In the pantheon of all-time wasted car crashes, you can’t get any rarer than a Ferrari and a Lamborghini crashing into each other. While those incidences don’t occur too often, they, unfortunately still do, as evidenced by this Lamborghini Murcielago crashing into a Ferrari F430 during a VIP wedding reception for one of the ruling political parties in the town of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
While the cause of the accident remains unclear, both drivers managed to escape the crash without any major injuries, although their bruised egos could have led to the rather heated incident after the crash.
Witnesses said that the two drivers involved in the crash – one of which, is a hitman-for-hire, by the way – got into a scuffle with some of the folks who were trying to take photos of the crash. Apparently, these two guys didn’t take too kindly to the folks trying to capture their embarrassing crash on film.
In any case, it’s a shame that two perfectly awesome supercars ended up crashing unceremoniously, courtesy of these two fellows who seem to have taken the phrase ‘wedding crashers’ to an entirely new level.
With Valentin’s Day right around the corner, the Italian dream machine maker Ferrari has come up with a very cool gift idea that is sure to make any member of the tifosi very happy. That is because while only 30 very fortunate individuals, one of which being the seven time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, can take their 1.5 Million euro FXX out on track under the guidance of Ferrari’s own race engineers to hone their skills with the same attention as the grand prix test drivers, almost anyone can surf the web with the help of their own purpose built Enzo based super car. That is because Ferrari is now offering the FXX Click Car mouse, with optical and wireless technology, that is a scaled down reproduction of a red FXX racing car complete with special racing graphics priced at a much more affordable 39 euro.
When Jean Todt relinquished his role as CEO of Ferrari last year, the man who most claim to be driving force behind the Italian super car builder’s engineering efforts, Amedeo Felisa, took over the reigns of the prancing horse. During the opening of a new Maserati-Ferrari showroom in Sydney, Australia, the current Chief Executive Officer offered up a little insight into the Maranello based sports car builder’s future. Plans that include a 458 Spider, a 599 hybrid concept that will be on display in Geneva next month as well as an even more powerful light weight GTO variant of the V12 powered GT car and a new Enzo super car.
According to Mr. Felisa: "We will present the new concept of the hybrid at Geneva. It will be based on the 599, but that doesn’t mean it will debut on that model,...We have a plan to introduce on our cars new technology that will reduce consumption and emissions,...The next step is to apply the technology on Ferrari cars." An approach that the Scuderia gained some experience with the F60, regardless of the fact that the FIA has banned the hybrid like Kinetic Energy Recovery System from Formula One competition in 2010.
Continued after the jump.
Even if the 599 shows up this March as the first street legal Ferrari to feature the new fuel consumption and emissions reducing technology, by up to 25 percent each, we won’t see a production version until sometime in the year 2015. However the new California retractable hard top convertible will go green a bit sooner, like in 2011, "If you couple direct-injection with other technology up to 15 percent [reduction in fuel consumption and emissions] is possible. Then there is cylinder deactivation, stop-start, electric motors for certain functions, we will launch the first of these on the California next year." So if you were looking for a reason to go out and pick up a Ferrari, you might just be able to use the alternative fuel tax credit as an excellent excuse.
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Ferrari started out their XX based Corse Clienti program with a track tuned evolution of the Enzo super car called the FXX, now it has the 599 GTB Fiorano inspired 599XX for their most privileged of customers to fool around in. The essence of both cars is the same; they were both designed for the exclusive clientele program and are both used for testing new racing technology. The 599’s engine now delivers a maximum output of 700 HP at a screaming 9,000 RPM and is mated to an all new SuperFast gearbox that is able to swap cogs in a mere 60 milliseconds.
The 599XX is characterized by an innovative system called the "High Performance Dynamic Concept" which has been designed to get the maximum performance from the vehicle by managing the combination of the car’s mechanical limits with the potential of its electronic controls.
Updated 02/01/2010: New image gallery from Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit where Felipe Massa was at the wheel on the last day of the Ferrari 599XX’s on track debut activities. Check the picture gallery!
Full details in the press release after the jump.
Press release
The 79th Geneva International Motor Show provides the venue for Ferrari to announce two new pieces of good news: the arrival of the Handling GT Evoluzione (HGTE) package for the 599 GTB Fiorano and the world debut of the 599XX which is aimed at a select group of clients.
The 599XX is aimed at owners that want to experience Prancing Horse driving pleasure at its purest - in fact, Ferrari will be organising a programme of dedicated track events for it in 2010/2011. Conceived exclusively for track but not official competition use, and thus unrestricted either by homologation limitations or regulatory restrictions, this extreme sports car incorporates the very best of Ferrari technology, the fruit both of our Research and Development Department’s labours and our long experience and experimentation in F1. The plethora of aerodynamic, electronic control and handling innovations used together for the first time on a single car make this model a genuine technological laboratory. The solutions adopted for the 599XX - many of which will remain exclusive to it - enhance its levels of performance and can be summed up in one highly relevant statistic: a Fiorano lap time of just 1 minute and 17 seconds. Although it is such an extreme car, the 599XX still retains the ergonomics of the road-going model which are essential for non-professional drivers engaging in intensive track driving. 599XX
While based on the 599 GTB Fiorano with the same transaxle layout and engine type, this prototype is an extreme track car. Ferrari’s engineers have carried out extensive work on the engine’s combustion chambers and inlet and exhaust tracts. These modifications, combined with the fact that internal attrition has been reduced and the maximum revs have been boosted to 9,000 rpm, helped achieve the target power output of 700 hp at 9,000 rpm. Particular attention was also paid to cutting the weight of the engine unit components. This was achieved both by optimising forms - as in the new crankshaft - and adopting exclusive materials, as in the carbon-fibre used for the intake plenums. A new gearbox shift strategy cuts overall gearchange times to 60 ms.
The 599XX is characterised by an innovative electronic concept called the "High Performance Dynamic Concept" which has been designed to get the maximum performance from the car by managing the combination of the car’s mechanical limits with the potential of its electronic controls. The mechanical and electronic systems work together to get the maximum performance from the car under extreme high performance driving, for consistent lap times. The sporty handling has been improved thanks to the adoption of second generation SCM suspension system. Track usage is also made easier thanks to the new "virtual car engineer", a screen in the car that provides a real-time indication of the vehicle’s efficiency.
The 599XX’s aerodynamics were honed in numerous wind tunnel test sessions with the result that the car now boasts 280 kg of downforce at 200 km/h (630 kg at 300 km/h). The front underside of the body is completely faired-in and the vents that channel hot air from the engine bay have been moved to the bonnet.
The "Actiflow" system increases downforce and/or cuts drag depending on the car’s trim cornering conditions, courtesy of the use of a porous material in the diffuser and two fans in the boot which channel the air flow from under the car out through two grilles next to the tail-lights. Winglets have been added to the rear buttresses to increase downforce. while synthetic jets have also been incorporated into the rear of the car to control and smooth the air flow and to reduce drag. Ferrari’s engineers have also used F1-derived "doughnuts" which partly cover the brake discs and wheel rim. These have the dual function of improving both aerodynamics and brake cooling.
In terms of the bodywork, composites and carbon-fibre have been widely used and the engineers drew on their experience in working with aluminium to reach the weight target. The development of increasingly high-performance materials has also benefited the carbon-ceramic material braking system. The brake pads are now made from carbon-fibre which means that the calipers are smaller whilst guaranteeing the same efficiency. The new racing carbon ceramic braking system also delivers shorter braking distances and is generally more efficient due to the weight saving.
The 599XX comes with slick tyres (29/67 R19 Front and 31/71 R19 Rear) specifically developed to maximise stability in cornering and increase lateral acceleration. They are fitted to 19 x 11J wheel rims at the front and 19 x 12J at the rear.
In 1985 Ferrari replaced the 308 Series with the 328 series, in both coupe and spider version. The 328 GTB continued in production for four years, until replaced by the 348 tb model in the Autumn of 1989, with 1344 units produced.
The new 328 GTB was a revised and updated version of the 308 GTB, which had survived for almost a decade without any radical change to the overall shape, albeit with various changes to the 3 litre engine. The 328 model presented a softening of the wedge profile of its predecessor, with a redesigned nose that had a more rounded shape, which was complimented by similar treatment to the tail valance panel.
The revised nose and tail sections featured body colour bumpers integral with the valance panels, which reflected the work done concurrently to present the Mondial 3.2 models, with which they also shared a similar radiator grille and front light assembly layout.
The interior featured a new designs for the seat panel upholstery and stitching, revised door panels and pulls, together with more modern switchgear, which complimented the external updating details. Optional equipment available was air conditioning, metallic paint, Pirelli P7 tyres, a leather dashboard, leather headlining plus rear window surround and a rear aerofoil .
The 328 GTB was powered by a 3185cc V8 engine, with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system and a Marelli MED 806 A electronic ignition system, to produce a claimed power output of 270bhp at 7000rpm.
The 328 GTB was capable of a top speed of 163 mph, and made the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 6,4 seconds.
For an exotic Italian automaker like Ferrari – yes, those people that have produced some of the fastest and most expensive cars in the world – you would’ve thought that they’d have turbocharged engines by now.
But contrary to what a lot of people think, the Italian stallions have yet to take that route, and news that they are finally considering using turbo-charging in their future engines might be a little surprising to some people.
But before Ferrari fully commits to turbocharging, the carmakers still have to work around some kinks with the technology, particularly with lagging that usually comes with these types of engines.
According to Jean-Jacques His, Ferrari doesn’t compromise with their engines and that any delays of any kind before the power arrives is something that in the world of the Prancing Horse, is completely taboo. “Turbocharging will come eventually, but we need to solve the issue of turbo lag,” the Frenchman said to Autocar.
Continued after the jump.
A particular technology that parent company, Fiat is steadily working on is Multiair, but after testing the system on the V8 engine of an F430, Ferrari determined that Multiair is something that doesn’t necessarily complement the inner-workings of a Ferrari engine.
In any case, we’ve come to expect nothing but the best from Ferrari over the years so we wouldn’t put it past them to solve this new riddle of turbocharging their engines down the line. The question is not ‘if they can do it’, but ‘when they can do it’.
And knowing these guys, that day may come sooner than expected.
Remember that one-off Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Edition; the one that was designed by renowned Chinese artist Lu Hao?
Well, it was auctioned off today at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing for a whopping $1.75 million. Unfortunately, the identity of the winning bidder was withheld so we have no idea who he was, although, we do know that he’s probably rich enough to afford paying for this car.
If you recall, this uber-rare Ferrari, which incidentally was based from a limited edition 599 that is going to be exclusively sold in China, was designed by Mr. Hao with pottery patterns from the legendary Song Dynasty.
While the one-off 599 was the highlight of the auction, other Ferrari items were also up for bids, including racing overalls worn by Giancarlo Fisichella, as well as a helmet and model car that has been signed by no less than seven-time F1 world champion, Michael Schumacher.
The auction was done as part of a fund-raising where proceeds generated by the auction would go to the funding of a number of students and teachers from the Department of Automotive Engineering at Tsinghua University. These select group of students and teachers will be given the opportunity to go on a trip to the land of the Prancing Horse – Italy – where they’ll be given a chance to study at Politecnico di Milano University and take up an internship job at Ferrari.
In 1994 Ferrari unveiled the F355 - a model considered to be the greatest production sports-car of the 20th Century. The F355 remained into production until 1999 and with 11,273 units produced it became the most successful Ferrari in history.
This was the first ever road car to be equipped with the innovative F1-style gearbox management system, available on all three versions: berlinetta, GTS and spider. Derived directly from Formula 1, where it made its debut in 1989 winning the Brazilian Grand Prix, the electro-hydraulic system was operated by paddles behind the steering wheel using the F355’s conventional 6-speed manual gearbox. The new transmission guaranteed lightning-quick gear changes, with the additional advantage that both the driver’s hands could stay on the wheel at all times.
Derived directly from Formula 1, where it made its debut in 1989 winning the Brazilian Grand Prix, the electro-hydraulic system was operated by paddles behind the steering wheel using the F355’s conventional 6-speed manual gearbox. The new transmission guaranteed lightning-quick gear changes, with the additional advantage that both the driver’s hands could stay on the wheel at all times.
Its radical transmission is what makes the F355 F1 so different: a manual gearbox, but without a clutch pedal! Sophisticated electronics look after the function normally carried out by the driver’s left foot. Instead of a clutch pedal and gear shift, the F355 has two steering-wheel-mounted levers.
The right one is to select a higher gear, the left one for a lower gear. Where the gear stick would normally be is a little lever for selecting reverse. To start the engine, the ignition key needs to be advanced a notch and both gearshift "paddles" pulled back to ensure the transmission is in neutral.
Under the hood there was a 3.5-liter V8 featuring titanium rods, five-valve cylinder heads, and a 180-degree crankshaft. With a Bosch 2.7 Motronic system the engine delivered a total of 380 hp at 8,500 rpm. Performance was 0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds, the quarter mile in the low 13-second range, and top speed went to an impressive 183 mph.
