Autoblog

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It's always nice when money gets thrown at making epic videos of cars, and this one is so beautifully produced that it obviously cost a bundle. What could be more epic than a couple of Ferraris being treated like the rentals Rowdy and Cole duked it out with in Days Of Thunder? Okay, Ferrari and NASCAR, ne'er the twain shall meet, but what we do have here is a fantastically beautiful video of a Ferrari 599 showing the F40 what an old man it's become. Let's see, do we want to take the comfortable, easy-driving, fighter-jet fast GT, or would we prefer the raucous, painful, finicky throwback that's nearly as fast but is probably more exhilarating due simply to the cacophony behind your head? Either could be fun - follow the jump to see for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Johnny!

[Source: YouTube]

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OK, we've seen some of their previous work so we probably shouldn't have expected much more this time around, but when we heard that Mansory had gotten its hands on an SLR and a Ferrari 599 GTB, we certainly hoped that it would figure out a way to enhance their gotta-have-it quotients. Alas, our prayers went unanswered. Done up in a matte gold and black combo, the SLR looks a bit toy-like, but it should manage to sell in the single digits at least. Which digit you choose to count the sales is up to you. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano had actually been criticized in some camps for being a bit too evocative of the Chevrolet Corvette when it was first shown. The Mansory edition done up in white and carbon fiber looks even more Vette-like to our eyes. Thoughts of a ZR1 or the recent 427 special edition Z06 leapt to mind. There was also a Phantom in the booth, but quite honestly, doing something outrageous to a Roller just doesn't offend us as badly. Take a look at the gallery and let us know if you agree. We've already heard from at least one other journo who happened to be winding his way down the road towards us that the 599 looks seriously racy and that we are dead wrong about it. We'll let you decide for yourselves. Click away.

Ferrari may only produce about 6,000 supercars per year, but the Italian automaker still wants to help control global warming by reducing its CO2 emissions by 40-percet. That's a substantial savings when one considers that Ferrari will need to reach their goal by sustaining and likely improving overall performance. General Manager Armedeo Felica told Reuters that Ferrari intends to reach this goal in 2012 by improving the efficiency of their engines and bringing down the weight of its already trim supercars. While the 40-percent reduction in fossil fuels won't come close to the proposed 120 grams/kilometer that the European Commission is looking to for 2012, it will at least put a dent in Ferrari's atrocious appetite for benzina.

While $3 per gallon gas likely doesn't have much of an impact on Ferrari owners, everybody needs to pitch in to clean up our act. It's nice to see that innovative and exciting companies like Ferrari are doing what it can to help, and a 24mpg F430 sounds good to us.

[Source: Reuters]

Every so often, we come across something during our daily slog to and from work that merits a quick post, whether it be an aerodynamically-incorrect F-body, a not-available-in-North-America-but-here-anyway import, or something that's just plain cool. Today, it was the latter. Even when stuck in traffic like the rest of us, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano looks like it's moving faster than everyone else. And it sounds just as good. Yep, the ride home this evening got a whole lot more tolerable when this bad boy appeared in front of us. You just don't see too many of 'em day-to-day, y'know?

Hamann, the tuner of all manner of exotica, has gotten their grubby little paws on Ferrari's finest grand tourer, the 599 GTB.

To begin with, the Hamann treatment does not augment the engine, exhaust or suspension in any way, instead leaving the 600+ HP, V12 to do its job as Ferrari's engineers saw fit.

Hamann opted to focus their attention on the 599's bodywork, adding a chin spoiler, extending the side skirts and tacking on a new rear diffuser. Although down force is rarely a problem with Marnello motorcars, Hamann added a duo of wings: one gracing the edge of the bumper, while another sits atop the rear window.

Naturally, wheel choice is where the tuner excels and in the case of the 599, 21-inch wheels are fitted at all four corners, with 245 tires up front and 345s in the rear.

If you've got the coin, you could certainly do worse, but we think the 599 GTB speaks for itself quite well, right from the factory.

More pics after the jump.

Now that there's proof that we won't stuff a high-end piece of machinery into the weeds, we don't see why this video doesn't have two Autobloggers flogging a couple of Ferraris up some cow path in Tuscany.

No matter. We get to live vicariously through the camera lens as EVO's Richard Meaden turns the traction control to "off" on a 599GTB and then proceeds to chase down his cohort in a 550M.

Come on Ferrari. Make the leap, you know we're good for it.

Spurred by the success of last year's Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles, which saw two 612 Scagliettis driven 15,000 miles through China by international journalists, Ferrari is gearing up for a new odyssey that kicks off on August 24th.

The Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 will once again put journalists behind the wheel as they drive a pair of 599 GTB Fioranos from Brazil through South and Central America, and then across the United States and Canada to New York City, where the road trip will finally come to an end on November 17th. The 84-day tour will be broken up into 15 stages, which will see the cars challenged by diverse conditions such as simple dirt roads, rain forests, salt plains, and high-altitude runs through the Andes.

The specially-liveried cars will be chased by a support team made up of 3 Fiats (Alfas in Mexico) and 3 Iveco trucks. As was the case with the 15,000 Red Miles, you'll be able to follow the tour's progress at the marque's official website, FerrariWorld.com.

(Additional photos, comprehensive press release after the jump)

[Source: Ferrari]