Video: Canadian Police Confiscate 13 Supercars after Youngsters Speed Race

Ocean’s 13 got away with stealing diamonds, earning millions of cash and ruining their adversary’s life. British Columbia’s 13, 12 young men and one woman, all under 21 years old, got away with racing each other, reaching speeds of over 125 mph (200 km/h) on a metro Vancouver highway with a $196 fine each.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that the cars impounded had a combined value of $2 million. These are the supercars that were temporarily seized: 

2007 Ferrari 599

2010 Lamborghini Gallardo

2010 Lamborghini Gallardo

2009 Lamborghini Gallardo

2009 Audi R8

2012 Nissan GT-R

2010 Nissan GT-R

2010 Nissan GT-R

2010 Maserati Turismo

2010 Maserati Turismo

2011 Mercedes SL63

2011 Mercedes SLS

2005 Aston Martin DB9

According to a police report, two drivers would block traffic behind them by running side-by-side clearing the road ahead, while the rest would race each other.
“These drivers seemed to be looking for attention. Well, they definitely got the attention of the police” commented Lower Mainland District Regional Police Service spokeswoman, Cpl. Holly Marks.
However, the 13 offenders, of which only was the registered owner of the vehicle he was driving, will get away just with the ticket after being charged with “driving without reasonable consideration.” That’s because they didn’t actually get caught on the act, but the police acted on reports based from eye witnesses.
According to the Vancouver Star, if the police had been able to charge them with more sever offenses, they could have forfeited their vehicles!
Now, the young drivers will only have to pay the ticket and the costs of towing and storing their cars, which were impounded for seven days.
Guess when you drive a 599 Fiorano, a Gallardo or an SLS AMG, after this punishment you’ll just laugh your way to the impound yard…
Story sources: CNN & Vancouver Star

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How to Overkill a Ferrari 458 Italia

Electric lamps are so passé these days. The way of the future is LEDs or Light-emitting diodes that can be found just about everywhere. Lately, LEDs have taken the automotive industry by storm with carmakers offering them either optionally or standard on most of their models.But it’s not only regular carmakers that have adopted the new lighting technology; so has the tuning industry which discovered a new toy to attract consumers. The results, as you can see from this example of a Ferrari 458 Italia slathered in LEDs, aren’t always graceful. Video follows after the break.

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24-karat Gold Ferrari 250 GTO Sculpture

Swiss artist Dante will unveil his 24-Karat Ferrari 250 GTO sculpture at next month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2011 in California.

Based artist Dante Rubli is a veteran sculptor who has wowed the world with awe-inspiring pieces. His sculptures include scale models of iconic sports cars which are crafted in luxury finishes, like gold, white gold, and silver.

The sculpture will be displayed alongside a tribute to the Ferrari 250 GTO featuring several rare units of the model.




Press Release

Swiss Artist Dante to Bring Iconic Sports Car Series of Sculptures to United States

"24-Karat Ferrari 250 GTO to be Unveiled during World Famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Weekend"

BERN, Switzerland, July 25, 2011 - Award winning artist Dante has announced that the United States debut of his newest sculpture will take place next month in Pebble Beach, California. "I am delighted to have the chance to come to Pebble Beach to experience the finest Concours event in the world and exhibit my sculptures," said the artist. The highly anticipated third piece in Dante's Iconic Sports Car series will be unveiled during the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance weekend which gathers significant collectors and the finest examples of automobiles from around the globe.

"The iconic car sculptures are my tribute to the men who made the original cars: they were artists," said Dante. As a Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance sponsor, a Design by Dante tent will be in position Thursday, August 18 through Sunday, August 21 on Peter Haye Hill adjacent to the Concours site in RetroAuto Plaza, amidst fellow Concours sponsors such as The Wall Street Journal, Porsche and Infinity to name a few. Dante will personally be on hand to meet with media and special guests.

Dante will reveal his newest sculpture, a Ferrari 250 GTO, coinciding with a special display of rare Ferrari 250 GTO cars which the Concours has assembled from all over the world. "One of the most important reasons for my coming to Pebble Beach is the celebration of the Ferrari 250 GTO and the number of original cars being shown. It is my favorite car of all time," said Dante.

About Dante

Dante Rubli is an artist based in Bern, Switzerland. He has been producing works of art for twenty-five years. Working with a variety of textiles ranging from wood and steel to gold and platinum, Dante has created custom furniture, sculptures and even automobiles for celebrities and collectors the world over. The Iconic Sports Car series delivers his most recent works in three scales, each of which can be supplied in traditional gold, white gold, silver and a selection of other luxury finishes. Each design in the series is limited to ten exceptional pieces. To date, the series includes the Aston-Martin DB5, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing and Ferrari 250 GTO. More

Coreanos desenham a Ferrari do futuro

Coreanos desenham a Ferrari do futuro Universitários enfatizaram não apenas a arquitetura e o design do carro, mas também suas funcionalidades. A Ferrari do futuro foi desenhada por universitários coreanos. Kim Cheong Ju, Ahn Dre e Lee Sahngseok, da Hongik University, de Seoul, venceram o concurso Ferrari World Design, promovido pela escuderia. O segundo lugar ficou com um estudante da

Ferrari 458 Italia Grand Am

Ferrari has unveiled its new 458 Italia Grand Am race car which will roll out on July 26 and 27 for a private session at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

The 458 Grand Am features a 500 horsepower V8 with a 48-mm restrictor plate and rev limiter, rollover bar, new brakes tuned for the car's lack of ABS and traction control and Continental hard-compound racing tires. 






Press Release

The 458 Italian Grand Am launched at Fiorano circuit

Maranello, 18 July - the 458 Italia Grand Am was given its track baptism today at the Fiorano circuit. The car has been developed in conjunction with Michelotto Automobili, based on the GT3 version of the V8 Ferrari berlinetta, with the aim of racing in the famous North American series.

The 458 Grand Am is built to match the American regulations and is therefore different to the European car, especially in that it develops 500 horsepower and has less efficient aerodynamics than the GT version. It is also fitted with a 48 mm restrictor and maximum revs are 8000. Significant modifications have been made to the braking system, as the car has neither ABS nor traction control. Other differences to the GT3 include the roll-over bar which gives greater lateral protection to increase safety in a series in which collisions are rather more frequent. The car is fitted with tyres from Continental, the sole supplier to the series, featuring a very hard compound, again to conform with the series regulations. On its shakedown today, it completed a good number of trouble-free laps, 45 to be precise in the hands of Maurizio Mediani and Jaime Melo, as they took turns at the wheel.

Ferrari projeta esportivo híbrido, diz site

Ferrari projeta esportivo híbrido, diz site Tecnologia 'verde' pode estrear na CaliforniaA Ferrari, enfim, parece estar disposta a lever adiante seus planos de lançar superesportivos híbridos.Segundo o site da revista inglesa Autocar, a empresa estaria desenvolvendo a tecnologia com a Bosch, sendo que a primeira Ferrari híbrida pode ser a California ou a sucessora da 599 GTB Fiorano. O

2011 Ferrari 458 Challenge reviews

The Ferrari 458 Challenge also comes equipped with the standard 458’s E-Diff electronic differential, marking the first application in a track-only Ferrari.

Ferrari significantly revamped the 458 Challenge’s suspension for race use, including new solid aluminum bushings, stiffer springs, a 30mm lower ride height and single-rate dampers. All of the 458 Challenge’s added performance is kept in check via Ferrari’s F1-Trac traction control system.

Ferrari has officially unveiled the 458 Challenge racing prototype that will compete in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli in the 2011 season. As the fifth Ferrari model to be used by the company in its single-series racing program, the Ferrari 458 Challenge takes the reins from the Ferrari 430 Challenge beginning in the 2011 season.

With the departure of the 430 Challenge and the arrival of its 458 counterpart, it signals a changing of the guard in Ferrari’s one-make racing series, one that should make the 458 Challenge the new face of the Ferrari Challenge.

To ensure that the "Ferrari 458 Challenge" is fit and spry for race competition, significant work was done into cutting the car’s weight.

The Ferrari 458 Challenge is also equipped with the E-Diff electronic differential already employed on the production version of the 458, a first for Ferrari’s track-only cars.
Developed exclusively by Ferrari, the system constantly monitors levels of grip for maximum high-performance road-holding.

Knowing what we know, the Ferrari 430 Challenge sold for £185,000 a pop, which was about $300,000. The Ferrari 458 Challenge will compete in the 2011 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. Over the years since it began in 1993, the Ferrari Challenge has seen a number of production Ferraris turned into race-spec machines, including the Ferrari 348 Challenge (1993–1995), the Ferrari F355 Challenge (1995–2000), the Ferrari 360 Challenge (2000–2006), and most recently, the Ferrari F430 Challenge (2006-2011).

The new Ferrari 458 Challenge, which will flank the F430 Challenge in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli in the 2011 season, is the fifth model used by Ferrari in its one-make championship which, next year, will be extended to include a new Asia-Pacific series
The 458 Challenge is also equipped with the E-Diff electronic differential already employed on the road-going version, a first for Ferrari's track-only cars.

Significant work has also gone into cutting the car's weight. The new Ferrari 458 Challenge also has a specific suspension set-up with solid aluminum bushings, stiffer springs, single-rate dampers, center-nut 19" racing rims, larger dimension Pirelli slicks and a ride height lowered by 30mm all round.

Geneva 2011: Novitec Rosso Supercharges the Ferrari 599 GTO to 888 Ponies

Ferrari's most exclusive and powerful series production model, the 599 GTO, doesn't seem fast enough for the aftermarket specialists at Novitec Rosso. This is why the tuning house brought to Geneva Motor Show the 599 GTO Bi-Kompressor, their own version of the Prancing Horse's fastest car.

As the name suggests, Novitec Rosso engineers fitted the naturally-aspirated V12 engine with two superchargers, raising the maximum output from 670 to 888 horsepower. The impressive increase in power can only be rivaled by that of the maximum torque, which goes up from 620 Nm/6,500 rpm (457 lb-ft) to 860 Nm/6,600 (636 lb-ft).

However, the boost in performance is not mind-blowing (compared to the regular model, that is) : the 0 to 100 km/h sprint is 0.15 seconds faster at 3,2 seconds, while top speed is slightly higher at 340 km/h (211 mph). The Novitec Rosso Bi-Kompressor also sprints from 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in a 9.1 seconds.

Other technical changes include the fitting of sports springs (however silly that may sound on a 599 GTO) and superlight forged wheels, which are among the lightest of their kind in the world, according to Novitec. The 21-inch front wheels are 22.9 lbs each (10 kg), while each of the rear 22-inch rims weighs 30.4 lbs (13.8 kg). A useful feature devised by Novitec for buyers who like to use their GTO's around town is the front-axle lift function that raises the front of the car by 40 mm to avoid hitting speed-bumps.

As for the exterior, the car shown in Geneva wears a special silver paint with yellow cross stripe on the bonnet and white patches on the doors, as a tribute to the Ferrari 250 GTO that won the Tour de France in 1964. Other changes include yellow brake calipers and blacked out taillights, third brake light, rear fog lamp and side markers.

Geneva 2011: Mansory's Ferrari 458 Italia-based Sicilian, the Siracusa

Mansory's products are always eye-catching (if not necessarily attractive), whether they be a clear coat carbon Aston Martin named Cyrus or that silly pink Bentley. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. That being said, allow me to introduce you to the Siracusa. Rant and rave in the comments below.

Underneath all the new and revised carbon fiber body panels (now with more louvers!) is a Ferrari 458 Italia. Named after a Sicilian raceway, the Siracusa has received a respiratory performance boost to 590 horsepower / 434 kW and 560 Nm / 413 lb-ft representing gains of + 20 hp and + 20 Nm / 15 lb-ft over the standard model.

Thanks to the bump in power and drop in weight, Mansory claims the car will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and attain a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).

The Siracusa rides on 20- and 21-inch wheels (f/r) sheathed in Michelins, while inside is the same old tuner car song: carbon fiber, leather, and ultra-suede. Also, a new suspension setup lowers the car 20 mm. Next!

VIDEO: Best Footage Yet of the New Ferrari FF

With the recently unveiled all-wheel drive FF (as in Ferrari Four), Ferrari has opened a new chapter in its history. And to prove that they’re confident in the modern “breadvan’s” 4x4 capabilities, the Italians have released a series of photos with the FF being driven on snowy roads. Now, a new video has surfaced on Youtube showing the exotic GT as it’s put through its paces on snow once again. While there’s no impressive sideways action involved, this is the clearest footage of the FF yet. Hit the jump to see the video.

We’ll remind you that the FF is replacing the 612 Scaglietti and it’s the first ever all-wheel drive model to be manufactured by Ferrari. Boasting a 6.3-liter V12 engine producing 660HP, the FF is said to complete the 0-to-100 km/h dash in just 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). The FF will make its first official public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Ford Sues Ferrari Over F150 Formula 1 Car Moniker, the Italians Hastily Change it to the F150th Italia

In order to celebrate the 150 years that have passed since the unification of Italy, Ferrari recently chose to name its newest Formula 1 car the “F150”. It seems that Ford wasn’t too impressed with the patriotic gesture and sued the Italian maker over the race car's moniker. The Blue Oval claimed that it closely resembled its own F-150 nameplate, thus causing “irreparable harm” to the trademark.

According to the paperwork filed in Detroit, the lawsuit also referred to Ferrari’s www.ferrarif150.com website and accused the Italian company of cyber theft and trademark infringement.

Ford aimed to prevent the use of the F150 name in the United States, and expected Ferrari to give up any revenue and profits earned through the disputed nameplate in the States.

Furthermore, under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which protects against trademark infringement due to the use of confusing Internet domain names, Ford wanted $100,000 in damages.

However, Ferrari reacted quickly and today changed the F1 car's name to the “F150th Italia”, which was first used in a routine Formula 1 test report posted on the Ferrari website.

The report stated that “the first day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro got off on the right foot at the Cheste circuit, near Valencia. Before the lunch break, Fernando Alonso completed just over 200 kilometers at the wheel of the Ferrari F150th Italia”.

Later on, Ferrari released an official statement as well, available below.

By Csaba Daradics

[Ferrari Press Release] The name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car

Maranello, 10th February - On the subject of the name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car, the Maranello company wishes to point out that it has sent a letter of reply to Ford, underlining the fact that the F150 designation (used as the abbreviated version of the complete name, which is Ferrari F150th Italia) never has, nor ever will be used as the name of a commercially available product – indeed there will definitely not be a production run of single-seaters. In fact, it has always been the case in the history of Scuderia names, that they represent the nomenclature of a racing car project and are linked to a chronological order with a technical basis, or in exceptional cases, to special occasions. This year, the decision was taken to dedicate the car name to a particularly significant event, the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, an event of such great importance that the Italian government has declared, for this year only, a national holiday.

For these reasons, Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford’s viewpoint on the matter.

Despite this and to further prove it is acting in good faith and that it operates in a completely correct manner, Ferrari has decided to ensure that in all areas of operation, the abbreviated version will be replaced at all times with the full version, Ferrari F150th Italia.

Sources: Ferrari, Detnews & Autoweek