There have been rumblings for a while now that Ferrari may well be preparing for a LeMans comeback. Strange prototype LaFerrari’s have been spotted out on the road with what sounds like turbocharged engines and with Luca di Montezemolo displaying a clear interest in endurance racing, fuel has been added to the fire. Today some intriguing spy shots may have given us the final pieces of the puzzle, or have they started a new one entirely?
Italian website Auto Sprint published a picture of what appears to be a disguised racing spec LaFerrari. Now this could well be a LeMans racer, be we think that if Ferrari were to return to the sport they would do so in top class LMP1 cars. We think that this car is in fact the successor to the Ferrari FXX. The XX program allows wealthy individuals to become part of the Scuderia’s testing team by racing their track only extreme prancing horse whilst the boys in red collect data. The FXX was based upon the Ferrari Enzo but that machine is a bit outdated, I can’t believe I just said that, and no longer king of the hill. This LaFerrari based car (LaFerrari XX?) is clearly not for road use. I guess we shall have to wait and see what Ferrari have for us at Geneva.
700HP, 0-62MPH in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 217MPH. Those are just three outputs from the biblical Lamborghini Aventador supercar. But what ingredients actually go into making this recipe a reality? The Italian V12 flagship has introduced Lamborghini, and indeed the world, to many new technologies in terms of manufacturing for production automobiles. This documentary from National Geographic was broadcast earlier this year, something I missed when it was on TV. Taking you through the companies history and the legendary forefathers to the Aventador, we thought this program was too good to miss!
Yesterday we showed you leaked images of what could be the Lamborghini Gallardo’s 2014 replacement. Today we know for a fact that the car you saw is the Italians new model. How? Lamborghini have given us all an early Christmas gift by unveiling the Lamborghini Huracan well before its debut at the 2014 Geneva motor show.
Powered by naturally aspirated 5.2 litre V10 engine, the Huracan produces 602BHP making this raging bull capable of a 0-62MPH time of 3.2 seconds. Sending those ponies to all four wheels, 0-124MPH is completed in 9.9 seconds and the cars top speed is rated at 201MPH. Aiming to be just as successful as the Gallardo it replaces, the Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 is as striking to look at as its bigger brother, the Aventador. Longer and wider than its predecessor, the next-gen Audi R8 is to share the same platform.
The Lamborghini Gallardo is a fantastic machine that has gone on to become not only Lamborghini’s most successful model, but also one of the most successful supercars of all time. With production ending a few weeks ago and unit 14,022 on its way to a new home, attention turns to the baby bulls replacement. Automotive website Autofilou has managed to get hold of what appears to be a leaked image of this next-generation Gallardo.
Though Lamborghini obviously will not confirm if this is the new 2014 Lamborghini Gallardo at this time, the car matches previous spy images and proportions to the atom. Personally I’m convinced that this picture has come from behind corporate doors. To share its platform with the all-new Audi R8, this Lamborghini is longer and wider than the Gallardo it replaces. Powered by a 5.2 litre V10, the aggressively styled machine is likely to make its debut at the Geneva motor show in 2014.
He is making a list and checking it twice. He’s going to find out who’s been naughty or nice. Well, this year I think my name is on Father Christmas’ nice list and for being such a good boy I am going to ask for something a bit special. After thinking long and hard about what I would like the keys to, I came to the conservative conclusion of a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. I say conservative as other cars that came to mind were the likes of McLaren’s P1 and the Porsche 918. Considering those two cost the thick end of £1,000,000 Santa can save a few pennies with my £240,000 gift.
If you think about it, the Ferrari is also a gift that offers value for money. 12 cylinders in comparison to the McLaren’s 8. It’s bigger than a Porsche 918 and more practical. All-in-all I think I’ve justified the F12 to the jolly fat guy, my only other real predicament is what colour to buy it in. I have seen the car in a rather devilish metallic grey, but then it also looks good in black. However, I think much like every first time Ferrari owner I shall ask for my prancing horse in red.
Personally, I think that after Santa’s little Italian elves have put my toy together and the big man has seen it, he will probably put his reindeer on notice. 730BHP VS nine mammals that are likely to take your eye out with their antlers? No contest.
Niki Lauda is a living legend. The calculative racing driver won three Formula One world championships through decades where the sport would often see the loss of two drivers a season. Lauda’s horrific crash in 1976 saw him almost die, yet he returned to fight for the title just six weeks later showing the most incredible determination. A special Ferrari has been created to honour him.
Commissions by its owner through the Ferrari Taylor Made program, this is the Ferrari 458 Niki Lauda Edition. The 458’s paintwork mimics that of his 1970’s Ferrari Formula One cars with white detailing and gold alloy wheels. A stripe sporting the colours of the Italian flag runs over the roof and through the interior of the car. Powered by the Italia’s standard 4.5 litre V8, this car numbers just one of one.
The Fiat 500 is a motoring icon. From past to present it has been popular with the masses, much like the Mini. This Italian “peoples car” has a cult following… I even have a Friend who did a road trip in Italy specifically with a 500! Todays Fiat 500 is a massive sales success with its compact shape, modern styling and just enough retro to make it fashionable. The launch of this 1957 Edition means that our retro-detector is reading off of the chart.
Celebrating 57 years of the Cinquecento, 500 in Italian, this car harks back to the original. The vintage appearance comes courtesy of some new chrome trim, retro powder paint and hubcaps so large you could use them as a crash helmet. Powered by a 1.4 litre MultiAir engine, this 500 1957 Edition is also equipped with new engine mapping and sports suspension. 31MPG is the cars claimed economy.
Time to go back to the future or a indulge in a blast from the past? You decide.
You may have seen that mad video where a group of YouTube folk take it off-road? It made for a insane yet intoxicating video and has racked up many views on the popular site. That group, Tax the Rich, have made a habit of taking some of the worlds most iconic cars and just going bonkers with them. Be it power sliding a Roll-Royce Phantom across a muddy field or tug-of-war with a pair of Ferrari F50′s they are game for just about anything. Now they have got hold of the biblical Ferrari 288 GTO and tried their hand at a spot of Group B rallying!
Ferrari’s racing programs are what makes the company what it is. From Formula One, GT2 to GT3 each Italian stallion is a purebred descending from a long line of successful racing cars. Ferrari’s challenge series, a collection of races for affluent gentleman racers, has grown in popularity as customers desire to make their dreams of being a racing driver come true. The car for the 2014 season has been officially revealed.
The Ferrari 458 Challenge Evoluzione is, as its name suggests, an evolution of the 458 Challenge. This track only variant of the 458 Italia receives a large rear wing as part of a new aerodynamic package. Ferrari say that the changes are “aimed at making the car even more drivable for all Ferrari owners who want to tackle a true on-track competition.”
The package is offered to existing 458 Challenge owners as a kit and will be a requirement for all cars that enter the series for 2014.
The Maserati MC12 was quite the machine. Based upon the Ferrari Enzo, the reason for the run of 50 road legal yet race derived supercars was to comply with the rules of the FIA GT Championship. 50 road cars had to be produce in order for the MC12 GT1 to compete, a racer that has seen much success. However, that was back in 2004 and so the MC12 is not as youthful as it once was. We already know Ferrari and Maserati are working on a successor to go racing based upon the new carbon fibre monocoque of LaFerrari, but a new racing car also means a new road car. The 2013 Maserati Bora Concept foreshadows the future car.
This Maserati Bora Concept is a rendering done by Alexander Imnadze and he has made quite a name for himself by designing fictional cars with plausible futures. He does not work for the Italians but this is his interpretation of what the mid-engined V12 road car could look like. It truly is gorgeous with a clean low slung profile. We can only hope that the real thing will look this good!
It is as yet unknown when the MC12 replacement will surface, the Maserati showed up two years after the previous Ferrari flagship, but for now this vision is enough to keep us salivating.