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Ferrari Classiche brings priceless crashed 250 GTO back to life [w/video]

When a car is worth millions of dollars, you don't simply write it off when it's damaged – you have it painstakingly repaired. But when that car's worth tens of millions, there's hardly any expense to be spared in its restoration. So after a rare Ferrari 250 GTO crashed a couple of years ago during a special event, its owner (presumably at the behest of his insurance company) sent the damaged specimen back to the factory for a full restoration to its original condition. The Ferrari in question, GTO No. 3445, is owned by American collector Christopher Cox, who was driving it during a special tour in France organized for the legendary sports racer's 50th anniversary when he collided with another car – fortunately not another one of the GTOs on the road – inflicting significant damage on the highly coveted collector's item. That was two-and-a-half years ago, and shortly after the accident, Cox entrusted it to the Ferrari Classiche division, which is responsible for restoring classic Prancing Horses and certifying their authenticity. Now the repairs and restoration are complete, right down to the Swedish blue and yellow livery it was originally give in April 1963 by Ulf Norinder and the number 112 he gave it for the 1964 Targa Florio. Spending over two years restoring a single automobile may seem like overkill to most, but considering the $52 million said to have been paid the last time a GTO traded hands, and the $30 million spent on the one before that, suddenly two years doesn't seem like that long after all. Watch the reconditioned car undergoing its final, post-restoration shakedown around the Fiorano circuit in the video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lady in Blue A stunning 250 GTO is restored by the Classiche department Maranello, 28 November 2014 – One of the stars of the tracks of the 1960s was a Ferrari 250 GTO which has just emerged from a two-year-plus renovation at the Ferrari Classiche department, ready to return to its owner in America. During its stay in Maranello, the car was restored to the original engine and bodywork configuration in which it was delivered to Bologna-based publisher Luciano Conti in 1962. The latter also drove it in its maiden race, the Bologna-Passo della Raticosa. The Volpi era. In June 1962, however, Chassis no. 3445 was sold to Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, a passionate racing driver, who competed under the S.S.S.

McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari call for unfreezing F1 engines

Formula One is a hugely expensive sport. Not only do you have enormous salaries and logistical expenses, as you would in any other sport, but each team also spends huge sums developing their own chassis from the ground up – and so too do the participating automakers in developing the engines. One of the ways the series organizers mitigate those costs is by freezing development. So once the new crop of V6 turbo hybrid powertrains were developed, that was it. But now three of the of the sport's leading teams are calling on the FIA to unfreeze engine development. Their reason? Unfair advantage. There's little question that Mercedes did the best job of developing its "power unit" to meet the new regulations that took effect at the beginning of this past season. That's how the Mercedes team won all but three of the grands prix this season and finished with at least one car on the podium at every single race. It's also a big part of how the teams that bought their engines from Mercedes this season managed to consistently outperform the other non-works-supported teams. That clear advantage is why Red Bull, Ferrari and now McLaren are calling for engine development to be unfrozen. Their argument is that, under the current locked-down status quo, their engine suppliers (Renault, Ferrari and Honda, respectively) cannot possibly catch up. So unless the FIA and Formula One Management want the next few seasons to be the kind of absolute blow-outs that this past season was, these leading teams argue, the powers that be are going to have to make some changes. For its part, Mercedes naturally counters that unfreezing engine development would send costs spiraling out of control. But then of course it stands to lose the most by re-opening engine development. If those three teams, however, closely intertwined as they are with the three other engine suppliers participating in next year's championship, manage to solicit enough support from the other customer teams and bring the matter to a vote, Mercedes may very well find itself out-numbered. News Source: ESPNImage Credit: Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Motorsports Ferrari McLaren Mercedes-Benz F1 engine

Ferrari California T has a turbo V8 lurking under new nose [w/video]

The Ferrari California might technically be the Prancing Horse's entry-level model, but there is nothing basic about the latest upgrade for the California T. Showing its face to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show, it is now propelled by a 3.9-liter, turbocharged V8 with 560 horsepower and 557 pound-feet of torque, which equates to an extra 70 hp and a 49 percent increase in torque over the previous engine.
The forced induction mill is enough to accelerate it to 62 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds. Also not that many Ferrari buyers are going to care, but the switch also means a 15 percent improvement in fuel economy. Oh, and based on the video preview below, it sounds pretty good, too.
While the new engine is certainly the headline grabber, there are other upgrades as well: a top that closes in 14 seconds, new steering box, improved magnetic dampers and an upgraded traction control system. Pininfarina also reshaped the nose to make it more look like Ferraris of the 1960s. This is seems to be the best looking and performing California yet.