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Ferrari patents new electronic steering assist

Automobiles keep getting more and more advanced, with computers playing an ever-increasingly vital role in their operation. But some things remain the same. Despite more advanced (if not necessarily better) technologies available, we still burn fossils to fuel our engines, we still check what's behind us in actual mirrors and (with few exceptions) we still turn a steering wheel mechanically connected to the front wheels to change directions. But that doesn't mean automakers aren't working at new solutions.
We've sampled electric steering systems developed by Japanese automakers like Honda and Infiniti that disconnect the front wheels from the steering column, but while those systems may be the way of the future, they leave the driver feeling physically disconnected from the road. Ferrari, however, has a different idea.
Instead of either relying completely on a traditional system or replacing it with an entirely digital one, Ferrari appears to have found a sweet spot in the middle. According to a patent filing obtained by Evo, Ferrari is developing a system that still uses a direct mechanical steering linkage, but enhances it through the use of software that corrects for certain inconsistencies.

Possible Ferrari F70/F150 specs emerge from private showings

At a private showing in Maranello, a group of lucky souls got to sneak a peek at the upcoming successor to the Ferrari Enzo, which has been referred to as both the F70 and F150 (not that F-150). While we still don't get any name confirmation or a definitive idea (aside from spy shots) as to what the newest Ferrari supercar will look like, one of the attendees did manage to pass along some vital performance information about the car as well as production numbers that are said to be limited to just 499 units.
The report on Auto-Blog.com.mx confirms that the Enzo successor will utilize an 800-horsepower V12 paired with a hybrid KERS good for another 150 hp. The engine's peak power kicks in at a screaming 9,200 rpm, while peak torque (not divulged) will be available at just 1,000 rpm. That kind of power could be great in just about anything, but the report also says that this new Ferrari model will have a dry weight of just 2,799 pounds (about the same as the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S twins and just slightly more than a Mazda MX-5 Miata). Rumored speed times include a top speed of 229 miles per hour, and the ability to run from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds; doubling that speed takes an extra second.
We've already seen the car's carbon fiber chassis and now we're just waiting to see the production car in real life, but Ferrari has not announced when the car will be introduced.

Alonso and Rossi to field Ferrari at Le Mans?

The plot thickens and just keeps thickening when it comes to Ferrari's potential return to Le Mans. Antonello Coletta, the head of Ferrari's sports car racing program, first suggested that the new regulations being implemented by the ACO could potentially see the Prancing Horse marque compete in the top-tier LMP1 class. His thoughts have since been echoed by Stefano Domenicali, the head of the Scuderia's F1 team, and by chairman Luca di Montezemolo. And now we're hearing rumors over its potential driver lineup.
Word has it that Ferrari could send Valentino Rossi and Fernando Alonso to pilot its prototype at Le Mans in 2015 or 2016. The rumors were tweeted by Mark Webber (embedded below), who recently left F1 to drive for Porsche at Le Mans - and could amount to pure speculation, to some inside track on hard news or (as is often the case) something in between. One way or another, both Rossi and Alonso are multiple world champions in their fields with strong ties to Maranello and would make a formidable lineup - particularly if paired, we'd venture, with Ferrari's test driver Marc Gené, who won at Le Mans with Peugeot in 2009.
Although the Rossi connection would seem the greater stretch, it might actually make the most sense of the two. With nothing left to prove on two wheels, the seven-time MotoGP champion has been talking about leaving the series. He's test-driven Ferrari F1 cars on several occasions and raced the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series last season. The move would be a rare departure for Alonso, however, who has raced almost exclusively in open-wheel single seaters his entire career, and would need to balance the program with his F1 commitments. That is, assuming he doesn't get fed up with chasing after Sebastian Vettel and teaming with Kimi Raikkonen by then.