 Italia and Spider, the recently revised California, the innovative FF and the brand-new F12 Berlinetta. But the House that Enzo built is not about to stop there.

Buried deep within the company's financial report (which you can delve into after below the fold should you be so inclined) comes confirmation direct from the company's affable chairman (and possible next Italian prime minister) Luca di Montezemolo: "At the end of the year, we'll also be unveiling the new Enzo, a limited series model and our first ever hybrid car."

So there we have it, straight from the proverbial lion's mouth and in no uncertain terms. Before we flip the calendar to 2013, we'll have the latest in the long line of earth-shattering supercars that started with the 288 GTO, continued with the legendary F40, through the open-top F50 and on to the radical Enzo. And yes, it will be a hybrid, coupling an electric motor to a revised version of the V12 in the new F12 Berlinetta, as Ferrari revealed at the Beijing Motor Show.

Continue reading Montezemolo confirms new Ferrari Enzo hybrid by year's end

Official: Ferrari pays tribute to Gilles Villeneuve at Fiorano

Some teams might give a promising young driver a second chance, but not Ferrari. You only get one offer to drive for the Scuderia, and if you turn it down, that's your last chance.

Legend has it that Ferrari made that offer to Jacques Villeneuve way back in the late 90s after he'd won the Indy 500 and the CART title in the same year, going on to place second in his first season in Formula One and clinching the title the following year. He was the hottest commodity in motor racing, after all, and Ferrari had been his father's team. But Jacques turned it down, opting instead to build up the BAR-Honda team for which he would drive for five seasons before bouncing around another three and eventually retiring.

JV never did get another shot at driving for Ferrari - not in F1 and not in any other form of motor racing, of which Jacques has contested many. Not until today, anyway, when he was invited to the firm's private Fiorano test track. The reason was to pay tribute to his late, great father Gilles Villeneuve.

The occasion was to mark the 30th anniversary of Gilles' tragic death, which occurred behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on May 8, 1982. Gilles Villeneuve, for whom the grand prix circuit in Montreal is named, was regarded as one of the best drivers ever to have lived, and to see his world champion son drive his Ferrari 312 T4 - the same one in which he won three races in 1979 - was surely a fitting tribute. See for yourself in the vast gallery of high-resolution images above.

Continue reading Ferrari pays tribute to Gilles Villeneuve at Fiorano

Official: Novitec Rosso has its way with the Ferrari 458 Spider

With its screaming 4.5-liter V8 and its clever flip-top roof mechanism, we'd venture to say that the Ferrari 458 Spider is pretty damn close to automotive perfection incarnate. But some owners - even Ferrari owners - will never be satisfied with stock. And that's where Novitec Rosso comes in.

The Dutch tuning house specializes in Italian exotica, and for the 458 Spider have just announced a series of upgrades that aims to make their take on the flip-top prancing horse stand out that much more on the streets of Monaco or Abu Dhabi where they're most likely to encounter others of the same.

Novitec knew better than to mess with the engine too much, so it forwent the addition of supercharger or turbo spools. Instead it limited itself to fitting the high-revving eight-banger with new breathing apparati and ECU that boost output up to 600 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque - a boost of about 40 hp and 20 lb-ft, respectively.

The engine mods have been supplemented by an upgraded, adjustable suspension with 22-inch wheels wearing ultra-low-profile Pirelli P-Zero rubber. And the entire package is rounded out by an aerodynamic body kit crafted from carbon fiber - a treatment that continues to the interior where customers can also find a special button on the steering wheel to open the exhaust flaps for a little moor burble. You know, just in case the 458's steering wheel weren't packed with enough buttons already.

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