Ferrari News

... in taking the wraps off a driving simulator that taps into their track work with the latest Ferrari F10, opening the experience to online gamers around the world.  High-definition graphics and high-speed response allows the creation of a virtual car on a virtual track, right down to the sort of cornering G-forces experienced by the racers. The Ferrari Virtual Academy is based on the Italian company's in-house test track at Fiorano, although the Mugello and Nurburgring racecourses will soon be added to the action.  "Do you have the guts to challenge me on the track at Fiorano," Alonso asks in Ferrari's official promotion for the simulator. Ferrari says it took 15 experts more than 12,000 hours to creation the simulation, which uses 3D graphics and data processing for the first time on a PC simulation.  The key to the experience is a virtual cockpit and steering wheel which tap into authentic data from the car, including its aerodynamic effects, tyre characteristics and behaviour of the chassis-suspension system, engine and transmission.  Alonso, Massa and Ferrari's F1 test driver Giancarlo Fisichella were all involved in testing of the simulator to ensure a realistic performance. Ferrari says the computer modelling of the car is matched to laser scanning of the real F10 at Fiorano, calibrating the simulator to the actual corners at Fiorano. Drivers on the Ferrari Virtual Academy can record their own time online, as well as taking part in an international tournament for weekly rewards from the Ferrari merchandise catalogue. But, wait, there is more. The five fastest drivers at the end of the tournament will win a trip to Ferrari in Italy and will be rewarded with a place at the Ferrari Driver Academy course.  The simulator costs 14.90 Euro and can be purchased online from the site www.ferrarivirtualacademy.com

The Italian carmaker issued the recall on more than 1200 of the cars, which sell in Australia for $526,950.  The recall cites a design fault in the rear wheel arch as being the cause of the fires, traced to the glue that secures the wheel arch to the car’s chassis being prone to melting in hot weather or when the car has had extended use. The melted glue allows the lining of the wheel arch to come into contact with the exhaust pipe, which carries enough heat to ignite the glue and the lining – with the resulting fire strong enough to melt the aluminium body. Five 458 Italias have so far reported to have been gutted by flames as a result.  Eight cars already been delivered to Australian buyers, and importer Ateco Automotive says all eight owners were contacted first thing this morning. “They were informed of the situation and arrangements were made for the cars to come back to the dealerships and have the necessary work done,” Ateco spokesman Edward Rowe says. “Essentially, we’re replacing part of wheel arch assembly and heat shield alongside. This is being replaced with a unit attached entirely with metal fasteners and the adhesive that was used has been eliminated.” Rowe says that recalls are rare for Ferrari but not unknown.  “We have less than many manufacturers, but this is not unique… there have been a couple of recalls for previous models. Every manufacturer has issues with their vehicles, none of them has zero recalls. “The measure is how you respond to that issue and how you look after the customer … with a level of service that matches the quality of the vehicle.”

When competitors spend hundreds of thousands of dollars turning a car into a work of art they want the world to know what they've done.  Take Mohamed Ibrahim, the owner of a Sydney custom paint and panel shop.He owns three Ferraris, has had about 10 over the years, and his job is to create great-looking wild machines for a host of customers.  His latest Ferrari fleet includes a red 2002 360 Modena, a white 2004 360 Spyder convertible and a yellow 355.And there's his gold car, a BMW.  "Tell them Mohamed Ibrahim, Queen St Smash Repairs, is coming to MotorEx this year to kick some arse."  Ibrahim says he has spent about $200,000 on gold plating the German supercar. Every nut and bolt is gold. The exterior is black.He estimates it will be worth close to $1million when it is unveiled at next weekend's MotorEx custom, modified and collectable car show at the Sydney Showgrounds.  It's the 10th anniversary of the show that proudly promotes chrome, polish, extravagance and wild machinery and everyone's putting in a big effort to make it the best ever.And Ibrahim is certainly playing his part with about 10 cars modified by his shop to go on show. He says the gold-plated car is aimed at making a statement for Australia in the showcar world where in the US, Asian and the Middle East showcars now come encrusted in crystals and diamantes.Ibrahim bought his red 360 Modena F1 Ferrari two years ago in stock condition.  The 3.6-litre V8 2-door coupe was capable of firing from standing still to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds in stock form though it drank fuel at the rate of 13.6L/100km according to the official statistics.He says it underwent a three month makeover where he added 22-inch wheels, upgraded the engine and exhaust and re-did the interior.  Now it's such a head-turner that he says he watched stunned recently when a driver in another car was taking such a good look at the machine, he didn't apply his brakes and crashed into another car in front of him.The red (it's actually called brandy wine) Modena now spends most of its life earning its keep as a wedding car for people to hire.  Ibrahim says while he enjoys many brands of cars Ferraris have a special feel for him."I've always loved them from when I was a little kid," he says.  The Modena will appear at MotorEx in a new category known as Street Elite, for the best cars that can be driven on the street.Meguiar's MotorEx managing director Bruce Morrison says: "The emergence of elite levels of body, paint, engine bay, interiors, plus the use of innovation, special effect finishing, clever engineering and drivability fit into more of a Street Elite category."Driving this new category are the people still prepared to spend what it takes to build their dream car and show it to the world, but also want to drive it."Apart from wild show cars, this year's MotorEx will also feature displays of muscle cars, custom motorcycles and luxury supercars.  The ShowTime freestyle motocrossers will also perform their array of aerial craziness.On Sunday week Shannons will have a custom and collectable auction featuring about 40 vehicles as part of the show.  The stars include an original Holden Torana A9X hatchback.  Shannons says it was the first homologation special built in 1977.It says: "It was initially one of two GM-H press and promotional vehicles before being acquired by leading Sydney Holden dealer and racing driver Ron Hodgson and has covered just 16,000km since new in the hands of a series of careful collector/owners."  The Torana is expected to fetch up to $290,000. Also up for bidding is an ex-Dick Johnson racing 1983 Mustang GT.  Johnson imported two cars for the 1985 Australian touring car season and raced them with limited success until he replaced them with the giant-killing turbocharged Cosworth Sierras in which he eventually won the Bathurst 1000 in 1989. The auctioneers say the car should fetch up to $220,000.

The first of Ferrari's latest mid-engined supercars is ready for the road in Australia, complete with a pricetag of $526,950 and a waiting list which already stretches for 15 months. The pioneer car is not heading for a customer's garage - not yet, anyway - but is doing demonstration work for Ferrari as the brand gears up for a total change in its local portfolio. The V8-powered California coupe-convertible is already going well and winning a record number of women to the brand, but Ferrari says the 458 sets the pace for the brand in everything from its design and engine development - including a sump which operates within a vacuum - to a steering wheel which houses switches for the turn signals, lights and wipers. It has active aerodynamic devices, diamond-like coating on the cylinder bores and fully-integrated electronics to make the car easier and safer to drive despite a 300-plus top speed and 0-100km/h sprint time better than four seconds. "It's a window on the future of technology that will be available across a much wider range of vehicles in the future," says Ferrari's local spokesman, Edward Rowe. All the early 458 deliveries in Australia will be made to long-term Ferrari fans, most adding an extra car to their garage after paying a deposit as much as three years ago. All but a handful are going to men and all have a manu-matic seven-speed gearbox, after demand on the outgoing 430 dropped to almost zero in Australia. "Around 90 per cent are existing Ferrari owners. For about 40 per cent of those people the car will be an addition, not a replacement for an existing car," Rowe says. Ferrari is reluctant to talk about exact pricing for the 458, because of differences in optional equipment and government charges, but Brisbane dealer boss Greg Willims (correct) says most will hit the road at between $580,000 and $590,000. Enamel badges on the front mudguards alone cost $3000. The bottom line is a significant jump from the $460,000 range for the 430, but Ferrari justifies the increase with everything from the car's new technology to improved quality. Around 60 458s will be delivered in the car's first year in Australia as Ferrari aims for just over 100 sales, based on allocations from Italy and not local demand. "Whatever the factory can build, that's what we sell. If a customer was to place an order today the delivery would be later next year," Rowe says. "We don't know what the final allocations for 2011 will be. We prefer to err on the conservative side, because it's better for a customer to get their car earlier than expected." The 458 demonstrator is a classic Ferrari, with red bodywork and tan leather trim, but picks up painted yellow calipers on its carbon brakes, side shields, larger alloy wheels, electric seats and upgraded headlamps.

A Mustang is a wild brumby in the USA but also one of the all-time best muscle cars; the LandCruiser does just what the name says, even if the land is the worst of the Australian outback; and the Enzo is a tribute to the man who founded the world's best-know supercar company, Ferrari.But the name game can go badly wrong.  The Nissan Cedric was never going to be a hit in Australia with a name that creates a picture of an aging uncle Arthur in a cardigan, Taurus is tough in the USA but was always going to flop against the Falcon, and the Skoda Roomster has just been dumped after failing to find a home down under.Holden was careful to avoid the VD in its Commodore line, but why did it start with the VB and not the VA? And what about the Statesman, which went well as the WB but was never updated into the WC?  Just this week I was following a Citroen Jumpy delivery fan in Portugal, and wondering if the name was a reflection of the driver's behaviour or the way it runs on the road.The craziness goes on and on, like the Citroen Picasso people mover which is anything but an oil painting.  Today's showrooms also have cars whose names have more numbers and letters than a cryptic crossword, with just as much meaning. Who really knows the difference between an A7 and a C350?But head back in history and there are some absolute clangers.  Henry Ford named the 1950s Edsel after his son, but is now recorded as one of the biggest flops in blue-oval history.  Japan has given us everything from the Daihatsu Rocky and Rugger to the Honda Ascot and Acty Crawler and on through the Isuzu Big Horn to the Subaru Justy.Nissan created the Tiida name from nothing, even though it claims it has something to do with waves breaking on a beach, and Lexus is even a made-up brand name, in contrast to Mercedes which was named after an early Daimler customer's daughter.  Over in America, the AMC Gremlin was a flop, the Dodge Neon never went up in lights, Plymouth Reliant never lived up to its promise, and the Lincoln Town Car was so big it needed its own postcode.Even some of the names which have worked create more questions than answers about their creation.  The Kia Mentor is more likely to need one, the Honda Jazz is not much of a music machine and the Suzuki Cappucino was too frothy to sell in Australia.Some names also paint a picture because of their history.  Mention Celica and lots of people in Australia think hairdresser.  Ask about the Nissan GT-R and you'll hear about Godzilla.Camry is shorthand for fridge-on-wheels, Kingswood is classic sixties kitsch, and then there is the Goggomobil.  So, what's causing a Rukus today? The Toyota Rukus, for a start.We could also get the Nissan Cube, which is as boxy as its name, although Nissan Australia is also pushing for a return of the Pulsar badge which worked so well before the silly switch to Tiida.  Right now we have the Skoda Superb in Australian showrooms. If that's not a name which creates a serious expectation then we don't know our Falcodores.When Toyota was looking for a new name for a mid-sized car alongside the Camry it thought it had the ideal choice. It settled on Centaur - the mythical man-horse - because it sounded tough.  But no-one at Toyota Australia had taken into account a nasty incident in World War II during the battle for the Pacific.A hospital ship called the Centaur was sailing towards Brisbane when it was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. The idea of a Toyota Centaur sunk even faster.  The Centaur badges were crushed, all the paperwork was changed and so was the advertising. The Centaur quickly became the Avalon for Australia.  How do we know? Carsguide made the call to Toyota to warn about the problem. Japanese cars have always led the way in the silly-names race.  How about the Mazda Bongy Brawny? No, not the name for an off-road tough SUV, it was the badge on the back of a city delivery van with a 1.3-litre engine.Everyone has heard the story about the Mitsubishi Starion, and whether the company's sales team actually meant to call the turbo coupe the Stallion.  And then there is the Pajero. It's called the Montero in Spain, because Pajero is the word for something usually done alone in private.

Winnebago marketing manager Max Mayo says while most campervans are designed to cater for two people, these ones will be patterned after the space and comfort of the larger motorhome styles."Our new campervans take comfort and versatility to a new plateau and both models will cater for four people in style," he says.The Escape is a 6.4m campervan on a Fiat Ducato three-litre turbo diesel, while the Diversion is built on a 7.3m, long-wheelbase Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. There are no prices yet for the Diversion, but the drive-away price of the Escape is $105,929.They feature an electric roll-down bed which drops from the ceiling and can sleep two adults. There are other beds for two more people.Both will be displayed for the first time at the Queensland Caravan Camping Touring and Holiday Show from June 9 to 15 at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.While most campervans do not include bathroom and toilet facilities or have a small shower recess, the Escape and Diversion have an expanding bathroom system with a flushing toilet.There is also a large "garage" area in the rear of the campervans made by storing the electric double bed against the ceiling and folding up the two single beds against the wall. The space created can hold a motorbike or two, a quad bike, bicycles, surfboards fishing rods and more.During the week, the Escape can double as mum's car or as a tradies truck with optional checker plating installed for the tool box. On the weekend, it can be used as a self-contained campervan. Winnebago claims the Escape has the biggest bathroom of any campervan and features a fold away external table.The Diversion is highlighted by leather armchairs, well-equipped kitchen, a sofa bed which converts electronically into a large comfortable bed and large awning. It also features roof and cabin air-conditioning, an LCD 12 volt TV with DVD player inbuilt , awning, microwave, two gas bottles and the largest campervan bathroom on the market.Both campervans have kitchen drawers that can be accessed from outside.

But it is the European brands who are trumping the locals with a range of concepts and production cars intended to tap into the sales boom and gold rush in China. Mercedes-Benz shows its Shooting Break wagon, Volkswagen has the new Phaeton flagship, Audi has a long-wheelbase A6, BMW has a new four- door coupe and Ferrari has its F599 GTO to make the running.The 45 local brands are doing their best - with Great Wall alone showing nine new models - but they are the entree for the main course choices from Europe. The big news from the Chinese carmakers - including Australian start-ups Chery, Geely and Great Wall - is a strong emphasis on green cars, mostly fully-electric plug-ins but with a smattering of hybrids.A total of 95 alternate-energy vehicles are spread through the nine giant, pulsating, colourful stands at the Beijing Exhibition. Even Volkswagen is using China Auto 2010 to push its electric strategy, promising to start local production of plug-ins between 2013 and 2014."As China becomes Volkswagen's most important market around the world, achievement in the electric-vehicle segment in China is key," says Martin Winterkorn, global chief of VW.Holden is helping GM make a Beijing splash with the latest version of the Volt, a boxy five-door SUV concept, which was built by the design crew at Fishermans Bend. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of the biggest motor show in China, as first-quarter sales in the country rocketed to 4.7 million vehicles this year.Most full-year sales forecasts for 2010 are set in the 16.2 to 16.5 million range, well ahead of the USA and fueled by overall economy growth which continues to run in the 8-9 per cent, year-on-year.

Just as things are calming after Toyota's eight-million-vehicle mistakes in the USA and Europe, Mazda is hit with a 90,000-car recall in Japan and China.Australia has again dodged the recall, which only applies to a specific model of the Mazda3 not sold here, but things are looking tougher for even the world's most-admired brands. "The Mazda3 is not affected in Australia," says company spokesman Steve Maciver. "It's only the 1.6-litre engine, which we do not get here."But Toyota Australia was forced to recall the latest Prius hybrid for tweaking of the braking system; elderly Daihatsus have been recalled - ironically, under the Toyota banner; and Great Wall was forced to recall the first batch of its Chinese twin-cab utes to rectify a seat belt problem.Even Suzuki, which has one of the lowest warranty-claim rates in the country, was forced to recall the baby Alto because of a problem with wiring to the stoplights. Suzuki Australia is still sourcing a replacement stoplamp switch and will contact owners.Then there is Toyota USA, which is hit with another cloud over the Lexus GS460. It's a heavyweight SUV which is built up from the Prado and, thanks to an unsafe rating by the influential magazine 'Consumer Reports', sales have been stopped while the company conducts safety tests. It is responding to claims the car can develop a tail slide, leading to a rollover, in an emergency situation. Once again, Toyota Australia is responding with a 'no panic' reply."The Lexus GX460 is not and has never been sold in Australia. Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has advised us that Prado is not affected by the sales stop. It has a smaller engine and significantly less weight overall, particularly over the front wheels, says Toyota and Lexus spokesman, Mike Breen. Toyota is even putting a positive spin on the Lexus development."This is firm evidence of Toyota’s stated intention to respond even more quickly to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. It shows that Toyota is taking the matter seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue that was identified," Breen says. "Having done that, Toyota Motor Corporation has adopted its normal approach of conducting further tests on other SUVs. These vehicles have already undergone extensive testing and Toyota is confident they meet its high safety standards. Toyota is therefore conducting these tests as an additional measure to ensure customer confidence."And it's not just cheap-and-cheerful car brands that get caught up in recalls. Ferrari is also suffering after recalling more than 2000 of its F355 model fitted with a single fuel pump system and sold in the 1990s. Ferrari says it will be contacting known owners so their cars can be checked for a problem with the fuel system pipes.Porsche, meanwhile, plans to recall 152 of its all-new Panamera flagship, which sells from $270,000 to $365,000. They have to be checked for faulty seatbelt mounting points.

The three companies with Australia in their sights - Great Wall, Chery and Geely - are all expected to unveil new value-driven compacts and SUVs at the country's biggest annual motoring event.  Great Wall is the only brand with vehicles already in local showrooms, a dual-cab ute and SUV, but Chery and Geely will both hit the road down under before the end of 2010.BYD, a technology leader for China, is also planning to reveal its first plug-in electric cars in Beijing although it currently has no plans to sell overseas.  All 47 of China's manufacturers are expected to have something new at the show, with a move away from the copycat designs of the past - everything from the Rolls-Royce Phantom to the BMW X5 was either parodied or duplicated - to unique Chinese designs."They will all show their new export cars," says Ric Hull, the Ateco Automotive executive responsible for the Great Wall and Chery brands.  Hull says the Chinese car industry is advancing so rapidly it is hard to keep tabs on the new-model action."I think everything has to be seen in the context of the market. The Chinese made and sold about 13.6 million vehicles last year, and the US was 10.4 million," he says.  "They have not only eclipsed the US, they have gone way beyond them. In good years the US is 17 million, but the Chinese are there already."In the first quarter of this year, they have sold 4.6 million vehicles. So you're now talking 18 or 20 million a year. It's just gone bezerk.  "The thing that fascinates me most is how anyone can lift production to those levels. I don't believe the Japanese could do it, or even the Koreans."Hull says Ateco is already on track with additions to the Great Wall range including a single-cab ute, with Chery to hit first with a compact SUV.  "We'll launch Chery in August. It has just been an agonizing process to get the compliance issues in place, but it will be fine."I'm hoping to launch a RAV4-kind of vehicle at a really good price.  "Great Wall are talking about a 1.5-litre car that we'll introduce before the end of the year. They are getting there and getting there awfully, awfully quickly."Hull says he is expecting rapid improvement in Chinese vehicles, with quality and safety as top priorities.  Great Wall is just about to face its second ANCAP crash-test barrier in Australia and, following the miserable two-star result for the ute, Hull is hoping for a four-star rating for the brand's SUV."We took a hammering from NCAP on the utes but Great Wall reacted and they have made a lot of changes," Hull says.  Car sales in China are so important that all the world's major makers will be displaying in Beijing.Even though many skipped last year's Tokyo Motor Show, previously the world's equal number one with Frankfurt every two years, no-one can afford to miss the biggest motoring event in China.  There were more than a dozen world previews at the last Beijing show and a lot of the action is at the upmarket end of the business in 2010.Ferrari is unveiling its new go-faster flagship, the 599 GTO, and Mercedes-Benz will reveal an update of the $1.5 million Maybach ultra- luxury limousine.

The Maranello-based company has confirmed details of the 599 GTO ahead of its official launch at the Beijing Motor Show later this month. The road-ready street car is based on the experimental 599XX track car. It has already proven its race-track credentials too. The 599 GTO set a record lap time at the company's Fiorano test track in Maranello with a time of 1:24. Developing 500kW at 8250 revs and 620Nm at 6500 revs, the six-speed GTO hits 100kmh in just 3.35 seconds with a top speed of more than 335km/h. Despite the increase in power over the 599 GTB Fiorano, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions improve slightly to 17.5 litres/100km and 411 g/km respectively. Widespread use of composite materials and components from Formula 1 have kept the car's overall weight down to 1605kg - 80kg less than a Holden Commodore Omega.To match the performance, it gets the latest, second-generation carbon-ceramic brakes which are lighter and offer better performance. There are also new aerodynamic innovations, such as the wheel doughnuts which increase aerodynamic efficiency and improved brake cooling. A different tyre set-up with wider front tyres helps improve roadholding. Ferrari has thrown in what it calls the "virtual race engineer'' device, which provides the driver with instantaneous information on performance. Apart from new springs and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar, the car also features Ferrari's second-generation magnetic suspension system. Local prices and specifications will be announced when the car arrives next year. In Europe the GTO costs $461,238 but its local price is tipped to be significantly more. However, the size of your bank account will not guarantee pole position behind the wheel of Ferrari's newest sportscar. "Cars will only be sold to Ferrari's most valued customers worldwide," according to Edward Rowe, a spokesman for Ferrari importer Ateco Automotive Ltd. Rowe says many of these customers will already have a stable of Ferraris in their garages. Even though 10 Australian and New Zealand customers have expressed interest in the new 12-cylinder 599 GTO, not everyone will be able to walk into a showroom and order Maranello's latest weapon. With just 599 being made, many already have customer names to them. Australia has not been allocated a specific number of cars but only a handful are expected to arrive early next year. "We have no definitive number of the car we'll get," Rowe says. The GTO gets its first public airing at this month's Beijing Motor Show - recognition that China is emerging as one of the brand's strongest global markets.