Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Video: Ferrari LaFerrari and FXX Startup Together in Miami! - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Considering just 30 examples of the Ferrari FXX were ever created, seeing the Italian supercar anywhere other than a Ferrari museum of trackday is exceptionally rare. At a recent car event in Miami, a bright yellow FXX made an appearance courtesy of Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale and it posed alongside a white Ferrari LaFerrari for some shots in a truly remarkable display of Italian power and panache!

On the spec sheet, this is how the LaFerrari reads; it features a 6.3-litre V12 engine that has an output of 789 hp at 9000 rpm and 700 Nm of torque at 7000 rpm. That internal combustion engine is joined with an electric motor providing an additional 161 hp and 270 Nm of torque.

By comparison, Ferrari FXX is powered by a 6.3-litre V12 engine derived from the Enzo’s screaming powertrain. Unlike the Enzo however which delivered 660 hp from the factory, the FXX pumps out an even more impressive 809 hp at a high 8500 rpm!

source: gtspirit.com

by Brad Anderson

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Meet Ferrari’s Factory Test Driver, Raffaele De Simone – Video - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Meet Ferrari’s Factory Test Driver, Raffaele De Simone

$FCAU

Raffaele De Simone, 35 anni, puts the thrill of the race into every new Ferrari road car.

A former race car driver with a degree in mechanical engineering, Mr. De Simone became Ferrari’s head test driver 2 yrs ago. He is responsible for ensuring that the handling, gadgets, gear,  and sound of each new model meet expectations.

Mr. De Simone spends his days driving at speed around the Ferrari test track near the company’s factory in Maranello, Italy, perfecting the features; from the steering to the technology adopted from Formula 1 cars that generate the sensation of power and finesse in equal measure.

After spending a few hours behind the wheel, Mr. De Simone tells a team of engineers if he wants more noise at the higher rpms, a smoother downshift or more down force when coming off a corner.

“It’s not a Ferrari just because it’s Red, low to the ground, has lots of technology and goes very fast,” says Mr. De Simone. “There must be the human touch that brings out emotion in the driver.”

He also works to ensure that each model has the distinctive sound of a Ferrari engine, music to the ears of Ferrari lovers. The team will tweek the engine and exhaust pipes to satisfy his demands.

Mr. De Simone developed a passion for fast cars as a teenager and once dreamed of breaking into the top tier of racing.

Dario Benuzzi, who tested Ferraris from the late 1960s until a few years ago, handpicked and then mentored young Mr. De Simone beginning in Y 2003, after watching him compete. Now, Mr. De Simone admits, it is hard to imagine any other job I would rather do.

For Ferrari’s clienti, there’s a way—expensive though it is—to get tantalizingly close to experiencing what De Simone gets to do on a daily basis.

Good customers and buyers of Special Edition SuperCars with price tags exceeding $1-M are often offered a drive around Ferrari’s track, with a test driver giving pointers from the passenger seat for a few laps. Then it is back in the driver’s seat for him.

source: http://www.livetradingnews.com/meet-ferraris-factory-test-driver-raffaele-de-simone-99700.htm#.VQ712Y7F-So

by Paul Ebeling

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Revival of The 1966 Le Mans Winning Ford GT40: Video – Video - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

It is probably no coincidence that some of the most astonishing cars have been created as a result of personal vendettas. The Ford GT40 is a perfect example, as the racecar was developed mostly out ofFord’s spite toward Ferrari, the only carmaker that had had the audacity to make a fool out of Henry Ford II. RKMotors Charlotte recently put together the first episode of an upcoming series that tries to tell the story behind the GT40 that won Le Mans in 1966 — the car’s raison d’être.

Henry Ford II had become infatuated with the Le Mans 24 Hours race in the early ’60s, pledging to either win the endurance event or buy a carmaker that was able to do it for him. After having received word that Ferrari was willing to sell its road-going cars division, Ford invested a large amount of money in auditing Ferrari’s factory assets and negotiating the sale. Surprisingly, after a few short weeks, "Il Commendatore" broke off all talks with the American carmaker, after learning that Ford wouldn’t allow Scuderia Ferrari to race at the Indy 500 after the sale was completed, despite Enzo remaining the owner of the motorsport division.

This angered Henry Ford II so much that he decided to create a car that would beat Ferrari fair and square at the Le Mans 24 Hours. With the help of a chassis built by Lola and development entrusted to Carroll Shelby , the Ford GT 40 managed to not only beat Ferrari, but also dominate Le Mans in four consecutive years. The video above discusses the history behind the famed endurance racer and American icon, and subsequent chapters will document the restoration itself. Stay tuned!

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/rk-motors-revives-the-1966-le-mans-winning-ford-gt40-video-ar168342.html

by Alex Oagana

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Take a Ride On-Board a Ferrari LaFerrari on Spa-Francorchamps – Video - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Ok, say what you will about Ferrari and its LaFerrari and call them cowards for not wanting to throw down with the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder but the fact remains that they created a hell of a car.

The LaFerrari is an impressive machine from anywhere you look at it. On the outside it has clear Italian DNA and when you step inside it gets probably even better. Drive it and you’ll probably know what Nirvana feels like only you’ll still be alive (hopefully).

PLAY VIDEO

Being Ferrari’s first hybrid hyper-car, along with the high-revving V12 engine, the car also has by an additional electric motor to provide extra power and increase the overall fuel-efficiency, not that this aspect would matter all that much.

Combining the outputs from the two powerhouses, the exotic has a total of 963 HP and a peak torque of over 900 Nm (664 lb-ft). LaFerrari can sprint from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in under 3 seconds and reaches a top speed in excess of 350 km/h (217 mph). Also, the car is the beneficiary of F1 inspired aerodynamics, a 7-speed DCT transmission and a state-of-the-art brake and suspension systems.

Only 499 are being built, and one of them was recently taken around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Thankfully, the passenger had the inspiration to get his phone out and record some of the time spent on that seat. I know that if I were in his shoes, I’d probably be so amazed of the experience, that I’d totally forget about even thinking to record the whole thing.

According to the video description, the temperature outside was a chilling 3 degrees Celsius and the circuit was extremely wet, as you can see. On top of that, the car was wearing semi-slick tyres that were almost worn out so this won’t be one of those videos where we see world records being broken. Even so, listening to that V12 makes it worthwhile. Enjoy!

 source: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/take-a-ride-on-board-a-ferrari-laferrari-on-spa-francorchamps-video-93556.html

by Gabriel Nica

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - OUCH: Driver splits tree, luxury Ferrari in half during collision - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

A Guangdong highway became the scene of a somewhat spectacular car crash on Tuesday.

Miraculously, the driver managed to escape unharmed after cannoning into a tree on the side of the road, according to NetEase. The same could not be said for his luxury vehicle. Pictures show the tree severed from its roots as well as dismembered parts of the sports car strewn across the highway.

The driver is expected to face an obscenely large damage bill of 4 million RMB, although it is unlikely he will be feeling quite as abashed as the Guangxi man who crashed his brand new car seconds after driving it out of the dealership.

source: http://shanghaiist.com/2015/03/11/driver-splits-tree-luxury-ferrari-in-half.php

by Liam Bourke

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ferrari Driver Somehow Survives This Nasty Semi-Truck Crash - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Talk about lucky. Two people in Doral, Fla. came out of that completely destroyed Ferrari 458 with only minor injuries after the allegedly intoxicated driver lost control while speeding and running into a semi-truck. The result was a scene that looked like the Fast and FuriousHonda Civic robbery gone wrong, and a total loss of the supercar. Fortunately, though, neither life was lost.

The driver, 26-year-old Jose Luis Martin, was arrested for a DUI after the accident and ended the evening in jail after leaving a nightclub. According to NBC 6 Miami, Martin has a previous record, as well, including no less than 30 (!) infractions in just the past three years. He has everything from running stop signs to other speeding tickets. How this guy was still on the road is a wonder.

Police are citing a speedometer stuck on 75 mph as an indication that he was going at least 40 mph faster than the 35 mph speed limit. Hopefully Martin’s license will be taken away, and this incident will be the last time he has a chance to endanger both himself and others on the road.

source: boldride

by Tony Markovich

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Mysterious Lamborghini crashed, abandoned on Dallas highway - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Cars left abandoned by the side of the road is nothing new. Typically the vehicles are rusty Chevy Cavaliers, or '95 Civics with banging stereos worth more than the cars themselves. But when police stumbled across this particular abandoned vehicle on the Dallas North Tollway, something was different.

For starters, the yellow Lamborghini Gallardo was worth about 200 clapped-out Civics, and it was left damaged by the side of the road with no documents identifying the driver or where the supercar came from (one assumes authorities ran the VIN number, though). For a few hours Sunday morning it was a Texas-sized mystery: what would cause someone to simply abandon their Lamborghini, and who was the driver?

According to WFAA, the mystery began to unravel later that afternoon, when it was discovered that the car was not actually owned by the driver — it was rented from Exotic Skittles. The luxury car rental company did not disclose the name of the driver, or any details as to what may have happened.

The crashed Italian supercar is currently at an impound lot, and police are looking into why the driver abandoned the rental. While the puzzle continues to evolve, this story is clearly garnering more attention than your typical ditched Civic

source: Motoramic

by Alex Lloyd

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Watch a Charging Buffalo Hit a Car, Turn Real Life Into a State Farm Ad - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

“Say the jingle, say the jingle!” What the heck? Why didn’t they say the jingle? Oh, maybe because this was actually footage from a real event rather than that television commercial you might have seen.

YouTube user Tom Carter was simply enjoying a drive through gorgeous Yellowstone National Park when he noticed that a herd of Buffalo was barreling down the road straight toward the Nissan Xterra he was in. He shut off the engine, parked, and figured the 2,000-pound animals would continue past the car. He was wrong.

he buffalo was seemingly agitated by other cars that were driving behind the herd. So the lead buffalo ran head-first into the Nissan Xterra, which Carter says AAA said caused about $2,787.82 worth of damage. You can even hear him say, “Don’t run into our car!” right before the animal made contact – hard.

There was really nothing he could do, but at least neither Carter nor his passenger were injured during the incident. And for you animal lovers, the buffalo walked away just fine, as well. Maybe with a headache.

source: Boldride

by Tony Markovich

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Watch these Daring Thieves Steal a $180k Classic Ford - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Some people will do anything to get their hands on a rare set of wheels, no matter how illegal or high-risk the means may be. This group of brazen thieves in the UK appear to be quite good at doing exactly that.

The trio of car capers used a Land Rover Defender to ram-raid the Trackspeed Racing car shop in the UK town of Ripley, and made off with a rare 1972 Ford Escort Mexico, valued at £120,000 (around $180,000). Police have provided CCTV footage of the stunning theft, which takes place in under a minute, however the classic Ford (registered as DAD 422K) has yet to be recovered. Take a look.

Despite one of the criminals losing his footing more than once, it’s clear the robbers knew what they were doing and had a game plan in place for the heist. The thieves used the big Defender to bash through the store’s front display window and 40 seconds later had the Escort chained up and yanked out of the dealership.

A later report from Get Surrey suggests that the car was “stolen to order” by customers highly interested in the Escort… just not its top dollar price tag. The paper cites Michael Fraser, host of the BBC’s Beat the Burglar TV show, who believes the car is or will soon be stripped for the individual values of its rare parts.

What makes the story even more depressing for car fans is that a Defender matching the one involved in the crime was discovered burnt out and smoldering a mere five miles away in the neighboring town of West Horsley. One daring crime: two innocent automotive victims.

source: boldride

by  Zach Doell

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Watch these rally racers cheat death after plunging into a reservoir - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

Quick instincts can be the difference between life and death, as shown in this video of a Ford Fiesta

RS World Rally Car plunging into a reservoir during this week's Rally Mexico event.

M-Sport driver Ott Tanak and co-driver Raigo Molder veered off the dirt road earlier this morning, less than two miles into the 6.2-mile Los Mexicanos stage, with the Fiesta tumbling into the water and completely submerging in just a matter of seconds.

The pair quickly unbuckled their seatbelts and opened the doors once the first drops of water hit the windshield, and Molder even had the presence of mind to grab the pace notes before scrambling out. Though shaken, the duo emerged unharmed.

A consummate professional: The first thing co-driver Raigo did returning to the hotel was to lay out the pace notes …

Initially the fate of the Ford was a mystery, as officials lost all radio and GPS contact when the hatchback sank into the reservoir; the pair's cell phones were also broken due to their submerging. Other racers reported that Tanak's crashed car had seemingly vanished, so series officials launched a helicopter to begin the search. After that was unsuccessful, the stage was halted.

In all, it took a reported 17 minutes to locate Tanak and Molder and determine that the pair were uninjured. Team boss Malcolm Wilson stated that the news of their safety was pure relief, noting they had realized communication with the car was lost right where the reservoir was located. From there, the team had feared the worst.

“We are both feeling better now after a hot shower," said Tanak on his Twitter account. "Thanks to everyone for messages of support.” Even after this brush with death, the Estonian driver hopes to jump back in the car tomorrow (once it's recovered) and finish the race – aiming to shed his new nickname, Titanak.

source: Motoramic

by Aki Sugawara

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - TGIF: Watch a Porsche 918 Spyder Do Tire-Shredding Donuts - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

The biggest travesty in the world of supercars is not the fact that they’re so insanely expensive that normal folk can’t attain them. It’s the fact that so many of the people who can afford to buy them never, ever use them as the insanely fun super machines that they are. Car Lifestyle wants to combat that trend.

In this short video, CL takes out @ItsWhiteNoise‘s Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Edition for a bit of an empty parking lot workout. Sitting on HRE Wheels and winter tires, the 918 is given the full up-close detailed showcase treatment before the team gets the car whipping around doing donuts.

If you’ve been living in a submarine for the past few years and somehow haven’t heard, the 918 Spyder with the Weissach Package is one of the most advanced road cars on the planet. It’s a mid-engined hybrid with a 4.6-liter V8,  two synchronous motors, and a lith-ion battery.

It has a total of 887 horsepower and 944 lb-ft of torque. Beneath its skin is a carbon fiber monocoque. That combines for a car that got around the Nurburgring in 6:57. As mentioned, these things are built to be fun. Use them accordingly.

source: Boldride

by Tony Markovich

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Car Thief Throws a Brick, Mercedes Throws it Back - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

They say that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. We’ll extend that warning to anyone within the vicinity of a Mercedes-Benz, thanks to this face-palmy closed circuit TV footage taken from outside an Irish pub. 

According to the Irish Examiner, pub owner Gerry Brady and his business partner left work late one night to find a man passed out in the road next to his partner’s Mercedes E-Class Coupe. When he came to, the man was adamant that neither of the two call the police or an ambulance. Noticing the various damage to his partner’s car, Brady called the cops and reviewed his security footage to see what happened. Take a look.

After pelting the Mercedes’ windows with a few smaller stones, the thief then graduates to a large brick, but it’s quite obvious this Mercedes just isn’t giving up without a fight. The hurled brick bounces off the Mercedes and collides with the would-be crook’s face – knocking him out cold. His new nickname a la the Internet? ‘The Thick with a Brick.’

Now that’s what you call ‘karma’…or maybe it’s ‘car-ma’. Looking to reduce car thievery in your area? We have a simple solution. Take away all the rocks and pebbles in your neighborhood. Or better yet, just buy a Mercedes.

source: Boldride

by Zach Doell

http://www.fzrestoration.com

Vintage and Exotic Car Restoration Livermore - Ferrari 458 Italia Crashes and Flips But Driver Walks Away - FZ Restoration - 925-294-5666

A 41-year-old driver has crashed his Ferrari 458 Italia on a British motorway after flipping the supercar at high speeds.

Very few details about the crash are available but it has been confirmed that the 458 Italia was travelling south on the M6 slip road when the roll happened. Interestingly, it is unclear just how the car was flipped on the road but it appears as though the road was damp at the time of the crash.

Shortly after, the North West Motorway Police were called to the scene just after 6pm but the driver managed to escape without serious injuries.

The same can’t be said about the supercar however. The roof has been thoroughly damaged and compressed while the windscreen has also been broken. Additionally, extensive damage has been caused to the rear decklid as well as the passenger side wing mirror. It seems likely that the 458 Italia will be deemed a write-off.

[Via Daily Mail]

source: http://www.gtspirit.com/2015/02/26/ferrari-458-italia-crashes-and-flips-but-driver-walks-away/

by Brad Anderson

http://www.fzrestoration.com