Continue reading Cadillac CTS-V Challenge: Follow along on Twitter

Cadillac CTS-V Challenge: Follow along on Twitter originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:57:00 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.

Continue reading VIDEO: Ford fools people into telling the truth

VIDEO: Ford fools people into telling the truth originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:27:00 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.

Vertu has long been cultivating an image of association with the pinnacle of automotive excellence through their branding, use of materials and special editions. The latest effort is a collaboration with Ferrari, that Italian stallion that seemingly manages to get its name on everything these days.

Following on the heels of the exclusive Racetrack Legends series, the Ferrari Challenge edition is likewise based on the sporty Ascent handset that features proprietary "liquid alloy" construction, jewel bearings, a sapphire crystal screen and distinctive leather trim. The Ferrari version is differentiated by a Prancing Horse emblem near the mouthpiece, black and red leather with embossed Ferrari insignia, and a drilled accelerator pedal on the back.

[Source: Sybarites]

Continue reading Vertu rides the Prancing Horse

Vertu rides the Prancing Horse originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:01:00 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.

The battle between the Prancing Horse and the Raging Bull is the most epic in the automotive industry, with Maranello and Sant'Agata always searching for ways to one-up eachother. (Which one is Borat and which one is his neighbor with the iPod mini depends on your perspective.) So with Ferrari preparing to release the F430 Challenge Stradale, Lamborghini wasn't going to be left holding its fedora. That's why reports are surfacing that Lamborghini is working on a new, lightweight version of the Gallardo.

Reviving the classic Superleggera name from Italian automotive history, the Gallardo Superleggera will shed "frills" from the cabin (for example sound insulation, thick glass, carpeting, power features, stereo, air conditioning and leather) and replace body panels with carbon fiber, a targeted weight savings of 220 lbs, bringing the total curb weight to less than 3000 lbs. However, unlike pre-Audi lightweight special Lambos, the Gallardo is expected to retain its all-wheel-drive.

Reports also suggest a slight increase in power (likely from a revised exhaust), adding an extra 10 hp that should help the leaner Lambo drop a good half-second off its 0-60 sprint.

Could this be the surprise Lamborghini has in store for us at Geneva? We'll find out next week.

[Source: Quattroruote via Motor Authority]

Lamborghini preparing Gallardo Superleggera originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:58:00 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.

Continue reading Wheeled Spaceship - Volvo BeeVan concept

Wheeled Spaceship - Volvo BeeVan concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Galleries of the 2007 Peugeot Design Contest entries

Galleries of the 2007 Peugeot Design Contest entries originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Dec 2006 20:05:00 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.