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Ferrari 458 M spotted, is there a turbo under there?

While it's still absolutely beautiful and a performance marvel (especially in Speciale trim), the Ferrari 458 Italia has to keep up with the rapidly evolving world in supercars if it wants to continue its success. Ferrari seems to know that it can't sit back and relax, because we're now seeing a disguised 458 testing for the second time.
Since we first saw it, rumor has emerged that it updated 458, reportedly called 458 M, may follow the lead of the recently revised California by using its turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 engine. The mill makes 553 horsepower and 557 pound-feet in that application, but those numbers clearly won't be enough for the Prancing Horse, because the standard 458 already makes more. Instead, Ferrari is expected to turn things up significantly to produce around 670hp, even more than the already gutsy Speciale.
Of course, to make the big change work, the 458 M must be able to ingest huge quantities of cool air to feed those turbos, and the camouflage on this test car is likely hiding the body changes to make that possible. Ferrari does a great job here of disguising things up front on this prototype, making it frustratingly hard to spot any changes.

Marchionne could become Ferrari CEO

Don't think that just because FCA is spinning off Ferrari into a separate company that Sergio Marchionne is giving up any control. Not only is he already chairman of the Prancing Horse, but he might also become its next CEO after Amedeo Felisa steps down, anonymous insiders claim according to Automotive News Europe. The dual roles would put the sportscar brand's future in Marchionne's hands, while he continues to run FCA. Rumors of Felisa stepping down emerged in July, but Ferrari never made an official announcement. The reports suggested that he could leave in September. Execs at the Prancing Horse are now working to decide on a replacement, but there's nothing official in place yet, according to Automotive News Europe. Felisa might maintain an advisory role after retiring, as well. If Marchionne takes charge, the move would come just as Ferrari becomes a newly independent entity. The Prancing Horse's necessary paperwork is already filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and the IPO is expected in October. Marchionne took over as Ferrari's chairman last year after Luca di Montezemolo's resignation. As boss, he intends to increase production to 10,000 units a year from 7,000 annually under Montezemolo. Among the projects in development is a revived Dino. Related Video:

Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015

Rumors are swirling that Ferrari may be contemplating a return to Le Mans racing as soon as 2015. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports the Italian automaker may apply the development of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine for Formula One to an LMP1 car for Le Mans, and have it ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two years. This follows hints made by Scuderia Ferrari CEO Stefano Domenicali last month that the newly developed F1 engine could be used for "some interesting projects."
Ferrari has a history of success in Le Mans racing, though it hasn't won the big endurance outright since 1965. The image above captures the exact moment when the No. 21 car of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt crossed the finish line that year to win the race. That win was the last of six consecutive outright victories before the infamous arrival of the Ford GT40 in 1966. Despite never reaching the top of the podium again, Ferrari's nine wins still stand as the third most overall by a manufacturer behind Porsche (16) and Audi (11).
If Ferrari does return to Le Mans in 2015, the LMP1 class will suddenly be teaming with worthy competitors for Audi, which has dominated the race since 2000. After Peugeot's exit from the sport in early 2012, Toyota entered the race in 2012 and has continued to develop its TS030 Hybrid LMP1 car. Porsche, meanwhile, is well into developing a new LMP1 car that will first compete in next year's race.