Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Incredible Abarth ‘Monoposto da Record’ found sleeping after many years - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Occasionally, fate throws up a unique opportunity – and photographer Piotr Degler was recently given the chance to shoot a one-off car literally kept in the dark for many years: the Fiat-Abarth World Record Monoposto from 1960. We research the history of this streamlined beauty…BMW

Abarth’s incredible World Record car resurfaces. Photo by Piotr Degler.2016




The tale began in 1960. On the eve of the 42nd Turin Motor Show, Pininfarina arrived at the venue with a severe case of aerodynamic fever. As well as presenting the Pininfarina X – a whimsical, four-seater saloon with a drag coefficient of 0.20 and wheels arranged in a diamond formation – the Italian coachbuilder also revealed the ‘Monoposto’, built on behalf of Fiat-Abarth. It was so streamlined that it could probably have slipped beneath the reach of any Cold War radar equipment, but Pininfarina didn’t stop there. Alongside these two aerodynamic pioneers, the Ferrari 410 Superamerica and no fewer than 11 other new cars were presented.

After a round of aerodynamic experimentation with Bertone in 1956, the following year saw Fiat-Abarth turn to Pininfarina to design two new cars using the wind tunnel at Turin Polytechnic. Using specially made, small-capacity engines, they set numerous World Records – and for 1960, the almost-1,000cc four-cylinder engine was used, capable of producing 105HP at a screaming 8,000rpm. The power was transmitted to the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox.

While the running gear was relatively modest, the opposite was true for Pininfarina’s outward handiwork. Measuring only 1.2 metres tall, 1.55 metres wide and 4.56 metres long, the body was low and narrow in order to pierce the air as effectively as possible. The resulting figures were spectacular: 10,000 kilometres at an average speed of 118.7mph, and 72 continuous hours at an average of 116mph. Those were just two of the nine International and World Records set.

Photos: Degler Studio (info@deglerstudio.com) 
source: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/incredible-abarth-monoposto-da-record-found-sleeping-after-many-years

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione Sounds Brutal: Video - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Launched in 2012, the Ferrari 599XX Evolution represented the pinnacle of the Ferrari 599 lineup. It had aerodynamic upgrades, a modified chassis, new tires, and a retuned engine. In other words, it was the most extreme iteration of the 599. Even today, the 599XX Evoluzione remains one of the most mental Ferraris that Maranello has made in recent memory. All the things that made it awesome then still make it awesome now. No more is that evident than in this recent video of a 599XX Evoluzione that was spotted running roughshod over the Spa Francorchamps racetrack in Belgium.

If you’ve never heard the 599XX’s ridiculous 6.3-liter V-12 engine in action, this is your chance to get a feel for the exotic track car. The video runs close to nine minutes, so there’s a lot of heavy acceleration and popping downshifts that’ll definitely make your day. As an added bonus, a 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari even makes a cameo in the middle of the video.

As a brief refresher on the car, the 599XX Evoluzione came with improved chassis dynamics that worked in concert with an active aerodynamic package that was integrated into the vehicles’ electronic control systems. One of the more prominent features of this aero package is the active rear wing that came with two flaps that were similar to the ones used in Formula One back in 2011. These flaps rotated electronically to adjust the downforce between the front and rear axles. The 599XX Evoluzione also came with a hefty engine upgrade that brought its total output to 750 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.

There’s no better way to mark the end of production for the most extreme Ferrari 599 ever built then to give it a kickass special edition, and Ferrari is doing just that with the599XX Evolution. The new Evolution package boasts of aerodynamic advancements, as well as a boost in power, and will be available to clients participating in the track-based research and development program for the 2012-2013 seasons.

The new 599XX Evolution features improved chassis dynamics thanks to an active aerodynamic package integrated with the vehicles’ electronic control systems and the adoption of new Pirelli tires. The new aero package uses an active rear wing that features two flaps, with profiles similar to those used in Formula 1, which rotate electronically to adjust the downforce between the front and rear axles in function of vehicle speed and the maneuver being effected.

The most impressive feature, however, is the addition of an extra 50 HP for the 599XX’s 6.3L V12 engine. This addition brings the 599XX’s total power up to 750 HP at 7000 rpm and 516 lb-ft of torque. Helping the engine along is a weight reduction of 77 lbs compared to the standard model.

source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/ferrari-599xx-evoluzione-sounds-brutal-video-ar172073.html#main

by Kirby Garlitos

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Merry Christmas - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Five generations Ferrari flagship supercars meet on track [videos] - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Ask anybody who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s what their dream car was back then, and a majority will likely say the Ferrari Testarossa. I grew up in that era and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’d have the same answer. Back then, posters of the Testarossa dominated the walls in my bedroom and I can even remember asking my parents to buy all the magazines that featured it in their respective covers. That’s how much I adored the Testarossa and to this day, whenever I see one, I still get that same dreamy look that I had when I was a child.

This films perfectly captures the emotions I had back when I was a kid. The mere mention of the Ferrari Testarossa would immediately put my imagination into overdrive. In my head, I owned one and drove it everywhere. Suffice to say, the Testarossa is the one car that had the biggest influence in me being so passionate about this industry.

A quarter of a century may have passed, but my love and admiration for that supercar will never go away. Yep, the boy you see in this video was me some 25 odd years ago, right down to the Ferrari sheets and the Testarossa poster taped on my wall.

source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/dream-toys-for-boysferrari-testarossa-video-ar172001.html

by Kirby Garlitos

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Five generations Ferrari flagship supercars meet on track [videos] - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Entrepreneur Alejandro Salomon has published a YouTube video series, dedicated to the five flagship Ferrari supercar models.

Called the ‘Ferrari’s Big 5’, the three-part series features the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari, all belonging to the famous car collector David S.K. Lee, also known as the Ferrari Collector on the internet. The videos show all five cars in action on a track, while the final episode also consists of several drag races. We won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say there are some cool battles between the 288 GTO and the F40, the Enzo and the F50, and more.

The 288 GTO was produced between 1984 and 1987 with a total of 272 units manufactured. It is powered by a 2,855cc V8 twin-turbo V8 engine, mounted longitudinally. Generating 400 hp (298 kW) and 366 lb-ft (496 Nm) of torque, the motor was able to accelerate the 2,560 lbs (1,160 kg) supercar from a standstill to 60 mph (0-98 km/h) in around five seconds.

Nearly three decades later, the Maranello-based company introduced the LaFerrari – a hybrid hypercar with 6,262cc engine outputting 800 HP (588 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm), supported by an electric motor with an extra 163 HP (120 kW) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm). There’s no official exact number for the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint, but sources outside the company say it takes only 2.4 seconds.

source: http://www.worldcarfans.com/1151220102216/five-generations-ferrari-flagship-supercars-meet-on-track-videos

by: Salomndrin

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - White Ferrari FF Crashes in Mexico - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

When a pace car rushes to the track followed by an ambulance you just know things have gone wrong for a driver. Such is the case with this Ferrari FF that was wrecked during the Ferrari Festival in Mexico a few days ago while we were covering the event; fortunately, the driver is said to be fine thanks to the safety standards of the brand, regardless of the speed and conditions of the impact.

What used to look like the car pictured below, ended up as a pile of scrap metal since the whole front of the car suffered great damage after the high speed crash against a wall. The driver’s side has notorious damage too; observe the missing part of the window, and how the side appears to have been rubbed against a solid material.

When a pace car rushes to the track followed by an ambulance you just know things have gone wrong for a driver. Such is the case with this Ferrari FF that was wrecked during the Ferrari Festival in Mexico a few days ago while we were covering the event; fortunately, the driver is said to be fine thanks to the safety standards of the brand, regardless of the speed and conditions of the impact.

What used to look like the car pictured below, ended up as a pile of scrap metal since the whole front of the car suffered great damage after the high speed crash against a wall. The driver’s side has notorious damage too; observe the missing part of the window, and how the side appears to have been rubbed against a solid material.

source: http://gtspirit.com/2015/12/08/car-crash-ferrari-ff-wrecked-mexico/

by Armando Osoyo

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - F1: Fiat Chrysler considering bringing Alfa Romeo brand back to Formula 1, competing with Ferrari - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Tazio Nuvolari aboard a works Alfa at Monza in th early 1930's source supplied

FORMULA 1’s first world champions Alfa Romeo could be making a return to the sport, if Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has his way.

The company, which owns both Alfa and Ferrari, revealed it is considering bringing the brand back to F1 after an absence of 30 years.

“It’s incredible how the Alfa Romeo brand remains in people’s hearts,” Marchionne told reporters at Ferrari’s annual end-of-year news conference in Maranello.

“That’s why we’re thinking about its return to racing, as our competitor, in Formula 1. It’s important for Alfa to return.”

Fiat’s purchase of Alfa in the late 1980s signalled the marque’s exit from F1, with its new owners electing to avoid putting two of its key brands into direct conflict.

If Alfa Romeo is to return, it will not do so as a bespoke manufacturer; instead, it will be a branding exercise.

In addition to Ferrari’s own works squad, the Scuderia’s engines will power the cars of Sauber, Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso, and the new Haas squad during the 2016 championship.

Any of these three squads could conceivably race with its Ferrari engines rebranded as Alfa Romeo, should Fiat Chrysler press on with its plans.

ALFA ROMEO’S DECORATED GRAND PRIX HISTORY

1920s-30s: Italy’s leading hope
Alfa Romeo was a dominant force in what was known as Grand Prix racing during the roaring twenties, with cars like the P2, the Monza and its venerable P3 collecting victories in big events across Europe, including motorsport’s first world championship — a distant forerunner to the current F1 title — in 1925.

Piloted by legendary drivers like Tazio Nuvolari, Alberto Ascari, Achille Varzi and the meteoric Guy Moll, Alfa would later entrust its factory-backed racing efforts to a small, emerging concern based in Modena: Scuderia Ferrari.

The arrival of the might of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, all-German efforts backed to the hilt by government funding, curbed Alfa’s winning streak, although Nuvolari famously embarrassed the Silver Arrows on home soil with an unexpected victory in the 1935 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

But just before war broke out in Europe in 1930, Alfa unveiled its new supercharged, 1.5 litre-engined 158 racer, a car that would have a big future.

Dr. Giuseppe Farina wins the first world championship F1 GP at Silverstone 1950

1950s: Formula 1’s first champions

The 158 was at the forefront of the sport as racing resumed after the Second World War. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Wimille was the leading driver of the era aboard an Alfa, but his death in a racing crash prior to the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship in 1950 means his feats are often overlooked.

Alfa was the benchmark in that first season, Dr. Giuseppe Farina winning the first race and clinching the first championship ahead of teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, before the Argentinian great turned the tables in 1951 to take the first of his five titles.

But Alfa saw the writing on the wall. The 1951 season saw an increased challenge from Scuderia Ferrari, now building their own cars, whose normally aspirated 4.5-litre machine was proving to be just as fast and less thirsty on fuel than their new supercharged 159.

A change in regulations for the world championship, which briefly moved to Formula 2 regulations for 1952-53, saw Alfa bow out of the sport on top at the end of the season.

Alfa's flat 12 engine in the back of Carlos Pace's Brabham in 1976. Source Getty images

1970s: Two famous names combine

Although engines from its sports car racing program were tried by several private entrants, it would not be until 1976 that Alfa returned to F1, this time solely as an engine manufacturer.

The Brabham team, looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous Ford Cosworth DFV engine, partnered with Alfa to put an F1-spec flat 12 engine into the back of their cars from 1976 onwards.

Though powerful, the Alfa engine was heavier, thirstier and less reliable than the motors used by rivals Ford and Ferrari. After a pair of near misses in 1977, Niki Lauda took two wins in 1978 — one of which was earnt by Brabham’s ingenious ‘fan car’ — but that would be all Alfa would have to show for their toils.

A new V12 engine developed for 1979 failed to turn the tide, and Brabham opted to return to using Ford V8 power before the end of the season. But Alfa wasn’t done with F1 just yet.

Mario Andretti let the Alfa team in 1981 - source Getty images

1980s: Out on its own
With their involvement in sports car racing petering out, Alfa Romeo’s competition division, Autodelta, was given the green light to develop its own Formula 1 car powered by the new V12.

After a few cursory outings in 1979, the factory Alfas launched a full-scale tilt at the world championship in 1980, with the full backing of Marlboro, led by star driver Patrick Depailler. Tragedy struck when the popular Frenchman was killed in a testing crash midyear, but the team began to show promise with several impressive runs in late-season races by Bruno Giacomelli, including a pole position at Watkins Glen.

Despite the recruitment of Mario Andretti they failed to carry that momentum forward in 1981, before the outsourcing of its chassis design and the arrival of another new driver saw an upturn in their fortunes for 1982. Andrea de Cesaris put Alfa’s new 182 on pole for its second race and led several laps before crashing out, while the Italian saw another potential win slip through his fingers when he ran out of fuel at Monaco.

Alfa followed the turbocharged trend into 1983 by developing a turbo-V8 motor for its new 183T, de Cesaris dominating the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps before a mechanical failure ended his day. But his podium finish in the final race of the season would prove a last hurrah before a nosedive in fortunes.

Full-scale backing from Benetton and the addition of Ricciardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever netted precious few good finishes in 1984. An even more dire season in 1985 — one where they abandoned their 1985 car altogether and switched back to the 1984 model — resulted in Alfa pulling the plug on its factory team at the end of the season.

he little Osella squad purchased Alfa’s remaining stock of motors, using them through to the end of the end of the turbo engine era in 1988.

Alfa also developed its own new four-cylinder turbo for Ligier’s use in 1987 but strong criticism from driver Rene Arnoux after early testing, as well as Fiat’s purchase of Alfa Romeo, saw the deal dissolved before the season began.

The next time the Alfa Romeo logo would appear in Formula 1 would be on the sidepods of Ferrari’s 2015 challenger.

Cheever and Patrese struggled throughout the 1985 season. Alfa's last in F1. Source Getty Images

TITLE: Alfa Romeo 164 ProCar

SIZE: 650x366px

CAPTION: Video: Alfa Romeo 164 ProCar

1988: An F1 engine that never made it to F1

When it pulled out of the sport, Alfa had already been developing a new 3.5-litre V10 engine for the new normally-aspirated rules set to come into force in 1989.

Work started on it in 1985 and could have joined fellow V10 runners Honda and Renault on the grid in 1989 but for one small problem: new owners Fiat didn’t want Alfa Romeo in F1.

With Fiat owning both Ferrari and Alfa, it decided there was no point allowing its marques to compete on the same stage: Ferrari would continue to uphold Italian fortunes in F1, while Alfa would limit its activities to their longtime playground of touring car racing.

Alfa looked to the new ProCar series as a potential home for its new V10. Developed by Bernie Ecclestone to essentially replace Group A touring car racing, the rules placed a road car body — with minimalist aerodynamic wings — over the top of a two-seater F1 chassis and engine. Manufacturers stayed away in droves anticipating high development costs, with Alfa’s Brabham-built, V10-powered 164 the only ProCar ever completed.

The company also briefly investigated a return to sports car racing, going as far as building a Group C prototype machine during 1990 with an eye to racing in 1991, but it too would never turn a competitive lap.

An Alfa finished the Indy 500 just once, Al Unser coming home 13th in 1990

Post-F1: Touring cars and a dalliance with Indy
Alfa was handballed Ferrari’s stillborn IndyCar motor and embarked on a brief and unsuccessful tenure as an engine supplier. Danny Sullivan would net their best result, a fourth-place finish at the inaugural Gold Coast Indy in 1991.

Its touring car program produced several successes, the 155 dominating the early Supertouring era and was a major force in the German-based DTM and ITC championships, while the 156 dominated the reformed European Touring Car Championship in the early 2000s.

STATS (as an engine supplier)
Races: 214
Race wins: 12
Podium finishes: 40
Pole positions: 15
Fastest laps: 20
Drivers’ world championships: 2

source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sport/formula-one/f1-fiat-chrysler-considering-bringing-alfa-romeo-brand-back-to-formula-1-competing-with-ferrari/story-e6frf3zl-1227646142368

by Will Dale

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Another LaFerrari bites the dust - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

In another extremely unfortunate case, a crash involving a yellow Ferrari LaFerrari recently occurred in London. There’s no word on what really happened and if anyone was injured, but the supercar owner seems to have lost control on the A40, which resulted in the vehicle spinning into oncoming traffic and crashing into the central median. The front left side and rear left side of the supercar appear to have suffered the worst amount of damage. Damage to the supercar looks to be mild and the vehicle should be up and running again in no time.

The LaFerrari had to be towed away from the scene of the accident and this individual managed to get a video of the supercar on the back of the tow truck.

While this damage is extremely mild, it’s not the first time a LaFerrari owner has lost control of the supercar. More recently, a LaFerrari owner crashed into a row of parked vehicles in Budapest and other accidents with the supercar have been reported in Italy, Monaco and China. Are LaFerrari owners some of the worst drivers in the world or is the supercar extremely hard to drive? The LaFerrari’s 6.3-liter V12 produces 798 hp on its own and gets an electric motor for a total of 950 hp. With that kind of power on tap, it’s easy to see why owners are crashing vehicles, but with only 499 units on the road, it’s a sad sight to see.

source: http://www129.carbuzz.com/news/2015/12/14/Ferrari-LaFerrari-Crashes-Hard-In-London-7730941/

by Joel Patel

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - This Ferrari 335 S Spider has provenance in spades - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

At Artcurial’s 2016 Rétromobile sale, the French auction house will offer one of the most desirable cars ever seen at auction: a Works Ferrari 335 S Spider with an almost unbelievable history. Prized away from the Pierre Bardinon collection, it’s estimated to fetch between 28 and 32 million euros…

With last year’s sale of the remarkable Baillon ‘barn-find’ collection that included a $16.3m Ferrari California Spider, few would have expected the 2016 fixture to offer such rich pickings. However, auctioneer Matthieu Lamoure and his colleagues look to have trumped their own record-breaking success story in a single swoop, with the consignment of a bluer-than-blue-chip Ferrari sports-racing car. Built in 1957, the 335 S Spider (chassis 0674) was clothed by Scaglietti before being sent by the Scuderia to compete in the Sebring 12 Hours with Peter Collins and Maurice Trintignant at the helm, ultimately placing sixth.

However, Sebring was a mere practice run: two months later at the Mille Miglia, the car was handed to Wolfgang von Trips, who drove it to second place behind a stablemate driven by Piero Taruffi. It was then returned to Maranello for an enlarged engine (4.1 litres, up from 3.8) before being entered in that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, now with more than 400bhp. With this new-found potency – not to mention a driver pairing of Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso – the 335 S set a fresh lap record, with an average speed of more than 203km/h. It sadly retired with mechanical problems, but went on to race at the Swedish and Venezualan Grands Prix, with respective fourth- and second-place finishes helping Ferrari to take the Constructors’ title.AMG

​ If that’s not enough provenance for you, stay seated. The factory then sold the car to Luigi Chinetti Jnr in January 1958, and before long it was back in action at the Cuba Grand Prix, where Stirling Moss and Masten Gregory took the chequered flag. After more competition exploits that season it was sold to an architect, who kept it for a decade before passing it on to collector Pierre Bardinon. For those unfamiliar with the latter, this namecheck should explain all you need to know: when Enzo Ferrari was asked about the lack of a collection at the Maranello factory, he replied: “No need. Bardinon has done it for me.”

Photos: Artcurial

source: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/eu30m-ferrari-335-s-spider-has-provenance-spades

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ferrari Event Storms Osaka, Brings Rare Supercars Together - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Ferrari knows how to promote its rare and exotic models and after it kept us busy these past few weeks with the new F12tdf limited edition, the automaker organized a special event in Japan.

It was staged on the main street of Osaka, at Midousuji, and it started with an F1 demonstration that showed the Ferrari F2003GA in action, with Japanese professional racing driver Shinji Nakano, behind the wheel.



While it's not every day that people get to see 100 supercars with the prancing horse logo, the Italian brand's claim that "more than 450,000 enthusiastic Ferrari owners and fans gathered together" sounds a bit too optimistic - that, or they may have made a typo in the release. 




Either way, the highlight of the event, was the parade and the display of exotics that included 13 Dinos, 5 LaFerraris, an Enzo and a 750 Monza, that blended together in a sea of supercars and were joined by the 458 Speciale and other vehicles made in Maranello.

The Ferrari Osaka event took place last Sunday, on November 29.2017

source: http://www.carscoops.com/2015/12/ferrari-event-storms-osaka-brings-rare.html
by Cristian Gnaticov

Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Spend Seven Minutes in Heaven with This Ferrari 250 GTO Hillclimb - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

The Ferrari 250 GTO is probably one of the most iconic, beautiful, and expensive sports cars in automotive history. A GT racer designed to compete with the likes of the Shelby Cobra and the Jaguar E-Type, the GTO's 3.0-liter V12 engine produced 300-hp. Only 36 were built, making them extremely rare and sought after.

In short, it seems like anyone who went near the car fell in love with it. ​Innes Irelandcalled it sensational. Phil Hill attested that it was a "delight to drive." In fact, this seven-minute video that Petrolicious ​has generously gone and uploaded features Hill's son, Derek Hill, driving a 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO with the S2 body on a hillclimb. 

No speaking, words, or narration of any kind. Just vintage Ferrari V12.

source: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/videos/a27501/spend-seven-minutes-in-heaven-with-this-ferrari-250-gto-hillclimb/

by Kristen Lee

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - FERRARI'S BIG 5: 288 GTO vs F40 vs F50 vs Enzo vs LaFerrari - PART 1 - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

We take a look at Ferrari’s evolution of their flagship hypercars from the 288 GTO all the way to the amazing LaFerrari!

You guys get it first here on CT!

This is part 1 of a 3 part series.

Special thanks to Mr. David Lee for making this happen.

source: https://www.carthrottle.com/post/nkbp4xj/

by salomondrin

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Tourists are being a little too crazy on Ferrari test drives – and residents aren't too happy about that - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

In the streets of Maranello, the hometown of Ferrari, the roar of the famed sports car is no longer the occasional bragging right of a proud new owner. It’s a constant backdrop as a number of test-drive businesses give would-be Schumachers the chance to rev up and peel out.

The howl of engines is disturbing residents’ tranquility — including the afternoon siestas — and the risk of speeding cars is a safety concern, say city officials, who have started cracking down on the businesses. With 37 cars available for test drives in a city of 17,000, complaints have been mounting.

“They are obviously big cylinder cars that are very powerful, and they are circulating on the same streets with regular traffic,” says Maranello Mayor Massimiliano Morini. “You can understand that this creates a very big problem of cohabitation for those living nearby who understandably want and have the right to rest.”

The test-drive businesses have been cashing in on Ferrari’s global appeal by offering aficionados without the wealth to buy their own hot wheels a high-powered spin “for the price of a dinner out,” as one business owner put it. That translates to 80 euros (US$85) for a 10-minute drive in a Ferrari F430 Spider. For a two-hour spin in a Ferrari 458 Speciale, the cheque goes up to 1,400 euros (US$1,485). While such businesses exist in cities around the world, driving a Ferrari around Maranello is an unrivaled experience for the true Ferrari fan.

So far, there have been no significant accidents in Maranello, according to city officials, and the test-drive business owners say the most damage has come from scraping wheels on curbs. All test drives are accompanied by a trained race car driver.

That hasn’t lessened safety concerns, however. Maranello’s police force conducted more than 450 traffic controls involving the super cars in the first nine months of the year, with 305 fines issued over the last five years, according to city statistics.

Maranello and neighbouring Fiorano have teamed up to tighten rules limiting hours that the test drives can take place. They essentially cut out a couple of hours in the early afternoon and ban companies from soliciting customers near the gates of the Ferrari museum, which is visited by 300,000 people each year. To improve compliance, Maranello has imposed an eight-day suspension after the third citation, which Morini says is a bigger deterrent than the previous 500-euro fine. Business owners say the rules have cut off oxygen to their enterprises.

“We are entrepreneurs … we are in a tourist town and I can’t promote my business,” said Maja Corluka Valestri, owner of Pit Lane Red Passion, adding that the economic damage from the new rules was already evident. “We have lost 80 per cent of business.”

Having to turn away customers during what were peak business hours has been particularly difficult.

“It’s like asking a restaurant to close between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.,” Stefano Ravazzini, owner of Push-Start, which was the first to launch the test-drive service six years ago. Having lost a court battle challenging the rules as anti-business, company owners are evaluating the next step to save their investments, which for the largest can include 10 Ferraris and facilities such a souvenir shops and cafes.

The everyman enterprises are in many ways anathema to Ferrari’s exclusive market position. The centrifugal push back into a leather-clad seat as a Ferrari accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just over 3 seconds is meant to be a thrill attainable only for those who can afford the nearly 200,000-euro starting price – and even that is limited to just over 7,000 new cars a year.

It’s not entirely clear, however, that the businesses actually harm Ferrari’s well-tended image, even as Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne tries to turn the automaker into a luxury goods manufacturer in the image of, say, Hermes or Armani, by tapping additional revenue with a yet-undisclosed line of new products. Part of that process includes spinning off Ferrari from its mass-market parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, expected in January accompanied by an additional stock listing in Milan.

“In some ways, it almost highlights how special the true Ferrari owners’ experience is,” said Robert Haigh, an executive with the London-based Brand Finance asset value consultancy. A spokesman for Ferrari declined to comment on the enterprises.

While the short-term test-drivers “will go away empty-handed,” Ferrari owners get a VIP experience, including a factory tour, atelier experience personalizing cars down to contrast stitching on the leather seats and maybe even a few laps around the famed Fiorano Formula 1 test track.

“It sort of brings home that it is not just a personal pet project of yours,” Haigh said. “You see what demand there is in the rest of the world, and you get to have the real experience.”

source: http://driving.ca/ferrari/458/auto-news/news/why-people-in-maranello-are-sick-of-hearing-ferraris-howl

by Colleen Barry

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - FERRARI F12TDF LOOKS AND SOUNDS AMAZING IN OFFICIAL VIDEO - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Ferrari set tongues wagging when they announced the F12tdf back in October. Now the Italian automaker has dropped an official promo video for the bright yellow beast.

Based on the F12 Berlinetta, the Ferrari F12tdf pays homage to the Tour de France – not the two-wheeled one that’s famous today, but the original endurance road race that Ferrari dominated in the 1950s and 1960s. The F12tdf boasts a 770 horsepower V12 with a 7-speed F1 Dual-Clutch gearbox, which you can see in all its glory in the video above.

This is Ferrari doing what Ferrari does best. Top performance (0-60 in 2.9 seconds), sensual styling and a limited edition production run of only 799 units have already set the F12tdf to be something special.

source: http://www.dmarge.com/2015/11/ferrari-f12tdf-looks-and-sounds-amazing-in-official-video.html

by Elyse Romano

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Happy Thanksgiving - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Koenigsegg Says the One:1 Would Obliterate the Hybrid Supercars - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

There has recently been an onslaught of hybrid supercar comparisons. There's also been a series of videos comparing the big three hybrids to the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra. But one manufacturer has been conspicuously absent from these tests.

Koenigsegg.

And in a post on their own blog, Koenigsegg wants to remind the world that its supercars would absolutely dominate in any of these comparisons, and they realize that humble bragging about themselves isn't always the most flattering thing, but sometimes it has to be done.

Disclaimer: It would normally be considered somewhat impolite for a company such as ours to talk about our vehicle's performance this way. This is why we don't usually talk directly about competitor cars when we do performance tests. We let the figures speak for themselves. However, in this instance, with one of our customers writing to us directly about this, we thought it important to say something, primarily to provide reassurance to our customers about the cars that they are buying.​

 Koenigsegg says that the manufacturer-listed 0 to 186 mph times for the 918 (19.9 seconds), P1 (16.5 seconds), and LaFerrari (15 seconds) would be destroyed by their cars, especially after the recent video tests showed these cars run up to seven seconds slower than the times the manufacturers claimed.

We are on the record – with video support – as having achieved a 14.53 second time for a 0-300kmh sprint. That time is half-a-second faster than the fastest manufacturer-claimed time from the #HolyTrinity cars.

That was with an Agera R in 2011.

We are also on the record – with video support – as having achieved an11.922 second time for a 0-300kmh sprint. That's a full three seconds faster than the fastest #HolyTrinity claimed time.

That was earlier in 2015 with the One:1

There is no doubt that the One:1, Agera, and the upcoming Regera are insanely fast. Now we just need to see them go up against the rest of their competition in a straight fight.

source: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/news/a27397/koenigsegg-says-the-one1-would-obliterate-the-hybrid-supercars/

by Travis Okulski

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - VIDEO: CHRIS HARRIS TESTS THE FERRARI LA FERRARI, MCLAREN P1 AND PORSCHE 918 SPYDER - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

ONLY AFTER the phone calls and arm twisting had ended, disputes over tyre choice were settled, the fee for hiring the Portimao race circuit had been agreed and enough hotel rooms were booked could battle commence between the Ferrari La Ferrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder.

All three cars were supplied by the respective manufacturers and represent the pinnacle of their engineering know-how. The referee for the shoot out between the so-called Holy Trinity was Chris Harris, motoring journalist and You Tube video presenter.

Actually, that's not quite true; the ultimate referee was the VBOX data logging equipment that was fitted to each car for recording its timed hot laps. Also present were racing drivers Tiff Needell and Marino Franchitti.

The objectives seemed simple enough: find out which supercar went fastest against the stopwatch on a flying lap of the 2.9 mile of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve - better known as Portimao near the southern coast of Portugal; and decide which of the million pound machines was the most enjoyable to drive.

Setting the lap time was Chris Harris - and if you don't want to know the result, don't read on. In the end, the McLaren P1 posted a best of 1 minute 53.57 seconds, the Porsche 918 Spyder was just behind it, at 1 minute 53.98 seconds and finally came the flying Ferrari, with a time of 1 minute 54.25 seconds.

Harris sums up the staggering performance of the Holy Trinity cars, saying "I have never driven cars like these; no racing cars, nothing."

Tiff Needell confesses he's never driven any of the three cars before, and says he's looking for driving pleasure and "couldn't give a doodle about what's underneath".

Marino Franchitti, a professional sports car racer, admitted that it took a while for his brain to catch up with their speed, saying "they are so savagely fast," and adding "The moment I'd driven all three I said, 'Yep, I need all three.'"

Harris declares the four-wheel drive Porsche 918 Spyder - reviewed here by Jeremy Clarkson - to be "a bit scary at times. You're aware there's computers and people with big foreheads have been playing with things, and I'm not entirely sure what it's doing at times - but my, my, is it effective."

Whereas the Ferrari gets his vote for sheer acceleration in a straight line. "The straight line performance I think is the greatest here. It feels the fastest but it also feels the most exciting. You can't match this for majesty."

The McLaren comes in for praise for its handling. Harris feels it's the easiest handling McLaren yet - quite a feat for a 903bhp, rear-wheel drive machine.

source: http://www.driving.co.uk/news/video-chris-harris-tests-the-ferrari-la-ferrari-mclaren-p1-and-porsche-918-spyder/

by James Mills

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Video: Ferrari 599 GTO and Lamborghini Aventador go Head-to-Head - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

While the Ferrari 599 GTO is the hardcore variant of the 599 range and the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is the entry-level version from the expanding Aventador range, the two are rivals in every sense of the word. Just which of the two is fastest however?

Well GTboard recently had the opportunity to gather a black 599 GTO and pitted it against an Arancio Argos Lamborghini Aventador on the drag strip. While both cars utilise naturally-aspirated V12 engines, the Aventador manages to pump out 30 hp more thanks to its additional 0.5-litres of capacity.

Due to the Aventador’s all-wheel drive system, it has an obvious acceleration advantage from a standing start. To overcome this significant drivetrain difference, a rolling race was conducted starting from 50 km/h.

We won’t ruin the result but rest assured, it is very, very close!

source: http://gtspirit.com/2015/11/13/video-ferrari-599-gto-and-lamborghini-aventador-go-head-to-head/

by Brad Anderson

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ford vs. Ferrari: How Ford Won in the Greatest Race in the World - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Source: Motorbooks

The Ford GT is among the most legendary cars to emerge from an American stable in the history of, well, cars. Born on the circuit (and not just any, but the equally legendary Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe), the GT transcended popular volume-sellers like the Corvette, Mustang, Charger, and other local muscle of the day.

“Since 1969, if it’s sleek, mid-engined, and American, it better be as good as the Ford GT40. It looked so good that when Ford unveiled the [later iteration of the] GT, it looked almost identical to its 40-year-old predecessor,” said Derek Sapienza in our profile of the beast. “Its dominance on the track was so impressive that it’s one of the few Americans mentioned among the all-time performance greats, and it’s stranger-than-fiction story is so impressive, that in the annals of automotive history, it could be the greatest automotive tale to ever come from our shores,” he continued.

 

 Source: Motorbooks

 

Source: Motorbooks

There’s no better time to revisit the history of such an incredible car than now, as Ford plans its return to Le Mans in 2016. Thanks to Motorbooks, doing so hasn’t been possible in such a thorough and well-illustrated manner:Ford GT: How Ford Silenced Critics, Humbled Ferrari, and Conquered Le Mans is a comprehensive review of how this icon of American engineering was initially created. If you know of a gearhead with a penchant for American cars, it’s a must-have companion to that engine block coffee table in his or her living room.

Author Preston Lerner compiles the ridiculously detailed history of the greatest American race car ever, but here’s the rundown. Again, Derek Sapienza:

The GT40’s story begins in 1963. This was a pre-Mustang Ford, when its hottest car was the giant “R-Code” Galaxie 500, a 450 horsepower monster tuned to meet NASCAR and NHRA standards. But the company was already aiming higher — it was in the final stages of buying Ferrari from its mercurial namesake, a move that would have turned the Blue Oval into an international powerhouse overnight. Enzo Ferrari had long resented his company’s production cars and saw them as little more than a necessity to raise funds for his racing team. Ferrari was eager to sell, but with one stipulation: that he retain control of racing operations. But he had met his match in the equally difficult Henry “Hank the Deuce” Ford II, who wanted all of Ferrari, and said he would refuse to compete Ferraris against Fords in races like the Indianapolis 500. Outraged, Ferrari broke off the talks, leaving Ford with nothing but millions of dollars in lawyer and auditing fees. The Deuce retaliated by issuing a directive to his performance department: develop a car to destroy Ferrari on the track, and do it now.

 

Source: Motorbooks

America had a vibrant racing culture at the time, but internationally, the scene was dominated by the Italians, Germans, and British. The GT not only put Ford on the map, but put America on the radar as a force to be reckoned with on the international race scene.

Lerner, who is a regular contributor for Automobile Magazine, spins a compelling narrative that not only provides the history of the car, but offers a window into the divisive politics that dominated manufacturer-backed racing in the 1960s. Had Enzo Ferrari not been the “vain, domineering, and egotistical” man that he was, and had Henry Ford II not taken Ferrari’s rejection as a personal insult, we’d probably be without one of the greatest legends of American racing today.

 

Source: Motorbooks

The GT lives on — it was revitalized in 2005, and the brand-new model was dropped at the 2015 North American International Auto Show earlier this year. The latter dropped the traditional V8 for a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, but in true Ferrari-beating form, it’s expected to make in excess of 600 horsepower in legal street-spec.

Though its looks unmistakably like the GT40 and GT road cars of the past, the new model doesn’t capture the grit, sweat, and fervor that went into developing the original GT. There were no obvious politics aside from wanting to resurrect a legend, no spat with Ferrari that drove the company to develop it. It was designed with 3D modeling, in clean workshops with cutting-edge equipment and industrial wind tunnels. The original was done out of the parts bin, in pit lanes through trial and error. You don’t see that kind of engineering anymore these days.

source: http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/ford-vs-ferrari-how-ford-won-in-the-greatest-race-in-the-world.html/?a=viewall

by Justin Lloyd-Miller

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - DRIVEN + VIDEO: So, What Is The All-New Ferrari F12tdf REALLY Like To Drive? - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

This is the Ferrari F12tdf, a faster, lighter and more powerful special edition of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.

Ferrari says the car has been created in homage to the legendary Tour de France road races, which it dominated in the 1950s and 1960s with the likes of the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta.

The F12tdf is described as “the ultimate expression of the concept of an extreme road car that is equally at home on the track”. Just 799 examples will be built.

The car keeps the same 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine as the regular F12 Berlinetta, but power has been boosted from 730bhp to 770bhp at 8500rpm, while torque has increased from 509lb ft to 520lb ft at 6750rpm. But the changes don't stop there.

Find out what they've done to make the incredible Ferrari F12 even better - and join Matt Prior on board as he discovers what it's like to drive.

Un mostro? Ferrari’s F12 is not a car that ever struck me as wanting for power. It really doesn’t feel like it needs more nor, at least without significant modification, should it be given it. But here we are: the Ferrari F12tdf, a special version of the F12, limited in production but unlimited in ambition. 

It’s called F12tdf to reference the old Tour de France road race, which Ferraris won quite a few times, but only ‘F12tdf’ in name and not actually ‘F12 Tour de France’. The two-wheeled, pedal-powered Tour de France owns the Tour de France moniker, so only the Tour de France can actually say Tour de France. 

Follow?

Anyway, the F12tdf it is, and it gets lots more power than an F12, and, thankfully, plenty of other modifications to go with it. Ferrari’s special 12-cylinder car program has in the past provided us with the 599 GTO, of which 599 were made.

Ferrari suggests the 799 tdfs that will roll away from Maranello will be just as extreme, providing a front-engine Ferrari V12 with hitherto unmatched levels of agility. There are several ways you can make a car feel more agile, and Ferrari has done all of them.

One is adding more poke: so the F12tdf gets 770bhp instead of 730bhp, thanks mostly to an easier-breathing inlet on the 6.3-litre engine and race-derived mechanical rather than hydraulic tappets, which are noisier but lighter and allow a higher rev limit – some 8900rpm.

Another method is to reduce weight, so the F12tdf is 110kg lighter than the F12, thanks to the removal of much of the interior (Alcantara and carbonfibre replaces leather and aluminum), and the replacement of much of the aluminum bits on the outside with carbonfibre.

But the easiest way to introduce agility to a car is simply to fit it with massive front tires. At the start of the development process, Ferrari did just that - fitting 315-section F12 rear wheels to the front, and then even slick tires to the front, to see what the result was like.

Hilarious but perilously unstable is the short of it, which meant Ferrari couldn’t just leave it like that. And here its marketing men rather like to use an aerospace analogy: in the same way that a modern fighter jet is designed to be inherently unstable so that it’s incredibly agile, so too was the F12tdf.

And where a modern fighter uses electronic control systems to make it flyable, Ferrari uses active rear steering to make the F12tdf drive able again. They call the system a ‘virtual short wheelbase’, or ‘passo corto virtuale’ to be precise, although it’s not strictly accurate in either language; it’s the wider front tires, 285 section rather than 255s, that increase the agility and make the car feel like it’s shorter.

The ZF rear steer system, which weighs around 5kg, can add up to a degree of toe in or out thanks to electromechanical actuators acting on a toe link, and almost always turns in the same direction as the fronts (except at maneuvering speeds), is used to put stability back in.

In effect, that lengthens rather than shortens the wheelbase again, but semantics aside, the aerospace analogy isn’t unfounded. Either way, Ferrari likes the system so much it’ll use it again in future. So significant are these things that beyond them the changes are mere details.

The aerodynamics are improved – the car’s a little longer as a result, while the rear track is wider because of the active toe changes. Gear ratios are 5-6% shorter, enough to reduce the 0-62mph time to 2.9sec, and spring rates are stiffer, by 20% – a difference you’ll feel “within a metre”.

The price, if you’ve been invited to buy an F12tdf – and you’ll own at least five other Ferraris and be known by the company “very well” if you have – is £339,000.

What's it like?: 

Intriguing. And if that isn’t the word as immediately positive as you’d expect about a car from a manufacturer that can do scarcely little wrong at the moment, I share your surprise. 

Ferrari admits that its special V12 models aren’t simple to jump into and drive quickly – they’re not like the standard mid-engine V8s – and the F12tdf takes some learning before you feel completely comfortable with it on a circuit. I’ll come back to that.

Because on the road, of course, dynamic extremes aren’t such a bother. Yes, you do notice the firmness of the ride and the fact that if you flick the dampers to ‘bumpy road’ mode there’s seemingly less of a difference than in a standard Ferrari. It’s always firm: not crashy, but you know what’s beneath you. 

The F12tdf retains the F12’s two-turn lock-to-lock steering rack, but because of the wider front tires and stiffer suspension, it feels more connected and responsive than a regular F12. So in many ways it’s easier to drive; out in the hillside roads around Maranello the F12tdf steers with ease and precision; it’s a big car but one that’s easy to place. 

And it has an utterly magnificent powertrain. Untroubled by turbochargers yet still developing 80% of the engine’s torque from 2000rpm, its response is fantastic, it makes a glorious noise like an F1 car of old and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox has had a few tweaks to clean up and shorten the shift times. 

At the top end of the rev range the response is on occasion too sharp – even Ferrari’s test drivers think as much – but such is the significance of the 'tdf' name and the program that the engineers and marketers want the F12tdf to feel like there’s some racing car in it. Quite a few racing drivers would be delighted to find their race cars had a powertrain as strong and responsive as this. It is phenomenal.

It’s on a circuit, though, nearer the car’s limits, where the idiosyncrasies of the F12tdf’s handling, and the response of the engine, come further into consideration.

In most front-engine, rear-driven cars, you know what you’re going to get on a track. You have to settle the nose on approach to a bend, probably trail the brakes slightly to reduce understeer, which in turn can unsettle the rear, and then you drive through nicely under power, applying just the amount you want in order to adjust the attitude of the car. An Aston Martin V12 Vantage, for example, is as simple as they get.

The F12tdf isn’t quite like that. Partly that’s because there’s not really any understeer to drive around in the first place. The additional front tire width makes it feel hyper-agile, so in faster corners it darts for the apex, but then, when you expect the rear to become unsettled because of the speed with which the nose has dived into a bend, the active rear steer intervenes and makes the back end more stable, keeping the rear trimmed to the same apex as the fronts at a speed a car without the system fitted just couldn’t match. 

Mind you, with any significant application of throttle – and more or less any throttle application is significant in a car with this power and response – it will still light up the rears, at which point the increased speed at which you’re travelling, the electric response of the engine and whatever the rear is up to conspire to make it feel not altogether natural. 

With more familiarity, you learn to anticipate the F12tdf’s characteristics, drive with lighter, more finger tippy touches and smaller inputs, and then it becomes a deeply rewarding thing. But it’s not a car – like the docile 488 GTB is – that you can just enjoy easily.

source: http://www.autospies.com/news/DRIVEN-VIDEO-So-What-Is-The-All-New-Ferrari-F12tdf-REALLY-Like-To-Drive-86902/

by agent00r

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/ferrari/f12-berlinetta/first-drives/2015-ferrari-f12tdf-review

by Matt Prior

Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ferrari 488 GTE and 488 GT3 revealed during Finali Mondiali at Mugello - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

Ferrari 488 GTE and 488 GT3 revealed during Finali Mondiali at Mugello

Ferrari has taken the wraps off the 2016-spec 488 GTE and 488 GT3 racecars at Mugello this weekend during the Finali Mondiali 2015.

After coming out with the turbocharged488 GTB road-going supercar earlier this year, Ferrari’s motorsport division has introduced two racing derivatives which will compete starting next year in various series. The 3902cc V8 engine inside the standard car is rated at 670 PS (493 kW) whereas in the GT3 version develops 550 PS (404 kW). As for the 488 GTE, this one has a larger 3996cc configuration of the same engine with 485 PS (357 kW).

Both racecars come with a left-hand drive configuration and benefit from an aluminum chassis along with a safety roll cage made from steel while at the back there’s an adjustable single profile wing and diffuser.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Ferrari’s GT and Corse Clienti racing director Antonello Coletta said the objective is to make 150 cars over a course of four or five years, emphasizing the main difference between the 488 and the previous 458 is represented by the adoption of a turbocharged engine while the increased aerodynamic efficiency is also an important upgrade for the new 488 racecars. Coletta went on to specify the cars will compete in the most important races in United States and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

source: http://www.worldcarfans.com/1151108100849/ferrari-488-gte-and-488-gt3-revealed-during-finali-mondiali-at-mugello

by motorsport.com

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Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - This Ferrari FXX K Video Is Nothing But Glowing Brakes, Engine Noise And Flaming Exhausts - FZ Restoration Livermore- 925-294-5666

 Shot during this weekend's Finali Mondiali Ferrari at Mugello Circuit, this video captures a group of FXX Ks making amazing noises

Every year, these Finali Mondiali events host the conclusions of various Ferrari racing series from around the world. This year, the final rounds of the 2015 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific championships all took place at the Mugello-held Finali, with a bunch of other Ferrari-related showcases thrown in for good measure, including the debut of the F12tdf and this display from a load of loud FXX Ks. Sounds like a good weekend, no?

source: https://www.carthrottle.com/post/this-ferrari-fxx-k-video-is-nothing-but-glowing-brakes-engine-noise-and-flaming-exhausts/

by Matt Robinson

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