FERRARI

A distant descendant of the 1957 Spyder 250 GT California, the all-new Ferrari California follows on from the 2005 Superamerica. This retractable hardtop coupé cabriolet, designed by Pininfarina, has an elegant, dynamic look and was developed on the Maranello race track by Michael Schumacher himself. It will be recognisable, among other things, by the three gills that adorn its flanks and the body-line indentation that marks the rear of the doors. The new Ferrari is powered by a 4.3-litre V8 engine placed in a novel front mid-engine position. Another new feature is the 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which should make the California a pleasure to drive.

No new sports car, no matter how powerful or desirable, can match the love affair with a new Ferrari. The company behind the prancing horse always creates a stir when it unveils its latest creation, and even more so when it takes over from a car as accomplished as the F430. The 458 Italia sports a more aggressive look that exudes competition in every curve. Menacing eyes, a wide mouth ready to devour the track, a profile carved by the wind and a stern inspired by the Enzo – all the ingredients are there to make it an icon. The F40-style triple tailpipe adds the finishing touch to this masterpiece. Inside, the perceived quality seems to have improved still further, with the dashboard turned more towards the driver, who has access to all the controls from the steering wheel. Carbon bucket seats, steering wheel paddles cut from the same material, instrumentation mixing analogue and digital, the racing atmosphere is guaranteed.

When Ferrari unveils its most powerful road-going model ever, the world stops spinning. If, on top of that, the car is given the three magic letters GTO, you’re on the verge of mass hysteria. Its new engine is derived from the V12 of the 599XX, as are its sporty exhaust lines. The cherry on the crankshaft is its vastly optimised F1 gearbox. The fundamental question remains: is this a real GTO? Gran Turismo Omologata. Three Italian words with a universal meaning. At first glance, the 599 GTO is immediately recognisable from the GTB thanks to its new 20-inch wheels with titanium centre nuts, front and rear. They alone claim a weight saving of 22 kg! The new bonnet has also been lightened, and features two large cooling scoops for the engine. Other distinctive features include the central honeycomb grille on the front bumper, the side cooling vents for the brakes, the revised front spoiler, the lightened rear trunk, the new air extractor and the carbon mirrors. If you’re looking for the name 599 on the bodywork, stop looking, you won’t find anything. Ferrari has told you: this is a GTO, not a 599…

Like its predecessors, the 458 saloon is available in an open version. But, in keeping with its originality, it swaps the soft top for a retractable hard top, making this Spider a veritable coupé-cabriolet. With the engine in a central rear position, there was little room for manoeuvre, so a system inspired by that of the Superamerica was chosen. Controlled electrically, the roof pivots on its rear axis to lie flat under a bonnet that includes the two large bosses that extend the headrests. The system is simple, light and space-saving. It has just one drawback: it no longer allows you to admire the superb red cylinder heads of the V8 through a transparent bubble, as you do on the saloon. What the eyes lose, the ears gain back, however, since in addition to the pleasure of hearing the exhaust express itself more freely, the new scoops in the bonnet for cooling provide a more present intake sound.

Ferrari’s 550 Maranello and 575 M were given a confidential convertible at the end of their careers, and now it’s the turn of the 599. The advent of this open version (‘aperta’) is also an opportunity for Ferrari to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of Pininfarina, by evoking the father (Sergio) and son (Andrea) through the use of their first names. Under the bonnet, this beautiful car houses the same 6.0 V12 producing 670 bhp as the 599 GTO, making it the most powerful convertible on the planet. Beware of showers, however: like a Dodge Viper RT/10 or a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, the SA Aperta only offers a canvas roof that can be deployed manually as a last resort (and probably only at low speeds). As a purist, the SA Aperta follows in the footsteps of the 550 Barchetta, which is similarly equipped, rather than those of the 575 Superamerica, which offered a pivoting glass roof.

Nobody is indifferent to the sight of a Ferrari. So when the manufacturer announces a new model, there’s always excitement. And when the latest model promises to be a four-seater with four-wheel drive and the look of a hunting wagon, it’s apocalypse among the tifosis. In March 2011, at the Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari unveiled its latest flagship to the general public, the FF, an acronym for Ferrari Four. While this isn’t the first time that a Ferrari has allowed four people on board, it is the first time that all-wheel drive has been available on a production Ferrari.

While the arrival of a new Ferrari is always an event, that of the F12 marks the history of the Scuderia: never before has such a powerful road car been launched by the Italian marque. Unlike the recent ‘all-wheel drive’ FF, the new transalpine diva makes do with rear-wheel drive. This doesn’t prevent it from being very ‘easy’ to drive in the city. But once the environment becomes more propitious, and the twelve cylinders start to give ‘voice’, the beauty begins to reveal its character and to take its owner by storm. Cornering speeds continue to increase with every kilometre driven, as does the volume of the exhaust note, the melody of which ruffles the hair from idle speed to the approach of the breaker, set at 8,700 rpm.

The California, now the oldest car in the Ferrari range, was beginning to look a little older. In terms of styling, the 2012 California makes do with a few subtle changes, with a silver grille being the most important exterior modification. The most important changes are invisible at first glance. The naturally-aspirated 4.3-litre V8 has a revised electronic mapping and a modified exhaust system, and gains 30bhp to reach a maximum output of 490bhp and 505Nm of torque. As for the chassis, the engineers wanted to save a few kilos, 30 in all compared with the previous model. This will save two tenths of a second when accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h, which takes just 3.8 seconds. Ferrari will also be offering the ‘Handling Speciale’ package as an option, allowing even better performance by adjusting the suspension and damping.

The unveiling of a new Ferrari is always a sacred event. Especially when it’s the replacement for the Enzo, a supercar that is a direct descendant of the 288 GTO, F40 and F50! A sacred monster was revealed at Geneva, a car that will be talked about for decades to come. Exclusivity is guaranteed, as only 499 examples will be produced… but that’s a good hundred more than the McLaren P1, its only rival! What’s left is an ultra-arrogant name: LaFerrari… no more, no less! The big news is the appearance of a hybrid powertrain. But aficionados can rest assured that the naturally-aspirated V12 engine is still in place. With a displacement of 6.2 litres, it delivers 800 bhp! An electric motor supports it, and together they deliver 963 bhp and 900 Nm of torque!

Ferrari made very few changes to its look, with the headlights losing their almond shape and stretching vertically in a pear shape. The grille is less oval and the air intakes are larger. The bonnet has been modified with the appearance of two gills. The gills also deepen laterally. The big change for this 2014 California is the return of the turbo engine. This is the first time since the 1987 F40 that the Italians have incorporated an engine of this style. The block is a 3.8-litre V8 inaugurated by the Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli. The turbocharger increases power to 560bhp at 7,500rpm, compared with 490bhp at 4,750rpm for the previous naturally-aspirated 4.3-litre V8.