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Weekly Recap: Ferrari pens a provocative F1 car of the future

Scuderia Ferrari unveiled its vision of the future for Formula One this week, revealing sketches of a sleek, muscular racecar. Called the Concept F1, Ferrari is showcasing the design to start a conversation about the next generation of Formula One cars and spur interest in the sport, which has been maligned for its unattractive racecars in recent years. The Concept F1 was penned by the company's in-house studio, Centro Stile Ferrari, with input from its aerodynamics department. Though the sketches look futuristic, the company says the design could be executed without changing F1 regulations. From its beginning, Ferrari's racecars have had both form and function, winning on the track and turning heads with everything from the 250 Testa Rossa, 330 P3, Michael Schumacher's single-seaters from the early 2000s and many others. That lineage led the Scuderia's leaders to survey the paddock, wring their hands and come up with the Concept F1. As Ferrari said on its website: "Our challenge was to create something that was – to put it short – better looking." It's a philosophy that was implemented for this season's car, the SF15-T. While not groundbreaking in appearance, Ferrari cleaned up the design, particularly up front, and the racecar now has a more attractive nose that delivers better aerodynamics. It's more of the same in back, where a tighter design creates more downforce. "This year's car is certainly an awful lot better looking than last year's car," Ferrari technical director James Allison said in a video on the Scuderia's website. The updates come as Ferrari, and all F1 teams, get a better handle on the extensive 2014 rule changes that brought back turbocharged engines and altered the aerodynamic regulations for the series. Less dramatic changes also are going into effect this year. Ferrari, which is coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish in the World Championship, is obviously looking to the future. Appearances have always mattered for the red cars. We'll see if they bring the Scuderia success this season and beyond. Other News and Notes Next-generation Chrysler Town & Country spied Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is hard at work on the next-gen Town & Country minivan, and our spy shooters have captured heavily covered prototypes during testing on the road. We can't tell anything about the exterior design, though we see glimpses of an instrument panel (which looks vaguely Dodge Charger-esque) and infotainment screen inside.

Rolls-Royce reveals Ghawwass edition Phantom Coupe

This is the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Ghawwass Bespoke Edition, the latest car to join the long and distinguished line of Rolls-Royce limited editions that have arrived over the years. With that in mind, we'll allow you one guess as to what market this limited edition is destined for.
If you said the Middle East, which is almost always the answer when talking about ultra-limited, special editions of the world's finest luxury and sports cars, then give yourself a pat on the back. As for that name, "Ghawwass" is the Arabic word for diver, and attaching it to the Phantom Coupe is meant to celebrate "the traditional method of collecting pearls from the Bahrain pearl banks," according to Rolls-Royce's Facebook page, where these pictures were posted.
Considering its nautical namesake, the color scheme of the Phantom Ghawwass makes a lot of sense, with a Turchese Blue exterior and a tan and Turchese interior that brings to mind bright blue water and sand. The veneers are pearl - although we can't see them in this photoset - befitting the car's inspiration, while a Dhow, a traditional Arabic sailboat, can be found in the coachline and stitched into the headrests.

Rolls-Royce dealer incentive could take $15K off a Cullinan or Ghost

When a carmaker wants last year's models off dealer lots at the beginning of the new year, one standard tactic is to offer incentives either to customers or to dealers. Rolls-Royce is an automaker with last year's models on dealer lots at the beginning of the new year, and on top of that, a refreshed Cullinan and a refreshed Ghost are due later this year. That explains the dealer bulletin Cars Direct said it saw that informs dealers, "Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA is introducing a Non-FS and Regional Rate Cash Program to stimulate sales and to promote all aging units to be retailed by the end of March 2024." The cash specifics: $15,000 that can be spent on the $375,000 Cullinan and Black Badge Cullinan, as well as the $350,000 Ghost, Ghost Extended and Black Badge Ghost.  The "non-FS" part refers to the financial services division, meaning the vehicles in the promotion can't be financed through the automaker's loan department. BMW, Rolls-Royce's parent company, makes this distinction regularly, offering a $9,900 "Non FS Credit" on the XM last November, for instance. In that case, buyers who did finance an XM through BMW Financial were also offered a $9,900 loan credit. No such deal on the English side of the Munich empire. Because this is a factory-to-dealer incentive, dealers don't need to disclose the offer nor give the buyer the benefit even if a buyer knows about it; this is a reward for the storefront for getting the model off the lot at a price the dealer is happy with, not an incentive for a shopper. Don't get the idea that Rolls-Royce shoppers are put off by discounts, though. It's all about the phrasing and the delivery. Dropping $15,000 on the hood would be unthinkable. A dealer asking an interested shopper who's on the fence, "What if I threw in the 21-inch tri-colored pinstripe wheels you want and took $10,000 off?" Well, that's making a deal, and everyone loves making a deal. So if Santa was especially kind, or you were especially naughty and made your own bundle, there's almost three months left to take advantage. According to the bulletin, the program ends March 31, 2024. Related video: 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Tour