Autoblog

Flyin' Miata at Targa Newfoundland, Part 1: Meet your classmates

Zach Bowman — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Convertible, Mazda, Canada, Racing

While the 2011 Targa Newfoundland doesn't officially kick off until Monday, a handful of competitors have already arrived in St. John's to take advantage of the Open Road Motorsports Targa School. Operated by veterans of the event, the school gives novice competitors a little taste of the days to come. Glen Clarke, our instructor, routinely pilots a Porsche 911 to accolades and glory, so his word is worth pure gold to our motley crew. Over the course of eight hours, the Grand Touring Flyin' Miata team was introduced to the basics of navigation, ran a trial stage and generally sorted the roles of driver and co-pilot.

Our class included targa competitors from years past as well as newcomers like ourselves, including racers piloting a Ferrari Enzo, a delicious Porsche 914 and a completely sinister Audi 200 Avant Turbo AWD. A few additional racers have also set up camp at the local Holiday Inn, including a Maserati MC12, a Ferrari F430 Spyder, a Lamborghini Murciélago Super Veloce and a Saleen S7 from ZRAuto.ca. We can't wait to see how those bruisers fair on the demanding roads of Newfoundland.

Flyin' Miata at Targa Newfoundland, Part 1: Meet your classmates originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: That's a Wrap! Ferrari F430 Spider gets the vinyl treatment

Noah Joseph — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:33:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Videos, Ferrari, UK, Design/Style

Ferrari F430 Spider goes under the knife - Click above to watch the video

It can't really be that simple, can it? Well, it seldom is. But experts in any given field tend to have a knack for making complex procedures look deceptively simple. Take this video, for example, from Creative FX. The British firm specializes in vinyl wraps, and they make it look all too easy.

Wraps are growing into a popular choice for exotic car owners looking to give their rides a new look. Rather than repainting the entire car, specialist shops like Creative FX apply what essentially amounts to giant decals. That's how most of the matte-finish cars we see - including this particular Ferrari F430 Spider - end up that way. You have to figure it'd be a very tricky operation. Follow the jump to watch the video and judge for yourself.

[Source: Creative FX]

Continue reading VIDEO: That's a Wrap! Ferrari F430 Spider gets the vinyl treatment

VIDEO: That's a Wrap! Ferrari F430 Spider gets the vinyl treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider

Noah Joseph — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Supercars, Ferrari, Rendered Speculation, Rumormill

Click for more 430 Scuderia Spider renderings in hi res

Lies. Damn lies and speculation. Rumor would be another way to put it, as word of a potential convertible version of the 430 Scuderia spreads across cyberspace. Tentatively referred to as the 430 Scuderia Spider, the roadster would naturally be based on the lightweight, Enzo-rivaling 430 Scuderia supercar, but with the roof chopped off.

Various reports have given conflicting information about what kind of roof mechanism would be fitted to the Spideria, including a retractable hard-top similar to that found on the new California, a manual cloth roof to keep weight down, or the same automatic fabric top from the conventional F430 Spider. Or maybe no roof at all, who knows. The wide range of speculation leads us to chalk this up to pure rumor. The removal of structural rigidity and the addition of weight would seem antithetical to the Scuderia's entire raison d'etre. However the prevailing reports suggest that the Spider will also get the California's new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, be produced in a limited series of 300 and be unveiled on November 5 at the Ferrari Challenge weekend in Mugello... the same event where Ferrari unveiled the FXX Evoluzione last year. Jon Sibal, the skilled supercar illustrator we've come to know and trust, has presented a few renderings of what the 430 Scuderia Spider could look like, which in our eye looks right on the money and you can see for yourself in the gallery below.

Gallery: Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider renderings

[Source: JonSibal.com]

Rendered Speculation: Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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