Archive for ferrari
Fifteen Ferrari 599xx and four FXX at the Nurburgring
Posted by: | CommentsToday, at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit, three days of testing got underway with fifteen Ferrari 599XX and four FXX, the amazing laboratory-cars of the eponymous development programme, taking to the track for some free practice sessions.
Coming together at this special event is the present and the future, represented by these non-homologated sports cars and the Maranello company’s past, in the shape of some of the single-seaters that have written their part in Scuderia Ferrari’s Formula 1 history. Ten of these will be in action in Germany, run by the F1 Clienti Department of Maranello, taking turns on the circuit so that their owners can experience the excitement of driving on of the most famous tracks in motor sport.
Among these rare jewels are the F190 raced by Nigel Mansell in the 1990 Formula 1 Championship, the 412 T1 with which Gerhard Berger won the 1994 German Grand Prix, the F300, which was the forty fifth car built by Scuderia Ferrari for the 1998 season, driven to six wins by Michael Schumacher and the F2001, with which the German champion won nine races. Also present, the more recent F2007, which took both World titles for the Scuderia.
I was cutting wood so was unable to attend but my Missus managed to get 1 good shot of the Ferrari for me Thank you Jane x
Second Reported Ferrari 458 Italia Spontanious Automobile Combustion Reported
Posted by: | CommentsOnce got told that driving a ferraris is very much a Fire and Brimstone experience it looks like the new 458 Italia is taking that rather too seriously.
As Another Ferrari 458 Italia has caught fire on the 14th of July in Switzerland. The incident happened in the same week as the other F458 engine fire in Paris.
Both fires started in the above the left rear wheel, this has also started rumours of a design flaw one thing for sure its interesting if there is any recalls of the Beautifull 458 Italia
Sources: asphalte.ch,autogespot.com,wreckedexotics.com
2010 Nurburgring ADAC 24H Winner’s #n24 #bmwmotorsport #bmw #ferrari #audi
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After a very good but cold weekend at the legenday nordschleife which hosted the yearly 24h race; And nearly 5000 pictures later we have the confirmed results from the 38th ADAC Zurich 24H.
Team BMW Motorsport has made a triumphant return and won the 2010 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife the 25.378-kilometre circuit configuration. Five years since the manufacturer’s last victory, the no. 25 BMW M3 GT2 claimed BMW’s 19th victory at this endurance classic.
Towards the end the leading Manthey Porsche GT3R Hybrid which was on lap 142 suffered a mechanical failure which changed the position’s of the lead cars, Which left the 500hp M3 GT2 to take the race after 154 laps. All the time wrestling with an intermittant gearbox problem for the last hours of the race.
In First position is the BMW M3 GT2 Car:25 (E1-XP2) driven by :
Müller, Jörg
Farfus, Augusto
Alzen, Uwe
Lamy, Pedro
In Second Position is the (Hankook) Ferrari F 430 GTC Car:43 (SP7) driven by :
Farnbacher, Dominik
Simonsen, Allan
In Third Position is the (Phoenix Racing Team’s) Audi R8 LMA Car:97 (SP9 GT3) driven by :
Rostek, Dennis
Ludwig, Luca
Bronzel, Marc
Record of the Ferrari 599XX at the Nürburgring announced in Beijing
Posted by: | CommentsAfter the Pistonspy got exclusive shots of the Ferrari 599xx Hot Lapping the Nordschleife it looks like Ferrari did more than confirm it Lap time it made the lap record with a time of 6:58:16 seconds. (If Production Derived is allowed)
This was achieved on the 21-04-2010 after only 2 laps of the Nordschleife that day!
Also worth mentioning is the Radical got a time of 6m 48s and the Gumpert 7:11 so it is up there with the best times.
Heres the Press release:-
Beijing, 23 April – The Ferrari 599XX is the first ever production-derived sports car to break the 7-minute barrier on the classic 20.832 km Nordschleife circuit, lapping in 6 min 58.16 sec.
The 599XX, which inspired the 599 GTO, is an extreme berlinetta designed for track but not official competition use, and is a veritable technological laboratory incorporating a number of innovative solutions. Some of these will remain the exclusive preserve of the 599XX while others have already filtered down to the 599 GTO, introduced today at the Beijing Motor Show. These include the wheel doughnuts of F1 derivation which serve two purposes – to reduce turbulence and thus drag, and improve brake cooling.
Powered by a development of the V12 engine used by the 599 GTB Fiorano, the 599XX features Ferrari’s High-Performance Dynamic Concept, a novel integrated design and chassis set-up that uses sophisticated electronics to govern the mechanical limits of the handling for maximum performance.
On the aerodynamics front, the car sees the introduction for the first time of the Actiflow™ System that increases downforce and/or cuts drag depending on the car’s trim during cornering. This, together with other careful detailing, ensures that the 599XX boasts extraordinary levels of downforce – up to 630 kg at 300 km/h.
Fundamental to the performance of the car was the development of specific components undertaken together with our technical partners: Brembo for the carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin for the tyres and Shell for the fuel and lubricants.
Also worth mentioning that I was the only person reporting on the story who was actually there as seen below.
Ferrari Official Video captures the Pistonspy
Nurburgring – Nordschleife Lap Times Analysis
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Everytime there is a lap record beaten it is always argued by the manufacturers to the legality of the attempt and the actual class of the Vehicle.
So last night I spent some time just going through the Historic and other controversial lap records, I wasnt really interested in the class of car nor the actual legality of it on the road.
I want to do this on the Technological achievements of engine development through the Years.
In the past couple of years here are the top 5 lap times:-
| Manufacturer Model | Laptime |
| Radical SR8 LM | 6.55 |
| Ferrari 599XX | 6.58 |
| Gumpert Apollo Speed | 7.11 |
| Donkervoort D8 270 RS | 7.15 |
| Dodge Viper | 7.22 |
All the above times has caused stirs in the industry to the legality of the record arguing that for Example:-
- “The Radical SR8 LM would not pass a German TUV test so is not really a Road Legal Car.”
- “The Gumpert is not really a mass production sportscar so doesnt count.”
- “Ferrari have made there own class and the only one in it.”
All in all we could spend hours arguing over the legality and validity of the above times and also non of the above cars was scrutineered to prove it’s as per production.
So what is the conclusion of the above nothing really, but the Radical SR8 is the fastest trackday weapon for relatively little cash.
I wasnt happy with that conclusion, So I went back to the wiki to compare competition Classes, two stood out:-
| Manufacturer Model Driver + Laptime | Laptime |
| Porsche 956 1983 – Stefan Bellof | 6.11 |
| Ferrari 312T 1975 – Niki Lauda | 6.58 |
So my conclusion is that the Radical SR8 LM is better than the Ferrari 312T built in 1975, and still chasing the Porsche’s 956 6.11 made in 1983.
So after years of development and manufacturers insistance to add electronics and safety cells in turn increased weight hasnt really achieved the same lap times as competition class cars from nearly 30 years ago.
And heres a tribute for the best ever Nordschleife Recorded Lap Record Stefan Bellof 6:11
So the next topic of debate has the track changed from past-present but I will save that for somebody else to address…..
Ferrari 599 hybrid revealed at #Geneva
Posted by: | CommentsFerrari at he 80th Geneva motor show revealed its new hybrid/KERS technology, which it claims will not only make its cars more efficient, but will also markedly improve performance and handling and be standard on everycar in 3 years.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said: “You don’t often see a green Ferrari on our Geneva stand, but this year there’s a new agenda for us.”
The addition of an electric motor into the drivetrain will also be accompanied by other efficiency measures including engine downsizing and advanced aerodynamic concepts.
Ferrari’s hybrid design is particularly clever because it is notably compact and can be integrated relatively simply into both the company’s front and mid-engined layouts.
The electric motor develops 100bhp and 110lb ft of torque and is backed up by an 80kW battery made up of very slim (20mm thick) cells mounted under the 599’s floor to maintain handling requirements.
Other changes include the electronics control module (mounted in the boot, with cooling pumps) and a small electric motor/generator mounted on the front of the engine. This drives the ancillaries (including the air-con and power steering) when the car is running purely on battery power.
At the moment, however, the system’s electric-only range is estimated to be just three miles. The set-up also includes a stop-start facility, which sees the hybrid motor used to restart the engine.
Ferrari estimates that, even with the extra 100kg of weight resulting from the hybrid installation, drivers will see improved in-gear acceleration, including shaving the 0-124mph sprint time back to just 10.4sec from 11.0sec. The 599’s centre of gravity has not risen; it remains just 489mm off the ground.
The millisecond response time of the motor will also be used for ‘Electronic Torque Shaping’. This introduces torque ‘blips’ from the hybrid electric motor to smooth the petrol engine’s torque delivery, giving the driver a more linear throttle response. Ferrari claims that using the ETC and ETS together will greatly improve acceleration out of corners.
FERRARI 599XX TRACK DEBUT
Posted by: | CommentsToday Felipe Massa was the main protagonist on the last day of the Ferrari 599XX’s activities with its debut on the track. The Brazilian driver, who will be busy as of tomorrow in the first official Formula 1 test session this season held at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit, met the clients, who, by purchasing the non-homologated sports Berlinetta, planned exclusively to use on the track, participate in the exclusive programme bearing the same name. After several laps on board of the car Felipe said: “I really enjoyed testing this car, I think it’s extremely powerful and has an exceptional stability. Considering that it has been planned for the track it’s really easy to drive.”
The clients showed great enthusiasm for the Ferrarista sharing the debut of this exceptional car: they now have a series of events ahead of them Ferrari will organise on race tracks in America, Europe and Asia, including the Finali Mondiali. Just like in Valencia on these occasions the cars will be taken care of by the team of official technicians, able to guarantee the necessary support and assistance.
Ferrari 458 Italia Pricing Revealed
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Some of the options includes Painted Brake Calipers £779, Electric Seats £2,016. The Designer Luggage for the front Compartant £3573
One of the strangest options is the Rev Counter Red and Yellow is included but if you want white it is a whopping £592.
So if you see an Ferrari 458 with a yellow or red rev counter hes obviously short of £600.
