2007 Ferrari 599 Gtb Fiorano, 6.0l V12 6-speed F1, Low Miles on 2040-cars

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F1 driver underestimates talent needed for wet-weather burnout

Whoops. That's a word nobody wants to hear in racing, and that's especially true in Formula 1, where the cars cost untold millions to design, develop, build and operate. In other words, just about any 'whoops' is an expensive 'whoops.'
Kamui Kobayashi, who made his F1 debut in 2009 driving for Toyota, has always been known as a bit of a wild card in the sport. He is notoriously difficult to pass, driving as he does with seemingly reckless abandon, and he's not afraid to get tangled up with the world's best drivers in the world's fastest race cars.
That brash attitude sometimes serves him well. Other times... well, not so much. See what happens with Kobayashi tries to show off in a Ferrari F1 car for fans on a wet track in Moscow in the twin videos below.

Ferrari 812 GTS is the droptop 812 Superfast we only dreamed of before

Ferrari just officially revealed the convertible version of the 812 Superfast, and it’s called the 812 GTS. Not Spider, or Aperta or anything in between, just GTS. Frankly, itÂ’s likely going to be even more enjoyable than the regular 812 Superfast on account of its open-air configuration. Ferrari alluded to the sound being downright glorious on a couple of occasions already. “The result is a full-bodied V12 sound in the cabin in all kinds of driving but which is particularly appreciable when the roof is open,” Ferrari says. “The electric rear screen, which acts as a wind-stop, makes the car truly usable with the top down, while, with the top up, it [the rear screen] can be left open to allow occupants to continue to luxuriate in the naturally-aspirated V12Â’s unique soundtrack.” Yeah, we sure would love to “luxuriate” in the noises that 6.5-liter V12 is making. Power isnÂ’t changed between the GTS and Superfast, so itÂ’s still making the same 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque. The 8,900 rpm redline is the real draw here, and we canÂ’t even begin to imagine how epic it sounds with the top down. Ferrari claims this amount of power makes the GTS the “most powerful production spider on the market.” Fantastico. As you stare at the car, itÂ’s pretty easy to tell what Ferrari did to turn this into a “convertible.” The roof is a power-operated hardtop, and there isnÂ’t a whole lot to it. That big panel behind your head with the twin flying buttresses opens up to allow the roof to sit under it all, leaving passengers with a relatively small opening above their heads. Still, thatÂ’s plenty of opening to let the wind mess up your hair and the exhaust note to more easily reach your ears. Ferrari says it had to redesign the rear of the car to make this work. From the windshield forward, itÂ’s basically an 812 Superfast, though. The buttresses set it apart from the Superfast the most, as the coupe just has a long, sloping glass rear. Ferrari also changed the rear diffuser design in order to compensate for the loss of downforce from the elimination of the rear wheel arch bypass duct.  The last major mechanical change Ferrari made for the GTS comes via the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in the form of shorter ratios. What does all this mean for the performance? The 812 GTS will get to 62 mph in under 3 seconds and all the way to 124 mph in only 8.3 seconds. Its top speed is also exactly the same as the Superfast at 211 mph.

Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).