Ferrari 458 News

Episode 234 - The best cars we’ve ever driven!

More than 350 Ferrari sports-cars recalled in Australia due to faulty Takata airbags

Mix the Mountain with GT3 action — and a stellar show of exotics is lured to Bathurst.

Salmon is a Sydney hotelier and online entrepreneur, while Baumgartner is best known as the crazy Austrian who parachuted from the edge of space.But both of them fit right in at the Bathurst 12-Hour, a race that takes Mount Panorama back to its showroom roots.It's not your everyday showroom, as exotics brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley and McLaren dominate the entry list, but these are still cars that are far closer to the real world than any V8Supercar.Best of all, they all look and sound different. And, since they have different strengths and weaknesses, there is constant track action as they swap places around Mount Panorama. And that's without worrying about the tail-end tiddlers in cars such as the 1-Series BMWs who contribute to the healthiest starting grid since the 1980s."Why do I race? I caught the bug and I cannot get it out of my system," Salmon tells CarsGuide."I'm a gentleman driver, not a professional, but I can still compete here with some of the best blokes in the world.The 12-hour includes some of the world's best long-distance racers"I'm 55 next week, so I have a few things to tick off the Bucket List. This is one."Salmon owns his Audi R8 racer but Baumgartner, a world- class and world-renowned thrill seeker, is at Bathurst as a guest of Audi. He's in an R8 to satisfy his need for speed."This is fun. Just great," he says.The driver lineup for the 12-hour includes some of the world's best long-distance racers, and former V8Supercar runners John Bowe, Warren Luff and Greg Crick, but the current stars have been banned from the action by a clashing touring car test at Sydney Motorsport Park.No-one is remotely surprised that Craig Lowndes and Rick Kelly would prefer to be spending the weekend at Bathurst, or that the 12-Hour telecast comprehensively trumps the broadcast numbers for the rival event in Sydney.The 12-Hour is a wacky race, from the drivers to the cars, and the Mercedes-Benz pacecar is called out a record 20 times after some sort of on-track incident.But the cars are fast and spectacular and it's easy to tell them apart. Especially when you see a brutal Benz SLS going head-to-head with an exotic Ferrari 458 and a giant-but-gentlemanly Bentley Continental.There is a respectable crowd at the 12-Hour and the carpark is full of old Bristols and MG sports cars, shiny new McLarens and even a 50-car cavalcade of Mercedes-Benzes, dominated by the brand's hot AMG models.As always, Mount Panorama stars — from the spectacle of a start in darkness through to the final fight to the flag.The 12-Hour is more than just a race and it is growing fastIn the end, it's a Nissan GT-R that gets home first — as Godzilla conquers the Mountain for the first time since Mark Skaife and Jim Richards — with a blanket finish for the minor places.But the 12-Hour is more than just a race and it is growing fast. There are seven factory-backed teams in 2015 and this will grow again for 2016, with Audi, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz already committed to next year's race."This race and this place is something special. It's not only the track, it's the atmosphere and the racing and all the rest," says Romolo Liebchen, head of Audi's giant Customer Racing Division.GT sports car racing is more than a passing fad"Australia has a relatively small car market, but it is very important for performance cars and also as a place to compete with our customers. It is clear this race will continue to grow."A Bentley at Bathurst is so wrong that it’s right.I feel as if I’ve been invited into the sitting room of Le Mans winner Guy Smith’s home in Britain as I slide into his Continental GT3-R for a relatively quiet lap of Mount Panorama.This is the roadgoing version of the car Smith is racing in the 12-hour, with everything I expect from an ultra-luxury Bentley coupe. There are sumptuous leather seats and all the luxury fruit. Then Smith opens the taps on Mountain Straight and we’re aa-www-aaaay.It’s not remotely what I expect from a car that weighs nearly two tonnes and costs more than $600,000.Bentley has done a serious job on this car. It has 427kW and 700Nm in the engine room, which — with special gearing and a bunch of other changes — means it can slingshot to 100km/h in just 3.8 secs. That’s exactly what Smith does, calmly giving his first impression of the circuit. “It’s a tricky place, isn’t it? It takes a bit of learning,” he says.On Sunday afternoon, long after this memorable run down the mountain, he and his team should have been podium finishers. A cruel punt on the final corner drops them to fourth at the flag. Bentley is committed to come back in 2016 and I’m looking forward to another visit to Smith’s sitting room.GT sports car racing is more than a passing fad. A total of 13 car brands now have official programs in the global category, following a decision by Cadillac this year to join the track action with its CTS-V coupe, and they are spending big as bait for buyers.Cadillac will be joining everyone from Aston Martin and Audi to Lamborghini, Ferrari, and even Mercedes-Benz at the sharp end of GT racing.It's a crazy category because the cars look so outrageous. The purchase price, from about $600,000, makes them relatively affordable.In comparison, a homegrown V8Supercar can easily top $500,000 as a turnkey racer.The big difference between Australia and the rest of the world is the scale, with carmakers doing big numbers and making serious dollars from their motorsport divisions.Mercedes-Benz still has 20 cars to build before it switches from its current SLS to the GT3 version of the new coupe. Bentley has built 18 Continental GTs for racing.Audi tops the pile, having built 136 track versions of its R8, with 126 currently still in action including the car that took pole position for the Bathurst 12-Hour.

In a year when the overall car market shrank, all but a handful of prestige brands increased sales. Buyers don't just want a good car; they want others to see they have one, helping everyone from Maserati to Mercedes-Benz post gains.The trend is accelerating and a steady stream of new models in 2015 only adds to the impetus. CarsGuide looks at what's in store for the premium players this year.It isn't hard to foresee the popularity of the 4C two-seat coupe when it hits showrooms next month. This baby supercar uses a carbon-fibre tub, mid-engine layout and minimalist interior to present a modern incarnation of a stripped-down racer. Pricing will be $80,000-$100,000. The soft-top Spider is due in October. The Alfa Giulietta also gets an update.A steady new model rollout starts in February with the arrival of the TT coupe for just under $80,000. It will be joined by the soft-top roadster midyear and the TT S performance model in August or September. The plug-in petrol-electric A3 e-tron five-door hatch is due in May with an expected price of $60,000, with the Q7 large SUV due late in the year. Updates or variants include the A6/A7, RS6/RS7, A1, RS3 and Q3/RSQ3.New metal is in short supply at the British brand but two models will join the line-up, starting with the Vantage S Roadster at a shade under $420,000. If that isn't exclusive enough, consider the $500,000 Vanquish Carbon using the same V12 but with eight forward ratios in place of the Vantage's seven.BENTLEYChauffeurs will going cap-in-hand to buyers of the Mulsanne Speed for the chance to steer the best Bentley ever. A twin-turbo V8 cranks out 1100Nm - only the Bugatti Veyron can torque itself up as a more powerful production model - to push the 2.7-tonne limo into triple figures in 4.9 seconds. Pricing has yet to be set but if you have to ask, you can't afford it.There's a lot of product in the pipeline this year but only one all-new car. The X1 will switch to front-wheel drive when the second-generation model arrives in the third quarter. The X1 will look more mini-SUV than compact wagon, aligning it with the X3 and X5. Top-end versions will be all-wheel drive. Updates and new variants include the 2 Series convertible, X5M/X6M, 6 Series/X6, 3 Series, X4 M40i and X5 e-Drive.The 458 range has a Speciale A due next month. The 499 examples of the alloy hardtop model are already sold, meaning the $635,000 two-seater is likely to be a smart investment. Keep an eye on the classifieds.The struggle to be a serious prestige player continues for Infiniti with a major model overhaul due in 2016. A refreshed Q70 flagship is due midyear with a nip-and-tuck for the bumpers, updated interior trim and more safety software.The transition from niche player to prestige powerhouse is predicated on the XE sedan being a genuine rival for the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and BMW C-Class. Specs indicate the engines are up to the job, so it comes down to how well it can be priced in Australia. There will be updates for the F-Type coupe and convertible and XF sedan.Styling that echoes the Evoque and a premium interior mark the Discovery Sport, debuting in May. Essentially a replacement for the Freelander, the Sport is a serious off-roader with 600mm wading depth and four-wheel drive. Also expect a Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover hybrid and updated Evoque.A compact performance sedan, the RC F will cost $133,500, making it a 'budget' alternative to the Germans. The naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 isn't quite on par with the Euro competition but neither is the price. The GS F mid-sized sedan will use the same engine and is due later in the year, price undisclosed. The NX200 will get a new turbo engine.No new news is still good news for Lotus aspirants. An automatic Exige - the brand's first self-shifter - is due in the second quarter. Expect to pay around $9000 for the clutch-less version, putting the price above $135,000. An updated Evora should land late with less weight and improved interior.An 'affordable' McLaren is due late in the year with an entry level Sport model priced at more than $300,000. That puts it in the higher echelons of Porsche 911 territory - but still well below typical McLaren prices.Australia's top-selling prestige brand rolls out a range of new toys this year to expand its appeal. The action starts with the AMG GT and C63 AMG in the second quarter, both using a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8. Skip ahead to Q3 and there's the new GLE (formerly known as the ML) and GLE coupe SUVs, followed by the CLA Shooting Brake and the much-needed GLC compact SUV. Other updates or variants include the S63 coupe, CLS, B-Class and S500 coupe.The action starts with an entry-level five-door Mini Cooper One at $25,600 in February. It is powered by a three-cylinder engine with 75kW/180Nm. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the John Cooper Works three-door hatch, which will be the Mini with the most mumbo ever when it arrives midyear at an estimated $48,000.There's plenty to whet the appetite for performance enthusiasts, even if it is all clad in existing bodywork. The base V6 and performance GTS Cayenne SUV models are due next month, followed by the Turbo S midyear. An update of the 911 should make it before Christmas and Santa may deliver the new GT4 Cayman at the same time.The XC90 large SUV is due midyear with prices starting from about $90,000. A more affordable alternative will be the V60 Cross Country due late in the year from $65,000. The elevated version of the V60 wagon will be sold in FWD and AWD guise.

The biggest Ferrari show on earth will descend on Sydney from the 11-13 of April and will turn the entire town red. Sydney Motorsport Park at Eastern Creek, 24kms west of Sydney, will host Ferrari Racing Days, the largest gathering of road and track Ferraris to ever converge on a single location in Australia.The three day event will showcase the best that Ferrari has to offer while highlighting the most powerful brand in the world. Ferrari Racing Days will put on a show like no other manufacturer before it.You can expect to see close racing from the Ferrari 458 Asia Pacific Challenge series and watch on as the Ferrari Corse F1 and Clienti XX take to the track in their finely tuned track cars that leave nothing to the imagination in performance and sound.There will be plenty of action both on and off the track with streets of hospitality tents as guests indulge in the luxury and opulence that Ferrari clients and fans have come to expect. Ferrari Racing Days has a short but successful history traveling to Brazil, Italy, Malaysia, United Kingdom, United States and now, Australia.The event has created a logistics nightmare for the organisers as they bring together race cars and crew as they fly into Sydney from all parts of the globe. Set to arrive this week are sixty shipping containers full of equipment and cars including some 300 Ferrari race engineers to prepare the field of road and track Ferraris.“Ferrari Racing Days is an event never seen before in Australia, a focus on Ferrari’s road and race heritage converging in one place to give the fans, drivers and owners the opportunity to engage with each other and the brand like never before” said Herbert Appleroth, Ferrari Australasian President and CEO.Ferrari Racing Days highlights• Ferrari F1 race car and Pit Demonstration to highlight the inner workings of their F1 team.• The FXX and 599XX Ferrari Clienti program, which includes six cars of each technical program, driven by Ferrari’s most privileged and wealthiest clients.• An official round of the Ferrari 458 Asia Pacific Challenge series, 30 Ferrari Challenge EVO race cars battling it out for Australian line honours• Ferrari’s new hypercar, La Ferrari including the Ferrari Enzo, F50, F40 and the 288 GTO.• Ferrari Pre-Owned and Ferrari Approved Warranty Vehicle Display.• Ferrari showroom, Ferrari 458 Speciale, FF, F12 Berlinetta, 458 Taylor Made Spider including Ferrari’s customisation program, Atelier.A cavalcade of up to 200 Ferraris will converge on Sydney from several locations around Australia and together they will drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the welcome party at the Sydney Opera House and then they will be on display at Ferrari Racing Days.First published at MyDrive: VIDEO |Ferrari Racing Days – The Biggest Ferrari show on Earth  

More than $170 million worth Ferraris of are being primped, preened and primed today for the biggest Australian event in the history of the famed Italian brand.That's the combined worth of more than 400 cars that have targeted Sydney Motorsport Park for the inaugural running of the Ferrari Racing Days, an event that combines everything from a series of grand prix speed runs to a children's play zone.The first and only public appearance of LaFerrari, the sellout new $1.5 million Ferrari supercar, headlines the event but there are also nine F1 cars, a group of FXX customer racecars and two rounds of the 458 Challenge to spark the track action through Saturday and Sunday."It's the biggest event for Ferrari in Australia and probably the southern hemisphere," says Herbert Appleroth, chief executive of Ferrari Australasia. "To have 400 cars, when the total Ferrari carpark in Australia is only around 2000 cars, is just amazing. Lots of owners are driving their cars to Sydney and I know we have people coming from Perth for the event."The headline cars have been freighted from Italy and around the Pacific region in an airlift that's too costly for Appleroth to discuss. It's the same story for the shipment of more than 40 container loads of cars, parts and equipment, as well as the factory technicians to prepare the cars and run a full-scale F1 pitstop simulation."But you should see the bill for the insurance. It's just insane," he jokes. The Racing Days in Australia follows similar successful events in Japan and Malaysia and, as always, F1 track action is the pivotal play.Appleroth says nine grand prix Ferraris are installed in the garages at Sydney Motorsport Park, six for private owners and three that belong to Ferrari. One of those will be used by F1 test driver Marc Gene, one is a spare, and the third is just for display."You cannot take any chances. People want to see our cars in action," Appleroth says. The F1 cars will share the track with a rare 333 SP sports racer that will be handled by V8 Supercar driver Tony D'Alberto and there will also be sessions for FXX customer cars, two races in the 458 Challenge and track time for owners in their own cars."The owners are not going to puddle around. They'll have a go, and we'll have Marc Gene to coach them," Appleroth says. "It will be non-stop action. We're hoping for up to 10,000 spectators and they will see something unique in Australia." 

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 

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