Major Service 4/2013, Low Miles, Grigio Titanio Ext., Exceptionally Clean on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ferrari 812 Spider leaks online, F8 Tributo Spider on the way

Social media has no intention of going quietly into the weekend, with Facebook user "Cavallino Ramparte" leaking images of the Ferrari 812 Spider. Earlier reports said Ferrari had invited VIP owners to two preview events in early September, one for the open-top 812, one for the F8 Tributo Spider. This 812 pic appears to have been taken at the respective gathering, Ferrari Chat forum members posting that the Italian automaker showed both near the beginning of the week. Official pictures are rumored to come on Monday, but as far as we can tell at the moment, the 812 barely changes. The narrow opening over the driver's head is bounded by a thick header between the A-pillars on one side, and two buttresses behind the headrests on the other, akin to the racy buttresses from the SP1 and SP2 Monza limited-editions. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We're not sure how the roof mechanism works. Mining Ferrari Chat again, one member posted that the rear fascia has been redesigned and the trunk aperture is larger. Trunk space seemed to be the same as on the standard 812 Superfast, minus the missing rear shelf. Another poster who was at the event wrote, "The spider weighs 3527 lbs dry weight. vs 3362 for coupe," and on acceleration times for 0 to 124 miles per hour wrote, "I think it was 8.3s for the spider, whereas coupe is quoted at 7.9s." No one mentioned power changes, not that the 6.5-liter V12 with 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet needs any. According to a third poster, the F8 Tributo employs the same convertible template as the 488 Spider, with longer louvers over the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that can be optioned in carbon fiber. Since Ferrari's been dancing this kind of V8 two-step since the 458 Italia, we don't expect any surprises design-wise. Whispers online say we'll be able to peruse all angles on Monday, when Ferrari's expected to release high-res press shots.

Ferrari's bid for review of penalty against Vettel is rejected

LE CASTELLET, France — Formula One stewards on Friday dashed Ferrari's hopes of overturning a penalty that denied Sebastian Vettel victory in Canada, ruling that the Italian team had not presented significant and new evidence. Vettel, who finished first in Montreal on June 9 but was demoted to runner-up behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton after a five second penalty, told BBC radio he was disappointed with the outcome. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto, who had sought a review of the Montreal decision, echoed the sentiment and told reporters the matter was now closed. "As Ferrari we are all very unhappy and disappointed. We are disappointed certainly for Ferrari but for the fans and for our sport," he said. The Italian team believed they had 'overwhelming' proof to trigger a review but the FIA revealed some of that was Sky Sports' television analysis carried out by Indian racer Karun Chandhok. The Indian, who raced in Formula One for now-defunct tail-end teams Hispania and Team Lotus in 2010 and 2011 without scoring a point, was apparently unaware that his opinion formed part of the evidence. "Er... so, can I send you an invoice Ferrari? I mean, lawyers send bills whether you win or lose a case so...!!," he said on Twitter. The stewards decided Chandhok's video was "new but not significant and relevant" and the "personal opinion by a third party." The ruling means that Hamilton, a five-times world champion, has his 29-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas confirmed. He's 62 points ahead of Vettel. Mercedes has won all seven races this season, and nine in a row in total, and are favorites to chalk up another in France on Sunday. Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies had said earlier that the team believed the evidence to be "quite overwhelming when it comes to establishing that Sebastian did not breach any regulations." The stewards clearly found it underwhelming. They said footage of Vettel's face camera was previously available, as were analysis of telemetry data, camera angles from the car, post-race video images and the German's witness statement. The right of review calls for a team to present significant and relevant new evidence that was not available at the time of the decision. The stewards, whose ruling is final, had sole discretion to determine whether such a new element exists.

Record-setting 1953 Timossi-Ferrari V12 hydroplane is as rare as it gets

Luigino "Gigi" Barp, the head of technical service at Ferrari Classiche, the company's restoration and certification division, says it is impossible to put a value on the 1953 Timossi-Ferrari Arno XI hydroplane racing boat. It's a one-of-a-kind piece with a one-of-a-kind engine that was specially designed to beat and set the world speed record on water. With Achille Castoldi behind the wheel, it achieved that goal back in 1953. In 2019, after a restoration and some time at the Ferrari Museum, it's for sale on DuPont Registry.  Although numerous Ferrari automobiles have set many records and earned countless first-place finishes on land, there is only one world-record-holding Ferrari-powered boat. The details and timelines of how it all came together are a bit murky, depending on the source, but it all centers around Castoldi, a world-class boat racer from Italy. According to RM Sotheby's, Castoldi had success with Alfa Romeo in lower-weight-class racing in the '40s before deciding he wanted to set the water speed record in the 800-kilogram class. Castoldi was reportedly friends with people at Ferrari, and he was fortunate enough to secure a Tipo 375 V12 engine for a three-point hydroplane built at Cantieri Timossi boatyard in Italy. That's the same engine Ferrari was using for its F1 Grand Prix cars of the time. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. After realizing the engine was still not powerful enough in its original form, Castoldi reportedly worked with Scuderia Ferrari’s chief race engineer Stefano Meazza to up the power. The engine, which started at roughly 385 horsepower, reportedly gained two superchargers and twin four-choke carburetors and boasted more than 500 horsepower in methanol-fueled race tune. It also received a dual-magneto ignition system, and each cylinder used two spark plugs. Castoldi called the boat Arno XI, and on October 15, 1953, he set the water speed record for the 800-kg class by averaging 150.19 mph during a two-way run. Some years passed, and racer Nando Dell'Orto later took ownership. He reportedly made some aerodynamic tweaks, including the shark nose intake and the rear shark fin before eventually retiring the boat from serious racing. In 2012, the Arno XI emerged from the shadows as lot No. 371 at an RM Sotheby's auction, where it sold for ˆ868,000, or roughly $966,000.