Ferrari to Selectively Use Carbon Fiber

Ferrari’s not alien to the use of carbon fiber. They’ve used it to most of their higher tier cars like the F50 and the Enzo. However, the company’s not keen on using the material fleet-wide.

This comes as an announcement from Ferrari boss Amedeo Felisa. While rivals McLaren, Mercedes, Lambo, and BMW preparing to use the material extensively, Ferrari’s taking the conservative route.

“We will only use carbonfibre on very special cars which have a very low rate of production and which are not for everyday use, such as the new Enzo,” Felisa said.

According to Felisa, the long-term use of carbon fiber on vehicles has yet to be known. Felisa wants Ferrari to maintain its fleet’s repair-ability by sticking to more conventional materials.

“The fact is that nobody today has a real understanding of what happens if you damage a carbonfibre structure,” says Felisa.

Ferrari Enzo Replacement to Pack Twin-Turbo V8?

Ferrari’s quite busy in developing new cars for the next five years. One of the more eagerly anticipated cars will be the next Ferrari Enzo.

Company boss Amedeo Felisa hinted on a few details in an interview with Autocar. Felisa said that the new Enzo will most likely pack a twin-turbo V8 when it comes out in 2012. Ferrari has been experimenting on turbo-charging, making it their crusade to solve turbo lag.

“There are no plans for a six-cylinder engine today,” Felisa said. “Ferrari will not build a six-cylinder engine until customer attitudes towards smaller engines change.”

Ferrari’s also “forced” to experiment with hybrid technology with increasing legislation for better economy. Felisa claims that their work on hybrids is largely to protect their use of the V12. Hybrids are sought to augment the efficiency of their V8s and V10s.

Video: Ferrari 599XX at the Nurburgring

So before you think that the Ferrari 599XX has broken all the previous 7:something lap times of production vehicles, keep in mind that the 599XX isn’t a production car.

However, it can stake a claim at being the fastest production-derived sports car to ever lap the ‘Ring at an astonishing pace of 6:58:16.

The 599XX is derived from the 599 and is the basis of the 599 GTO. It’s powered by a 6.0L V12 that dishes out 700 hp. Its F1-derived gearbox gives it shifting times of 60 milliseconds.

Check out the video below:

Ferrari 599 GTO Configurator

We always like configurators especially since we don’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy ourselves Ferraris and McLarens. So configurators gives us a virtual taste of customizing our “own” supercars.

With the unveiling of the 599 GTO, Ferrari has deemed it fitting to make a configurator online as well. The 599 GTO’s configurator has the same features found in previous Ferrari configurators.

The configurator allows users to tweak the exterior (with paint colors and paint setups) and the interior (seats and consoles customizable with leather and Alcantara bits).

You can also take a snapshot of one setup, build another one and compare the two settings.

Ferrari 599 GTO Unveiled

Ferrari has teased us long enough with the Ferrari 599 GTO. At last, they’ve unveiled it for everyone to see. Check out the fastest ever road going car to come out of Maranello.

The 599 GTO is powered by a 6L V12 that dishes out 661 bhp and 457 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission that, combined with Ferrari’s electronic wizardry, shifts in 60 milliseconds. The powertrain enables the car to go from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds and go all the way up to 208 mph.

Aside from the power, aerodynamics gets part of the credit with the car’s ability to generate 144 kg of downforce at 120 mph thanks to the new nose, front spoiler and lower wing. The also uses lightweight materials to give the car a power-to-weight-ratio of 448 bhp/ton.

The car packs Ferrari’s latest driver aid systems and, combined with the tuned cassis, Ferrari claims the the car has “the almost complete absence of understeer.” Fancy that.

Source: Autocar

Alonso Also Gets a Ferrari 458 Italia

Oh Alonso, you lucky bastard. Not that you ever needed freebies with all the money you’re making driving F1 cars. It appears that Fernando Alonso will have another company car when he doesn’t fancy driving the Maserati GranCabrio.

Alonso’s 458 will be a white one with black interior. And to deter thieves, he’s even got his name and signature on the headrests of the front seats.

I hope Alonso realizes the irony here. The 458 Italia’s development involved his F1 rival Michael Schumacher just before the German switched sides to Mercedes.

I just hope that every time Alonso drives the 458, he gets to realize how Michael Schumacher will always be the better driver. I like Ferrari but for some reason, I don’t seem to like Fernando Alonso.

Source: Autocar