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Ferrari Classiche gives 250 GT a new lease on life [w/video]

There are plenty of workshops filled with skilled craftsman who'd be glad to restore a classic Ferrari. But many are opting to sending their vintage Prancing Horses back to the factory in Maranello to be worked over by the company's own Classiche department. Like this Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, for example. The car was delivered new to Scuderia driver Dorino Serefani, who rarely drove it and sold it in 1964 to a Frenchman who crashed it. He in turn sold it to a Belgian who brought it back to life, repainted it dark blue and gave it a black interior. Another former F1 driver Jacques Pollet bought it next and repainted it in gray, before another Belgian owner bought it in 1984 and had it resprayed yellow in 1992. That's a lot of color changes over the years, but its next owner had yet another livery in mind. He took to Ferrari Classiche in March of last year and had it brought up to spec, this time selecting a Pininfarina gray with a brown interior. The restoration process took 14 months and involved restoring the engine, bodywork, suspension, and rolling stock. Now after more than a year of work, the process is complete and the owner has retaken delivery of the classic Cavallino just the way he wanted it This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. A new lease of life for a 250 GT SWB An extensive 14-month restoration Maranello, 2 December – 14 months of meticulous work – that's how long it took the Ferrari Classiche Department to restore the engine, bodywork, suspensions and running gear of a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione to pristine condition. The car arrived in Maranello in March 2014 and work began in the summer of the same year, only finishing last week when it was returned to its delighted owner. Famous names. According to the few documents available, the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione's first owner was Dorino Serafini, a GT and Formula 1 driver who also delivered a podium position in the 1950 Italian Grand Prix for the Scuderia Ferrari. However, he rarely used this particular car, except in fairly low profile races. In 1964, the 250 GT SWB was purchased by Frenchman Rene Richard. Unfortunately, he crashed it and then sold it on to the Belgian driver Lucien Bianchi who was a brilliant mechanic. After it was repaired, the car was given a dark blue livery with a black interior.

Ferrari replaces F1 boss with Marlboro exec

Ferrari just finished its worst Formula One season in decades, and if you're thinking heads are going to roll, you're right. In fact they already have, as team principal Stefano Domenicali was dismissed earlier this year and longtime chairman Luca di Montezemolo was axed just two months ago. Now Maranello has announced a new team principal, yet again. Instead of promoting from within, however, this time Ferrari has called in an outside executive – albeit one with whom it is intimately familiar. His name is Maurizio Arrivabene, and he's served as a senior executive at tobacco giant Philip Morris International, managing (among other areas) the Marlboro brand's sponsorship of the Scuderia. In that capacity he's been sitting on the FIA's Formula One Commission as the sponsors' representative since 2010, giving him a familiarity with how the series is run. In his new capacity as Managing Director of the Gestione Sportiva and Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari, Arrivabene replaces Marco Mattiacci, who was called up to the post from his previous position as head of the North American office just eight months ago. Back then Mattiacci replaced a similarly under-performing Domenicali. The change may very well have come at the behest (if not insistence) of Philip Morris, which remains the team's main sponsor and is undoubtedly displeased with Ferrari's performance lately. It wouldn't be the first time. After all, Marlboro similarly brokered the deal that put Ron Dennis in charge of McLaren in the early 1980s. Mattiacci's swift replacement comes at the end of a disastrous season for the Scuderia. Following yesterday's season finale in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari finished fourth in the constructors' standings behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams. The last time it finished the championship in such poor shape was in 2010 when Felipe Massa was injured and the team scrambled to find a replacement. But even then it managed to win at least one race and land on the podium another five times. Fernando Alonso finished on the podium only twice this season while Kimi Raikkonen struggled further back. This year marked the first time Ferrari failed to win a grand prix since 1993, and even then Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger managed more podiums than the team scored this season.

Ferrari 488 Spider turbocharges the topless life [w/video]

As expected, Ferrari has followed the Geneva debut of the new 488 GTB with the introduction of the 488 Spider convertible. Like the hardtop model, the new Spider builds on the old 458 cabriolet. The retractable hardtop has been retained for the new model, slated to debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. But thanks to the new aluminum spaceframe, the 488 Spider's torsional rigidity has been increased by 23 percent over its predecessor, promising even sharper handling. The powered roof can be stowed in just 14 seconds. Beyond that, the 488 Spider boasts the same goodies as the hardtop model. A 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged, flat-plane crank V8 sits amidships, sending 661 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Even in this roofless model, 62 miles per hour arrives in just 3.2 seconds, compared to an even three seconds in 488 GTB. The top speed is a toupee-eradicating 203 miles per hour. Prices, not surprisingly, have not been published. You can look forward to much, much more on the 488 Spider when it makes its grand debut in September, at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Until then, check out the launch video for the new droptop, as well as the official press release from Ferrari. The Ferrari 488 Spider: performance and effortless driving for maximum drop-top fun Official unveiling scheduled for Frankfurt Motor Show Maranello, 28 July 2015 – Ferrari announces the launch of the 488 Spider, its most powerful ever mid-rear-engined V8 car to feature the patented retractable hard top along with the highest level of technological innovation and with cutting-edge design. Ferrari was the first manufacturer to introduce the RHT (Retractable Hard Top) on a car of this particular architecture. This solution ensures lower weight (-25 kg) and better cockpit comfort compared to the classic fabric soft-top. Just like all previous spider versions of Ferrari's models, this is a car that is aimed squarely at clients seeking open-air motoring pleasure in a high-performance sports car with an unmistakable Ferrari engine sound. Every area of the car has been designed to set new technological benchmarks for the sector: from the aluminum spaceframe chassis and bodyshell to the new turbo-charged V8, aerodynamics that reconcile the need for greater downforce with reduced drag along with the specific cabin air flow demands of an open- top car, and vehicle dynamics that render it fast, agile and instantly responsive.