Ferrari 308 Reviews

The wealthier streets of the Middle East are a traffic jam of supercars, where Ferraris, Bugatti Veyrons and Lamborghinis are as common as Corollas in an Aussie carpark. So how does the status-conscious gazillionaire stand out in that crowd? By adding cats to the household, and posting photos of them on social media. And we're not talking your usual internet cat meme. These are lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards. The king of the cars is Humaid AlBuQaish, who has more than 425,000 followers on Instagram keen for snaps of his menagerie of big cats and exotic supercars -- garnished with his own up-close-and-personally-near-those-claws-and-teeth poses. And while he seems to be unworried about scratches to his body, he's even less concerned about the same fate befalling his collection of supercars. Several of his photos show his pets climbing on and over the cars, often joined by their owner. His photos are blatant enough to remove any suspicion of the big cats being illegally kept: a problem that has recently arisen in the Middle East, with more than 200 confiscated every year in the United Arab Emirates alone. AlBuQaish's social media profiles don't mention what he does for a living, but the number plates on his cars are largely from Sharjah, the third largest of the wealthy Emirates. And judging by the low numbers on the registration plates -- a local sign of traditional status rather than just mere money -- he's a young sheikh, and possibly part of the constitutional monarchy of the Al Qasimi dynasty that has ruled there since 1972. What is clear is that when it comes to internet cat photos, everybody else may as well pack up their cameras, phones and tablets. AlBuQaish is the winner, all paws down. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Scuderia Ferrari, along with the rest of the F1 teams, face a new set of challenges for the 2014 season, with new regulations bringing such extreme changes that they will alter not only the design of the cars, and the formula for the engines, but also the use of fuel and new driving styles and strategies. Together with their fuel and oils partner, Shell, the Ferrari team have produced the documentary Horse Power, which takes us behind the scenes of the campaign preparation.  The documentary takes us into the inner workings of the high temple of Ferrari – the factory at Maranello – and the Shell labs where the specialised competition demands are researched and developed into race-bred fuels and lubricants. "Since 2011 when the new rules were announced we have been working side by side with the Scuderia Ferrari engineers to develop the fuel and lubricants needed to meet the demands of the new V6 engine," Shell global sponsorship manager Richard Bracewell said. "Horse Power features never-before-seen footage of the inner workings of the Maranello factory and Shell laboratories presents a unique opportunity for us to share with the world how closely we work with Scuderia Ferrari. It is a chance to meet the people and see the passion behind the racing highlighting our relationship and aspirations for the year ahead." Watch the desktop version of the Ferrari shows F1 preparation video here.  The full version of Horse Power can be seen on Channels One and Ten on these dates: ONE HD: Sunday 16 March 0900 (AEDST) before live F1 coverage in all markets Monday 17 March 0220 (after Aus F1 replay) Saturday 22 March 1500 Friday 28 March 0930 Wednesday 19 March 1.40am Monday 24 March 4pm Sunday 30 March 10am TEN: Saturday 29 March 1500  

Wedged between the Red Bull and Mercedes pits is a white box about the size of a small caravan. Wedged into the same space are stacks of Pirelli tyres in tyre warmers and temporary walls shrouding fuel storage tanks known as carlottas. Inside the box white box is Shell's fuel laboratory, believed to the only such facility in the pitlane and working exclusively for Scuderia Ferrari. Normally there's three staff in there - the Technical Manager and two scientists. For the first race of the 2014, Shell has sent both of their Technical Managers, Ian Albiston and Guy Lovett to see in the new rules. Albiston is starting his fourteenth year with Shell and Ferrari, his seventh as a technical manager. He and Guy Lovett each do half of the races on the Formula 1 calendar and divide their time between their London homes and Maranello when not on the road with the Scuderia. As the door closes on the fuel lab, the sounds of the pitlane outside - in this case some loud, raucous music from the Red Bull pit, abruptly cease. The inside of the box looks like it's out of an Omo advertisement - bright, white surfaces, immaculately clean, with touch screens on the benches that run down either side of the lab. A pair of centrifuges sit on the left-hand bench and nothing is out of place. A clean desk policy ensures our prying eyes don't see anything we shouldn't. Tiny vials of fuel are stored in racks and several specimen bottles containing fuel are neatly lined up. The bottles have the car number inked on the side. "What you see here goes to every Grand Prix," says Albiston. "We always have two scientists, one on fuels analysis on this side of the lab and engine oils and other oils on the other. You're probably asking well, what do we do in here? Three guys going round the world eating ice cream in the sun and parties every night. It's not quite true," he laughs. Out in pitlane we'd seen a nest of fifty litre drums with V Power logos on the side. Guy Lovett  told us that the fuel had been flown in because development was still going on the new fuel. Since the new rules were announced in 2011, Lovett and his team have blended around fifty iterations. Once delivered, the fuel is taken from the drums and put into what Ferrari call "carlottas", where the fuel is stored before being put into the car and when it is removed from the car. "Every time Ferrari shift the fuel from the drums to the carlottas, we'll take a sample of fuel. When they shift the fuel from the car to the carlottas, we'll take a sample. We check and double check." "Over the race weekend will do anywhere from thirty to thirty-five samples. A lot of the fuel work is done prior to the race weekend. It's a lot of work to make sure the carlottas are clean, a lot of work before the fuel gets anywhere near the car." The reason so many samples are taken is simple - even a small irregularity in the fuel sample could mean the fuel is deemed illegal. "The FIA can turn up at any time over the three days and take a sample of fuel from anywhere here. So they can take it from a drum, from a carlotta, could be the rig on a Sunday morning before the race, it could be from the car. It could be after qualifying or after the race. "If there was an irregularity, what's the penalty? On a Friday, anywhere between a quarter or a half a million dollars fine. Saturday, we'd certainly be put to the back of the grid and Sunday you'd certainly be disqualified." "So we could be front page headlines but for totally the wrong reasons. That's not why Shell gets involved in motorsport." Albiston has been doing this for fourteen years and says he still loves it. "I always say, if hair doesn't come up on the back of your neck, it's time to give up. It still happens," he smiles.  

When Mercedes invited us to the Race the Runway charity event at Edinburgh Airport, we lept at the chance.

A car that comes with a drone to see what’s causing the traffic snarl ahead, another that accepts deliveries while you’re at work, and a self driving car with seats that face backwards.

Kimi Raikkonen knows what he's about -- and is known to make the team and the world aware of that, famously radioing back to the team's directions during a race "leave me alone... I know what I'm doing". And in this case he knows what he's spinning: the Ferrari LaFerrari. Raikkonen takes it for an outing on the Italian supercar maker's home track, and pushes it to the edge of traction -- and beyond. The skilful driver is back in the saddle for Ferrari rosso corsa for the 2014 Formula One season, and this run in the LaFerrari was likely for promotional purposes. Turn your speakers up and enjoy the soundtrack as well as the action. And then feel a little bit better about yourself next time you push things just a tiny bit beyond your car's (and your) capabilities on the track. After all, if it can happen to Kimi... This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Porsche has just released the sixth model in its line-up -- the Macan compact SUV -- but is already well progressed with secret plans to add yet another model to its range. The German sports-car maker appears to not be content with having posted all-time record sales last year and has even bigger visions for the future. The boss of Porsche, Matthias Muller, has indicated he would like a seventh model in the company's line-up. "If you include the super-sportscar (the 918) we have six models in our line-up," Mr Muller told journalists from China, Australia and New Zealand attending the launch of the Macan SUV in Leipzig, Germany. "I think a seven-model series would be a good line up because most cars have a seven-year lifecycle," he said. "If we had seven models we could have a major event each year, as well as the (special edition) variants." Mr Muller would not say what type of car would become the seventh model. Recent speculation has centred on a two-door version of the Panamera, a mid-engined Ferrari 458 rival (to bridge the price gap between the 911 and the 918) and a budget-priced sports-car to slot in below the Boxster. However, according to Porsche insiders, the seventh model is most likely to be a mid-size sedan that would be a rival to the BMW 5 Series, and sit below the Panamera in price. The Porsche sedan would be available with rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive just like the Panamera, say company insiders, who claim it would help give Porsche economies of scale by sharing some of its components with the Macan. The mid-size Porsche sedan is said to be built off Audi's second-generation MLB (modularen langsbau) architecture, which is a development of what is already underneath the Porsche Macan. Meanwhile, Porsche says the Macan is "exactly the right vehicle at the right time" even though it has only planned to build 50,000 this year. Last year Porsche sold 75,000 Cayennes -- but the compact luxury SUV market in which the Macan competes is much larger. "This year the luxury compact SUV segment will reach a total volume of 1.3 million units," said Mr Muller, adding that the category had seen a staggering 185 per cent growth in sales since 2007. Over the next 10 years, sales of luxury compact SUVs are set to exceed the 1.8 million mark, he said. "Porsche will broaden its customer base," said Mr Muller, "and most will be first-time Porsche buyers." He said Porsche had just posted a record 162,000 sales in 2013 and was on track to eclipse the 200,000 mark for the first time this year. About one-third of all Porsches are sold in China, one-third are sold in North America, and one-fifth in Europe. But Mr Muller says Porsche will continue to be a premium brand because sales growth will come from emerging markets. "Porsche still only represents 0.25 per cent of cars on the road, or two to three out of every 1000 cars," said Mr Muller. "A high degree of exclusivity is assured for our brand. (But) we are going to grow profitably." This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists. Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist. A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia. The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith. Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI. A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1. Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

There hasn't been a turbocharged engine in a Ferrari since the 1980s F40 model. But turbo has returned to add more power to the updated California T being unveiled at Geneva motor show on March 4. The Prancing Horse has been hinting for some time that the increasing push for more efficient engines and tightening emissions restrictions would see turbos reappear in the line-up, and the new California is spearheading the bid to achieve those aims while still offering performance. The Italian supercar brand hasn't yet released the full details of the car, but has confirmed the turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 (an uprated version of the one in the Maserati Quattroporte) will deliver 412kW of power and a hammering 755Nm of torque -- up 74kW and a massive 270Nm on the current model. It's also able to trump its 0-100km/h time by 0.4 seconds, with the needle hitting the mark at just 3.6 seconds, and topping out where the speedo say 315km/h. And Ferrari says the torque curve increases continually across the rev range. Fuel economy is claimed to be 15 per cent better than the current model. It rides on revised suspension with new springs and dampers, and has carbon ceramic brakes to pull it up. The revised styling sees the California retain much of the outgoing model, but with updates to nose and tail that mix fresher touches with references to some of the icons of Ferrari history. A new triple-fence diffuser and exhaust tips have beautified the tail, headlights now echo those of the rest of the family, and the pontoon-fender styling salutes the iconic 250 Testa Rossa. The interior makeover includes new trim and accents, plus a 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen. The California T will head into overseas showrooms shortly after the Geneva debut, and it tipped to reach here in the final quarter of the year. Watch the desktop version of the 2015 Ferrari California T turbo video here.  This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

We all know the Middle East has a healthy abundance of big-dollar luxury and supercars, but this video juxtaposes the typical ‘bunch of hoons hanging in a carpark' situation with exotica from Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, and Rolls Royce. This Ken Block-wannabe Ferrari 599 driver clearly has the budget of Block, but the skill level of a P-plater in a Gemini in the mall carpark after Coles shuts, as he slides precariously past a Ferrari 458, a pair of Californias, a Porsche 911 Cabriolet, a drop-top Aston and a Rolls-Royce Ghost - and a relatively pedestrian C7 Corvette. However unlike many Hagwalah drift videos, the gathering survives the clip unscathed, so perhaps the graduation from the usual Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord fare is just the ticket to successful Middle Eastern drifting. Watch the Ferrari drifting around other exotics video on our desktop site.   This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn