Ferrari F12 News

Ferrari has won its first top engine "Oscar". The 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 from the legendary Italian brand is the International Engine of the Year.

The trend now is for silver and grey, with bright custom colours and a growing number of matt choices, even at Ferrari. The Italian company has customarily sprayed the vast majority of its cars in its signature "racing red", Rosso Corsa, but the percentage is falling fast. Ferrari has revealed the first pictures of

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  

Hyundai has given a look at the first of its show cars headed for SEMA in November: a loudly blue Genesis Coupe modified by Bisimoto Engineering.Based on a Hyundai Genesis 3.8 R-Spec, the concept added two turbochargers to the donor car's naturally aspirated V6, which also gained a raft of other changes, including forged pistons, a bigger fuel pump to feed the unit and the aggressive exposed radiator look of an intercooler to cool it -- resulting in a power output of 745kW.Yes, 745kW -- 200kW more than a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. In fact, it also trumps the Bugatti Veyron's 736kW. The Bisimoto Genesis Coupe sports an eye-gouging blue paint job set off by carbon fibre and black panels, and rides low-slung on 20-inch Incurve aluminum wheels.The cabin gets track-ready kit, including a roll cage, racing seats and harnesses --fitting with Hyundai's statement the Bisimoto Genesis aims to blend "the reliability of a street car but with the outrageous power of a no-holds-barred racer." Hyundai and other carmakers will be revealing other outrageous concepts ahead of SEMA's opening in Las Vegas on November 5.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ferrari is very picky about who it will afford the opportunity of purchasing its latest supercar. The newest of the mad machines is the LaFerrari, and you need a green light from the automaker before you shell out the big bucks needed to buy it.One Filipino man hopes to add the LaFerrari to his garage... so he was forced to first buy the new F12 before he even has a shot at the LaFerrari. The cost of a F12 Berlinetta is around $836,000 in the Philippines. That's an awful lot of money, especially when spending it doesn't ensure that this well-heeled chap will even get a chance to spend more money on the LaFerrari. Still, if you have that close to a million to spend on one car you possibly didn't want as your main goal, then you likely also have enough to spend more than that on another that is the real target.The automaker apparently requires LaFerrari potentials to have at least five prancing horse-badged automobiles in their stable, and this man figured the F12 would fit the bill. We can't feel too bad for the guy, especially considering his new purchase provides him with plenty of power. Ferrari’s newest flagship, the LaFerrari, is the fastest and most powerful road car ever launched by the company.With 715 kilowatts and more than 900 Newton metres of torque delivered by its V12 hybrid drivetrain, the LaFerrari will accelerate to 100km/h in under 3.0 seconds, hit 300km/h in 15 seconds and go on to reach an undisclosed top speed in excess of 350km/h. We assume he takes his accountant for a spin around the block, and then proceeds to drown out his or her voice with the go pedal. That's what we'd do at least.www.motorauthority.com 

Switzerland is car-making neutral ground and has little vehicle industry of its own. But its annual showcase has a reputation as the "designer" show, where the elite brands put their best ideas on display and the minor players can share the limelight.VOLVO V40Vehicle: Small premium hatch.Volvo has been treading water on vehicle development and a clear strategic direction has yet to emerge after its takeover by China's Geely two years ago. Its first new product since then still owes a lot to previous parent Ford, with parts of the V40 traceable to the Focus.But like the Mercedes A-Class, it tackles the booming segment of premium compact hatchbacks and is expected to add 100,000 sales a year. Volvo chief Stefan Jacoby says it sets new standards in the segment, with features trickling down from its larger cars. These include City Safety, a collision avoidance system that can prevent a rear-ender at up to 50km/h, and the headline feature, the world's first pedestrian airbag, which deploys from the rear edge of the bonnet.PORSCHE BOXSTERVehicle: Convertible sportscar."The car that rescued Porsche'' is not over-stating the significance of the Boxster, its little mid-engined roadster, which troubled brand purists when it appeared in the 1990s but undoubtedly brought the brand back from the financial precipice.Pictures of the heavily restyled new car have been around for a while but Porsche saved the real thing for Geneva. It shares many of its innovations with the 911, and Porsche will be rolling out variants of these two models for years to come. Lighter than before despite a longer wheelbase and wider track, two flat-six engines are offered from the outset: a 195kW 2.7-litre or 232kW 3.4-litre in the Boxster S. Its bound to better than the last one, and that's still the benchmark in this category.MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASSVehicle: Luxury hatchback.Mercedes-Benz has had mixed fortunes with small cars. Its previous A and B-Class were the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of a segment that contained cars such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series.Expensive to build and mumsie in their appeal, Mercedes has torn up that approach and started from scratch. The A will be the smallest and least expensive of what will eventually be a five-car line-up in which only the practical mini-bus B is recognisable from before. The premium small car market is running hot and the A will aim to lure anyone shopping with Golf money and above. It's more macho, more premium and ready-fitted with top-shelf equipment such as collision prevention systems. It's also Mercedes biggest roll of the dice since the new M-Class SUV.FERRARI F12 BERLINETTAVehicle: Supercar.Most Ferraris sold are V8s, particularly since it added the entry-level California convertible to its range. Thanks in part to that car, last year production reached a record of 7200, and its margins are the envy of the industry.But true believers know it's the 12-cylinder cars that are really at the heart of the badge. Last year it replaced its flagship four-seater 12-cylinder and this year it rolls out its two-seater V12 coupe, the F12 Berlinetta. This replaces the six-year old 599 GTB and lifts the bar on performance even further. The F12 is the most powerful road car Ferrari has built, with a new 6.3-litre engine that develops 544kW and can rev to 8700rpm. It propels the F12 to 100km/h in 3.1 seconds and 200km/h in 8.5. Ferrari has been fast-tracking technology recently and the F12 comes with every dynamic trick Ferrari can muster.INFINITI EMERG-EVehicle: Concept supercar.Nissan's luxury division Infiniti has global ambitions after years establishing a foothold in the US. For its fifth appearance at the Geneva show it rolled out the third in a trio of concepts that demonstrate the evolution of its design thinking. The clunkily named Emerg-e pushes the boundaries on technology and performance.Its striking silver carbon-fibre body houses lithium ion batteries that power two mid-mounted electric motors. Together they pump out 300kW and can power the car to 100km/h in four seconds. Emerg-e can travel 50km on electricity before a three-cylinder petrol engine fires up and extends its range to almost 500km. Infiniti launches in Australia later this year.BENTLEY EXP 9 FVehicle: Luxury SUV.There's long been a gap in the SUV market above the most expensive Range Rovers and Porsche Cayennes that elite makers have been slow to fill. Not any more. In a few weeks, Lamborghini will unveil its extreme offroader, but Bentley has got in first with the EXP 9 F.Its first experimental, or EXP, car in a decade, the F stands for Falcon, the fastest animal on the planet. Huge and in many people's eyes not the prettiest, it's recognisably a Bentley thanks to its matrix grille, strong haunches and interior heavy with wood and leather.The showcar boasts 23-inch "turbine'' wheels, while under the bonnet is the same 6.0-litre turbo W12 engine that powers Bentley's GT line. Its goal is to set a new pinnacle for the segment, it says, and, despite any production schedule, Bentley left little doubt it was committed to the idea.BERTONE NUCCIOVehicle: Concept sportscar.Geneva is where the European tuners, aftermarket specialists and styling houses turn up to impress the industry with their skills. It's where names such as Pininfarina and Giugiaro, Ruf and EDAG strut their stuff alongside the majors.One of them, Italian design specialist Bertone, has survived to celebrate 100 years against the odds. Its showcar, named after the "master of Italian style'' Nuccio Bertone, honours that milestone and the determination of his widow to keep the company going.The car, a dramatic orange-and-grey wedge with a mid-mounted 4.3-litre V8, references famous concepts from Bertone's past, such as the Lancia Stratos Zero of 1970. You can't see out the back, so a camera feeds the view on to an LED-screen-virtual-rear-window. It's unlikely to go into production, but shows there's life in Bertone yet.LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR JVehicle: One-off supercar.What does it feel like to have the wind in your hair at 300km/h? If you're the one with more than E2 million ($2.5m) to spend on the Aventador J, then you'll find out. Only one will be built, and even by Lamborghini's extreme standards this is an uncompromising set of wheels.It starts life as the Aventador, Lamborghini's new carbon-fibre mid-engined V12 supercar, and then doubles down. It removes the roof and windscreen and you can forget about satnav or a radio. It's unlikely you'll be able to hear much, anyway, apart from the engine because the cover has gone, replaced by a carbon-fibre lattice. Underneath is the same 6.5-litre 515kW V12 that propels the Aventador, but with less weight to shift. Lamborghini doesn't say how fast it is, but it does refer to the driver as a "pilot''.LAND ROVER EVOQUE CONVERTIBLEVehicle: Convertible SUV concept car.Almost four years since it was taken over by Indian giant Tata, Jaguar Land Rover really is hitting its straps. Profits exceeded pound stg. 1 billion ($1.48bn) last year for the first time, it's pumping money into R&D and creating 4000 jobs. Plans are also afoot to expand production into India, China and Brazil.One reason: in the Evoque luxury SUV it has a phenomenal hit on its hands. Evoque's success hinges on its striking design and Land Rover takes the idea further in its Geneva showcar, which is a study for an open-top version. Officially designed to "gauge reaction'', it will certainly get made if JLR has an assembly line spare

... rival the prices on the BMW options' list for things like salad and spuds.So it's no surprise that the top end of town calls the shots at the Palexpo alongside Geneva Airport as Europe's carmakers go head-to-head for the first time in 2012. Ferrari and Lamborghini battle for go-faster bragging rights as Rolls-Royce and Bentley get serious about family motoring for the ultra-rich, while Infiniti pitches an new exotic coupe and even Ssangyong of Korea goes upmarket with a new concept. There are also dozens of one-off dream machines and hotrod tuner cars in Geneva, a show that is traditionally dominated by European design stars including Pininfarina and Giugiaro. But there is plenty, too, for ordinary car buyers as the Fiesta ST brakes cover, Hyundai updates the i20 and teases with the Veloster Turbo, Jaguar confirms an XF station wagon, Audi and Mercedes-Benz previews their A3 and A-Class, and Ford even updates its box-boring Transit workhorse. Picking the best of the best is tough with so much gorgeous stuff on the stands, but Alfa Romeo is the winner for 2012 and edges out the Infiniti Emerge-E with its Disco Volante.The pretty little red coupe is dreamy without being stupid and is already confirmed for production, although the slightly-retro body will be draped over Alfa's existing 8C Competizione chassis - 4.7-litre V8, 335kW, 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds - which means it's no chance for Australia with only left-hand drive.The Ferrari F12 is exactly what you expect from the fastest car to wear the badge - 340km/h and 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds - including a swoopy body that taps the past as well as the influences that created the California convertible, but Lamborghini goes even better with an Aventador J preview car that is snapped up for a rumoured $2.8 million ahead of genuine production of an open-topped Aventador supercar.Rolls-Royce updates the Phantom with a new nose that still demands respect, as well as tweaking its colour choices with a two-tone approach that triggers memories of cheap seventies vinyl roofs, and Jaguar gets serious for families with an XF Sportbrake that will still struggle in a world of SUVs.Further down the food chain, the Audi A3 looks good but not as edgy as an A-Class that must break away from the bus pass generation into something closer to the Y-Gen futurists, and Volkswagen previews a more car-like Tiguan crossover with its Cross Coupe.Hyundai has a preview of a new flagship coupe called the i-oniq - did it mean ironic? - Kia shows a Track'ster that will become the new Soul, Honda shows the CR-V design that's coming to Australia, and the pocket rocket Ford Fiesta ST breaks cover with a confirmation for Australia.The action and excitement at Geneva goes on and on, and that is - really - the best thing about the show. Detroit in January hinted that the word's carmakers are finally emerging from the austerity and fear of the global financial crisis and the big-spending effort in Geneva confirms it, with good news for almost everyone from Euro billionaires to ordinary Aussie families.PG PICKS:1. Bentley EXP 9 F.Only one word fits - Ugly. With a big capital U. The hulking British bulldog might tick the boxes for cashed-up families, but this SUV makes a LandCruiser look elegant, and subtle.2. Giugiaro Brivido.Exactly what you expect to see in Geneva, as designers go all-out to impress the crowds - and each other. Not for production but a great looker with huge gullwing doors.3. Range Rover Evoque Convertible. A certainty for production as Land Rover milks its most successful design - ever. This one will never go bush but is being fast tracked for Double Bay and Toorak.4. Ssangyong XIV-2. Who knew the South Koreans could trump the Euros with a design that combines SUV practicality with a coupe-convertible body? A big surprise.5. Toyota FT-Bh: Just when you thought the uglies were done, Toyota lobbed with this. If it's the future for hybrid cars then sales will be slow. Very slow.

This year’s Geneva show includes about 180 new car debuts, and the line-up certainly hasn’t disappointed us.A delicious parade of top-shelf exotics and concepts will hog the spotlight of course: the stunning Lamborghini Aventador J, the Volkswagen-linked Giugiaro Brivido, the Infinti Emerg-E, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta will all fight for attention.But in the face of economies across Europe struggling – in some cases stumbling towards a crash – it’s clear from the unveilings that there’s a strong move towards downsizing.Skoda’s Citigo, Volkwagen’s Up and even the Volvo V40 are all practical takes on a smaller and leaner world.But the SUVs still get a look-in, with the likes of Mitsubishi flagging their plug-in Outlander, Nissan’s Hi-Cross clearly hinting at the next X-Trail – although they won’t come right out and say it.And Bentley proving yet again that money doesn’t even need to buy style and taste with the ugliest thing on wheels since … possibly ever.Electric, hybrid and range-extender technology is everywhere at Geneva, showing that - in Europe at least – it has long moved past being some kind of geeky indulgence. Every carmaker is talking economy and value. And there’s a lot more chatter about global platforms, with VW taking it to a planned one-size-fits-all extreme.What does it mean for the buyer? At the very least, while our economy looks pretty healthy here, the disasters elsewhere are having a strong impact on industry attitudes, and that means carmakers are going to try harder than ever to win over our wallets.Expect to see leaner cars, smarter cars and – faced with increasing competition from emerging industrial giants like China and India – better value cars. That’s good news for all of us. 

The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta ratchets up the supercar bar with unprecedented performance from its new engine, combined with innovative design that redefines classic themes along with extreme aerodynamics.The mid-front-engined sports car is the most powerful and high-performance Ferrari road car ever launched. Ferrari's traditional transaxle layout has been revised to match the more extreme performance of the car.The wheelbase has been shortened and the engine, dashboard and seats have been lowered in the chassis, while the new layout of the rear suspension and gearbox enabled Ferrari's engineers to make the rear volume of the car smaller.The overall result is a very compact car with a lower centre of gravity that is further back in the chassis, and a high level of aerodynamic efficiency. Scaglietti, renowned for its expertise in aluminium materials and construction, designed an all-new spaceframe chassis and bodyshell using 12 different kinds of alloys, some of which have been used for the first time in the automotive sector, and employing new assembly and joining techniques.This has resulted in a 20 per cent increase in structural rigidity while reducing weight (1525kg) with 54 per cent over the rear.The F12 Berlinetta's naturally aspirated 6.2 litre, V12 engine delivers 544kW with a torque peak of 690Nm, 80 per cent of which is available at 2,500 rpm. The engine revs to 8,700 rpm and is mated to a F1 style dual-clutch transmission, which has closer gear ratios developed specifically for this car's performance.The Berlinetta's technical specifications are completed by Ferrari's latest generation carbon-ceramic brakes and the evolution of the magnetic suspension control system.The result is that the new Berlinetta accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and from 0-200 km/h in 8.5 seconds. It also completes a lap of the Fiorano circuit in 1'23", faster than any other Ferrari road car.The design of the car is a result of the collaboration between the Ferrari Styling Centre and Pininfarina. It's gorgeous.The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta will arrive Australia in early 2013, when local prices and specifications will be announced.