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New special series car to debut at Geneva

Posted: 28.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Ferrari Special Limited Series Supercar
Maranello, February 28th – Ferrari’s new limited edition special series car receives its world unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday, March 5th next. This leaves just a few days to go before all the details of a model generating a huge sense of anticipation, are revealed. From today, however, enthusiasts can find intriguing hints at what lies in store from Ferrari at Geneva, by keeping a daily eye on the Maranello marque’s website and official Facebook pages.

 

Massa: “A lot of teams will be competitive”

Posted: 28.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

TEST F1/2013
Barcelona, 28 February – Felipe Massa’s day at the wheel of the F138 started the way last Friday had ended, with bad weather again affecting work at the Catalunya Circuit. The track, on the outskirts of Barcelona, is hosting the third and final winter test, which runs from today until Sunday. All the same, it was a positive day for the Ferrari man, because the weather was definitely a bit better, especially in the afternoon, when a few rays of sunshine appeared as the rain stopped, allowing the driver and team to complete the planned programme of a race simulation.With only a few days of testing – just twelve in total – the last session is usually given over to going through the procedures the team personnel will carry out at every official track session over a race weekend, from Melbourne right through to Sao Paolo. Even if the weather didn’t help, Felipe Massa reckoned he was pleased with how the day had gone. “In the morning I did some long runs, testing both types of wet weather tyre with different set-ups to find the best balance on the car,” he said. “Then, in the afternoon I managed to complete a race simulation. The car worked well at all times, even in the very different track conditions and I’m happy because, despite the tyre degradation being high, it was interesting to understand their behaviour.“It’s hard to know what is the real pecking order in the field,” continued the Brazilian. “It’s still too early to say where the others are and where we are, but what is easy to say is that a lot of teams will be competitive. My lap times seemed good and, in the afternoon, when I fitted the dry tyres while the track was still damp, I was one of the quickest. Then, just as the track began to dry in the final half hour of running time, I had done all my planned laps and by then my tyres were well worn, which meant I couldn’t improve. However, this was an important step: we have completed a race distance without any problems or glitches. As for the tyres, it’s true that they degrade quickly, but it’s also normal that this should be the case. We know the tyres have changed since last year and they have been designed specifically with that in mind: it’s an idea introduced this year to increase the number of pit stops, but honestly, apart from a few times when the compounds will be softer than expected, I think there will just be one more pit stop than last year.”Lastly, Felipe commented on the developments expected here for the weekend. “Today, we had a few small modifications compared to last week, while on Saturday and Sunday we will test the Australian configuration. We know the car is improving: our aim is to arrive in Melbourne with a good base on which to build our season.”

 

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Investing in classic Ferraris: a remunerative passion

Posted: 28.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

A view of the Ferrari Classiche department with (left to right) a 375 MM (1953), 166 MM (1953), 166 Inter Sport Corsa (1948) and a 1958 250 Testa Rossa
What is today’s best investment? Which gives the best returns? The answer is classic cars, and in particular Ferraris.Recently in the Financial Times a number of assets were analysed to see which gave the best growth over the last 10 years. A high-end New York residential property has increased in value by 72 per cent, whereas a similar property in Hong Kong has risen by 220 per cent, a figure more in line with the performance of fine arts, stamps and rare coins. None of these investments have, however, come close to the 395 per cent return on classic cars which, along with gold, continue to be the market with the best investment growth.Classic Ferraris are leading the trend, in recent years regularly occupying the top slots in the list of 10 most valuable cars sold at auction with two examples of the 250 Testa Rossa having been sold at over $12 million, the second going under the hammer for a record $16,390,000. But this underlines a more general trend with all classic Ferraris as can be seen from the value reached by a long-wheelbase 1959 250 GT Berlinetta in 2003 – $1,195,691 – compared to a similar car which was sold in 2012 for $6,710,000, an increase of over 400%.

 

Preview – 2013 Official Formula One Test in Barcelona

Posted: 27.02.2013
Source: Pirelli

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari F138

TEAMS TO COLLECT MORE TYRE DATA IN FINAL PRE-SEASON TEST

Milan, February 27, 2013 – The final four-day pre-season Formula One test takes place from Thursday to Sunday in Barcelona, which will bring the total number of testing days before the season starts in Australia next month up to 12. The Circuit de Catalunya was also the venue for the previous test last week, which will allow the teams to make use of prior data as they assess tyre performance and degradation combined with a variety of different set-ups and fuel loads on their new cars.

Testing Quote:

Paul Hembery (Pirelli Motorsport Director): “The last test at Barcelona was affected by bad weather, which meant that we experienced more degradation than usual due to the tyres not being able to operate within their intended working range. Hopefully this time we will find conditions that are slightly more representative, which will allow the teams to collect more relevant data. The fact that we’re going back to Barcelona gives them all an excellent known baseline from which to operate. These 2013 tyres are quite different to their predecessors, both in terms of compound and construction, which makes the work that will be carried out over the next few days even more essential. At this stage of testing it is always difficult for the teams and drivers to know what to expect from the first race as conditions are not always representative. Past experience from the last two years shows a big reduction in tyre degradation over the course of the season: roughly half the degradation seen in winter testing. This year, we think that degradation will be higher than it was in 2012, and we estimate a degradation rate of around 0.15 to 0.18 seconds per lap in race conditions for the hard compound in Barcelona.”

Testing Facts:

  • Each car will have a maximum of 35 sets of Pirelli’s new P Zero supersoft, soft, medium and hard compounds available in Barcelona, including the Cinturato intermediate and wet tyres if needed. In total, each team is allowed 100 sets of tyres per car for testing purposes over the course of a season. Pirelli will pick 20 of the sets that will be tested per car, while the teams are free to pick 15 more that they would like to try. Any sets of tyres not used at the previous test in Barcelona may be carried forward to this test.
  • Barcelona provides plenty of opportunity to test a wide range of parameters and see how they work with the tyres. Just under 60 per cent of the lap is spent at full throttle, with the cars at top speed for around 16 seconds on the straight. The set-up calls for a medium to high level of downforce, while brake and tyre wear tends to be high: not helped by a track surface that is moderately abrasive.
  • The data from race simulations during the previous test session at the 4.655-kilometre Montmelo circuit indicates that the objective of two to three pit stops per race, requested by the teams, the governing body and the promoter, is on target. Even though the data collection process was hampered by cold weather, all the initial indications point to this conclusion.

More Testing Facts and Figures:

Compound Amount provided per car * Fastest time in 2012(per compound)
Supersoft 1 1:22.155 (Day 3)
Soft 5 1:22.030 (Day 4)
Medium 5 1:22.721 (Day 4)
Hard 6 1:22.708 (Day 4)
Intermediate 2 1:43.343 (Day 3)
Wet 1 1:48.596 (Day 3)

* Above choice made by Pirelli in agreement with the teams. Each team may choose further 15 sets for this test.

 

Ferrari F12berlinetta – Another award, this time from Gulf Connoisseur

Posted: 25.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

F12berlinetta
Dubai, 25 February 2013 – Ferrari has been honored once again, securing a prestigious award from Gulf Connoisseur, a leading luxury lifestyle bi-monthly magazine in the UAE, for the F12berlinetta, which has been crowned the best sports car, winning the coveted ‘Gulf Connoisseur Award: Best Car – Sports Segment.’Commenting on the latest addition to the Ferrari range, K.N. Ned, the Managing Director of Gulf Connoisseur, commented, “All sports car brands realize that in their business it is technological supremacy that determines performance. Not surprisingly, the F12berlinetta faced intense competition from some very exceptional cars in the fray, but our jury felt that this most beautiful and powerful Ferrari, harnessing all of 730 bhp, combines class-leading performance and technology with family-saloon levels of comfort, setting new benchmarks for grand touring coupés.”The F12berlinetta strikes a perfect balance between maximum aerodynamic efficiency and the elegant proportions typical of Ferrari’s most powerful front-engined V12 cars. Since its launch, the car has been the object of universal acclaim from the press and public alike, with the Gulf Connoisseur Magazine award, following several other recent awards from GQ Magazine, BBC Top Gear Magazine’s ‘Supercar of the Year,’ Auto Bild’s ‘Design Award,’ The Sunday Times Driving’s ‘Best Supercar and Luxury Car’ award and the Golden Steering Wheel award from Auto Bild and Bild Am Sonntag, the first time a Ferrari has ever taken this leading German industry prize. The Ferrari F12berlinetta’s 6.3-litre V12 engine was also the winner of EVO magazine’s ‘Engine of the Year’ award in November.”

 

Barcelona: the day after

Posted: 23.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Felipe Massa - Ferrari F138
The weather turned unusually cold with even some snow in Barcelona, as the second pre-season test session ended, but the heat of competition is clear within Scuderia Ferrari after the first eight days of testing on Spanish soil. The F138 has shown it has got off on the right foot and although there is clearly much work to do to fully understand its behaviour, both drivers were in a positive frame of mind after driving it over these past two weeks.Between Jerez and Barcelona, the car has racked up almost 3000 kilometres and there is still four more days of testing coming up at the Catalunya Circuit, prior to the team’s departure for Melbourne, where the 2013 championship gets underway on 17 March. Those remaining days will be used to complete the analysis of the car while also working on getting the most out of it, in its current configuration. A good team spirit is a vital part of preparation, in the weeks leading up to the Australian Grand Prix, with the drivers and team members all focussing in a cohesive manner on what lies ahead, whatever the intemperate weather might have in store for the next few days in Spain, prior to the final test session.Over the four days in Montmelo, Fernando and Felipe completed a total of 363 laps, a tiny bit more than their main competitors. After getting an initial feel for for the F138 and carrying out some aerodynamic testing over the first two days, for his final day in the car, the Spaniard was able to look at set-up work and do a tyre comparison. He ended his first on-track appearance of the year with the second fastest time of the week, set on the Soft compound. It rained for much of the Brazilian’s one day at the wheel and he completed a very useful wet weather test for the team, setting reasonable times, reporting that the car handled well in the cold and slippery conditions. However, lap times still mean nothing at this stage and again this past week, it was difficult to draw any accurate conclusions as to the pecking order down pit lane: this is down to the big differences in the programmes being run and the fuel loads carried on a track where every 10 kilos of fuel costs three tenths of a second per lap. Next week, the team will bring the first few development parts planned for the F138 to Barcelona and will spend the final days of testing, running various race weekend simulations and only then is there a slight chance that a truer picture of the performance levels of the teams will emerge.Another really unknown factor at the start of the year will be the behaviour of the new tyres. The entire Pirelli range features softer compounds than last year and that will make a difference, not just in qualifying, where we can expect to see quicker times- indeed this was already born out by the fact that this week’s test times were quicker than those on the Saturday of last year’s Spanish Grand Prix at the same track – but also in the race. Tyre wear is once again a topic for discussion and one will have to wait and see what this will really mean in terms of how many more pit stops might be necessary. The tyre factor will therefore give the drivers and team personnel something to think about, as well as injecting some unpredictability and spectacle, which is bound to go down well with the fans.

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez – 05.02. – 08.02.2013

 

Testing in Barcelona – Massa tries out the F138 in the wet

Posted: 22.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Felipe Massa - Ferrari F138
Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelo – 4.655 km
Driver: Felipe Massa
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 7/8°C, track temperature 8/9 °C. Rain in the morning, cloudy in the afternoonThis was the fourth and final day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the other ten Formula 1 teams at the Catalunya circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona. The second test session ended with bad weather, which dominated Friday from first thing in the morning to late afternoon. The team’s work programme was adapted to the track conditions to allow Felipe Massa to get a taste of the behaviour of the F138 with wet tyres. In all the Brazilian completed 80 laps with a fastest time of 1:27.553.Felipe Massa: “Today was a difficult day for everyone and it’s a pity that the weather conditions ruined the last day of testing. I would have preferred to continue the work on tyres and set-up that Fernando started yesterday but the unpredictable weather made it very difficult to make accurate judgements about the car’s behaviour. When the rain gave us a moment’s break I completed a long run on the medium tyre compound – but the track was very cold and still slippery so it was hard to warm up the tyres and make a clear comparison between performance and degradation. In the afternoon, the wet track didn’t allow us to return to slick tyres so we concentrated on some set-up tests with the intermediate tyres. I tried different aerodynamic configurations and I am satisfied with the behaviour of the car. Certainly I would have preferred to test with better conditions but it was still useful to get a reference point in the wet.”Testing in preparation for the start of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship will take place at the same circuit from February 28 to March 3.

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez – 05.02. – 08.02.2013

 

Scuderia Ferrari loses a friend – Roberto Nosetto †

Posted: 21.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Roberto Nosetto
Maranello, 21 February – While its Formula 1 team was busy testing the F138 on the third day of the second pre-season session in Barcelona, Ferrari is in mourning today for the loss of Roberto Nosetto, who was the Scuderia’s Sporting Director in the second half of the Seventies. He passed away this morning in Gallipoli, in the province of Lecce, where for the past few years, he was enjoying a well deserved retirement after a lifetime spent in the world of racing. After his time at Ferrari, Nosetto became the Director of the Imola circuit and then worked as the Race Director, first in the Motorcycle World Championship and then in World Superbikes. “The death of Roberto Nosetto has saddened me deeply,” commented Team Principal Stefano Domenicali. “Apart from his name being irrevocably linked to the history of Scuderia Ferrari, for me personally, he was a very important person, because it was under his tenure at the Imola circuit that I began my career in motor sport, when as a student, I tried to find things to do in the paddock, learning as much as possible from him, from his experience and above all, from his gentle nature.”

 

Testing in Barcelona – Alonso bows out on top

Posted: 21.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari F138
Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelo – 4.655 km
Driver: Fernando Alonso
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 8/15°C, track temperature 9/18 °C. Cloudy.Montmelo, 21 February – Third day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Catalunya circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona, and Fernando Alonso’s last day at the wheel of the F138. The Spaniard will be back on track here next week for the final pre-season test session.The team’s work programme was completed without any problems and it included set-up work aimed at adapting to the Soft tyres, which Fernando was trying for the first time this year and the Hards. Fernando covered a total of 97 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.21.875.Fernando Alonso: “Today we concentrated on a comparison of the compounds, starting with the Soft and moving on to the Hard in the afternoon. The track was colder than yesterday, especially in the morning, which made it harder to adapt the car and find the right grip level. We tried various aerodynamic configurations and for the first time, we made some set-up changes to get a good understanding of tyre behaviour and degradation. With every change we made, the car reacted as I expected and it was useful to try out the different settings, especially to understand which direction we need to go in next week, when there will be a greater emphasis on performance. Once again this year, the tyres will be one of the crucial aspects to manage: they are softer and quicker, but also less consistent and they degrade rapidly with every lap. We will have a lot of work to do to understand how best to balance the car, but that applies to all the teams.”Testing continues tomorrow at this circuit, when Felipe Massa will be on track.

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez – 05.02. – 08.02.2013

 

 

Exhaustive testing in Barcelona

Posted: 21.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari F138
For race fans, the main interest of winter testing tends to be how the cars are performing, but inside the paddock, the first concern is to ensure your new car runs reliably, before chasing fractions of a second. Therefore, taking a keen interest in proceedings here in Barcelona for the second test session of the year, is Scuderia Ferrari’s Head of Engines and Electronics, Luca Marmorini. The engine regulations may well have been frozen for several years now, effectively capping performance, but there are always new parameters that can affect the reliability of the V8s, even in their last year as Formula 1’s power provider. Scuderia Ferrari’s engine reliability has been second to none and Marmorini and his crew are keen to maintain that enviable record.At the moment, the main talking point concerns an extreme solution to the exhaust system, designed to point the exhaust gases at those parts of the car where they will create the most downforce to boost the overall aerodynamic performance of the car. It was an evaluation of this system that led to the F138 suffering an exhaust problem which interrupted Fernando Alonso’s time on track at the Catalunya circuit on Wednesday. “We tested the exhaust right to the very end of its life, as we need to know where are the limits and this failure can therefore be seen as part of our routine work at the track,” Maramorini told journalists at the end of the day’s work. “The rules governing the exhausts are exactly the same as last year, therefore we expect similar performance gains to come from the exhausts, but nothing more. While the rules are very strict regarding the configuration of the exhausts and the engine mapping, the emission of exhaust gases still has an effect on the aerodynamics of the car. At the moment, all engine engineers are a little bit unhappy that we have to compromise engine performance, but we can afford to lose some engine power if the car is quicker.” With this in mind, Marmorini confirmed that the Scuderia will continue to work on finding the best possible exhaust configuration for the F138 throughout the year.Marmorini was then asked to explain the importance of running engines for customer teams. “They provide a very important opportunity for us,” he said. “It gives us more engines from which to get information and, with testing banned during the season, it provides us with a much wider data base.”Next year’s engines are of course a big talking point with a major change in the rules and a return to turbocharging. It’s a huge task, as Marmorini explained. “We have a team working on 2014 engines and while we cannot say everything is already set in stone, it’s true to say that the development phase is already quite advanced. It’s just over a year that we’ve had an engine on the dyno. It’s definitely interesting from a technical point of view but there is still a lot of development work to be carried out, not just at Ferrari but for all the teams, who will have to use the same turbo, which is of a completely different type to the one we saw back in the Eighties. It’s a very tight deadline, but we have got an intensive development programme in place and we hope to have a power train that delivers good performance with reliability right from the start of the 2014 season. At the moment, no ruling has been put in place which would allow us to test the new type of engines outside the usual testing limitations. However, I would estimate that, by the second half of this season, every team will have an engine that, while not being the finished article will be the engine that will be used in 2014 and the top teams will have an engine that is 90% the same as the one that will be raced next year. And of course, with the rule change, this new engine will be expected to complete almost double the mileage of the current ones and getting it to run reliably will be a very big task.”

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez – 05.02. – 08.02.2013

 

Testing at the Catalunya circuit

Posted: 20.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari F138
Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelo -4.655 km
Driver: Fernando Alonso
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 7/20°C, track temperature 8/26 °C. Sunny.Montmelo 20 February – Second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams, running at the Catalunya circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona.Fernando Alonso was again at the wheel of the F138: the Spaniard did fewer kilometres than on the first day, because of a problem with an exhaust pipe, that prevented him from getting through all the day’s planned programme. Nevertheless, he did 76 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.23.247, acquiring useful data relating to car development and a comparison of the Pirelli tyres.Testing continues tomorrow at this circuit, again with the Spaniard on track.

 

‘Ferrari Racing Days’ Makes Middle East Debut – 07. – 09. March 2013

Posted: 19.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Giulio Zauner, General Manager, Ferrari Middle East and Africa

Yas Marina Circuit Abu Dhabi to Host Three-day Event

Saturday Open For Public
Abu Dhabi-UAE: February 19, 2013 – Ferrari today announced the Middle East debut of ‘Ferrari Racing Days’, promising thrilling track action for owners of the non-competitive Formula one single seater and XX cars, and a F1 Exhibition open on Saturday for the public.

To be held from March 7-9 2013, the wheel-to-wheel extravaganza that will witness a total of 17 cars navigating the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi is organised by the Ferrari Corse Clienti (Customer Racing) department.

Exclusively designed for F1 Clienti, the event will provide enthusiasts from the region with the first-ever chance to view in action the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Asia Pacific series.

Featuring the 458 – the mid-rear V8 Berlinetta derived from the 458 Italia and the fifth model used by Ferrari in its one-make racing series, the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, now in its 20th year, is highly popular as it brings to the race track novices as well as experienced competitive drivers.

The amateurs have Coppa Shell with a separate classification and final title, while the experts race in the Trofeo Pirelli for the coveted trophy. This balance in the races avoids a one-sided contest and allows expert competitors as well as gentleman drivers to participate on equal terms.

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Testing in Barcelona – Over 500 kilometres for Alonso on his debut

Posted: 19.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Barcelona 19.-22.02.2013 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari F138

Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelo – 4.655 km
Driver: Fernando Alonso
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 13/17°C, track temperature 13/28 °C. Cloudy in the morning, then sunny in the afternoon.

First day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams, running at the Catalunya circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona, from now until Friday. Fernando Alonso made his seasonal track debut, driving the F138 for the first time.

The entire day was dedicated almost entirely to acquiring data for use in the development of the car and on gaining a greater understanding of the Pirelli tyres. Fernando completed a total of 110 laps, with a best time of 1.19.952.

Fernando Alonso: “I feel reasonably pleased with this first day and I can say I share Felipe’s opinion that the car is on another planet compared to the one we began with on the first day of testing last year. The programme for this first session in Barcelona is aimed mainly at improving reliability, with the target of completing more than a hundred laps every day. Then, at next week’s test we can concentrate on performance. Tomorrow, we will complete what we were unable to do today and we will focus on car set-up, to adapt it as well as possible to the tyres. I knew from looking at the Jerez data what sort of car I would find here today, as in fact we know more or less what we will see at the first race in Australia, in terms of what new parts we will have and how many tenths they will produce. This is down to all the work done over the winter in the wind tunnel and the numerous tests which confirm that the parts that are on their way will give the expected results.”

Testing continues tomorrow at this track, again with the Spaniard at the wheel.

 

UPS new Sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari

Posted: 19.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

UPS new Sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari announces that it has reached a sponsorship agreement with UPS, a leading company in the field of logistics, with a presence in over 220 countries and territories around the world.The multi-year agreement will not simply be limited to the role of Sponsor to the Scuderia, but will also extend to the racing activities run by Corse Clienti, including participation in the World Endurance Championship and an involvement in the European series of the Ferrari Challenge Championship.Furthermore, UPS becomes Ferrari’s Official Logistics Partner through the gradual integration of its own transport services providing freight movement on a global level.
 

Scuderia Ferrari strengthens its position with UPS

Posted: 19.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

UPS new Sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari
Domenicali: “One of the best known brands in the world”Montmelo, 19 February – As from today, the Catalunya circuit is hosting the second pre-season test session on the Formula 1 calendar. Getting proceedings underway for Scuderia Ferrari was a pit lane photocall to launch a new sponsorship agreement, which begins today, with UPS, a leading company in the field of logistics. It’s a multi-year agreement and it covers more than a simple sponsorship of the Scuderia, as it also includes the gradual integration of its transport services, not just for the F1 team, but also for activities run by the Corse Clienti Department, such as its involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. Helping with the unveiling of the new logo on the sides of the F138, along with the top management of UPS, was Fernando Alonso, who is driving the car for the first time this week. The arrival of several prestigious marques and the renewal of agreements with long term partners buck the present sponsorship trend in the current economic climate.“We are very pleased to have UPS on board as a new partner, one of the best known and most successful brands in the world,” said Scuderia Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali. “Excellence, innovation and precision are a fundamental part of our job and I’m sure that working with UPS, who share these values, will allow us to experiment with new ways of working and increase all aspects of our team’s efficiency.”

 

Enzo Ferrari – an example for the future

Posted: 18.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari / Image: Copyright Ferrari
Maranello, 18 February – Today is a special date. On 18 February 115 years ago a man was born in Modena, who, thanks to his passion, his determination and his ability to look ahead created a legend which continues to grow day after day: Enzo Ferrari. After his career as a racing driver, the still young Enzo founded the Scuderia in 1929, the team, still carrying his name today. In 1947 the first car with the name Ferrari was born – thus creating a symbol of Italian excellence in the world – the start of our Company.“My father always had one objective in mind: always improve,” Piero Ferrari, the founder’s son, told Ferrari.com. “It was part if his motorsport and racing driver DNA to look for something more than the others. He transferred it into a way of life. He was never satisfied and he expected that from everybody else: he was curious and he wanted to find original solutions. I admired his courage and his vision for the future: just imagine that in 1929, the start of the Great Depression, he founded the Scuderia, a club to let the gentlemen of the times participate in races. In a moment when everybody else stopped investing he did exactly the opposite, betting on the future.”The life of Enzo Ferrari represents numerous elements, which don’t just turn him up-to-date, but make him even more modern than many of our contemporaries: his values are part of our genetic patrimony and are implemented every day in the work of the men and women in our Company.

 

2012 financial results reveal best year in Ferrari history

Posted: 18.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Ferrari Factory - Via Abetone

Revenues: 2.433 billion euro (+ 8%)

Cars delivered: 7,318 (+ 4.5%)

Trading profit: 350 million euro (+ 12.1%)

Net profit: 244 million euro (+17.8%)

Industrial net cash position: over one billion euro

Record sales in USA, China, Germany and Great Britain

Operating margin on Brand-related activities up by 40%

Maranello, February 18th 2013 – In 2012 Ferrari posted records results in its best ever trading period in the company’s 66-year history. This fact was confirmed when the Ferrari Board of Directors met today under the chairmanship of Luca di Montezemolo to examine the company’s end-of-year results.

All the main economic indicators exceeded the previous records set in 2008 despite a much poorer world economic backdrop.

A total of 7,318 road cars were delivered to the dealership network in 2012 (+4.5 per cent on 2011), while revenues of 2.433 billion euro (up 8 per cent) were recorded.

Trading profit jumped by 12.1 per cent to 350 million euro, with net profits coming in at just under 244 million euro (+17.8 per cent) and ROS (Return on Sales) of 14.4 per cent which is very much on a par with the top companies in the luxury sector.

The company made significant investments over the last 12 months which, including Research and Development, amounted to 324.3 million euro (up from 280 million euro in 2011). This investment was completely self-financed thanks to the company’s consistent cash flow generation, a fact confirmed by its industrial net cash position for 2012 of over one billion euro.

“We are all enormously proud of ending the year with these kinds of results despite the unfavourable economic backdrop in many European nations, and the distinctly hostile one in Italy,” declared Chairman Luca di Montezemolo. “The credit for this goes to the men and women in Ferrari, the strength of the brand, a very complete and highly innovative range, and our gradual expansion into automotive markets worldwide.”

The 2012 results are in line with the company’s geographical sales distribution plan which is divided into equal parts between America, Asia and Europe, including the Middle East. To further boost its presence on the various markets, Ferrari has reorganised its commercial network so that it now has four coordination centres: America, Europe and the Middle East, Greater China, Far East.

Ferrari enjoyed record sales in the USA in 2012 with deliveries there exceeding the 2,000-car mark for the first time (2,058), an increase of 14.6 per cent (Canada included).

Europe performed very impressively with deliveries in Great Britain up by 20.4 per cent (673 cars), and by 17.4 per cent in Switzerland (357). Germany (750 cars, +8.2 per cent) confirmed its position as Ferrari’s most important market in Europe, while other main Countries in the area ended the year in line with 2011.

Results from Italy couldn’t have been more different: despite performing better than the average in a sector that registered a 60 per cent drop in sales in 2012, Ferrari ended the year with 318 cars delivered to dealerships, a 46 per cent decrease on the 2011 figure.

The positive trend in the Middle East and Africa continued with an increase of 4.5 per cent with deliveries of cars rising to 556.

Greater China (People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) retained its position as the second largest market with a record 784 cars delivered (+4 per cent), just under 500 of which went to China. Japan, a long-established Ferrari market, made a significant return to double-figure growth (+ 14.4 per cent), with 302 cars delivered.

The results delivered by brand-related activities (Retail, Licensing and e-commerce), which underwent reorganisation in 2012, were excellent too, showing a 40 per cent increase in operating margin to over 50 million euro.

Retail results were up 5 per cent, thanks also to a new interior design concept which will be extended to the 50 Ferrari Stores around the world.

Growth was impressive too in licensing (+22 per cent), while e-commerce revenues were in excess of seven million euro (+31 per cent). Ferrari enjoys a particularly extensive presence on the various web channels and social networking sites, having recently passed the 10 million fan mark on Facebook.

On the sponsorship front, the Scuderia welcomed its first Chinese partner, Weichai Power, whose parent company, the Weichai Group, is one of China’s largest conglomerates. Ferrari also strengthened its links with other companies that lead the world in their respective sectors, including Hublot, Kaspersky Lab and TNT..

 

Ferrari: the world’s most powerful brand

Posted: 18.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Ferrari - Best brand / Image: Copyright Ferrari
Maranello, February 18th – Ferrari is the world’s most powerful brand. And not simply in the opinion of millions of Prancing Horse enthusiasts the world over, indeed, the clients that continue to buy the cars built at Maranello year after year, but according to the annual list compiled by leading brand valuation experts, Brand Finance.Ferrari took the number one spot of the top five most powerful brands in 2013 ahead of the likes of Google, Coca-Cola, PwC and Hermes on a list that includes the 500 most famous companies in the world. Because of its size – explains Brand Finance -, the Maranello company cannot compete with the large multinational brands in terms of overall revenues. However, its brand rating takes into account other financial metrics, such as net margins, average revenue per customer, and advertising and marketing spend, as well as qualitative parameters, such as brand affection and loyalty.“It is always a pleasure to top any list and still more so when the competition includes some of the world’s most famous companies. This achievement proves that even in very tough economic times, Italy can still offer the world businesses of excellence,” commented Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo. “Behind this acknowledgement are exceptional products made by equally exceptional men and women. They made it possible and for that I thank them.”

 

Second test for Ferrari, first test for Alonso

Posted: 17.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

WROOOM 2013

Maranello, 17 February – Formula 1 continues its winter residency in Spain, when the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, hosts the second pre-season test session starting on Tuesday. The four day test, from 19th to 22nd February, will give Scuderia Ferrari the opportunity to confirm its findings from the week spent in Jerez and hopefully, move forward in terms of understanding and performance: pretty much the same goals as the ten other teams, albeit with one added element, the first on-track appearance of 2013 for Fernando Alonso. The Spanish double world champion will have a direct effect on the week’s events, as the crowds will flock to the circuit to see their hero in action, creating a noisy buzz that’s unusual for testing.

In light of the total twelve days of testing, to allow the Spanish to complete his training programme, two weeks ago the team had decided to opt for Felipe Massa and Pedro de la Rosa for the first session in Jerez. Fernando has therefore maximized the time available and tackled the task with great dedication, performing a focused physical preparation worthy of the best Olympic athlete by alternating between gym sessions, running and biking. Now Fernando is ready to slip into the cockpit of the F138 and benefit from all the work of Felipe and Pedro in Andalusia. This week it will be the Brazilian to sit out for the first three days, with the handover from his team-mate scheduled on Friday.

After driving in Jerez, Massa declared to be optimistic but cautious: the F138 is a much better starting base than the F2012 and only a constant development work will say if it will be better than the competitors’ cars as well. The Brazilian even stated he was more impressed with Jenson Button’s lap times but the fact that Felipe set the quickest time of the four days had already been seized on by observers as a sign that the Prancing Horse will gallop away with the title. However, in Maranello, the culture of not paying attention to speculation, focussing on one’s own tasks and working hard means that preparing for another week of testing has been occupying everyone’s time to the full, without any distractions. 2013 is the last season run to the current rules and after a long period of stability in the regulations, the performance levels between the teams inevitably closes up, so a positive start in Jerez is just that, a positive start and nothing more.

While time spent in Jerez was useful, the Circuit de Catalunya is reckoned to be a more realistic test of how a car really performs, with aerodynamics, the key to modern F1 performance, playing a more important role here. Therefore, the Scuderia Ferrari job sheet for the four days includes more tyre testing, on a track surface that is more representative of what lies ahead in terms of degradation and pace, while aerodynamically, the engineers will continue gathering data, as well as already introducing some new elements and updates, as part of a relentless development programme that began even before the F138 turned a wheel.

 

Ferrari 458 Spider and F12berlinetta takes two honours in L’Automobile Magazine’s Best Cars 2013 awards

Posted: 15.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

458 Spider

Maranello, 15 February 2013 – Ferrari has taken not one, but two titles in the Best Cars 2013 awards held by the prestigious French motoring magazine, L’Automobile Magazine. The 458 Spider was elected Best Cabriolet and the F12berlinetta was voted Best Coupé.

This takes the number of leading international awards won by these models to over 25, in addition to which both cars’ engines have also been the object of critical acclaim – the 570 HP, 4.5-litre V8 powering the 458 Spider has won the International Engine of the Year ‘Best Performance Engine’ award for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012, and the F12berlinetta’s 740 HP, 6.3-litre V12 was voted EVO’s 2012 Engine of the Year.

The 458 Spider and the F12berlinetta are part of Ferrari’s strongest ever line-up of models, following the company’s policy of engineering different Ferraris to suit different types of Ferrarista. The 458 Spider continues Ferrari’s lengthy tradition for building exciting, high-performance, mid-engined convertibles and is the first of its kind to feature a folding hard-top, while the F12berlinetta delivers unprecedented power, speed and aerodynamic efficiency with an innovative design that redefines the elegant proportions typical of Ferrari’s front-engined V12 cars.

 

Ferrari Museum in Maranello: visitors’ record, extensions and as of March:
The Supercars

Posted: 14.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

130002_Ferrari Museum in Maranello: visitors’ record, extensions and as of March: the Supercarscor
 For the last weeks of the exhibition’s opening: free official catalogue with Pininfarina’s Ferraris

Maranello, 14 February 2013 – After having set a new record in 2012 with 250,414 visitors, now the Ferrari Museum in Maranello presents itself with a special year ahead: this spring a new wing with 1,000 sqm will be inaugurated to offer more exhibition space, while in early March an exhibition of immense significance will start: the upcoming exposition will be dedicated to the so called Ferrari Supercars, but will talk to the visitors in a contemporary way, because it will be centred around the presentation of the new model, which will take the place of the Enzo and present all the special Ferraris created before those two limited-series’ models to the Museum’s visitors.

Especially the technological content of this first Ferrari hybrid, directly inspired by the experience made with KERS in Formula One, will be of peculiar interest. Furthermore visitors will be able to discover the creative course behind the new model, entirely planned and built in Maranello, with the complex integration of design and aerodynamic solutions.

While waiting for the new exhibition to be opened, in February the Museum offers the possibility to visit the “Great Ferraris from Sergio Pininfarina” exhibition, which exceeded all expectations with its enormous success. Visitors, buying a ticket for the exhibition this month, will be presented with a free copy of the exhibition catalogue, which also contains a poster of the 100 Ferraris created by the great coachbuilder from Turin.

 

Alonso an ambassador for “Marca España”

Posted: 12.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Alonso an ambassador for “Marca España”
 Madrid, 12 February – Fernando Alonso is a symbol of Spain all over the world and today there was tangible proof of that, when he was nominated as an Honorary Ambassador for “Marca España,” by the association of famous Spanish brands (FMRE, Foro de Marcas Renombradas Espanolas.) The association is made up of around a hundred companies and various Public Administration bodies. The induction ceremony was carried out by the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Felipe and Letizia of Spain, this morning at the headquarters of Santander Bank in Madrid, in the presence of its President, Emilio Botin and various Spanish authorities. Alonso, who has just returned from an intensive training camp in the heat of Dubai, is now ready to return to the race track. The Ferrari man will make his debut at the wheel of the new F138 at the next test session, which gets underway on 19 February at the Catalunya Circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona.

 

A lot of precious data from Jerez

Posted: 08.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez 5.-8.02.2013
 Jerez de la Frontera, 8 February – The first test of the season for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams came to a close today in Andalusia. Therefore one third of the 2013 testing programme is now completed: with Felipe Massa on the first three days and then Pedro De La Rosa on the final one the team completed an intense programme which will continue on track in two weeks’ time in Barcelona.
 
Today, Pedro’s gearbox issue resulted in fewer kilometres but luckily in the afternoon the Spaniard was able to complete his workload. Tomorrow, there will be the usual debriefing with the engineers who followed the sessions from home and they will be joined by Team Principal Stefano Domenicali to go over the past four days of testing. At first glance, the data obtained confirms Massa’s first impressions who rated the F138 as an easier car to drive, more stable and better balanced compared to the F2012. Having said so, the solutions the team tested will require in-depth research, a task that went on for much of the test session and which will continue in Maranello and in the next test at the Catalunya circuit. For the time being, the direction in which to move forward seems very clear.

In Jerez the car racked up a decent number of kilometres although they are never enough for the engineers and the work in the garage was never ending in the attempt to test the different technical solutions planned ahead of the test. There are areas that definitely need improving, but the first set-up changes made between Tuesday and Friday delivered positive results so the team can be optimistic. Nevertheless, it is paramount to keep the feet on the ground as every year the same rule applies: Felipe’s fastest lap of the week counts for little and one must be cautious as there are never accurate benchmark levels. Now the work must proceed quickly and calmly to improve the car and to ensure that reliability can also be counted on as a given, just as it was in 2012. Between now and Melbourne there is just over a month and before then come two sessions at Montmelò to prepare for the opening round as well as possible.

Time sheet:
Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1 Raikkonen Lotus 1m18.148s 83
2 Bianchi Force India 1m18.175s +0.027 56
3 Vettel Red Bull 1m18.565s +0.417 96
4 Gutierrez Sauber 1m18.669s +0.521 142
5 Vergne Toro Rosso 1m18.760s +0.612 92
6 Hamilton Mercedes 1m18.905s +0.757 145
7 Perez McLaren 1m18.944s +0.796 98
8 Bottas Williams 1m19.851s +1.703 92
9 de la Rosa Ferrari 1m20.316s +2.168 51
10 Pic Caterham 1m21.105s +2.957 109
11 Razia Marussia 1m21.226s +3.078 82
12 Di Resta Force India 1m23.435s +5.287 49

 

Massa: “Three very important days”

Posted: 07.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

TEST F1/2013
Jerez de la Frontera, 7 February – Felipe Massa’s first encounter with the new F138 ended today at the Jerez circuit. At the first of three winter test sessions taking place on Spanish soil, Felipe got through a packed programme centred mainly on aerodynamic testing, analysing exhaust configurations and on a comparison of the various tyre types brought here by Pirelli.
 
“These were three very important days,” said the Ferrari man. “They were especially useful in the sense of finding the right direction for the team to focus on when it come to the development work between now and the opening round in Australia. We had a lot of items to test and the car went well, it was not difficult to drive and it seemed to me to be quite stable and balanced. Today, we fitted the soft compound tyres for the first time and I went faster than I had expected. The quick lap? It means nothing and while I’m pleased to have done a good time, that was not the priority: we must still concentrate on the car set-up and we will definitely be doing this during the next test in Barcelona. Several teams have very quick and well balanced cars and so I am one hundred percent keeping my feet on the ground.
 
”For tomorrow’s final day of testing, the F138 will be entrusted to Pedro de la Rosa, who, as from this year, is a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari. Given his role of development work in the simulator at Maranello, tomorrow’s session will be very important for the Catalan driver and for the whole team, giving both parties the chance to work on the correlation between the virtual and the real world.
 
Time sheet:
P Driver Team Time Laps
1 Massa Ferrari 1m17.879s 85
2 Rosberg Mercedes 1m18.766s +0.887 148
3 Vettel Red Bull 1m19.052s +1.173 102
4 Raikkonen Lotus 1m19.200s +1.321 40
5 Vergne Toro Rosso 1m19.247s +1.368 85
6 Rossiter Force India 1m19.303s +1.424 42
7 Button McLaren 1m19.603s +1.724 83
8 Gutierrez Sauber 1m19.934s +2.055 110
9 Chilton Marussia 1m21.269s +3.390 78
10 Bottas Williams 1m21.575s +3.696 86
11 Pic Caterham 1m22.352s +4.473 57
12 di Resta Force India 1m23.729s +5.850 7

 

Relentless work in Jerez

Posted: 06.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez 5.-8.02.2013
Jerez de la Frontera, 6 February – Work goes on relentlessly in the Scuderia Ferrari garage, with the F138 back in action for the second day of testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, as all the teams entered in this year’s Formula 1 World Championship tackle their first four day test session. The afternoon was given over to aerodynamic testing and long runs, with Felipe Massa completing a total of 78 laps. A large amount of data has been acquired relating to the various exhaust configurations tried during the morning and this will now be analysed by the engineers, to add to what they learned yesterday relating to the car’s behaviour. Quickest today was Romain Grosjean in the Lotus with a time of 1:18.218, ahead of the Force India of Paul di Resta (1:19.003) and Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso (1:19.134) Felipe Massa was eighth quickest in the F138 with a time of 1:19.914, on a short time sheet that featured eleven other drivers. The Scuderia engineers are not bothered about lap times, preferring to concentrate on getting on with items on the job sheet, so as to plan the work for the remaining two days, with the Brazilian again at the wheel tomorrow.
 

Time sheet:

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1 Grosjean Lotus 1m18.218s 95
2 di Resta Force India 1m19.003s +0.785 95
3 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m19.134s +0.916 83
4 Webber Red Bull 1m19.338s +1.120 101
5 Hulkenberg Sauber 1m19.502s +1.284 99
6 Hamilton Mercedes 1m19.519s +1.301 15
7 Perez McLaren 1m19.572s +1.354 81
8 Massa Ferrari 1m19.914s +1.696 78
9 Maldonado Williams 1m20.693s +2.475 71
10 Rossiter Force India 1m21.273s +3.055 19
11 vd Garde Caterham 1m21.311s +3.093 88
12 Razia Marussia 1m23.537s +5.319 31

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez – 05.02. – 08.02.2013

 

RM AUCTIONS – CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA VILLA D’ESTE
CONSIGNMENT OF EX-WORKS 1953 FERRARI 340/375 MM BERLINETTA ‘COMPETIZIONE’ #0320AM

Posted: 06.02.2013
Source: RM Auctions

1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta 'Competizione' by Pinin Farina - S/N 0320 AM
  •  Wonderful and historically significant Ferrari 340/375 MM to be offered at RM’s exclusive evening sale on the banks of Lake Como, Italy, 25th May
  • Chassis 0320AM boasts unsurpassed provenance with Le Mans history and drivers, including world champions Hawthorn, Farina, and Ascari 
  • Winner of the Pescara 12 Hours, piloted by Hawthorn and Maglioli
  • The car established a never broken, record setting pace in the Carrera Panamericana in the hands of Maglioli
  • Chassis 0320AM on preview at RM Auctions’ stand during Retromobile, 6 – 10 February in Paris, France

 London (6 February 2013) – RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, has chosen the world-famous Retromobile exhibition in Paris to announce the consignment of one of the most important racing Ferraris of all time. The 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta ‘Competizione’,chassis 0320AM, will be offered for sale at RM’s exclusive auction during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend in Cernobbio, Italy, on the 25th May, and it is available for enthusiasts to preview at this week’s Retromobile show, kicking off today and continuing through until 10th February.

Read more…

 

Massa: “First impressions are positive”

Posted: 05.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez 5.-8.02.2013
Experience counts and Felipe Massa is well aware of that, especially when it comes to the debut of a new Formula 1 car, when it’s that initial feeling that matters. Today, in the hands of the Brazilian, the Ferrari F138 got its first kilometres under its belt – 284 to be precise – during the opening day of a month of testing spent on Spanish soil. Felipe seemed calm and relaxed at the end of the day and that’s the impression he gave the journalists here in Jerez, as he told them he was pleased with the work the team had done. “The first impression is definitely a positive one,” maintained the Ferrari man. “We did not run as much as I had expected, but that’s normal when you are testing a new car. On a track like this where traction counts for a lot and the tyres feel it, I got a positive feeling as far as the balance of the car is concerned and I think that, especially at the rear, we are going in the right direction and it feels more solid. It’s definitely a different situation to last year, because the basis for this year is in much better shape. There is still a way to go before we understand the true behaviour of the car, but we are on the right road. There is still a great deal to do, as far as testing and development are concerned, but I am confident that this year, we will not lose time in understanding, as happened in 2012, what was the problem and how to solve it. Now we have a little more than a month to concentrate on the job, to be as well prepared as possible for the first race.”Scuderia Ferrari was sixth on the time sheet, but it’s always difficult to evaluate what that means during testing, because of the usual unknowns linked to fuel load and in this case, the fact it’s the very first day, when the work schedule can vary a lot from team to team. Tomorrow, Felipe will be back at the wheel for another busy session.

 

Green lights at Jerez

Posted: 05.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez 5.-8.02.2013
Jerez de la Frontera, 5 February – And we’re off again. This morning saw the start of the first day of testing with Felipe Massa at the wheel of the Ferrari F138, as it made its official track debut. Running at the Andalusian circuit began shortly after 9, when the light went green at the end of pit lane and the engine was fired up in the Ferrari garage prior to Felipe completing the usual installation laps. After a brief pause caused by a couple of red flags – the first courtesy of Button in the McLaren and the second down to Rosberg’s Mercedes – the team got on with its work, centred mainly on data acquisition relating to the handling of the car. By the time of the lunch break, the Brazilian had completed 47 laps, his fastest set in 1:21.024. At this point, Romain Grosjean gets the prize for the fastest lap, in 1:19.796.

Time sheet:

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1 Button McLaren 1m18.861s 37
2 Webber Red Bull 1m19.709s +0.848 73
3 Grosjean Lotus 1m19.796s +0.935 54
4 di Resta Force India 1m20.343s +1.482 89
5 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m20.401s +1.540 70
6 Massa Ferrari 1m20.536s +1.675 64
7 Hulkenberg Sauber 1m20.699s +1.838 79
8 Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.846s +1.985 11
9 Maldonado Williams 1m20.864s +2.003 84
10 Van de Garde Caterham 1m21.915s +3.054 64
11 Chilton Marussia 1m24.176s +5.315 29
 

 

Ferrari F12berlinetta is GQ Magazine’s “Supercar of the Year”

Posted: 05.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

F12berlinetta
Maranello, 04 February 2013. Ferrari has been honoured once again to receive a coveted award from GQ Magazine, one of the world’s most influential men’s lifestyle magazines, this time for the F12berlinetta which has been crowned “Supercar of the Year”. This is the second time that Ferrari has won this prestigious award, with the 458 Italia taking the same title in 2010.Commenting on the latest addition to the Ferrari range, GQ Magazine said: “The F12 is a classic Ferrari GT, but it’s also the fastest, most powerful Ferrari production car ever. If its body looks too complex to be straightforwardly sinfully sexy, then bear in mind that all those scoops and ducts hustle air and bully physics more effectively than anything this side of an F1 car. And it’s a V12.”The F12berlinetta strikes a perfect balance between maximum aerodynamic efficiency and the elegant proportions typical of Ferrari’s most powerful front-engined V12 cars. Since its launch, the car has been the object of universal acclaim from the press and public alike, with the GQ Magazine award following several other recent awards from BBC Top Gear Magazine’s “Supercar of the Year”, Auto Bild’s “Design Award”, The Sunday Times Driving’s “Best Supercar and Luxury Car” award and the Golden Steering Wheel award from Auto Bild and Bild Am Sonntag, the first time a Ferrari has ever taken this leading German industry prize. The Ferrari F12berlinetta’s 6.3-litre V12 engine was also the winner of EVO magazine’s “Engine of the Year” award in November.

 

F138, Chapter 1: Let the adventure begin

Posted: 02.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Ferrari F138 Presentation

Maranello, 2 February – “The Hopeful one,” the Red one, the F138 that was inaugurated yesterday on a foggy and emotional Maranello morning, in front of the Ferrari top brass, the media, partners and millions of Prancing Horse fans, has now begun its adventure. The first car to be built left Maranello this afternoon, setting off on the long trip to Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, scene of the first of just three test sessions this season. Some members of the team are already on site to await its arrival, before it tackles four days of testing from 5 to 8 February, when every element of it will be analysed under the Andalusian sun. Late tomorrow morning, the final members of the team will fly out of Bologna airport with motivation and just one aim packed away in their luggage: to work in the minutest detail to acquire valuable data relating to the car’s behaviour.

FIA Formula 1 Tests Jerez – 05.02. – 08.02.2013

Ferrari F138 Presentation

 

RM AUCTIONS ANNOUNCES STUNNING EARLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR BIENNIAL SALE DURING THE CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA VILLA D’ESTE WEEKEND

Posted: 02.02.2013
Source: RM Auctions

1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe by Pininfarina - S/N 3559 SA
  • RM Auctions returns to Cernobbio on Lake Como, Italy, on the 25th of May, for its biennial sale during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
  • Exclusive evening sale to a featured, elite, handpicked selection of approximately 40 blue-chip automobiles
  • Early attractions include a superb 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe, a historically significant 1947 Cisitalia 202 MM ‘Nuvolari’ Spider, a delectable 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofile Coupe, and a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Open Tourer with royal connections

LONDON (1 February, 2013) – RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, is delighted to announce a stunning series of early highlights for its eagerly awaited sale during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend in Cernobbio, Italy, on the 25th of May.

Returning to the spectacular Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como, the highly anticipated sale follows RM’s magnificent debut during the Concorso weekend in 2011, which saw the auction generate more than €23 million in sales during two hours of furious bidding. As many as six lots garnered million-euro-plus results during the 2011 event, with two lots surpassing the €3 million mark. This year’s auction is set to continue the momentum, lifting the gavel on an elite, handpicked selection of 40 of the world’s finest automobiles. As established at the inaugural sale, and in keeping with the theme of the esteemed Concorso, entries will represent the ultimate in elegance, sophistication, rarity, and provenance.

Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Europe, says, “It will be wonderful to be back at Lake Como and supporting the Concorso d’Eleganza with what promises to be a truly spectacular selection of cars. The Concorso prides itself on being the pinnacle of taste and exclusivity and that is obviously the same ethos underpinning how RM conducts this auction and the cars offered within it.”

RM has placed a strong emphasis on the world’s most admired marques for its second Lake Como sale, with examples from Ferrari, Cisitalia, Bugatti, and Rolls-Royce leading early consignments.

Read more…

 

The new Ferrari F138

Posted: 01.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Ferrari F138 Presentation

Maranello, 1 February – The F138 is the fifty ninth car built by Ferrari specifically to take part in the Formula 1 World Championship. The name comes from a combination of the current year and the number of cylinders, to mark the fact that this is the eighth and final year of competition for the V8 engine configuration.

The project, which goes by the internal code name 664, is the first design to come from the reorganisation concerning working methods that has been in operation for several months, with the creation of two distinct groups of designers: one working on this car and the other on the completely different car which will race next season. This car constitutes the Scuderia’s interpretation of this year’s Technical and Sporting Regulations, which in fact are substantially the same as those from last season. Therefore the F138 can be seen as an evolution of the F2012, in terms of its basic design principals, although every single part has been revised in order to maximise performance, while maintaining all the characteristics which were the basis of last season’s extraordinary reliability.

The design philosophy of the suspension layout has not changed and it continues to use pull-rods both front and rear, but it has been refined to the limit, in order to gain as much aerodynamic advantage as possible, especially at the rear. The bodywork elements have been redesigned to allow for changes to the positioning and layout of the exhausts. The dynamic air intake, mounted above the cockpit has been redesigned, as have been the intakes to the side pods, which in turn have also been optimised in aerodynamic terms, while maintaining unchanged the overall cooling system.

The rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered on the lower part. The configuration of the front and rear wings derives directly from the last versions used on the F2012, partly because development of that car ran all the way to the final race of last season. However, the aerodynamic elements shown on the car are only those from the initial phase of development: significant modifications will be introduced in the weeks leading up to the first race and a busy development programme is already planned. The drag reduction system on the rear wing has been revised and optimised to make the most of the modifications to the Sporting Regulations that come into play this year. There are detailed changes to the design of the brake ducts, both front and rear and work has been carried out with Brembo on optimising the braking system overall. During both the design and production stages, great attention has been paid to weight reduction and on increasing rigidity. This theme was carried out through all departments working together – Chassis, Engine and Electronics and Production – which bears witness to the importance of being able to design and build a car with everyone working side by side in the same place, which has always been the case at Ferrari.

The engine on the F138 is an evolution of the one fitted to the car last year, inevitably given that the technical regulations forbid modifications to internal components aimed at improving performance. Given the consequent difficulty of finding performance increases through internal modifications, work was intensified on ensuring that the engine’s performance level remained as high as possible throughout the lifecycle of each power unit, which has now reached an average life of three races.

The kinetic energy recovery system retains its location in the lower-central part of the car, a strategic choice which has always been adopted by the team, partly with the aim of ensuring maximum safety. Once again this year, a great deal of effort has gone into reducing its weight and size, at the same time improving the efficiency of some of its components and, as in the case of the engine, maintaining the highest performance level throughout the KERS usage cycle. The technical collaboration with Shell, which has run for several decades now, has led to further progress on the fuel and lubricants front, aimed at increasing performance in overall terms and also on maintaining it throughout the engine’s life, as well as reducing consumption.

As for the electronics, it is worth noting the introduction, ahead of schedule, of the single control unit that will be used in 2014. This has involved a lot of work to integrate and control all its features in terms of both software and hardware. In keeping with a Ferrari tradition, much time has been dedicated to the performance and improvement of the materials used, at the design stage of each of the six thousand or so components which make up the car, in order to make all the on-track work more effective and efficient. Obviously, quality control remains a vital aspect, with the aim of achieving the highest levels of performance and reliability, at the same time as maintaining the highest safety standards possible.

With only twelve days of testing available before the start of the Championship, the preparatory work on the test benches prior to the car’s track debut, has taken on even more importance. The three test sessions – at Jerez de la Frontera and Barcelona – will allow the team to get to understand the behaviour of the F138 and to adapt it to the new Pirelli tyres: in fact, tyre use is an area that has seen a lot of work both at the design stage and in its management at the track. Also very important and something that will not only be restricted to the winter months, has been the effort invested in areas that could influence the result of a Grand Prix, such as the team’s pit stop work, reduction of time spent going through the pit lane, strategy management and the start procedure.

Read more…

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