The Paparazzi Strike Again: Ferrari 599 roadster resurfaces

Photos of topless super-models parading around sun-drenched southern Europe -- the paparazzi never tire of snapping them, we never tire of seeing them, and like so many celebrity gossip magazines, here at Autoblog we never tire of running them. Take, for example, this particular Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano spotted now for the second time sashaying around Italy with its top half off. Not only is the regular car a rare treat to behold, but this one lets slip the promise of something more. Although it hasn't appeared completely topless, this test vehicle is wearing an ill-fitting roof that suggests it may show the way for an upcoming convertible 599. That could mean a soft-top like the F430 Spider, a folding hard-top like the California or a rotating flip-top like that featured on the 575M-based Superamerica. Meanwhile, it could also mean a "regular production" model or a rare special edition for the Italian automaker. With the California just making its debut, the 16M Scuderia Spider just around the corner and the initial batch of spy shots just hitting the web, we asked the people at Ferrari what they were working on. Their response was that they're testing a lot of different ideas and that nothing had been given the green light (yet), so we'll just have to hold on and hope the higher-ups get out their stamps of approval. [Source: Autogespot]

 

Faster than a Speeding Ferrari: Montezemolo invests in Italian TGV

Luca di Montezemolo is already president of Ferrari and chairman of the entire Fiat group, but he isn't about to stop there. Together with Diego della Valle from the famous driving-shoemaker Tod's, the hereditary Marquis di Montezemolo is investing in a new company called Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori (NTV) that plans to start a new high-speed rail service across Italy with a new train design that could put the final nail in Alitalia's coffin. Called the Automotrice à Grande Vitesse (AGV -French for "high-speed self-propelled carriage"), the new bullet train is being built by Alstom, the same company that built the French TGV. But the newer Italian version will use even more efficient engines, located right in the train cars, eliminating the need for a separate locomotive. The AGV is anticipated to reach speeds of 225 mph, which could rival the Enzo and the F2008 for the fastest vehicle Montezemolo has ever thrown his weight behind. [Source: NYT Wheels]

 

Seven-figure Ferraris on the block in Gstaad

Crisis? What crisis? That could be the title of the upcoming auction in Switzerland, where London-based auction house Bonhams is preparing to put a series of multi-million-dollar Ferraris on the block. Among those going under the hammer on December 20 at the Palace Hotel in Gstaad is a the 1955 121 LM Spyder Scaglietti, raced at Le Mans and the Venezuelan by the late, great Phil Hill, and anticipated to fetch $4-5.5 million. A '51 212 Export Spyder by Carrozzeria Motto ($2.4-3.2 million), '58 250 GT TdF Aluminum Competition Berlinetta ($3.5-4.3 million) and an Enzo ($1.1-1.4 million) are also up for grabs, along with the unique Ferrari motorbike we reported earlier. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the Bonhams website for more pics. [Source: Bonhams via Luxist]

 

Ferrari F1 going racing with... Tata Motors?

An historic event will take place at the start of the 2009 Formula 1 season as Italian Ferrari grand prix cars will be emblazoned with the logos of an Indian automaker for the first time ever. Tata Motors, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, has purchased rights to sponsor Ferrari's F1 racing efforts. Details of the duration and the dollar amount have yet to be revealed. This isn't the first time Tata has been involved with F1, however. A few years back, it was a sponsor of both Jordan and Williams' F1 efforts. The partnership is not as left-field as it might initially seem, as Fiat (which owns the Prancing Horse) has a few joint ventures with the Indian automaker. Ferrari, being a very small manufacturer of roadgoing supercars, requires sponsorships such as this to continue racing in such expensive series as Formula 1. For Tata, placing its corporate logos on Ferrari race cars outwardly associates them with one of the most prestigious marques in the world, a move they doubtlessly see as key in their push to become a global automotive force. [Source: Times of India]

 

World Class Driving Review - One Day, Five Supercars

When's the last time you drove a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera? How about a Mercedes McLaren SLR? For most of us, that never happens. The lucky few who can, however, either have enough money to buy one, have a rich friend or relative, or paid an exorbitant amount of money to rent one. Now though, a company called World Class Driving has done all the heavy lifting for you. They tour the country with five supercars at their disposal, charging customers $1495 to drive each one for about 30 minutes a piece. There's probably a stop close to you, so check out the tour schedule and see what cars will be there. We had a chance to attend a World Class Driving (WCD) event in Charlotte, NC last month. Was it worth the $1500 price tag? Keep reading to find out… Christine and I in the Lambo We showed up at the Hampton Inn Southpark hotel in Charlotte at Noon - just in time for the briefing and lunch. After signing the insurance waivers and the necessary agreements (no unnecessary revving of the engines, no burnouts, no turning off traction control, etc) we went over the basics of handling a supercar vs. a regular car. We didn't actually get out of there until around 1:30, as it seems someone in the group before us crashed one of the cars. More on that later. As we headed outside, there sat our supercars - a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Mercedes McLaren SLR, Audi R8, and a Maserati GranTurismo. Oh, the beauty. Passers-by all stopped and gawked, taking pictures and asking about the cars. This leads to my main complaint about WCD: while these cars are great, they were not the cars that I expected to be there. In fact, the list of cars changed multiple times. When we registered for World Class Driving, the list of cars were as follows: Ferrari 599 Fiorano Mercedes SLR McLaren Ferrari F430 Audi R8 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Callaway C16 When I checked a couple months before the event, they changed again: Ferrari 599 Fiorano or Mercedes SLR McLaren Ferrari 430 Scuderia Lamborghini LP560-4 Callaway C16 Maserati GranTurismo Spare After being assured that the list would not be changed again, I checked the list right before the event, and it was as follows: Ferrari 430 Scuderia or Mercedes McLaren SLR Lamborghini LP560-4 Nissan GT-R Audi R8 Maserati GranTurismo Callaway C16 And here's the list of what was actually there: Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Audi R8 Mercedes SLR McLaren Maserati GranTurismo This is frustrating - if you registered because you were looking forward to a specific car (like the Lamborghini LP560-4 for example,) the list changed and you won't be able to drive that car anymore. Lamborghini Gallardo and Maserati GranTurismo But there were supposed to be five cars, not four. Turns out the Ferrari 430 Scuderia was the car that was wrecked, and was still on the side of road. Another frustrating thing was that WCD said they always have a spare car in case something happens to one of them, but apparently didn't have a backup this time. They promised all of the drivers that once they come back into the area (May 2009,) we can come back to drive the Ferrari. After we got done taking pictures and getting briefed on our specific starting cars (we were in the Audi R8 first,) we took off from the hotel. I've been in love with the Audi R8 since it was unveiled, so at this point I was in heaven. Incredibly smooth, awesome engine noise, plenty of interior room, and very quick. The first half of the first drive was through traffic. Starting and stopping at stoplights, working through traffic, etc. This was rather unpleasant, since we only got the last half of the first car drive on open roads. After about 20 minutes (felt like 10,) we got out and went on to the second rotation. The format of the drive was as follows: a lead car driven by our instructor led the way. The rest of us followed behind him, not allowed to pass him or any of the other cars. This naturally led to all of the cars falling way behind the lead car so we could step on it, catching up very quickly, then slowing down again to repeat the process. Our second car was the Maserati GranTurismo. Very smooth and comfortable, great interior look and feel. The acceleration of the Maserati was not as responsive as the Audi, but was more of a swelling speed. An excellent touring car in every way. Christine in the Mercedes SLR McLaren Next up was the Mercedes SLR McLaren. Christine drove the SLR (as you can see above.) She commented on the SLR being very fast, but not having much of a personality. "It's really fast, but it's just another Mercedes" she remarked. An incredibly fast car, but there was something missing. Talking with the other drivers of the day, they felt the same way. Last up was the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. Now this is a supercar, and arguably the coolest car of the bunch. The bright orange finish with the "Superleggera" stripe, carbon fiber everything, and gunmetal wheels drew lots of attention, and had the best engine note of them all. A 520 horsepower V10 and active exhaust served as the radio in this Lambo. Opening the door reveals a nearly flat bare carbon fiber door panel inside. No door handle to close it, just a cloth strap to pull. All of this saves a lot of weight of course, making this Gallardo track-ready and super fun to drive. Without question my favorite car to fall back in - slowing down, cruising at 35, downshifting to 2nd gear, and flooring the throttle rewarded us with explosive acceleration, a screaming Lamborghini V10 behind us…next thing we know the car in front of us is coming up fast as the speedo reads 120 mph. Carbon-ceramic brakes slowed us down very quickly. After the drive, we went back to the hotel and collected our gift bags, which consisted of a folder containing two photos they took before the drive, and a certificate of completion. Also in the bag was a WCD hat, some literature on World Class Driving, and a very cool laser-etched glass Ferrari 599 Fiorano model. We talked with some of the other drivers, traded business cards, thanked the WCD staff, and were on our way back home. So let's get what we didn't like out of the way first. I didn't like that they switched around the cars so much prior to the drive. I completely understand and encourage the practice of keeping the rotation fresh and offer customers the latest and greatest cars. However, when the list changes at least four times, chances are some of the customers were there for at least one specific car. If that car isn't there anymore, they're going to be disappointed. I was extremely disappointed when the list changed and the Audi R8 was omitted; thankfully it changed again and the R8 came back. I was also looking forward to the Nissan GT-R and Lamborghini LP560-4, which weren't there. Audi R8 Second, the Ferrari 430 Scuderia accident was bad for two reasons: mainly we didn't get to drive it, and they didn't have a backup car for us to drive. Also it seemed like the staff was more distracted with the Ferrari than they were with focusing on the customers having a good time. Yes it sucks the Ferrari got wrecked, but that's what insurance is for. Lastly, I didn't like having to spend the first half of the first car driving through city traffic. I kind of feel robbed out of part of my time with the R8, since it was the open roads that were the fun parts of driving. Additionally, I wish there was more time with each car. It felt like we were kind of in a hurry to get back before the sun fell since we took off late. So, despite the few complaints about the event, it was a great time. I look forward to returning in May to drive the Ferrari, and I hope all of the other drivers worked something out as well. For $1500, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us, and a great gift for any car lover. Some of the other drivers there were repeat customers, and most said they would go again. I just hope they keep the freshest new cars coming in (hint: Audi R8 V10,) and with a few tweaks to their process (longer drive times, keep a backup car, etc) would be a perfect experience. Based on our time there and reactions from other drivers, I highly recommend trying out World Class Driving or giving it as a gift to any car lover. Check out WorldClassDriving.com to view schedules, check out the cars, and book your experience. Thanks to the WCD crew for a great time, and I hope to see you at another event soon. Check out the photos below, or click here for the full gallery:

 

Want a Ferrari for Christmas? You Can Have One for $40

Have you finished your Christmas shopping for this year? If not, it is still time to pick up your very own Ferrari for about $40. The Ferrari we are referring too is the Ferrari Perfume and Ferrari Cologne. You didn't think we were talking about the Ferrari vehicle did you? Maybe a Ferrari model car! Ever seen the Ferrari Fragrances on the shelves of your local mall perfume counter? You too can feel fresh-and-so-clean in your very own Ferrari… fragrance while driving your Ford focus. Either way you would have purchased an authentic Ferrari product and still have money to buy your significant-other something special. It does not stop at just purchasing any old fragrance but a Ferrari fragrance with several color (scent) options just like the actual car. I guess Ferrari wants to give everyone that same buying experience but without sacrificing an arm leg and first born. You can purchase your very own Ferrari in Ferrari Black, Ferrari Red, Ferrari Yellow, Ferrari Racing, Ferrari Extreme and even Ferrari Passion… OHHH! So if you can't foot the bill on a Ferrari car, you can settle for the authentic Ferrari Perfume and be just as cool. That is if people actually recognize the distinctive scent of Ferrari Perfumes or Colognes otherwise you're just another smelly guy or gal in a Ford Focus. And NO… it does not smell like the exhaust fumes of a Ferrari so don't even ask! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Bi-Kompressor kits for Ferrari 599

Take your car from 0 - 186 miles per hour in 25.5 seconds!  Making an astounding 777, or up to 808 horsepower, the new Novitec Rosso bi-kompressor systems for the V-12 Ferrari 599 GTB are not for novices!  Like all Novitec Rosso bi-kompressor kits, huge power gains are made from low boost pressures. Longevity [...]