Ferrari F430 Spyder on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Luca doesn't believe in electric cars, but Ferrari will build more hybrids

Confirming what we'd long suspected, the hybrid powertrain in the Ferrari LaFerrari was not a one-time thing. "I don't believe in the electric cars, but I strongly believe in hybrids," Ferrari boss Luca Cordero di Montezemolo tells Bloomberg. It's unclear when we'll see another hybrid Ferrari, though, as the automaker's current lineup is quite fresh - the oldest model is the California, which was updated for the 2013 model year - but make no mistake, there are more electrified cars coming from Maranello. "The answer is yes," Montezemolo told Bloomberg when asked about hybrids, although he was quick to add "without exceeding." It's that last part that is key for enthusiasts of the gas engine.
Ferrari's move towards hybrid powertrains reflects a pair of trends in both the political and motorsports spheres. Politically, automakers, even exotics, are being pushed to produce cars with cleaner emissions, or in many cases, no emissions at all. Look no further than the Range Rover Hybrid, which was just announced. Formula One's push towards hybridization and smaller engines is also informing decisions at Ferrari, with the LaFerrari already using hybrid tech already inspired by the sport.
Still, it's reassuring to know that while Ferrari is pushing forward with future technologies, that the gas engine won't go the way of the manual transmission in Maranello - at least in the near term.

2014 Ferrari FF

Ferrari announced a panoramic roof option for its all-wheel drive FF at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, promising the new full-length glass panel would offer its well-heeled clientele "a genuine open-air driving feeling, while providing thermal and acoustic insulation." That statement was intriguing, as my experience with glass roofs usually ends abruptly after I close the opaque shade - as a Southern Californian, I always find tinted glass panels too hot during the day and too cold at night.
While the FF I reviewed in August was fitted with a solid aluminum roof, I was fortunate to catch up with a brand-new silver Ferrari FF (it only had about 160 miles on the odometer) with the optional panoramic roof at the Formula One race at Circuit of the Americas just last month. It was my lucky day, as I was about to spend about six hours with the four-place Italian, blissfully enjoying it during the warm day until long after the sun had set on the Texas horizon.
Driving Notes:

Amazing LaFerrari tribute watch more intricate than the real thing [w/video]

The Enzo had no companion watch, but its successor, the Ferrari LaFerrari, does. Created by Hublot "entirely in parallel with the car" and "alongside the Ferrari teams," the MP-05 LaFerrari tribute watch is a similar test of how much gobsmacking gadgetry can be packed into a chassis. The manually-wound watch has 11 barrels set in a spine down the center that work together to provide a 50-day power reserve. So yes, it does need to be wound, but only once every seven weeks.
Hublot says the movement, engineered in-house, has 637 components. It has more pieces than any other movement Hublot has ever designed, and it gets a tourbillon to further showcase the "demonstration of watchmaking virtuosity." The face is sapphire crystal, the case is black PVD titanium and features an open case-back, the strap is rubber with a PVD titanium buckle. Time is told via the barrels to the right of the the spine on the right - it's 10:05 on the watch above. To the left are the barrels displaying the amount of power remaining.
Hublot hasn't disclosed the price, so you know what that means. There will be 50 tribute watches made, each sent in a presentation case wrapped in Schedoni leather and carbon fibre and including the miniature power tool you need to wind the timepiece. You can read all about it in the press release below, and for true watch geeks there's also an in-depth wrists-on video of the MP-05, performed by ABlogtoWatch.com.