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Ferrari launches upgraded 458 Challenge Evoluzione

Want to drive an eight-cylinder, mid-engined Ferrari? Assuming you can get your lucky little hands on one, you can drive a 458 Italia, 458 Spider or new 458 Speciale on the street. But the real action is where the road ends and the racetrack begins. Ferrari's Corse Clienti division offers versions for GT2 and GT3 racing, for Grand-Am (likely to be revised for the new United SportsCar Championship), and, of course, for its own Challenge racing series.
It's the latter version that Ferrari revealed it was upgrading last week, and now it's made its debut at the tail end of the rain-soaked Finali Mondiali event at Mugello. Although Ferrari only released limited details and just the one new photo, the new 458 Challenge Evoluzione upgrades on its predecessor as promised with obvious aerodynamic enhancements.
Those upgrades are "aimed at making the car even more driveable" for the customer racers who take part in the series, and seem to bridge the gap (at least visually) between the previous 458 Challenge and the more extreme racing versions that have to contend with more competition than its own kind. The upgrades are being rolled out as a kit that will be obligatory in the various Challenge series that will kick off around the world next year.

Ferrari design contest winner is sleek Manifesto concept [w/videos]

Ferrari asked students at a selection of top design schools around the world to submit their best ideas, and this is the one that a jury of people close to the company unanimously chose as the winner. It's called the Manifesto, and it was designed by six students at the ISD-Rubika in Valenciennes, France. The sleek design features a single line extending from the nose, rising between the arched fenders, over the greenhouse, and back to the tail. The rear wheels are spaced from the tapering greenhouse in a manner not unlike those on the Ford GT. There's a snorkel air scoop on the roof, thin strips for head- and taillights, and a split cockpit that opens with canopy-like clamshell doors. The striking shape is rendered in black with red highlights, and appears to be propelled by some manner of jet engine. The jury was made up of designers, engineers, collectors, and drivers – including Paolo Pininfarina, Sebastian Vettel, Nick Mason, and Jay Kay. Despite their varied backgrounds, Ferrari says their decision was unanimous in singling out the Manifesto as the clear-cut winner. They also made special mention of the FL, a futuristic cockpit layout designed by Roman Egorov – a Russian student at the Hochschule Pforzheim in Germany. The results from an online poll also awarded the popular Premio Speciale to the de Esfera designed by three students from Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. Check out the winners in the gallery above and the videos below. You can also review all the entries in the supplemental gallery at bottom, and if you think the jury made the wrong call, share your thoughts in comments. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Presenting Manifesto – The Ferrari of the future Winners of Top Design School Challenge announced Maranello, 15 January – The Manifesto, the FL and the de Esfera are the three winning models in the third Top Design School Challenge, in which four prestige institutes submitted three designs each of the Ferraris of 2040. The jury comprised Ferrari exponents in the broadest sense of the term from designers to engineers, drivers and even famous collectors: Nicola Boari, Franco Cimatti, Aldo Colonnetti, Rodolfo Gaffino Rossi, Jay Kay, Flavio Manzoni, Nick Mason, Andrea Militello, Paolo Pininfarina and Sebastian Vettel.

F1 teams to test titanium skid plates to reignite spark in series

The 2014 Formula One season opened with one overwhelming complaint - the cars didn't sound right. It sapped the excitement, despite the fact that this season has seen a number of truly thrilling races (Bahrain, Spain and Montreal all come to mind). Attempts have been made to restore some of the audible thrill of the cars, although efforts have remained unsuccessful.
If F1 can't fix the sound of the cars, then other methods need to be considered to restore its self-perceived lack of excitement. One of those involves fitting titanium skid plates to the cars in a bid to reintroduce the sparks that were so prevalent in the sport's past.
Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari conducted initial experiments with the new skid plates during early practice sessions for the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg had the plates fitted to different locations of their cars, in a bid to see which created the most dramatic sparks. Considering the photos the tests, though, neither Mercedes' nor Ferrari's setup really seemed successful, which is why you're seeing Johnny Herbert and his 1989 Benneton B188 up top.