2006 Ferrari F430 Spider F1 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mansory 4XX Siracusa is the carbon-fiberphile's Ferrari

We've already said the best thing about the Geneva Motor Show are the exotics on display. There's a new Koenigsegg, a successor to the Bugatti Veyron, the latest Aston Martin grand tourer, and even a pretty bad-ass Chevrolet Corvette. But for every good high-performance car, there are more, um, questionable decisions. This is the Mansory 4XX Siracusa, and it's what happens when someone decides the Ferrari 488 GTB isn't as extreme as it should be. The 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V8's output has been increased from 661 horsepower to 790 ponies, while torque is up from 561 pound-feet to 643 lb-ft. These are improvements we can support, but the impact on stopwatch performance isn't quite enough – Mansory claims the 4XX Siracusa will hit 60 in just 2.9 seconds and keep going to 212 miles per hour. But for those keeping track at home, the question with the Mansory is whether a tenth-of-a-second improvement and an extra seven mph on the high end is enough to warrant the, ahem, unique design direction of this aftermarket offering. You need to really like carbon fiber to enjoy the 4XX. Like, a lot. Because Mansory has gone beyond even Ferrari's optional carbon-fiber treatments, finishing the front splitter, rear diffuser, roof, pillars, mirror, fender vents, sills, intakes, taillight surrounds, parts of the hood, the spoiler, and both rear wings in the stuff. Then, if that wasn't eye-catching enough, the entire car gets a more aggressive body kit and very, very yellow paint. It's just too much. You can check out the full set of live images of Mansory's take on the 488 GTB from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show at the top of the page.

Heads continue to roll at Scuderia Ferrari

It's a year of restructuring at Ferrari – especially when it comes to the Formula One department. Dissatisfied with the team's performance of late, parent company Fiat fired Ferrari's chairman, replaced its team principal twice and brought in another multiple world champion to replace the one it already had. But that's not the end of it. Under the direction of new chairman Sergio Marchionne and team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, the Maranello-based outfit is undergoing a purge in its ranks. Ferrari has fired its veteran engineering director Pat Fry (pictured above at left), its chief designer Nicolas Tombazis (center) and its tire guru Hirohide Hamashima (whom the team picked up shortly after Bridgestone left the sport, not pictured). In their places, Ferrari has named appropriate replacements, and has shuffled some additional staff around. F1 journalist Alberto Antonini, for example, has taken over the press office from Renato Bisignani who will now run the Scuderia's new commercial department. More vital, however, is James Allison, a longtime F1 engineer who previously worked for Ferrari for five years and returned from Lotus last year to take up position as the team's new technical director – too late to influence last season's chassis but now charged with developing next year's. Whether the radical reshuffling of its staff will be enough to reverse the team's fortunes, nobody can say for certain at this point. But without a single grand prix victory this past season, things can hardly get any worse for what historically has been the most victorious team in all of motorsport. The Scuderia Ferrari has been reorganized Maranello, 16 December – Within a few days from his arrival Maurizio Arrivabene, Managing Director of Ferrari's Gestione Sportiva and Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari, has restructured his team with a flatter structure and clear assignment of responsibilities. James Allison is the Technical Director with two Italian engineers and home grown Scuderia talent reporting to him: Chief Designer Simone Resta and Power Unit Director Mattia Binotto, the latter will be supported by Chief Designer Power Unit Lorenzo Sassi, among others. Furthermore James Allison will direct track engineering activities ad interim.

Harry leaves his Garage to drive Ferrari 488 in Maranello

Harry Metcalfe doesn't need to go anywhere these days. He's handed over the reins of the Evo magazine he founded and gone into retirement, enjoying some quiet time with the many drool-inducing cars in his expansive garage. In other words, it would take quite the car to get him to leave the serenity of the English countryside and fly all the way down to Italy and its industrial north. The Ferrari 488 GTB is just such a car. The Prancing Horse marque's latest mid-engined V8 supercar should require no introduction. It's the successor to the celebrated 458 Italia and a long line that stretches back through the F430, 360 Modena, F355, 348, and 328 straight through to the 308 GTB that debuted in 1975. Only unlike its naturally aspirated predecessors, the 488 has gone twin-turbo to reconnect more with the likes of the F40 and 288 GTO. That leaves the atmospheric sector of this particular territory to the Lamborghini Huracan and its unassisted V10, while cozying up closer to the McLaren 650S. But does it make it any less of a Ferrari, or a less-than-worthy successor to the 458? That's what Harry set out to find out on the roads in and around the factory's home town of Maranello. Watch the video above to find out how it stacks up in his esteemed opinion. Related Video: X News Source: Harry's Garage via YouTube Ferrari Coupe Supercars Videos ferrari 488 gtb harry metcalfe harrys garage