Autoblog

Click on the image above to jump to our 52-image high-resolution gallery

Can't get enough of Ferrari's latest hotness? Neither can we, and the first batch of eight official images to come out of Maranello just weren't enough. So we flew out to Germany and got some more from the 430 Scuderia's unveiling at the Frankfurt auto show. But that still wasn't enough. So we got in touch with Ferrari North America to ask for more, but unfortunately our requests went unheeded.

Thankfully our Italian friends over at Automobilismo.it came to the rescue with a whole F1-calibre convoy full of new press images of the new Scuderia, that stripped-out supercar that laps Ferrari's private Fiorano test track faster than any Ferrari road car in the company's sixty-year history – including the Enzo.

Without confirmation from Ferrari, we can't be 100% sure these are all factory-issued, but until we hear otherwise, we give you this gallery of 52 high-resolution images. Enjoy them, because it can't have been easy for the photographer to get the 430 Scuderia to stay still for long.

[Source: Ferrari via Automobilismo.it]

Ferrari's getting in on the environmental game. Well, relatively speaking. The next supercar from the home of the prancing horse will be lighter and use a lower-displacement engine, but still have at least 500 HP. Thoughts are that such a car would derive its powerplant from the one mooted for the Millechili concept shown earlier this year. Though the car shown was nothing more than cardboard, the powerplant spoken of was a twin-turbocharged, direct-injection, 550-hp, 3.0-liter V-8.

The other big news is more information on Ferrari's No-It's-Not-A-Dino. Instead, what will be revealed early next year is a 2+2 V8 with a 4.3L V8 mounted up front. Other changes to the rest of Ferrari's line have taken a back seat due to the marque's growing popularity. The 599 hardtop convertible has been put on hold in light of the coupe's 18-month waiting list. The 612 will remain unchanged until its replaced in 2010.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

click above image for more high-res shots of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia

It's not a good sign when there is a massive throng pushing into the display hall and an announcement from inside the hall is asking people to step back away from the stage. But when the booth happens to have a Prancing Horse above it and none other than 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is standing front and center, it's understandable that there might be some interest in seeing what he has to show. Jean Todt was even on the outside looking in...for a short time. He was here like the rest of us, of course, to see Schumacher unveil Ferrari's latest track model for the street, the F430 Scuderia. We already know all of the pertinent details about the car, but seeing one in person was what this event was all about. And it didn't hurt that MS was here for the photo op. We actually lucked out and he walked right up to us at the side of the stage after his introduction. He looked incredibly well-rested and relaxed, unlike the car which looks like it wants to jump out of its skin.

Follow the jump for the rest of the story and make sure you check out the galleries as well.

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]

UPDATE: Much better quality high-res pics added to gallery

Click image to view high-res gallery

Unfortunately for Noah or Frank, Ferrari has gone and revealed the new F430 Scuderia when neither are around, so it's up to me to convey how fantabulous this new Prancing Horse is to you. We've been following for some time what we thought would be called the new F430 Challenge Stradale, but Ferrari has instead decided to name it the F430 Scuderia. Regardless of what it's called, this new F430 joins the coupe and spyder, yet takes a decidedly harder, more track-oriented edge than its siblings. The car weighs around 100kg (220 lbs.) less than the standard F430 coupe, and its version of Ferrari's 4.3L V8 produces 510 horsepower instead of 483. That gives the Scuderia a frighteningly low power-to-weight ratio of 1 horsepower for every 5.4 lbs.

The new F430 Scuderia also promises to carry a lot of trickle-down F1 technology as well, including lightning-quick 60 millisecond shifts and an integrated traction and stability control system. In order to accentuate the car's F1 connection, none other than famed F1 driver Michael Schumacher will officially unveil the car in Frankfurt this September. Until then, we have a gallery of high-res shots for you to flip through below and Ferrari's press release after the jump.

[Source: Ferrari via Ultimatecarpage.com]

After 17 years, Nigel Mansell is returning to the wheel of a Ferrari. The former world champion will be driving an F430 GT for Scuderia Ecosse in the second round of the 2007 FIA GT Championship, held at the same Silverstone track where Mansell scored three celebrated grand prix victories.

The old dog can apparently still learn new tricks – at 53 years old, this will be the first time the champ will be racing sports cars. Driving alongside him will be one of Scuderia Ecosse's team drivers, either fellow British pilot Andrew Kirkaldy or Canadian driver Chris Niarchos, to be confirmed before the race this Sunday.

Although he evidently welcomes the new challenge, Mansell's remains understandably apprehensive about his prospects: "The Ferrari is fun to drive, but it remains to be seen how I will get on in a race situation, as ex-F1 drivers tend to go out with a target on their backs!"

The race looks set to gather quite a crowd. In addition to Mansell's participation, the Silverstone race will also mark Jaguar's return to GT racing.

[Source: Auto Express]

It's a sad state of affairs when the pure talent of a racing driver isn't enough to advance his career. In the case of Sebastien Bourdais, the top teams on the F1 grid have apparently been blind to his domination in Champ Cars, as our favorite Frenchman (okay, second favorite, after Talladega Nights arch-villain Jean Girard) looks like he's headed for his fourth consecutive title in the open-wheel series.

Enter Nicholas Todt, who is out to change Bourdais' fortunes and secure him a drive for the 2008 Formula One season. The fellow Frenchman did wonders for Felipe Massa, who started out at Sauber (then powered by Ferrari), then took a test seat at Ferrari (where Nick's dad Jean is king), before moving him back to Sauber (still with Ferrari engines) to race for another season, before taking the race seat at Ferrari alongside Schumacher. Now Massa is a contender for the title.

Nicholas Todt has now signed on to manage Bourdais' racing activities in Europe. In between ChampCar races, Bourdais is driving at Le Mans for Peugeot, and has been testing for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Todt has reportedly arranged for the talented 28-year-old driver to test again for the STR, which uses engines supplied by (you guessed it) Ferrari, and the rumors are that they might have secured a race seat with the squad for next season.

Could Bourdais prove to be the next star "rookie" in F1? Time will tell, we hope, but this proven entity is no rookie. Shame he'll have to start from the back of the grid, but his apparent willingness to do so only confirms his determination.

Related post:
F1 is missing out on Sebastein Bourdais

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

In most countries, acts like murder, treason, or plotting to overthrow the government rank among the most heinous crimes a person can commit. In Italy, stealing secrets from Ferrari ranks right up near the top of the list, too.

Following a long, drawn out process, two former Scuderia Ferrari engineers, who stood accused of stealing secrets from Maranello and giving them to rivals at Toyota F1, have been convicted. Pending appeal, Angelo Santini was sentenced to nine months and Mauro Iacconi to 16 behind bars on charges of industrial espionage.

Back at the start of the 2003 season, Toyota built a wind-tunnel down the road from Ferrari in Sant'Agata Bolognese, near the Lamborghini factory. Naturally the project recruited the talents of many former Ferrari engineers, but when the season kicked off, Toyota's car looked suspiciously like Ferrari's. Complaints were filed in Italy and in Germany, and the case against Santini and Iacconi went to court a year ago. Toyota's former team principal, chief designer and chief aerodynamicist were all charged in Germany, where the case against them is pending prosecution.

It seems that Toyota will stop at nothing to catch up to Ferrari, and when hiring a Schumacher didn't work, less legal means were employed.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

The last racing seat has finally been confirmed for the 2007 Formual One season, as Scott Speed stays on with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull's back-marker B-team once known as Minardi. Lead by former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, Toro Rosso seemed to have been playing a twisted little game of waiting as long as possible to make the announcement, finally tipping their hand at the bottom of a testing session press release to ensure it gets the least attention possible.

While Speed remains the only American driver in F1, other countries are well represented. British fans have four drivers on the grid to support, plus two test drivers. While Takuma Sato remains the only Japanese driver on the grid, Nippon-backed teams Toyota, Williams and Super Aguri (with the notable exception of Honda) have stacked their testing rosters with four more Japanese pilots. Four German testers join four drivers in the post-Schumacher era. Italy has four on the grid and another in the garage. Two drivers and two testers compete for the attention of Brazilian fans. Even the Dutch are back with one driver and two testers.

With the unstartling revelation, the full grid for the 2007 Formula One season is now confirmed, as every other team has already announced its driver line-up (save for Toro Rosso's test drivers).

Follow the jump for the full roster.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

The motorsport press rumor mill is grinding away at full speed on a juicy bit of gossip and speculation that Michael Schumacher is being groomed to take over as head of Scuderia Ferrari. After his retirement, Schumacher took on a role as a special advisor to Ferrari chief Jean Todt. It was supposed to be a low-key, backstage kind of position that would let the seven-time world champion continue to impart his experience to the team, but it apparently hasn't been as hands-off as they made it out to be: Schumacher has reportedly made more visits to Maranello and sat in on more key meetings in the past few months since his retirement than he did during the entire 2006 season.

An unnamed source inside Ferrari was quoted as saying that Schumacher's current level of involvement points to only one conclusion: that he's preparing to step in as team leader -- and it would make sense. A lot of F1 pundits said that it would be entirely likely for Schumacher to head up a team after retiring from active racing, but how could he leave Ferrari for another team? Ferrari today is the house that Michael built. He brought in the key staff, revamped the way the team works and turned it into a winning tour de force. Jean Todt has been looking to step away from directly managing the team since being promoted to overall head of Ferrari, but hasn't been able to up to this point. He's needed a capable successor.

Of course, Schumacher's representatives have denied it up and down, but it's hard to avoid the logical conclusion when all the pieces fit.

[Source: F1i]