Autoblog

Ferrari's global branding efforts are accelerating as fast as its race and road cars, to the point where a third division was established just to manage it all. Heck, they've even got a Ferrari edition Segway scooter now. Next on the agenda: an aggressive expansion of Ferrari Store retail outlets, the locations that peddle all manner of scarlet wares with the Prancing Horse badge.

Ferrari's new global branding division, under the direction of former Red Bull lieutenant Dany Bahar, is planning to open no less than 40 new stores around the world over the next five years. The latest location just opened at Barcelona's El Prat International airport in Spain, soon to be joined by locations in Abu Dhabi and Moscow in the next few months, followed by Singapore, Macao and Honolulu next year. (Maybe Cleveland will get one soon! - JN)

Is this all getting to be too much? Many would say so, among them a good portion of the Autoblog writing staff. But as a counterpoint, if the added income ends up financing ever-faster road cars and further dominance on the race track, maybe there's something to it.

[Source: Inside Line, photo by Noah Joseph]

The Lamborghini Countach was everywhere in the 1980s. It was so often presented as the ultimate car, photographed with celebrities, and generally placed in the spotlight that even your grandmother could've recognized it. Because of its vaunted status, the Countach is an aspirational car that you might purchase to celebrate a milestone in your life. Oregonian Marlowe Treit spent two years tracking down the perfect Countach as a way of marking 60 years on the planet.

In May of 2006, Marlowe's 1985 Countach had an unfortunate meeting with an FBI-leased Cessna 206 at the Aurora, Oregon airport where Treit owns a business. The NTSB has investigated the incident and blames both the plane's pilot and Treit for not noticing each other. Nevertheless, the shredded Italian exotic will cost a considerable amount to repair or replace, and Treit is suing the United States for $105,500, claiming that the Cessna pilots had a clear view of his vehicle, and should have yielded the right of way. We can understand the heartache that having your dream car mangled must cause, but it looks like an uphill battle for Mr. Treit, with the NTSB essentially declaring the event as a "no-fault" accident. The big question we've got is will Mr. Treit replace his Countach with a Diablo, Gallardo, or Murcielago should he win? We'd probably go for an Islero, Jarama, or Series III Espada. Check out a video interview of Treit after the jump.

[Source: The Oregonian via All Cars All The Time]

Later this year, XM Satellite Radio will roll out its ParkingLink system in four cities. Built in a joint venture with Quixote Transportation Technologies and Standard Parking, the system will utilize GPS and a series of wireless sensors embedded in parking garages and pay lots around the US to transmit data on the number and location of open spots to drivers' in-car displays.

Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. will be the first to get the system, starting later this year. By the second half of 2007, XM hopes to expand the system to other major markets. Soon after that the sight of people driving aimlessly around parking lots may be a thing of the past.

[Source: Chicago Business]