2009 Ferrari F430 Spider! Ultra Rare 6 Speed Manual ! Low Miles! Service! Loaded on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ferrari California T gets sharper edge with Handling Speciale package

It's been about two years since Ferrari updated the California to T-spec with a 3.9-liter, flat-plane crank, twin-turbocharged engine, and we found it to be a suitable change – rewarding to drive, and compelling to experience. Now Ferrari has introduced a new handling option, which will debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March, which should add a sharper edge to the roadster. Like most handling packages, the springs and dampers get the most attention. The magnetorheological dampers fitted to the conventional California T get changes that increase their response time to changing road conditions. As before, damper settings are controlled via the steering wheel manettino, and the most aggressive change is to be found in the Sport setting. The front springs are stiffer – 16 percent up front, 19 percent in the rear – which will aid body control in all axes. Ferrari claims that, overall, the setup only marginally reduces the ride comfort. It'll take driving a Handling Speciale-equipped car to find out. The changes go beyond just handling hardware. Shifts are faster in Sport mode, both in automatic and manual modes, thanks to recalibrated transmission logic. Ferrari's engineers also found some additional corner exit speed by tweaking the F1-Trac stability control system's programming. The company claims this tweak also helps with acceleration on bumpy surfaces. Cosmetically, the California Ts with the Handling Speciale package will feature a matte grille, a rear diffuser with matte-painted fences, and matte black tailpipes. A special-edition plaque, located in the cabin, is also standard, Finally, in a very Italian move, the exhaust note has been recalibrated "to underline the performance gains." That is to say, if you don't happen to have a skidpad handy to do a direct measurement of the increase in cornering capability – which, it should be noted, Ferrari doesn't quantify – the sportier sound will serve as a psychological reminder. There's no claim that the new exhaust system changes the engine's output – cars so equipped make the same 553 hp at 7500 RPM as the model we tested back in 2014. Look for the Handling Speciale package to debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

Race Recap: Monaco Grand Prix makes the kettle boil [spoilers]

It's not hard to believe that 80 percent of the action at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix happened didn't have to do with straight-up racing. Mercedes AMG Petronas wasn't expected to maintain its obscene advantage over the field with Monaco being a short track that rewards corner speed over top speed, but they still ruled two of the three Free Practice sessions.
Off the track, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said he thought it should be easier to beat his teammate and that he was hungrier than his teammate. Then came qualifying and Mirabeau, when Nico Rosberg had set the pole lap in the dying moments of Q3, and as the final few drivers tried to best it on their last chance - including Hamilton, who said he was on the lap that would have got him pole position - Rosberg overcooked it into Mirabeau and brought out a local yellow, killing everyone's chance to better his time. Although the sun was shining in Monaco, the paddock got cold as ice; Rosberg and Hamilton didn't look at one another, speak to one another or touch one another. Rosberg said, "It was an honest mistake." After the race, a disbelieving Hamilton said to the press, "I wish you could have seen the data."
They still lined up first on the grid, though, Rosberg ahead of Hamilton, followed by Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel for Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen for Ferrari, Jean-Eric Vergne in the first Toro Rosso and Daniel Kvyat in the second in ninth, split by McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen in eighth, and Sergio Perez in the Force India in tenth.

Mysterious Ferrari may be rumored Dino

At first glance, this Ferrari 458 looks innocuous, but several signs suggest the black coupe might actually be a test mule for a future revival of the Dino name. Unfortunately, one of the biggest hints to the car's identity is sonic rather than visual. According to our spies, the engine doesn't sound like company's naturally aspirated V8 or the turbocharged mill in the new 488 GTB. That suggests the possibility of a V6 being mounted behind the driver here. The lack of exhaust pipes poking out the rear further hints that something is amiss with the powerplant. The large intakes on each side should be plenty to feed cool air to the Dino's rumored twin-turbo V6, as well. A version of the 510-horsepower mill from the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is possibly in this Prancing Horse, but FCA execs are very cagey about discussing any connection between that engine and Ferrari. According to FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne about the revived Dino, "It's a when not an if." Marchionne indicated the model could pack around 500 hp and be lighter than a 488. "The six-cylinder response has been positive," he said. The smaller displacement powerplant would also mean lower taxes in China. The Dino would reportedly be positioned to take on the entry-level rung of supercars like the Audi R8 and McLaren 570S. Unfortunately, an actual launch could be as far away as 2019. So expect to see many more spy shots until then. Related Video: