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Ferrari Theme Park at Abu Dhabi

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:36:24 +0000

Set to be the world’s largest indoor theme park and the first ever Ferrari theme park in the world when it opens in 2010, it comes complete with a racetrack that will host the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, shops, hotels, various attractions, rides and just about anything else to make it a gear-head’s “Disney Land”.

Talking about Disney Land, the Ferrari theme park which is located on Yas Island between the coast and city of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will include the world’s fastest rollercoaster. Travelling at speeds in excess of 200 km/h (124 mph), it is said to emulate the feeling of being in a Ferrari F1 car as the passengers go over 62 m through the roof and back down again.

As for the theme park’s now completed red roof, which is claimed to have been directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body, it covers a surface area of 200,000m (2.15 million square feet) and features the largest “prancing horse” emblem in the world, measuring an astonishing 66 meters (217 feet) in diameter.

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Novitec Rosso Tunes Ferrari 430 Scuderia to 747 HP

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:01:34 +0000

German tuning firm Novitec Rosso decided to pay homage to the Italian supercar with a specially tuned model called Edizione 747. At the heart of the car lies a heavily modified version of the naturally-aspirated 4.3-liter V8 that produces 510HP and 470Nm of torque in stock form.

With the help of a twin-supercharger, new software for the ECU and various other upgrades, Novitec Rosso boosts the V8’s output to 747 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 738 Nm at 6,300 rpm.

So equipped, it takes the Edizione 747 less than 3.4 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100km/h (62 mph) and 9.4 seconds to 200 km/h (124 mph), while the Italian supercar go on to achieve a top speed of 351 km/h or 218 mph.

Novitec Rosso says that the Edizione 747 comes equipped with a new intercooling system that features its own dedicated water circuit while the firm’s engineers have also developed a special underbody with integrated air deflector to optimize supply of cooling air to the engine bay.

A set of sport springs that lower the ride height of the Ferrari by some 30 millimeters and the three-piece 20-inch NF3 double-spoke alloys fitted with Michelin Pilot Cup sport tires in sizes 245/30 ZR 20 at the front and 315/25 ZR 20 at the back complete the performance upgrades.

Buyers may also choose to fit the Edizione 747 with an optional hydraulic lift system for the front axle that raises the car’s height by 40mm at the push of a button to safely navigate parking ramps, low curbs and speed bumps.

On the outside, Novitec Rosso’s treatment includes a two-tone special matte yellow and grey paintjob complemented by darkened taillights, side markers and reflectors.

Upon customer request the tuner can equip the coupe with a matching two-tone interior while other options include a new steering wheel dressed in a combination of leather and carbon-fiber as well as carbon-fiber shift paddles.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Edition Offical Gallery: HD Pics

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:37:25 +0000

The 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Edition models, is signed by Chinese artist Lu Hao and it will be auctioned the 3rd of November at a special Gala Auction Event hosted by Ferrari in Beijing.

The special 599 GTB Fiorano incorporates a number of the features of the China Limited Edition cars that will be produced in a very limited series of less than a dozen examples finished in two-tone Rosso Fuoco with silver roof and distinguished by unique design elements such as the Chinese characters on the starter button and the tachometer, and the unique luggage set.

The one-off model is further distinguished by the special exterior finish that draws inspiration from the famous Ge Kiln porcelain of the Song Dynasty. The artist used a “cracked” glaze pattern with clearly defined cracks etched at different depths to achieve the porcelain look.

“The 599 China Limited Edition model is a true masterpiece, combining rich Chinese artistic heritage with Italian design in a most spectacular way,” said Marco Mattiacci, CEO of Ferrari Asia Pacific.

We’d say that while it may look cool from an artistic perspective, we find it a little too gaudy for our automotive tastes.

Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari Goes live At Frankfurth

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:27:17 +0000

Launched for the very first time at the Frankfurt motor show, the Abarth 695 ‘Tributo Ferrari’ is a specially-prepped version of the Fiat 500. It comes with the Italian firm’s 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine modified to produce a little over 180 ponies that are transferred to the front-wheels through a five-speed automated manual gearbox. Other special traits include the 17-inch alloy wheels in a ‘Maranello’ design, a more powerful Brembo brake system, suspension upgrades and of course, the Ferrari-like Scuderia Red paint finish.

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Ferrari 458 Italia shows at Frankfurth, Looks More sexyy

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:59:37 +0000

We couldn’t leave you without a proper photo album of the futuristic-looking Ferrari F458 Italia from the Prancing Horse’s Frankfurt Motor Show booth, and well, just follow the jump to check it out. Ferrari also released full technical specs on the F430’s successor that comes with a new 4.5-liter V8 with direct injection that punches out 570 horsepower at a screeching 9,000 rpm and a peak torque of 540Nm or 398.2 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm. All that grunt is sent to the rear wheels through a 7-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox.

With a dry weight of 1380 kg (3,042 lbs), the 458 Italia boasts a weight-power ratio of 2.42 kg, and according to Ferrari, the supercar can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in under 3.4 seconds and hit a top speed of over 325 km/h or 202mph.

While we seriously doubt that anyone cares that the new Prancing Horse model returns 13.3 lt/100 km or 17.7mpg U.S. and 307 g/km respectively in the combined cycle, we’re pretty sure that you’ll be interested to know the 458 Italia is only a tenth of a second slower than the almighty Enzo (1 min and 24.9 sec) on the Fiorano circuit with an official lap time of just 1 minute and 25 seconds.

Stay tuned on Autoblog2 as we we’re also preparing to upload a video from Ferrari’s presentation of the 458 Italia at the Frankfurt Show.

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Ferrari 458 Italia spotted

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:02:18 +0000

A lightly-camo’ed Ferrari 458 Italia has been caught napping by the roadside, and from the looks of it, Ferrari doesn’t appear to have pulled any tricks with its renderings: the car’s a dead ringer for what was presented last week, right down to the seriously extended mirror stalks and that disappearing back end. This is all very good, and we can’t wait to see the 458 Italia up close in Frankfurt.

Ferrari Readying New 600 GTB?

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:33:00 +0000

Fresh from the announcement of the all-new 458 Italia, Ferrari published a teaser for a new model on its official site. In the list with the Prancing Horse company’s road-going GT cars, right next to the 458 Italia, a box containing the text “600 GTB – Coming Soon” appeared for a few minutes before the Italians hastily removed the text. According to Quattroruote magazine, Ferrari said that the teaser was the result of an error.

Innocent mistake or not, the news spread around like a wildfire with many fans claiming that the 600 GTB will replace the 599 GTB Fiorano. Whatever the case may be, we’ll keep a close eye on Ferrari’s website for any future developments on the matter.

Ferrari 458 Italia in a Rainbow of Colors

admin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:43:50 +0000

Just the other day, Ferrari introduced the all-new 458 Italia to the world for the very first time. In true Ferrari fashion, the F430’s replacement was shown in the Italian firm’s signature red color. And even though your typical Prancing Horse fan wouldn’t have it any other way, we’re pretty sure that there are many customers out there that would prefer the 458 Italia in a different hue. The same thought passed through the mind of Ferrarichat poster ‘JimF’ who decided to use his photoshop skills to create a gallery of images of the mid-engined supercar in numerous colors. Check them all out after the break.

Ferrari 458 Italia First Official Photos

admin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:40:53 +0000

It’s official: Ferrari has taken the wraps off its latest incarnation of the mid-rear engined supercar ahead of the two-seater’s world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Named ‘458 Italia’ with the figure representing the displacement and number of cylinders of the engine, the F430’s successor has been designed by Pininfarina and sports an all-new 4.5-liter V8 unit with direct-injection that cranks out 570HP at 9,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 540Nm or 398.2 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm, over 80 per cent of which is available from 3250 rpm.

At 127HP per liter, the new V8 engine has the highest output per liter in the company’s production-model history. As with the California, the 458 Italia is equipped with the firm’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends power to the rear-wheels. Acceleration from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) comes in under 3.4 seconds while the supercar can achieve a maximum speed in excess of 325km/h (202mph).

Not that your typical Ferrari buyer will pay any attention to economy and CO2 figures, but Ferrari claims that 458 Italia consumes 13.7 l/100 km (17.2mpg US) on the EU combined cycle with 320 g/km of CO2.

Based on a new aluminum chassis, the Ferrari 458 Italia has a dry weight of 1380 kg or 3,048 lbs with a power-to-weight ratio of 2.42 kg/HP and a 42-58 percent front-rear weight distribution.

Maranello’s new supercar features the latest generation of the E-Diff, F1-Trac and ABS systems which are now all controlled by the same ECU with Ferrari supporting that the 458 Italia produces 32 percent more longitudinal acceleration out of corners compared to previous models.

As for stopping-power, the 459’s brakes feature what the company describes as a “prefill function” whereby the pistons in the callipers move the pads into contact with the discs on lift off to minimise delay in the brakes being applied. This results in a reduced 100-0 km/h (62-0mph) braking distance of 32.5 meters.

As with all modern Prancing Horse models, the 458 Italia’s styling has been heavily influenced by the requirements for aerodynamic efficiency with Ferrari claiming that the car generates 140kg (309 lbs) of downforce at 200km/h (124mph). Aside from the completely flat underbody, the 458 Italia’s nose also sports small aeroelastic winglets that generate downforce and, as speed rises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator inlets and cut drag.

Ferrari has released only a single photo of the 458 Italia’s interior depicting the new steering wheel which houses most of the main controls and is clearly inspired from the F1 cars.

Ferrari F430 Spider Tuning up by Inden Design

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:43:56 +0000

Moving on to its next project, German tuner Inden Design has presented a new sports package for the Ferrari F430 Spider. Performance-wise, changes are limited to a new stainless steel-made sport exhaust system and a reworked ECU that up the output of the 4.3-liter V8 engine to 525 HP, a 35 horsepower increase over the factory figure. The kit also includes a sport spring set that bring the F430 Spider a few millimeters closer to the ground as well as new 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 325/25 R20 high-performance tires.

In typical Inden Design fashion, the tuner dresses up the F430 Spider with a new bodykit that comprises of a new front spoiler, side-flaps and a carbon-fiber rear diffuser.

For the interior, the German tuning firm offers various upgrades including special leather trims for the dashboard, the center console, the door panels and the steering wheel covers.