1994 Ferrari 348 Spyder Rosso Corsa Red Tan Meticulously Maintained Clean Carfax on 2040-cars

Auto blog

LaFerrari still being honed at N"urburgring

Ferrari might have jumped the gun debuting the LaFerrari hypercar at the Geneva Motor Show, judging by these spy shots. There have already been rumors that the nearly 1,000-horsepower hybrid still needed some finalizing, but it seems really quite odd that we're seeing cars running with camo six months after the official debut.
So here are our theories as to what this might be. First, the likely case is that this car is merely taking part in finalization of the LaFerrari. The two more sensational theories we've brewed up are a bit more unlikely. This could be a prototype of the once-rumored Maserati MC12 successor, with the camo in place to hide sheetmetal specific to a Maserati. The second, and in our minds, least likely scenario, is that this is a prototype of a more hardcore or competition variant of the LaFerrari, along the lines of the Enzo-based FXX.
Admittedly, that last option is really grasping at straws, but the last camo'd car we saw sported a unique exhaust, that our spy noted as being significantly louder than an uncovered model that was running alongside. While the timing seems odd - a mere six months after the debut of a car that isn't even on sale yet - it's not outside of Ferrari custom to release more potent, track-only versions of its hypercars. Take a look at the spy shots up top, and let us know what you think.

Formula One's Valtteri Bottas can turn it up to 11 in Spain

BARCELONA - Valtteri Bottas can add his name to one of Formula One's longest sequences by following up his breakthrough win in Russia with another triumph when the European season starts in Spain this weekend. The Finn, fresh from his first Grand Prix victory with champions Mercedes in Russia, is the man most likely to become the 11th different winner in a row at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. No other track on the calendar has had such a variety of winners over the past decade, an ironic fact given that it is the most familiar to drivers from winter testing and was once famed for its predictability. Last year it was Dutch 18-year-old Max Verstappen who became the sport's youngest winner when he triumphed for Red Bull, on his team debut, after both Mercedes drivers collided at the start. In 2012, it was now-departed Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado -- a one-hit wonder -- who handed Williams a surprise victory that remains their most recent. Ferrari's championship leader Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton, 13 points behind the German, will start as favorites and success for either could be an omen given that both went on to take the title last time they won in Spain. But Bottas, who joined Mercedes from Williams in January as replacement for retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, is the best bet to continue the streak of different winners in Spain even if he has yet to finish higher than fourth there. "Getting that first win definitely gives me a lot of confidence that I can do it, even though I always knew I had the ability," he said after Sochi. "And now it's done, I just want to do it again and again." RICCIARDO REVIVAL The only other driver from the leading trio of teams yet to triumph in Barcelona is Verstappen's Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo, but the Red Bull has lagged Mercedes and Ferrari on pace so far this year. That will surely change, with the flow of upgrades set to speed up now that teams are closer to their factories, and Red Bull have some big chassis modifications in the pipeline with engine improvements still to come. "I hope the upgrade will give us a chance to really fight with Mercedes and Ferrari or at least get us closer," said Ricciardo. The driver of car number 11, Force India's Mexican Sergio Perez, has racked up 14 successive points finishes and he too will have aerodynamic updates on his car.

Ferrari officially teases hybrid V8 before official reveal

This is Ferrari's official teaser for the V8 hybrid debuting this week, so let the Photoshop and parsing games begin. Among what we'll call the traditional supercar makers — Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren — the Maranello outfit takes the first dive into the hybrid pool, and they're going to make a show of it. The motorcycle rider who ran down the prototype a few weeks ago looks to have been correct about the rectangular taillights. The last time we saw anything other than round taillights on a production Ferrari was on the much-loved Testarossa and the much unloved 348. There's some deliberate obfuscation going on, unsurprisingly. In the teaser, the rear wing stands up extra tall in the middle. The wing on the prototype spotted last week carries across the car from fender to fender; you can trace the line it makes around the rear three-quarter underneath the camouflage. Based on where there's mesh in the camouflage paneling to let air through, our guess is that the wing does more than channel air under its middle as on the F8 Tributo. And we'll wait to see if the twin exhaust outlet truly dominate the backside like bazookas. VIP clientele have apparently been headed to Maranello as of this morning, ready to witness a three-day event for the production sports car that will sit above the 812 Superfast and below whatever succeeds the LaFerrari. Eyes in Italy say there's a large tent at the Fiorano circuit erected just for the cause. Word is that Ferrari will reveal the car online around the same time as VIP showing, with an in-the-sheetmetal showing sometime next month, perhaps at Le Mans. Ferrari hybrid supercar View 9 Photos