Ferrari News

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."  

The first official images of the highly anticipated successor for the Ferrari Enzo - codename F150 - have popped up in the Italian sports car maker’s in house magazine. The pictures show the nose of the car and feature swept-back headlights and an attractive sculpted bonnet. The Enzo replacement is rumoured to use a 7.3-litre V12 together with an F1 style KERS electric motor to develop in excess of 590 kW of power. That’s significantly more than the legendary original Enzo which produced 478 kW. That sort of power combined with significant weight savings - which Ferrari has already foreshadowed at The Paris Motor Show with their carbon fibre chassis – is guaranteed to result in exhilarating performance. The new Ferrari is tipped to have relentless acceleration and a 0-100km/h time of less than 3 seconds. There’s also talk of a double clutch gearbox and ceramic brakes as standard but that’s to be expected for such a flamboyant supercar. When this top of the range Italian stallion goes on sale sometime in late 2013 it is unlikely to retain the F150 codename given the 2011 legal stoush with Ford over the name. It seems The Blue Oval were upset about alleged misappropriating of the famous Ford F-150 pickup name when Ferrari tried to name their 2011 F1 car F150. As a result the successor to the Enzo is rumoured to be wearing a F70 badge.                    

Authorities are expected to move to strip the tennis ace of his driver's licence. A Queensland Transport paperwork bungle mistakenly issued the tennis ace with his open licence -- despite his driving history. Tomic racked up nine demerit points during a series of public run-ins with Gold Coast police, but because the 20-year-old contested the fines, the points were not processed until the court action was finalised months later. The transport loophole allowed Tomic to be issued with his open licence before the fines -- and the demerit points -- were processed. However, Queensland Transport is finally reviewing Tomic's history and the troubled tennis star is expected to be stripped of his licence. Read the full story here.  

The new F12 Berlinetta unveiled in Sydney today might cost almost $700,000 but it’s actually a bargain. The fastest and most powerful Ferrari road car ever made is $200,000 cheaper than the previous pinnacle of the Italian sports-car range, the 599 GTO. The latest Ferrari - air-freighted into Australia overnight ahead of customer previews in Sydney and Melbourne before it jets off to China - has more power than a V8 Supercar. It can reach 100km/h in 3.1 seconds - the same time it takes most cars to reach 40km/h. The previous champion Ferrari, the 599 GTO, reached the speed limit in a comparatively tardy 3.35 seconds. The new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is going fast in more ways than one; it’s sold for 18 months even though supercar sales are on struggle street at the moment. "Our market segment has dropped between 16 and 20 per cent,” says Ferrari Australia general manager Kevin Wall. "Suffice to say the downturn is significant, it’s enough to hurt.” But Ferrari isn't hurting too much. "We will deliver between 100 and 115 cars this year … and have just delivered our 1000th Ferrari in Australia in seven years," says Wall, citing the number of sales since European Automotive Importers took over the distribution of Ferrari cars locally in October 2005. By comparison, it took more than 40 years to sell the first 1000 Ferraris in Australia. Just 2200 Ferraris have been imported into Australia since 1952 – this year is the brand’s 60th anniversary locally. The first Ferrari sold here was a "canary" yellow ‘212 Export’ coupe, and it is still in the country – in pristine condition. Ferrari Australia is hosting potential buyers of the new F12 Berlinetta to VIP previews in Sydney and Melbourne this week, including flying some guests over from mining rich West Australia. If Ferrari Australia reaches its forecast of 115 sales for the year, that will be down from 134 deliveries in 2011 and 126 in 2010. The F12 Berlinetta is not the cheapest new car to wear a Ferrari badge; that title goes to a special "Ferrari" edition of the Fiat 500, which costs $69,990, roughly twice the price of the regular model. Fast facts: Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Price: $691,000 (plus on-road costs) On sale: June 2013 Engine: 6.3-litre V12 (6262cc) Power: 545kW at 8250rpm Torque: 690Nm at 6000rpm Redline: 8700rpm Gearbox: Seven-speed twin-clutch auto 0 to 100km/h: 3.1 sec 0 to 200 km/h: 8.5 sec Weight: 1630kg (46:54 front:rear) Consumption: 15L/100km (350g/km)  

The newly elected deputy mayor and property developer has been ordered to spend a year off the road as punishment for spinning his Ferrari out of control, forcing two women into hospital from their injuries.Salim Mehajer, 26, will also perform 150 hours of community service after Magistrate Brian Maloney found him guilty of negligent driving in the January incident.The Auburn councillor has been spared having to pay a hefty fine.Read full story here. 

In July of this year, one of the greatest designers of all time, the legendary Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away at age 85. During his lifetime, he penned some of most famed cars ever to see the light of the day, many of which were designed for Ferrari. In honour of his contribution to Ferrari, the Italian sports car manufacturer will be hosting an exhibition at its official museum in Maranello, Italy. The new exhibition, titled Le grandi Ferrari di Sergio Pininfarina (Sergio Pininfarina’s great Ferraris), will provide visitors with the chance to get to know the most beautiful Ferraris designed by Pininfarina over 60 years in collaboration with the Prancing Horse. The collection of cars will be housed in three different halls, one each for race cars, concepts and production cars. In the race car hall, some of the highlights will include a Le Mans winning 250 LM, the 250 SWB Stirling Moss drove to win the Touring Trophy, and the experimental Formula 1 Sigma, suggested by Pininfarina in the 1960s.  Moving onto the concept hall, visitors will find cars like the Modulo, the P6 and the extraordinary four-door Pinin. Finally, in the production car hall, visitors will be greeted with a collection of front-engined Berlinettas, the BB prototype, and several other notable models.  Additionally, there will also be a huge mural with all Ferraris ever created by Pininfarina from 1952 until today, including some undisclosed material from the Pininfarina family’s personal collection!  Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari and the Pininfarina family will be present at the opening ceremony of the new exhibition from October 27, 2012, to January 7, 2013. www.motorauthority.com