Ferrari News

Adelaide BMW operator Adelaide Motors has been awarded the prized Ferrari dealership and is finalising plans for a new state-of-the-art, stand-alone showroom. A new “face of Ferrari in SA'” is being sought to operate the dealership, which will offer sales and servicing. Adelaide Motors director Kym McInerney would not reveal the location of the new showroom but said its design had been approved by Ferrari headquarters in Maranello. However, The Advertiser understands the company's Suburban Taxi site at the western end of Hindley St is being proposed for the new development, expected to open later this year. “The new dealership will be a statement of modern Italian design and the showroom structure will incorporate design elements taken directly from Ferrari's vehicles,” Mr McInerney said. Ferrari has been absent from Adelaide's new car sales market since November 2011, when Prestige Formula was downgraded. The president of the South Australian division of the Ferrari Club Australia, Frank Russo, said it was critical the incoming sales and service team offered a superior level of customer service. “Regardless of whether it's a 2013 or a 1960s car, as far as our members are concerned their Ferrari is special,” he said. Adelaide Motors already plans to start servicing Ferraris from its West Tce home next month.  

An Italian driver has crashed his $600,000 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider while trying to overtake another Ferrari on a freeway. The expensive crash was captured on the dash camera of the Ferrari that was travelling with the 458. The crash in southern Italy occurred as the driver of the Ferrari 458 Italia tried to get past the camera car, but instead lost control and fishtailed into a roadside guard rail. According to reports in overseas media, the police were called to the site of the crash, but the Ferrari was not there when they arrived.  

Ferrari -- which it once said it would never build a hybrid car -- has unveiled the world’s fastest and most powerful. And it has fitted a V12 engine for good measure.The Italian supercar maker that used to mock the Toyota Prius, the world’s highest selling hybrid, has been forced to embrace the technology because of stringent emissions regulations in Europe.Ferrari used to boast that its cars produce fewer emissions than the Prius because so few Ferraris are sold each year. There are more than 4 million Prius hybrids on the road compared to Ferrari’s annual production of about 7000 V8 and V12 sportscars.But at least the “LaFerrari” will go like the wind. With a 0 to 100kmh time of “less than 3 seconds” it is almost as fast as a Formula One race car. It has a top speed in excess of 350km/h, and can reach 300km/h from rest in less time than it takes a tiny Smart car to reach 100km/h.It is powered by a conventional 6.2-litre V12 engine matched with a 120kW electric motor to create a combined output of 960 horsepower, or 715kW (more than a race-ready V8 Supercar). It is so fast that tyre maker Pirelli had to develop special tyres.“The LaFerrari represents Ferrari’s most ambitious project yet, to push the boundaries of technology on a road car,” the company said.As with its previous Ferrari supercars, only 499 will be built. Price is yet to be confirmed but it is expected to cost in excess of $AUD1 milllion. None will be made in right-hand-drive so any rich Australians who import one can only use it on a private road.Ignoring the European recession, the Ferrari was just one of three new “hypercars” unveiled at the Geneva motor show overnight.British supercar maker McLaren also unveiled a hybrid supercar called the P1 combining a twin-turbo V8 with electric power, with an expected price tag in excess of $AUD1 million.Meanwhile Lamborghini unveiled a limited edition supercar called the Veneno, named after a famous Spanish fighting bull that killed the bull fighter. Powered by a non-hybrid V12, just three will be made, again with a $AUD1 million-plus price tag.Not everyone is launching head-on into a supercar program, however. Jaguar announced late last year that it had pulled the plug on its hybrid supercar called the CX-75.A Jaguar spokesman told reporters at the time: “After a thorough re-assessment of near-term market conditions, the company’s view is that the global economic landscape does not currently support the introduction of a supercar such as the CX-75.”Jaguar’s hybrid supercar had a 1.6-litre turbo engine matched with an electric motor said to propel it to 100km/k in 2.8 seconds.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

According to the results of a latest study, Ferrari is the world’s most powerful brand, outperforming much larger automakers such as BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. The Prancing Horse also managed to outpace giants such as Apple and Coca Cola when it came to brand power, although it fell short when it came to overall brand value. Topping the list was Apple, with a brand value of $87.3 billion ($84.2 billion AUD), followed by Samsung with a value of $58.8 billion ($56.7 billion AUD) and Google with a value of $52.1 billion ($50.3 billion AUD) for their respective brands. By comparison, Ferrari’s brand value was only $3.6 billion ($3.5 billion AUD). The study, conducted by British research firm Brand Finance, compared the brands of the world’s top 500 companies. One of the key drivers of brand value is revenue, which, as an exclusive luxury brand, Ferrari cannot compete on compared to huge multinationals. However, when you factor in other important financial metrics such as net margins, average revenue per customer, marketing and advertising spend, along with qualitative measures such as brand affection and loyalty, the Prancing Horse comes out on top. According to the researchers, having a strong brand, though an intangible, is a key factor for driving profitable growth; something we’re sure will help Ferrari achieve more records in 2013. Crucially, having a strong brand helps with customer recognition, reputation and loyalty, as well as influence. “It is always a pleasure to top any list and still more so when the competition includes some of the world's most famous companies,” Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said in a statement. “This achievement proves that even in very tough economic times, Italy can still offer the world businesses of excellence.” Five Most Powerful Brands and their brand values (in billions): Five Most Valuable Brands and their brand values (in billions): www.motorauthority.com  

Italian design house Pininfarina will unveil a new concept car honoring the late Sergio Pininfarina at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, with the first teaser image released by the company today.It’s still too early to gauge any details, apart from the concept’s sultry hue, but we know that it will be called the Sergio and that it has been designed with exclusivity, innovation and passion in mind.Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away in his home in Turin, Italy, in July, 2012.He originally started working for the family design business in the 1950s and during his reign was responsible for some impressive cars, including the Fiat 124 Spider, Peugeot 406 Coupe, the Ferrari Testarossa and more recently the Ferrari Enzo and Sintesi concept.Last year Pininfarina used the Geneva show to unveil the Cambiano concept, a stylish sedan powered by a extended-range electric drivetrain consisting of a diesel engine, lithium-ion battery array and four electric motors.Given the description of the latest Sergio concept, we have a feeling Pininfarina is planning something a little sportier this year.www.motorauthority.com  

Ferrari’s replacement for the Enzo supercar, the code-named F150, is on track to be revealed to the public for the first time at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show on March 5, although Ferrari has already beg

But don't read too much into the flat-black paintwork or the misshapen and badly-fitted camouflage body panels. Project 150 will morph from an ugly duckling to a rocketship swan within a month as the replacement for the Enzo supercar is readied for the road. The 150 - which is likely to get a new name before production begins this year - is already being previewed in Europe and a handful of Australian millionaires have placed orders, even though the car is only being built in left-hand drive. "My understanding is that probably six or seven will come to Australia," the head of Australia's Ferrari agency, Neville Crichton, reveals to Carsguide. "It will go to Ferrari owners and collectors rather than new customers. People who own an Enzo now would probably be at the top of the list." Crichton has led a Ferrari renaissance in Australia over the past seven years through his company, Ateco Automotive, with a jump in sales and new multi-million-dollar showrooms built in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. But the success is working against him, as Ferrari is planning to set up a direct factory operation under the direction of its current Japanese chief, Herbert Appleroth. On the F150 front, European sources hint that production of the mid-engined road rocket will begin around the middle of the year as Ferrari goes head-to-head with the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 supercars that are also scheduled for 2013. "I don't know the timing. But I wouldn't be surprised if they show it at the Geneva Show next month," says Crichton. Project 150 is the latest in a string of Ferrari supercars that includes the 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo. Technically, it is powered by a hybrid package that combines a race-bred V12 petrol engine with an F10-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System for a total of around 600 kiloWatts of power. That means a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.0 seconds and a top speed of around 370km/h. Apart from the 150, Crichton says his Italian action for 2013 will be intense. "We're waiting for the F12 Ferrari and the new Maserati Quattroporte," says Crichton, who also holds Australia's Maserati agency, and will retain it after the Ferrari split. "The F12 will be brilliant for the brand and we expect the first cars in July. We have big plans for Maserati, with the smaller Ghibli at the Geneva show."    

One of the most important cars of the decade, Ferrari’s replacement for the Enzo supercar, the code-named F150, is scheduled to be revealed in the coming weeks.Ferrari has already teased us with a few shrouded images of its new flagship, and revealed some of the car's technology, but so far most of the details remain secret.For those readers that can’t wait any longer, and that probably means you, Iacoski Design has come up with a new rendering that provides clues as to how the Ferrari F150 will look.Based on prototypes spotted in the wild, as well as the previous teaser images, the rendering lights up the darkness and shows us the stunning beast hiding in the shadows.The rendering shows an evolution of the Enzo, with influences from the track-only FXX experimental cars as well as Ferrari’s Formula One race cars. This makes sense as the F150’s chief designer Flavio Manzoni previously stated he wanted a look inspired by F1 but not a carbon copy. The rendering also shows that the F150 will likely benefit from an advanced aerodynamics package, which may include active flaps in the front bumper. On the F12 Berlinetta, these open up to feed air to the brake cooling ducts, but only at high operating temperatures in order to minimize drag.The hood and lights, meanwhile, are designed to generate downforce by channeling air away from the upper part of the car to its flanks where it interacts with the wake from the wheel wells to decrease drag.At the heart of the F150 is a full carbon-fiber monocoque, which has been under development for over three years. Heading the design is none other than Rory Byrne, the engineering chief of Ferrari’s F1 team, who has selected four different types of carbon fiber for the monocoque and plans to build them to the same standard as the F1 cars.The end result, says Ferrari, should be a monocoque that displays 27 percent more torsional rigidity and 22 percent more beam stiffness than the Enzo. The structure will also be quite small, with the oversize of the F150 being about the same as the 458 Italia despite it packing a V-12 engine and hybrid system.The engine will be an evolution of the F12 Berlinetta’s 6.3-litre unit, though it will benefit from the addition of Ferrari’s HY-KERS hybrid setup to boost output and lower emissions. Ferrari claims a 10 percent reduction in the 0-200 km/h sprint, along with a 40 percent reduction in emissions compared to a non-hybrid solution.The system will allow for precise torque vectoring, traction control and brake force distribution, too, all of which translate to faster times around a race track. Even the batteries have been chosen for optimal weight and output, giving the electric power component of the F150 the same power-to-weight ratio as systems used in F1.Final output of the F150 could be as high as 686 kW while overall weight could be as low as 1,100 kilograms.Next year is shaping up to be huge for supercar fans, as well as fans of advanced powertrain technology. Not only will we see the launch of the hybrid Ferrari, but arch rival McLaren is planning to launch its new P1 supercar, which is tipped to feature a hybrid system of its own, and then there’s Porsche with the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid.www.motorauthority.com       

Friends and fans of Ferrari will soon have a direct line from Australia to the supercar maker's headquarters in Italy. The expanding network of full Ferrari factory operations is expected to reach down under during 2013, ending the traditional link through an independent importer. The move comes as Ferrari sales continue to boom in Australia and with the impending arrival of a new supercar flagship, codenamed F150 and the replacement for the Enzo road rocket. But the move will not affect Maserati, even though the two Italian brands are currently handled in Australia by the same company, European Automotive Imports. Ferrari denies any plans for a distribution change despite a recent visit by the company's Asia-Pacific boss, Herbert Appleroth, while the head of EAI is predictably guarded. Neville Crichton, who is also the trump at Ateco Automotive, refuses to discuss any Ferrari change despite strengthening rumours. "No comment," Crichton tells Carsguide. But both sides admit there is scope for improvement and change. "There's a lot of growth to be had in Australia," Appleroth reveals to Carsguide. The Sydney native is hugely experienced in the sports car business and worked for the previous Ferrari importer, the Sutton Group in Sydney, before Crichton won the franchise. He moved to Maserati in Italy before sliding across to Ferrari, where he now heads the factory operation in Japan as well as handling the Asian region. Although Crichton refuses to talk about a distribution change, he admits a Ferrari switch is inevitable. "At some stage, for sure, they'll do it. Eventually Ferrari will want to come and do their own thing," says Crichton. The Italian brand is powering through Asia and, in contrast to the European car sales collapse this year. Japanese sales have jumped by 20 per cent and Chinese deliveries are also up by seven per cent, even though the USA is still the biggest market for the brand Ferrari is heading for a solid profit in 2012 and is credited with more than $1 billion in cash reserves. On the Maserati front, EAI looks solid after a recent commitment from Italy that covers the company's massive product overhaul. It is just about to begin production of an all-new Quattroporte and has three other high-profile models to follow, including its first SUV. "Maserati's position in Australia and New Zealand has been transformed over the past seven years with EAI lifting customer service to new levels of excellence, growing sales and developing the brand's awareness and public perception to previously unseen levels," says Gaetano Marino, the Asia-Pacific regional director for Maserati. "This provides the ideal foundation to launch Maserati's new models over the next few years and we look forward to working hand-in-hand with EAI."