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Marchionne: all-electric Ferrari 'an obscene concept'

At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne told reporters that Ferrari is not interested in building an all-electric car. "With Ferrari, it's almost an obscene concept," were his exact words. He added, "You'd have to shoot me first." This brings to mind another quote, this from Enzo Ferrari himself: "Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines." Ferrari is, in its heart of hearts, an engine company. As Enzo Ferrari also said, "I build engines and attach wheels to them." Ferrari engines are beautiful things, as are the cars they power. There's a reason the Italian automaker displays its powerplants in its cars under glass like precious works of art. Of course, Ferrari did end up focusing on aerodynamics despite Enzo's remark. In racing as in business, you adapt or you get left behind. If you visit Ferrari's website, you can find a section on innovation. It's clear that the automaker prides itself on its technological advances (including aerodynamics, of course). It also values being a leader. "Each new model brims with technological innovation," it says, "solutions that pave the way for the rest of the industry and which are often picked up by other manufacturers at a later date." Ferrari follows nobody. The Italian marque may pride itself on being a holdout. As an automaker, it does things in the spirit of Ferrari, which is to say in the spirit of Enzo Ferrari. Former Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemelo said in 2011, "You will never see a Ferrari electric because I don't believe in electric cars, because I don't think they represent an important step forward for pollution or CO2 or the environment." Sports car manufacturers — Ferrari included — turn to electrification not just for efficiency, however, but also for performance. An electric motor can do certain things that an internal combustion engine simply can't. Who doesn't like being able to summon up loads of torque the very instant they first put a little pressure on the gas pedal? EVs can be spectacular to drive. Take the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive and the Tesla Model S as proof of that. Marchionne's argument comes down to sound. He was not thrilled by the aural experience of driving a Tesla. Anyone with ears loves the sound of a Ferrari engine. Enzo said, "Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win." While he was speaking about a car's visual aesthetic, it certainly applies to a car's sound profile as well.

Race Recap: 2014 US Grand Prix goes the English way yet again

Thankfully, the weekend's Formula One dramas all concerned events that happened off the track, with both Caterham and Marussia going into administration, after which a rumored boycott by the small teams was avoided. That gave the 18 drivers left on the grid freedom to focus on making the most of the Texas sunshine for Sunday's US Grand Prix.
Having finished two Free Practices behind teammate Mercedes AMG Petronas teammate Lewis Hamilton, the second one just .003 behind, Nico Rosberg said he had speed in hand and proved it during qualifying, beating Hamilton to the top spot by four-tenths of a second. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa came behind, followed by Daniel Ricciardo in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, the McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, Kimi Räikkönen in the second Ferrari, and little-team Sauber bursting out of the storm clouds into tenth, Adrian Sutil making the team's first-time Q3 appearance all year.
When it came time to race, the carbon-fiber fisticuffs began on the first lap.

Ferrari 488 Special Series teased in video

Transcript: Ferrari teases 488 Special Series. A hopped up version of the 488 GTB has been teased on Ferrari's Facebook page. The Ferrari 488 Special Series is hard to make out in the video. A blurry frame shows changes to the front bumper. The Special Series will get reduced weight, boosting power, and re-tuning of the suspension and aero. Under the hood will be a twin-turbo V8 making 700 horsepower. The true name is unclear but Ferrari called it the “New V8 Sport Special Series.” We expect to see the Ferrari Special Series at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Ferrari teases 488 Special Series ahead of debut. This is just a teaser, so all the video shows is a few very brief cuts and angles of the new car. We've taken a screenshot of the front end, and it's pretty obvious that it's the car we've been following in spy shots for months now. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2EmW6du