Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[From the Prancing Horse's Mouth: Montezemolo reportedly confirms Ferrari 458 Spider]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/29/from-the-prancing-horses-mouth-montezemolo-reportedly-confirms/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/29/from-the-prancing-horses-mouth-montezemolo-reportedly-confirms/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/29/from-the-prancing-horses-mouth-montezemolo-reportedly-confirms/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ferrari 458 Spider rendered by Jon Sibal - Click above for high-res image

Ever since the introduction of the 348 Spider back in 1993 and on through the 355 Spider, 360 Spider and F430 Spider - to say nothing of the targa variants that came before - Ferrari has always produced droptop versions of its mid-engine V8 supercars. So it should come as no great surprise that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has reportedly confirmed the development of a roadster version of the new 458 Italia.

Like its predecessors, the 458 Spider will likely feature a conventional folding soft-top, and you can expect it'll be one of the lightest and quickest to deploy and retract in the business. Still, there was some speculation that Maranello would forgo building a 458 Spider altogether, leaving its sun-worshipping, V8-lovin' clientele to be tended to by the California. But while the affable marquis has been off on some statements in the past, we'll take this one at wind-in-your-face value. Expect the 458 Spider to appear in a couple of years.


Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Ferrari 458 Italia


[Source: Quattroroute via Euocarblog]

From the Prancing Horse's Mouth: Montezemolo reportedly confirms Ferrari 458 Spider originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari's participation in Formula One is so firmly entrenched in the identities of both the world championship and the Italian automaker that its abandonment of the series is almost unthinkable. But thinking about just that, according to some commentators, is what Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo wants people to start doing, as a spate of heated correspondence flies back and forth between Maranello and Paris, seat of motorsport's governing body, the FIA.

Montezemolo, who also serves as chairman of the Fiat group and head of the Formula One Teams Association, has been invited to ceremonially start this year's 24 hours of Le Mans by the ACO, where he will be joined by Scuderia Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicalli. And while to some it may seem entirely benign, others insist that it's a shot across the bow of the SS Max Mosley, the FIA chief who's been pushing new cost-cutting regulations to which Ferrari, among several other teams, is vehemently opposed. But could Ferrari really leave Formula One? This isn't the first time the idea's been floated, following a recent campaign to form a renegade spin-off series and Ferrari's Indy program in the 80's, to name just a couple of examples. The hard, cold truth that Mosley must be realizing is that Le Mans series endurance sports car racing has grown in profile to rival that of Formula One, and even if Ferrari's participation in the series is currently limited primarily to GT2, where it has taken numerous class victories, its heritage at the iconic French track is nearly as firmly entrenched as it is on the world's grand prix circuits.

[Sources: Autosport and F1-Live | Image: ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty]

Montezemolo's Revenge: Ferrari chief to start Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 May 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The closer we get to the end of this season and to the start of the next, the clearer the picture will become as to which drivers will be where for the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. While his team was undergoing testing alongside its competitors at the Monza track in Italy, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo placed one of the bigger pieces in the puzzle in confirming that Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa would both be back in scarlet for next season. Although towards the beginning of the season it was onto Massa's future which doubt was cast, by now the tides have changed in that Kimi's performance has lagged behind his team-mate and it's Raikkonen's future that was being debated in the press. However Montezemolo confirmed that neither driver would be replaced for the coming season.

While in the paddock, Montezemolo also visited former champion Fernando Alonso and current leader Lewis Hamilton, but insisted that Alonso, who has been rumored to be angling for a seat with Ferrari, would have to wait at least a little while longer. Montezemolo also took the opportunity to express his displeasure with the new tracks being mixed into the calendar, stating that because overtaking is so difficult on these new circuits, the winner is often pre-determined in qualifying.

[Source: F1-Live Image: Andreas Solaro/Getty]

Ferrari confirms Kimi and Felipe for 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the Formula One teams met last week at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, they had yet to announce who would take over the helm of their newly-formed Formula One Teams Association. The group was formed to effectively negotiate on behalf of all the teams on a new commercial deal with Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management and on new regulations with the FIA. Reports now indicate that Luca di Montezemolo will act as the group's leader and spokesman.

Now if you're thinking that Montezemolo isn't a team principal, you're right. In fact, he hasn't been actively responsible for the Scuderia in decades. The hereditary Marquis de Montezemolo is president of Ferrari and chairman of the entire Fiat Group, and recently finished his term as chairman of industrial association Confindustria. Certainly a heavy hitter, well above to pay-grade of Scuderia Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali. The top-level appointment certainly lends a great deal of weight and credibility to the new association.

[Source: F1-Live]

Montezemolo named head of Formula One Teams Association originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like we'll be seeing the F430 Challenge Stradale at Frankfurt. Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo basically told reporters as much at the Geneva auto show. The model that will debut in Frankfurt is an evolution of the F430, which is expected to be more powerful and lighter than the current coupe through the use of F1 engineering and technology. This will follow the pattern Ferrari set with the 360 series, when a Challenge racecar was built off that platform, then a street version of that racecar sold to the public. We still aren't sure whether the F430 version will wear the Challenge Stradale moniker, but we do suspect that power will be around 525 (up from 489) and that weight should drop by a couple hundred pounds to keep it on par with Lamborghini's recent Gallardo Superleggera and Porsche's 911 GT3 RS. Whatever they call it, we will officially go on record as saying it will be our new favorite Ferrari. Until the 599 Barchetta pops up, that is.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Continue reading Ferrari to debut new model in Frankfurt, not the Dino

Ferrari to debut new model in Frankfurt, not the Dino originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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