Rendered Speculation: Ferrari F142 taking shape originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Novitec TuLesto

Continue reading Novitec gets ambitious, builds "own" supercar, the TuLesto

Novitec gets ambitious, builds "own" supercar, the TuLesto originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Spy Shots: Ferrari F450 mule spotted fresh off the truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The automotive web lit up this weekend with speculation over a mysterious Ferrari photographed running development laps around the Fiorano test track.. While some suggest this could be the successor to either the F430 or the Enzo, observers were confused by the complete lack of any apparent effort to disguise the car's bodywork. The latest reports now indicate that the vehicle in question is a one-off rebodied F430 custom made by Italian design house Fioravanti for what must be an incredibly wealthy customer.

The emergence of the purported Fioravanti F430 follows similar creations from Pininfarina, Giugiaro and Zagato (and reportedly soon from Touring) as well as the announcement of Ferrari's program to offer discerning (and financially unlimited) clients with custom models. The criteria call for leaving certain elements - including the crash structures and the running gear - intact, but apart from that it's open season. The Fioravanti take on the F430 includes a mildly re-sculpted front end, a heavily-modified rear section and an extensive remolding of many body panels in lightweight (and costly) carbon fiber. The vehicle looks about ready for delivery, so we hope we might get a chance for an up-close view at the upcoming Paris show in October.

[Sources: Italiaspeed and Autoblog.nl]

Fioravanti coachbuilt Ferrari F430 spied at Fiorano originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Ferrari 430 Spider Bio Fuel

Detroit 2008: Ferrari fills in details on F430 Spider Bio Fuel originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Ferrari F430 Scuderia

Pics Aplenty! Ferrari 430 Scuderia - inside, out and upside down originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Seeing the photos released from Maranello of the new Ferrari 430 Scuderia should have provided a good fix for all you Ferrari junkies out there, but as exciting as they are, all those Prancing Horses are meant to be galloping, not sitting still. We can thank our friends in Amsterdam for hooking us up, just one more time, with the good stuff we crave.

Follow the link where you'll find a video of the 430 Scuderia wearing a little bit of camouflage as it enters and exits the gates of Ferrari's private Fiorano test track in Maranello. It ain't moving fast, heading up the driveway, but oh what a sweet sound it makes.

[Source: Autojunk via Jalopnik]

Spy Video: Ferrari 430 Scuderia at Fiorano originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We know, we know... you've already seen spy shots of the upcoming Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale. But we can't help but get excited for what promises to be one of the most tantalizing applications of the more-power-less-weight battle cry. We've seen what an improvement the formula made to the F430's predecessor, the 360 Modena, so stripping weight off the already faster-than-spit F430, tightening it up and squeezing a few extra prancing horses out of its screaming powerplant should make for an even hotter ride.

To recap, the 430 CS is anticipated to strip an additional 100 kg or so off the curb weight of its "ordinary" sister by stripping out non-essentials and replacing some of the sheet-metal with carbon-fiber body panels, all while boosting output by an extra 20 horsepower or so thanks primarily to a freer-flowing exhaust system with tips placed higher in the rear panel, like on the previous 360 CS.

These latest shots of the 430 CS test mule, which you can see in all their glory by following the link, were snapped at the Nurburgring and show a revised front end with what look like flared nostrils and a track that has apparently been even further widened over the already broad-shouldered F430. Slight changes, to be sure, but the fine-tuning of perfection has us eagerly counting down to its anticipated debut at the Frankfurt show in September.

[Source: Autowereld via Motor Authority]

Back in Black: Ferrari 430CS caught testing...again originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Ferrari to debut new model in Frankfurt, not the Dino
• Spy Shots: Ferrari 430 Challenge Stradale
• More Spy Shots: F430 Challenge Stradale
• SPY SHOTS: Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale
• Spy Shots: Ferrari Challenge Stradale F430

Spy Shots: Ferrari F430 CS surfaces again originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 May 2007 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nobody defines the terms "wretched excess" and "gilding the lily" quite like Novitec. Whereas countless other aftermarket tuners make their mark by transforming ordinary road cars into fire-breathing monsters, Novitec starts with the already-hottest-performing cars to grace black asphalt and then endeavors to improve upon them. In this case, the German tuning house is improving upon its own improvements with the Novitec Rosso Ferrari F430 Bi-Compressor Evoluzione.

"Evoluzione" is the magic word in both the Ferrari and Novitec houses, denoting the ludicrous taken to the extreme. (Think of insane examples like the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione and you're on the right track.) In this case, the latest release from Novitec Rosso starts with their previous twin-supercharged 636-horsepower F430 and raises the stakes by an additional 20 horses, bringing total output up to an Enzo-rivaling 656hp.

In addition to the power spike - resulting from the twin Rotrex superchargers, intercoolers and remapped ECU - Novitec arms its monstrous creation with a full aerodynamic package, wheel and tire upgrade, bigger brakes, beefed-up suspension and the works. If you're the kind of customer who'd be interested in improving upon a Ferrari in the first place, chances are you'd likely be up for re-doing the interior, and Novitec offers a full range of custom leather retrofits that will turn the rare into the positively unique.

Want more? We've got the technical specs after the jump, and a batch of images in the gallery below.

[Source: Novitec via Carscoop]

Gallery: Novitec F430 Evo

Continue reading White Fang: Novitec's 656-hp F430 Evoluzione

White Fang: Novitec's 656-hp F430 Evoluzione originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In typical fashion, Ferrari had an impressive presence in Geneva this year. While their corporate cousins across the aisle made a big splash with the unveiling of the Maserati GranTurismo, the marque from Maranello wasn't showing any substantial new products of their own.

As we reported earlier, Luca di Montezemolo - president of Ferrari, chairman of Fiat and veritable don of the Italian automotive industry (also tipped as the potential future president of Italy) - hinted at the unveiling of the 430 Challenge Stradale (an eight-cylinder road car that "will embrace the know-how of weight reduction and high performance learned from our F1 experience") at the upcoming Frankfurt show in September. Montezemolo also spoke about some historic Ferrari paint colors that have been recently resurrected, including a 612 Scaglietti on display in Grigio Ingrid, a shade of gray that was originally commissioned from Pininfarina by Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini for a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM that he bought for his wife Ingrid Bergman.

The Ferrari stand also featured the F2007 Formula 1 car, just over a week before the season kicks off in Melbourne, a 599 GTB Fiorano, a 430 Spider and two 612 Scagliettis, flanked by a team of suitably luscious models, all of which you can see in our high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: Ferrai at Geneva 2007

Geneva Motor Show: Ferrari shifts to neutral in Switzerland originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stradale is Italian for "street", and like the previous 360 Challenge Stradale, the upcoming F430 CS takes the formula from the car prepared for the Ferrari Challenge race series and adapts it to street use, shedding unneeded pounds and picking up a few tricks along the way. The new CS gets an uptick in horsepower over stock thanks to a freer-flowing exhaust system (with outlets placed higher up in the rear grille) and a remapped engine management system. The anticipated boost in power to 525 prancing horses will be a helpful feature when gunning for the latest Gallardo from arch-rival Lamborghini. Larger brakes will be hidden behind bigger, lightweight alloys. The new wheels will also provide an easy way to differentiate the CS from its standard F430 sibling.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continue reading Spy Shots: Ferrari 430 Challenge Stradale

Spy Shots: Ferrari 430 Challenge Stradale originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ferrari North America has announced the schedule for the 2007 Ferrari Challenge series. The series gives private gentleman-racers the chance to compete in the longest-running sanctioned racing series behind the wheels of their own specially-prepared F430 Challenge cars at locations around North America, in parallel to series across the ocean.

The series has been running since 1993, when the 348 was the chosen vehicle, replaced two years later by the 355. While the earlier cars were retrofitted, the purpose-built 360 Challenge was introduced in 2000 and is being entirely phased out in the new season after one year of overlap with the 430. This season will bring the Ferrari Challenge series to Homestead, Florida the weekend of March 9-11, Infineon in California April 13-15, Virginia May 18-20, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal to coincide with the Canadian Grand Prix from June 8-10, up at the renovated Circuit Mont Tremblant the following weekend, down to California Speedway August 10-12, then at Laguna Seca the next weekend before the world finals in Italy in late October.

[Source: Ferrari North America]

Continue reading Ferrari NA prepares for 14th Challenge season

Ferrari NA prepares for 14th Challenge season originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're a regular reader here at Autoblog, you'll know that we like aftermarket tuners, and regularly cover some of their finest efforts. Tuners give enthusiasts and buyers a broader range of customizable options than the factory could possibly envision, allowing us to express our individuality and personal taste - or, sometimes, complete lack thereof. But some things you just don't mess with, like a Ferrari. With very few exceptions, messing with the perfection of a Prancing Horse just spells disaster.

This video from Dutch television shows the agonizing step-by-step process of turning the F430, one of the best sports cars ever to grace God's green earth, into a rolling orange abomination that looks more Trick than Treat in its Halloween livery.

It's probably just as well if you can't understand what the narrator and interviewees are saying, because frankly, we don't want to know. Watch at your own risk...not for the faint of heart.

Related post:

• Novitec Rosso's twin-supercharger Ferrari F430 - Autoblog

VIDEO: What are those flying Dutchmen doing to that Ferrari? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ferrari aficionados and motorheads the world over have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale. The previous 360 CS took the 360 Modena coupe, put it on a diet and gave it some stripes. The result was a leaner and meaner prancing horse that put the 360 Challenge race-car into street-legal form. The very idea of taking the already superlative F430 and giving it the same treatment was simply mouthwatering.

This spy shot was snapped at the Nurburgring, which seems a little odd considering Ferrari owns three circuits of its own in Italy. The test mule shows most of the visible modifications to be featured on the F430 Challenge Stradale...expect the wheels to more closely resemble the magnesium CS rims up front than the stock 430 wheels at the back.

Until now the jury was out on whether the 430 CS would gain its performance edge "merely" by shedding extra mass or also be treated to a few extra cavallini, but the latest reports indicate that the 430's high-revving soprano V8 will get a boost to 520 horsepower (30 over the "ordinary" F430), thanks to a revised ECU and new exhaust system. Couple that with 200-lbs worth of liposuction thanks largely to selective use of carbon fiber body panels and you've got a recipe for satanic performance.

[Source: Motor Authority]

SPY SHOTS: Ferrari F430 Challenge Stradale originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Nov 2006 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.