1990 Ferrari 348 Ts on 2040-cars

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Ferrari reports fewer sales, more profit to prove strategy is working

Ferrari's angle of emphasizing exclusivity by limiting deliveries is appearing to bear fruit. The company posted a 7.1-percent increase in revenues to 1.7 billion Euros ($2.2 billion at today's exchange rates) during the first half of 2013. Net profits, meanwhile, saw a jump of 20 percent to 116.2 million Euros ($153.5 million). The Prancing Horse delivered 3,767 cars, which, while an increase of 2.8 percent, represents a rate of growth that's slower than in the first quarter of 2013.
While Ferrari may be actively trying to slow its sales down to below 7,000 in 2013, it's seen increased numbers in the US, Great Britain and Germany, along with double-digit growth in the Middle East and Japan (39 percent and 28 percent, respectively).
The move to limit sales should have a greater impact on the numbers that come in later this year, which we told you about back in May. Ferrari's controversial move has already seen a drop in sales to China, which saw 50 fewer Prancing Horses than this time last year.

Topiary Joe sculpts the ultimate in green cars

Efficient cars are all the rage these days, but Joe Kyte has made a business of crafting some of the coolest green cars around – literally. Kyte is better known by his nickname Topiary Joe, and in addition to being a talented artist, he is also a real gearhead. Kyte has been creating topiaries for the last 20 years. It began when he was marketing greenhouse products to Walt Disney World and saw their plant sculptures. He realized that he could do that and since then, has done around 3,400 pieces. His most intriguing creations are the rolling sculptures that move and turn. Prices for those start at about $18,000 and can be as high as $30,000. While, the wheels are machine-bent, Kyte said all the other parts are done with a table vice and a Lincoln Electric arc welder. Topiary Joe is taking the Porsche (pictured above) to Palm Beach later this year to sell or says he may donate it to Porsche North America. If you really want it, the sculpture is currently on Craigslist for sale for $24,000. Topiary Joe has also had a life-long love of cars. "I was driving my first MG Midget before I was 14," he told Autoblog. He grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, where the Manhattan Project was partially developed. He says the town was full of recent college grads driving Mercedes, and he caught the bug. His automotive mentor was a nuclear physicist who taught him to repair and restore the Mercs. Kyte has completed commissions for Sandals Resort, Dreamworks, Absolut, and many more. Among his favorite creations is the Ferrari that he created at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that is now exhibited at the airport each year before the race. Check out his website for a wider look at his work.

New Zealander builds 1962 Ferrari GTO replica in chicken shed

The Ferrari 250 GTO is one of the most gorgeous vehicles ever made, but with just 39 produced, they're also some of the most expensive cars in the world, often setting records when they occasionally come up for auction. The eye-watering price presents an insanely steep barrier of entry to ownership, which has led at least one buyer to pursue a different option: simply creating his own. While the beautiful example in the video above isn't an authentic, original Ferrari, the story behind this replica goes far beyond some cheap knockoff slapped together haphazardly. Surrounded by crowing roosters and waddling ducks, Rod Temporo doesn't immediately strike you as a guy who would be building exacting replica racers in his shed. However, first impressions aren't always accurate, and Temporo is a maestro when it comes to metalwork. He has been doing this for decades and has recreated all sorts of vintage vehicles, including a beautiful Jaguar XJ13. Temporo and his team are true artisans. They make their own wood bucks for the body and then bang out the metal body with hammers and an English wheel. According to the video, it took them about four years to complete this 1962 GTO replica starting from scratch. The end result is a piece of automotive art.