Ferrari 458 Spider wins "Best Cabrio 2011" in Auto Zeitung

Ferrari 458 Spider wins "Best Cabrio 2011" in Auto Zeitung

Maranello, 23 November 2011. The Ferrari 458 Spider has been awarded the title of “Best Imported Cabrio 2011” by the leading German magazine Auto Zeitung. 

The 458 Spider was selected ahead of a number of other international sports car models in the annual readers’ poll conducted by the magazine and the prestigious prize was handed over during the award ceremony held today in Düsseldorf. 

This is the second international award to have been won by the 458 Spider since its launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011 and continues the critical acclaim for the 458 model that has already received over 35 awards in its short career.

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Geneva debut of the uniquely powerful and versatile FF, Ferrari's first four-seater, four-wheel drive car

Geneva debut of the uniquely powerful and versatile FF, Ferrari's first four-seater, four-wheel drive car

Another record for the multi-award-winning 458 Italia: Best-in-class emissions of just 275 g/km 

Geneva, March 1st – The 81st Geneva International Motor Show will play host to the unveiling of two major new Prancing Horse innovations: the revolutionary FF, a four-wheel drive four-seater with a mid-front V12 that is the most powerful and versatile car Ferrari has ever built, and the 458 Italia sporting the HELE (High Emotions Low Emissions) System which cuts CO2 to just 275 g/km.

This new emissions figure represents a reduction of 15 per cent and is another remarkable achievement for the 458 Italia which has already received over 20 awards from the world’s most prestigious car magazines. The 458 Italia now boasts the lowest emissions of any sports car in its class on the market. 

The FF also makes its eagerly-waited debut at Geneva after the huge build-up of expectation and interest created by the client premiere at Maranello broadcast online by www.ferrari.com. 

The revolutionary FF offers a completely new take on the sporting Grand Tourer theme. It is not only the first Ferrari with four-wheel drive, but, more significantly, a model that hails a major break with the past, effortlessly melding extreme sports car performance with the versatility and usability of a genuine GT and boasting an extremely innovative design.

Every single area of the FF brims with innovation, not least its engine, the first GDI V12 to be coupled with the seven-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox. The V12 unleashes a massive 660 CV at 8,000 rpm, and maximum torque of 683 Nm at 6,000 rpm with 500 Nm already available at just 1,000 rpm. This ensures the performance figures of an extreme sports car, with the 0-100 km/h sprint covered in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 335 km/h. Efficiency has been significantly boosted too, with fuel consumption now standing at just 15.4 litres per 100 km, and CO2 emissions at 360 g/km, a 25 per cent reduction compared to the previous V12s, thanks in part to the HELE (High Emotions- Low Emissions) System which incorporates Stop&Start technology.

Uniquely, the FF also guarantees this exceptional performance on terrain with very low grip coefficients, thanks to Ferrari’s own patented 4RM four-wheel drive system. Torque is still delivered by the rear wheels, but the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) ensures that as much as is required is also transferred to the front wheels when necessary on low grip surfaces. The FF intelligently distributes torque to each of the four wheels individually, thanks to the fact that all of the dynamic vehicle controls (E-Diff, F1-Trac and PTU) have been integrated into a single CPU.

Exceptional sporty driving is guaranteed by the FF’s transaxle architecture (mid-front engine with gearbox over the rear axle) and the positioning of 53% of weight to the rear of the car. Meticulous attention has been taken in lightening the engine (new castings), bodyshell (new aluminium alloys and production processes) and a host of other components. The interior has also been optimised through the use of high-tech materials such as magnesium for the seats. Third generation Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are now lighter and longer-lasting, with virtually negligible wear during normal use on the road. All of these innovations have combined to produce an absolutely exceptional weight-power ratio of 2.7 kg/CV, a new benchmark for this kind of car.

Styled by Pininfarina, the FF’s lines effortlessly reflect its signature uncompromising balance of sportiness and versatility. It can comfortably accommodate four in its bodyhugging seats and spacious cabin. Its 450 litre boot can also be extended to 800 litres as the rear seats fold down independently. This means that the FF offers more luggage space not only than any other car in its category, but also many four-door saloons, too.

Everything aboard the FF is tailored specifically to the needs and tastes of its driver with a choice of six exclusive colours and the finest Frau aniline leathers specially treated to enhance their natural softness. The FF’s exceptional specification enhances in-car enjoyment for all four occupants. Features include a new rear-seat infotainment system with two screens for watching TV and DVD and a 1,280 Watt, 16-channel stereo system with Quantumlogic Surround Sound.

The three FFs on the stand are joined by a 458 Italia, the 599 GTB Fiorano with the sporting HGTE package, and a Ferrari California in an elegant Blu Tour De France finish. The Ferrari California is enjoying incredible sales success and is also the model subject to the widest range of personalisation requests in Ferrari’s line-up. The V8- engined convertible is, in fact, very popular in the special two-tone and three-layer paint option finishes, with additional original interior combinations of materials, colours and trim solutions. The extraordinary success of the Ferrari California testifies to its enduring and sophisticated appeal.

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Ferrari 599 Review

Somewhere in America I know there’s someone grinning like an idiot as they hold their phone to their ear. I’ve no idea who they are, but they’ve just received the metallic, shrieking blare of the 599 GTB Fiorano’s 6.0-litre V12 repeatedly ripping up to 7,000rpm.

All via mobile technology and a quick flex of my right ankle. Only Ferrari can do this. Only Ferrari can make someone ask their friend hold their phone to the tailpipe of a car and get them to ask me to give it some. I’m more than happy to oblige. Whoever you might be, I hope you enjoyed it.

But the rasping, metallic cacophony of the V12 is only the half of it, and truth be told it’s actually quite quiet inside the 599 GTB Fiorano on the road. It’s the performance that’s so sensational. The 599 can reach 62mph in the time it’s taken you to read this sentence. Impressive, but if the driver had kept it pinned they’d be doing 124mph, wait... Now. Depending on how quickly you read, that’s 3.7 and 11.0 seconds respectively. That’s scarcely believable performance. That’s pace that’s no longer merely supercar quick, but up in the heady realms of cars like the Carrera GT, the SLR and McLaren F1. It’s hardly surprising then to find that under the Ferrari’s long bonnet nestles an engine that, save for a few alterations, is 

Sure, nobody needs a 6.0-litre, V12 with 620bhp and 608Nm of torque. But Ferrari’s development goals for the 599 GTB Fiorano were simple: create a car that’s able to provide the sort of performance and excitement of the F40. That’s messing with supercar royalty, and on paper, it’s right up there. The 599 GTB’s 0-62mph time betters it, as does its 205+mph top speed. Not that I’ve ever driven an F40, but I know several people who have and they all say the same thing; it’s an animal. The 599 GTB Fiorano couldn’t be more different then. Never has so much power been so civilised, so utterly exploitable. I can say with absolutely certainty that I’ll never drive a 599 GTB again with as much conviction as I did on the SS62 from Fornovo di Taro to Berceto.

It’s the road where Enzo Ferrari took part in his very first road race. And it’s sensational. An early start means it’s completely clear, the winding, bucking stretch of tarmac a tough adversary to any car, let alone such a wide one with such a surfeit of power. But Ferrari has ensured the 599 GTB has the measure of this challenge. A combination of elements allows it to monster this road, and any others you might consider. Firstly the 599 GTB’s all aluminium structure means its both light and strong, that Enzo derived engine sitting low and far back behind the front axle along. Some 85% of the 599’s mass is located within the wheelbase ensuring excellent weight distribution.

For the record it’s split 47% front 53% rear, the bias slightly rearward over its 575M Maranello predecessor’s 50/50 distribution. The styling, beautiful but resolute in the deep Rosso Monza of my car, is honed to produce downforce at speed. Even the flying buttresses at the rear have purpose, that being to channel air over the rear. The flat underfloor assists too, sucking the 599 GTB onto the road. Most significant though is the Fiorano’s suspension, the ‘SCM’ Magnetoreological damping key to the 599’s incredible agility. Linked to the Manettino steering wheel dial you to choose your preferred setting for the Fiorano’s electronic control systems.

They’re numerous, including the settings altering the thresholds for the CST and F1 Trac traction and stability systems. It also controls the speed of the shifts on the F1-SuperFast paddle shift six-speed transmission. Sport is suggested as the best compromise for the road. But Race feels right on these roads. Despite the challenging surface the 599 GTB’s body control is extraordinary, those trick dampers managing to contain roll in the corners while soaking up vertical movements caused by the less than perfect undulating road surface. Bumps that should push the 599 off line, or have it bucking are shrugged off, the 599 flowing on these difficult roads with quite astonishing deftness. It’s difficult to comprehend at first, the 599 goading you to try to unsettle it. You’ll not.

The quick incisive steering turns in with determination. The first few inches of the wheel’s movement faithfully placing the 599’s nose exactly where you want it. There’s plenty of feel at the rim too, though it could do with a bit more meatiness to the weighting. Once turned in it remains neutral through even hairpin tight bends, its beautiful balance clear whatever the radius of corner. Winding off the lock it’s easy to steer through the remainder of the bend with the rear wheels and power, the CST and F1 Trac allowing a degree of oversteer. In ‘Race’ it allows quite a lot. It also speeds up the shifts of the F1-SuperFast transmission. Slamming through the gears at 100 milliseconds it’s Ferrari’s fastest paddleshift transmission aside from Schumacher and Massa’s weekend playthings.

Keep the accelerator buried, tug back on the right paddle and before it’s even really registered you’re reaching for it again as the gear is devoured by the V12 ripping up to its heady 8,400rpm redline. For smoothness changing gears it’s best to momentarily lift, but there’s something gratifyingly feral about letting it register your shifts with a quick jerk, the downshifts smoothed and announced by a sharp, shrill blip from the throttle. The optional carbon ceramic brakes never fade, though the pedal needs a good shove to get them working. The pedal movement initially proves unexpectedly long, unlike the rest of the 599 the brakes take some learning, lacking the precision feedback of the rest of the controls. A bit more bite at the top of the pedals movement would instil more confidence.

While I’m on the 599’s few negatives the F1 paddles either need to reach further around the wheel’s circumference, or move with it. As they are you’re often tugging mid air exiting a corner taking off steering lock. There’s a bit of wind noise at speed too, and the carbon fibre and leather trim creaks like an old rope swing. The digital display and rev lights on the steering wheel are too much, the shrieking engine and rev counter doing the job better than any disco lights. Small complaints on what’s perhaps the most accomplished Ferrari ever. Prices have yet to be announced, but a two-year waiting list in the UK suggests buyers simply don’t care.

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Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Review

Four-Seater Ferrari

This large and luxurious four-seat coupe is one of the fastest, most exclusive four-seaters around.

by Jim Gorzelany and Matthew de Paula

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Larger and lighter than the 456M it replaced, the four-seat 612 Scaglietti is Ferrari’s most expensive model and the first to boast a chassis and body made entirely of aluminum. This is said to cut the vehicle’s weight by about 40 percent — versus a standard steel setup — and allow exceptional rigidity for a more refined ride and improved handling over the model it replaced.

The 612 Scaglietti carries over unchanged for 2006. Its engine and drivetrain are in the tradition of classic Ferraris: a large, twelve-cylinder up front driving the rear wheels. A version of the 5.7-liter V12 engine that is in the two-seat 575M Marinello puts out a landscape-blurring 540 hp and enables the 612 Scaglietti to reach 62 mph in 4.2 seconds with the standard six-speed manual transmission. The car can reach a top speed of 199 mph.

With a fuel-economy rating of just 10 mpg city/17 mpg highway, the car is subject to a federal gas-guzzler tax.

The understated styling is courtesy of famed Italian design house Pininfarina, which has a long history of designing Ferraris.

The engine is mounted entirely behind the front axle, and the transmission is in the rear of the car for optimum weight distribution (46/54 percent weight distribution front-to-rear with a driver onboard). This allows superior handling.

An optional sequential-manual “F1” six-speed transmission offers manual gear changes with paddles mounted behind the steering wheel — right paddle for upshifts, left paddle for downshifts — or can be left in automatic mode. A sport mode allows better acceleration by holding gears longer so that the engine can rev all the way to redline.

An adaptive suspension varies its calibration according to road conditions, firming up during spirited driving and softening over rough roads. A sport setting stiffens the suspension for the most spirited driving. Likewise, the car’s stability and traction control systems have a sport mode that allows more freedom to drive aggressively before intervening.

As befits its lightweight underpinnings, the 612 Scaglietti’s 2+2 interior is trimmed in aluminum, with impeccably handcrafted leather upholstery throughout. The contoured front sport seats are power-adjustable with a unique headrest design that can be raised and lowered electrically in conjunction with the seatbelt. The rear seat is large enough for two adults to be comfortable on short trips, and the trunk will fit several pieces of luggage.

The instrument panel features large, legible dials and a small screen to the left that displays ancillary information such as engine and oil temperature, or trip information like the number of miles driven. A head unit by Becker is clunky and slow and spoils an otherwise good sound system featuring Bose speakers. Even more odd, though, is the fact that the optional navigation system doesn't come with a color screen. Rudimentary line drawings of roads and intersections — no maps — are displayed on the small dot-matrix screen of the Becker head-unit. Fortunately, directions can be announced by a computerized voice.

Like most exotic cars, the 612 Scaglietti can be customized with any exterior color and interior trim of a client's choosing. Options include a full-size spare tire, special 19-inch wheels, run-flat tires, parking sensors and custom-fitted, six-piece leather luggage designed by Pininfarina. Pricing for these was not available.

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