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Ferrari reveals LaFerrari-based FXX K in Abu Dhabi

Ever since Ferrari revealed the latest evolution of its flagship hypercar series with the debut of LaFerrari at the Geneva Motor Show last year, the question on everyone's mind – aside from how it would stack up against rivals like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder – is what it would look like in its ultimate, unhinged, track-focused iteration. But now we need wonder no more as the Prancing Horse marque has revealed the new FXX K. The what-letters-now, you ask? FXX K. The name is drawn from the Enzo-based FXX that kicked off the company's client development program the better part of a decade ago, but with an extra letter tacked on to signify the KERS hybrid system on board. In the FXX K, that system has been further optimized: the electric motor now delivers 187 horsepower (instead of 160) and the 6.3-liter V12 has been boosted to 848 hp (up from 789) for a total output of 1,035 prancing ponies – a solid increase from the 950 hp in the road-going LaFerrari, but at 664 pound-feet, it's down in the torque department by 51 lb-ft. Of course output isn't the end of the story, and as you can see the scarlet-clad engineers in Maranello have focused a considerable amount of energy on optimizing the aero package. The front end gets a two-part splitter derived from Ferrari's victorious GT racing program, with vertical fins along the flanks, side skirts extending between the wheels, a dynamic rear wing, vertical fin and a giant diffuser. All of this and more contributes to as much as 50 percent more downforce, aided by increased mechanical grip from the Pirelli racing slicks, with carbon-ceramic brake discs measuring 15 inches across (plus or minus, front to rear) to keep it all in check. Unveiled at Ferrari's Finali Mondiali event at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the FXX K also boasts a recalibrated electronic differential, traction control, ABS, Racing SSC (Side Slip Angle Control) and a four-mode Manetinno dial on the center console to switch between levels of electric boost. In short, Ferrari has pulled out all the stops, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the FXX K taking the Fiorano lap record for anything this side of an F1 car. The record is currently held by the 333 SP at 1:11, nine seconds ahead of the road-going LaFerrari's 1:20. That's roughly the same differential between the FXX and the Enzo on which it was based, or the 599XX Evoluzione and the 599 GTO.

2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo First Drive Review | Italian warp drive

MARANELLO, Italy — What's in a name? Quite a lot in the case of the new Ferrari F8 Tributo launched at this spring's Geneva Motor Show and on sale this winter at for delivery. Tributo is a tribute to the Ferrari V8 – though to nitpick here, Ferrari's first V8 was actually a Lancia, designed by Vittorio Jano for the 1950s D50 grand-prix cars, which were handed over to Enzo for a song when Lancia faced financial collapse. That said, the first road-going V8 Ferrari was the Dino GT4 of 1973. Either way, just four years after the launch of the 488 GTB, Ferrari felt it had license to produce a new version.   “There was space to do a new 488 for the customers of the 488 GTB,” says Raffaele de Simone, FerrariÂ’s chief test driver, “there were enough new parts and know how. We had an opportunity to open a gap in which we can work and use.” In fact, the F8 sits somewhere between the 488 GTB and the limited-run 488 Pista. Consider it a stiffened-up version of the former, or a softer version of the latter; Take your pick.  All told, the F8 is the most powerful production mid-engined Ferrari, and at the heart of the matter is the F8Â’s F154 twin-turbo V8, criticized for its weedy exhaust note and not much else. It's won three handfuls of awards since it was introduced in the 488 GTB. Peak power is 710 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and peak torque is 568 pound-feet of torque at 3,250 rpm. ItÂ’s almost a straight lift from the 488 Pista, and thus makes 49 hp more than the 488 GTB. However, Ferrari shaved a remarkable 40 lbs off of the engine for duty in the F8, thanks to bits like a lighter flywheel and titanium connecting rods. The engine drives the rear wheels via a Getrag seven-speed, twin-clutch transmission and Ferrari's own electronically controlled limited-slip differential. This is likewise nearly unchanged from the Pista, although its gearchanges have been made less abrupt than that carÂ’s. Ferrari engineers referred to them as “gunshot changes”. Top speed is 211 mph, with 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds and 0-124 in 7.8 sec. A warning note, however, is that these performance specs are predicated on a reduction in curb weight of 88 lbs over the 488 GTB (to 3,163 lbs), and this number includes optional lightweight parts, of which 22 lbs are derived from a set of carbon-fiber wheels that are not currently available and donÂ’t have a price tag yet.

Newlyweds crash rented Ferrari into a house

A newly married couple had a rough wedding day when they crashed their rented Ferrari into a house in Burnley, Lancashire. Lancashire Road Police tweeted a photo on April 17 of a white Ferrari 458 Spider that crashed into a row house. The crash folded the hood nearly in half and completely destroyed the car's front fascia but no one was injured, according to the Daily Mail. The car, worth a cool 240,000 pounds, or 342,500 dollars, is owned by a rental company called Platinum Executive Travel. The son of the company's owner, Aleem Iqbal, made a statement on Twitter after the crash, assuring his tens of thousands of followers that he was not at the wheel of the mangled Ferrari when it went into the wall. "Thanks for all the kind messages," Iqbal tweeted from his personal account. "I wasn't at the wheel and nobody was injured that's the main thing, have had a lot worse in business." In a follow up tweet he stated, "At least people in Burnley will have something to talk about for a few weeks." Iqbal's statement about worse things happening in his business is true, and this is not the first of PET's pricey supercars to be destroyed. Within a five-week period in 2014, arsonists destroyed four of PET's cars worth more than 500,000 pounds or 713,000 dollars. In one attack, a Lamborghini Aventador rented for a wedding was torched outside a house in Luton. Iqbal called that attack a "vile act of jealousy" targeting the family of the newlyweds. Weeks later, two Audi R8 Spyders and a Bentley Flying Spur were firebombed at the PET offices in Yardley. The Daily Mail has contacted Platinum Executive Travel for an official statement about the Ferrari crash, but has not received a response. The driver and passenger of the wrecked Ferrari were not identified. Related Video: News Source: The Daily Mail, The Mirror, TwitterImage Credit: Lancashire Road Police Weird Car News Ferrari Driving Performance Supercars rental car