Ferrari SF90 Stradale (phev) Reviews

Ferrari F1 test driver Marc Gene will only have a 2010-specification Ferrari at his disposal for the Ferrari Racing Days, but is still likely to threaten the existing benchmark time set by Aussie hero Dan Ricciardo last month.Ricciardo re-wrote the record in in the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix when he lapped a Red Bull RB7 in 1 minute 13.08 seconds, undercutting the previous benchmark time set by Mark Webber - also in an RB7 - in 2013 by six-tenths of a second.Gene is not promising an all-out attack but tells Carsguide there is always a temptation when he straps into a grand prix car. "We are racing drivers, we always push. Sometimes you do the lap record," Gene tells Carsguide."The car is run by the Formula One team and very much as it used to race. It's more-or-less three years old, so a 2010 car." Gene and the F1 missile are the star attraction at the Racing Days, a two-day event that's being run for the first time in Australia with everything from a debut appearance by the LaFerrari supercar to a children's activity area. But there will be as many as eight Formula One cars in action, most driven by wealthy owners who purchased the cars once their grand prix careers were finished."All Racing Days involve a Formula One demonstration. There are hot laps and also a pitstop," says Gene. "I'm really enjoying it. I know it might be one of the last shots I have."Gene is an official test driver for Ferrari but his work has been severely limited since F1 test days were cut back. He is now mostly involved with track days and demonstration runs, including the Racing Days program that has already visited Malaysia this year."Nowadays, I'm enjoying it a lot more than seven or eight years ago, because there are no tests these days. I'm doing 15 or 20 laps and really enjoying it."Gene promises all sorts of action, from the violence of a full-scale race start to the smoking craziness of donuts. "It's an exhibition. Of course, I try to put on a good show. So you do things that you don't normally do, like sliding and donuts."But he also knows he has the car and speed to go for the record, something he has already achieved at the Laguna Seca circuit in California, USA."I have the lap record at Laguna Seca. That shows that all of us, whichever teams do an exhibition, can achieve. "We'll see (in Sydney). It depends on the car. I'm too experienced to take any risks. I would regret it big time."Gene says there has been a huge response to earlier Racing Days, particularly in Japan. "There are many reasons. One of them is the cars. There is no other brand that is able to do such extreme cars. It is a car that people dream to drive," he says."There is no other brand in the world that is about to sell F1 cars and have a program for very special clients who own these cars."This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

The all-new California T has already rocketed to the top of the sales charts, trumping the emotive 458 Italia and family-focussed FF V12, before a single appearance down under. The California T has even missed the boat for the Ferrari Racing Days this weekend, the biggest event in the history of the Italian brand in Australia, without affecting the order bank.“It will become our largest selling model. And we expect that 70 per cent of owners will be new to the Ferrari brand,” the head of Ferrari in Australia and the Pacific, Herbert Appleroth, tells Carsguide. “The waiting list for the new California is already over 12 months. And when the car is launched, in June, we expect it will be more like 24 months.”Appleroth says the absence of the California from the Racing Days at Sydney Motorsport Park is not a concern, since there are so many other new models at the event including the 458 Speciale and a display-only LaFerrari. “The focus is on those cars. The California is more lifestyle based and we will launch it in due course,” he says.The California T is the first turbocharged Ferrari since the F40 supercar from the 1980s, and comes with the promise of 412 kiloWatts and 755 Newton-metres - good for a 0-100km/ sprint in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 316km/h - for a pricetag very close to the $460,000 of the outgoing model.“People who own a California are already coming back for another one. Normally you expect them to go up to a 458, but there is a lot of pre-purchase,” Appleroth says. He is happy that the California has brought new buyers to the brand, although some will have to wait for a car.“It isn’t just women, there are people who couldn’t afford a Ferrari in the past. It’s now an everyday drive, but a special everyday drive.“Demand has gone crazy. Supply will be restricted for the first two years.“The first car will be launched in June in Australia but the first deliveries won’t be until the end of the year. We’ve already got 12 months of orders, easily. And we won’t announce the price for a couple of months.” 

The herd of high-speed dream machines will descent on the harbourside city for the first Australian running of Ferrari Racing Days from April 11-13. The event is a celebration for Ferrari owners but also the chance for fans of the brands to get up close and personal at Sydney Motorsport Park.There will be everything from full-scale Formula One runs by test driver Marc Gene, including timed hot laps and a pitstop demonstration, to a kiddie zone with miniature electric Ferraris. The Racing Days are the first in Australia and follow successful similar events in Japan and, earlier this year, Malaysia.The event marks the change to a full-scale factory import operation in Australia and is the brainchild of Herbert Appleroth, the chief executive for Ferrari Australasia. “I’ve seen the enjoyment similar events have given in Japan and was keen to get it happening in Australia,” Appleroth tells Carsguide.“It’s great for our Ferrari owners and builds passion for the brand. But it’s also a wonderful activation for enthusiasts who don’t normally have a direct interaction with Ferrari.” The event will open with a motorcade across the Harbour Bridge to Sydney Motorsport Park, where there will be a weekend of track-based activities including the F1 demonstrations and two races in the Asia-Pacific Challenge Series for identical 458 racers.Appleroth estimates there will be more than $175 million worth of Ferraris in action and on display, including a full set of the brand’s supercars - 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari - and eight former grand prix racecars. But the most expensive cars are some of the oldest, including a 166 MM from the 1950s.Appleroth believes the lure of Ferrari, and the open access for spectators, will lure thousands of tifosi - the Italian nickname for Ferrari fans - to the Racing Days. “It’s the biggest Ferrari event in Australia, ever. So I think if we got 10,000 people to attend it would be great. We had 20,000 for a similar event in Japan,” he says. For information on the Ferrari Racing Days head to www.frdsydney.com.au 

FERRARI'S first hybrid supercar, the $2 million LaFerrari, will make its first and possibly its only ever visit to Australia this month for a festival to celebrate the iconic Italian brand -- but one of the fastest cars in the world will be on static display only and isn't allowed to be driven. Ferrari head office in Italy has disabled the complex petrol-electric engine to prevent anyone from driving the car.It means that Ferrari Australia representatives will have to push it on and off its transporter and into position for the Ferrari Racing Days at Sydney Motorsport Park, from April 11 to 13, where it will be the star attraction among 300 classic and racing Ferraris estimated to be worth more than $175 million."This is the first and quite possibly the only time we will see a LaFerrari in Australia," said Ferrari Australia boss Herbert Appleroth. "We have been very lucky to secure it, but it won't be driven."The LaFerrari, which costs 1 million Euros plus taxes -- which would cost at least $1.5 million in Australia before 33 per cent Luxury Car Tax, 10 per cent GST and 5 per cent import duty are added if it were sold here -- cannot be registered in Australia because it is left-hand-drive only and has not been certified to meet our regulations.But that hasn't stopped "between 5 and 10" Australians from ordering one and keeping them garaged overseas. As is customary with the supercar brand, Ferrari Australia would not reveal the identity of the local LaFerrari customers.High profile car collectors and Ferrari fanatics in Australia include Dean Wills, the former Coca-Cola Australia boss, and transport magnate Lindsay Fox. But neither businessman has declared themselves as one of the owners."We never reveal the identity of our customers," said Mr Appleroth, adding that they may not be household names. "Most of (the LaFerrari customers) are not in the public arena."Just 499 LaFerraris will be made, even though the global demand is more than four times that amount. Ferrari has gone to extra-ordinary lengths to ensure that the vehicle isn't snapped up by speculators keen sell the car to make a quick buck. Prospective LaFerrari buyers had to own at least five Ferraris and bought a new one in the last two years, the company said.The strict requirements helped spark a surge in sales for the Italian car maker late last year, as buyers tried to qualify for the LaFerrari list. Only about a quarter of those who expressed an interest in buying a LaFerrari were granted a production slot.Ferrari says it received more than 20 "serious expressions of interest" from customers in Australia but that only "5 to 10" customers were successful. "It doesn't matter if you're famous or not. It's not based on who you are. The decision is based on loyalty and passion for Ferrari," said Mr Appleroth. "You would not believe the famous people who won't be invited to purchase."The company has so far been reluctant to disclose the exact number of cars sold locally but Carsguide understands the first Australian will take delivery of LaFerrari by the end of this year.The LaFerrari is powered by a 6.2-litre V12 engine matched to a high-output electric motor that will boost acceleration once the car is already on the move. Unlike the Toyota Prius, which can idle and move from rest silently using electric power, the LaFerrari leaves the V12 running at idle because customers want to hear the Ferrari engine.In 2012 Ferrari sold more than 7500 cars globally -- its highest annual tally -- following growth in emerging markets, in particular China. In 2013, Ferrari deliveries globally were down slightly (to 6922) but the company says profitability increased as buyers favoured dearer models, in particular the new Ferrari F12 coupe.Meanwhile classic Ferraris are proving to be a worthwhile investment. In October 2013 a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO racer became the world's most expensive car, selling to a private buyer for a claimed $US52 million.The red competition car, formerly owned by a Connecticut-based collector, was acquired by an unidentified buyer in a private transaction, according to the Bloomberg news agency. The price was a 49 percent increase on the record for any car, achieved in June 2012 for another Ferrari 250 GTO, when a US billionaire paid $US35 million for an apple-green 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.Only 39 original GTO cars were made, with a retail price of around $US18,000 at the time. With inflation taken into account, this is the equivalent of about $US135,000 today.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

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 marketsMonday 17 March 0220 (after Aus F1 replay)Saturday 22 March 1500Friday 28 March 0930Wednesday 19 March 1.40amMonday 24 March 4pmSunday 30 March 10amTEN: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