Ferrari

“Beauty is the pleasure that derives from speed, in the movement and the transient, what is about to take place,” according to Ferrari creative director Rocco Iannone, who said he was exploring “beauty in motion” for the brand’s coed fall collection.

Cue a padded ankle-length skirt or a parka in pink, not usually associated with Ferrari’s signature red, but a hue that is “potentially red, a transitional shade before it saturates,” the designer mused.  That’s not to say red was absent from the runway, seen for example in a cozy kimono coat for her, or a quilted boiler suit for him.

The first looks out were sleek and minimal such as a gray overall, a sophisticated version of Ferrari’s racing track gear and a must for the brand’s fashion lineup to link with its sports activities. These were followed by billowing padded pants, which were fun but perhaps a bit gimmicky.

Graffiti motifs appeared as prints and jacquard weavings but never fully completed, using mixtures of colors in progress. The Ferrari logo was disguised in some of the patterns.

Iannone reworked denim canvas with spray-dyeing techniques that gave it a workwear vibe on baggy boyfriend jeans and bike jackets over silver ankle boots.

The designer has a meticulous approach to fabric research and employed a thick satin made from recycled tires. Artisanal looking knits were created by 15 different yarns spun together.

Iannone chose Milan’s 18th century Palazzo Citterio in the Brera artsy district as the show venue because it has elements of modern industrial design architecture. It will become a permanent modern art exhibition space to symbolize the exchange between history and today’s influences, as he continues to evolve Ferrari’s traditional tropes with fashion’s contemporary trends. 

The designer has a very clear point of view and aesthetic sense, heightened by couture craftsmanship, but remains aware that staying true to Ferrari’s legacy references is key for the brand’s identity in the crowded fashion arena.  

Every Ferrari F40 is special, but only one is the fastest.

A converted “Competizione” version of the iconic supercar is currently up for private sale through RM Sotheby’s. The one-off speed machine spent more than a decade competing and is believed to be the most potent road-going F40 of all time.
The F40 is easily one of the radical models Ferrari has ever released. The mid-engine supercar features a flamboyant Pininfarina-designed look and was the fastest, most powerful and most expensive Prancing Horse at the time of its release in 1987. In fact, it was the world’s fastest production car until the introduction of the Lamborghini Diablo in 1990. Although it was always meant to be a road car, Ferrari wanted to see what it could do on the track and commissioned a number of racing-spec examples from Michelotto Automobili. The racers proved to be a hit with enthusiasts and a number of F40 owners decided to have their street-legal cars converted for competition.

Inside the F40 “Competizione” 

RM Sotheby’s

The F40 “Competition” is available to buy now via RM Sotheby’s. The auction house hasn’t announced a price tag, but the sports car has regularly sold for in excess of $2 million in recent years, and none of those would stand a chance against this example in a race. You can make an offer now through the RM Sotheby’s website.

Click here to see all of the photos of the 1989 Ferrari F40 “Competizione.”

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With a provenance “rap sheet” long enough to raise the eyebrows of any concours judge, this Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico is a remarkable rarity from the Prancing Horse. One of only seven examples of its kind, and the only one to wear aluminum bodywork, Maranello’s black bolide first broke through the atmosphere in 1961 and will definitely have an impact on collectors during Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions on August 20.

The car was a custom-built creation for wealthy 24-year-old Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, founder of Scuderia Serenissima, one of the top privateer racing teams of the early 1960s. Followers of Italian-car fashion will recall that the Count (who inherited his fortune from his father, a fascist adjutant to Mussolini) was a valued Ferrari customer who, once spurned by the mercurial il Commendatore, went on to found ATS, itself an exploding automotive star. But back to the Ferrari at hand.

The 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico that’s crossing the auction block through Gooding & Company on August 20. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Chassis No. 2809 SA has an unbroken provenance going back to the Count himself, and from its beginning to the present, this car has been a showstopper. In 1961, it took Best of Show at the XV Concorso d’Eleganza di Rimini, and has been presented at similar events ever since—including multiple FCA International Meet Concours and Cavallino Classics—where it has amassed many awards. Most recently, it participated at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2021.

With an interior dressed in tobacco Connolly leather, the car remains in largely unrestored condition. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Cited in numerous publications on Ferrari, this Superamerica is a true reference specimen. Powered by a 4.0-liter V-12 topped with three Weber carburetors, the car makes a healthy 320 hp at 6,600 rpm and easily crests 150 mph. Its four-speed gearbox with electric overdrive speaks to the model’s long-legged touring agenda.
Ferrari’s “America” series of custom-bodied, large-displacement grand-touring cars were built for elite (and no doubt demanding) customers who included emperors, shahs and industrialists. Volpi’s 400 Superamerica was one of the first to feature Pininfarina’s new Coupé Aerodinamico body style. Derived from Pininfarina’s Superfast II show car, just 14 of the streamlined coupes were hand-built on the short-wheelbase chassis exclusive to the Series I 400 Superamerica.

A 320 hp, 4.0-liter V-12 engine gives this particular Prancing Horse its gallop. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

One of only seven covered-headlight, short-wheelbase Coupé Aerodinamicos produced, chassis No. 2809 SA is among the most significant coachbuilt Ferraris ever made and, unquestionably, one of the best-preserved. The only aluminum example, and painted in a one-off color scheme of Nero Tropicale complemented by an interior dressed in tobacco Connolly leather, it features bespoke details and remains in largely unrestored condition with fewer than 24,000 km (about 14,913 miles).

Volpi kept the car only until 1962, when it was sold to a buyer in Naples, Italy. Later, owner Umberto Camellini of Modena kept the car for 28 years, during which he obtained Ferrari Classiche certification acknowledging that the vehicle retains its original chassis, body, engine, gearbox, rear end and other important components.

Chassis No. 2809 SA has an unbroken provenance going back to Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, founder of Scuderia Serenissima. 

Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Camellini sold it to stateside Ferrari collector Dr. Richard Workman in 2015, who showed the car and subsequently passed it on to the current consignor. Offered with Ferrari Classiche Red Book, Massini Report and extensive supporting documentation, this Ferrari’s value is estimated as high as $5 million.
Click here to see all the photos of this 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica that’s heading to auction.

The 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico being offered through Gooding & Company on August 20. 

You’re strolling the Bonhams auctions at Monterey Car Week, taking in a sea of vintage eye candy. The surrounding sheet metal is luscious, but in the distance something looks off—a gorgeous Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa appears to have been left in the drier a tad too long. 

The subscale steed in question is a perfect representation of the Maranello original, and is even licensed by Ferrari. But at 75 percent the size (and with a sale estimate of $90,000 to $120,000), this 2022 Ferrari Testa Rossa J by The Little Car Company represents a fraction of the cost and scale of the eight-figure original. The company’s pint-sized lineup also includes a scaled-down Aston Martin DB5 and Bugatti Type 35.

If those unmistakable pontoon fenders look pitch perfect, it’s because this specimen was built the proper way: manually, using hand-beaten aluminum panels, just like they did it in the 1950s. It was also developed from the original drawings documented by Ferrari Classiche. Hailing from the UK, nearly every aspect of this particular Prancing Horse is about as authentically evoked as can be. The perfectly scaled 12-inch Borrani-like wheels are wrapped in Pirelli Cinturato rubber; the red seats with white piping use the leather sourced from the same tanneries as used by Ferrari; pedals are plucked from the F8 Tributo parts bin, and the Nardi steering wheel boasts the world’s smallest quick release system. Even the Bilstein coilover dampers were tuned and approved by a Ferrari test driver at the marque’s famous Fiorano circuit near the factory. 

The interior. 

The Little Car Company

Rather than replicate a tiny V-12 Colombo engine, the J is motivated by a 48-volt electric motor producing 12 kW. It’s good for a rip-roaring 50 mph, which likely feels like twice that speed given the J’s low-to-the-ground, alfresco setup. Channeling your inner racer is the name of the game here because this particular specimen is configured as an homage to serial number 0732TR, a.k.a. “Lucybelle II,” a private entrant that was driven by Ray “Ernie” Erickson and Pebble Beach resident Ed Hugus and finished a remarkable seventh in the famous California race. (The top spot was taken by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien in another Ferrari 250 TR.) In keeping with the authenticity theme, this model’s white and blue-striped scheme uses the same paint as Ferrari applies to its current models.

Linking the original model’s Pebble Beach roots to the modern day, this example adds a “1 of 1—2022 Pebble Beach Edition” plaque to the dashboard, with The Little Car Company donating profits of the sale to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation. A total of 299 Testa Rossa Js will be built, this example enabling the winner to essentially skip the year-long waitlist. And lest you hesitate if the value marches well into the six-figure range, consider that an unrestored 1957 250 TR sold in 2014 for more than $39,000,000—making this miniaturized driver seem like a relative bargain in the grand scheme of things.
Click here to see all the photos of the 2022 Ferrari Testa Rossa J.

The Little Car Company

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You might want to get your Ferrari checked out.

The Prancing Horse is recalling 23,555 vehicles because of a potentially serious brake issue, according to CNET Roadshow. An official report submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month listed affected models dating back to 2005.
Select Ferraris built over the last 17 years may have a brake fluid reservoir cap that doesn’t vent properly, according to the recall notice. Improper ventilation can cause a vacuum to form in the reservoir that can trigger a leak that stops the brakes from functioning properly or at all. Luckily, it sounds as if the fix should be a breeze. If your car is affected, simply contact your nearest authorized Ferrari dealership. They will replace the defective cap and update the car’s software, at no cost to you.

2017 Ferrari LaFerrari 

Bring a Trailer

Recalling 23,555 vehicles might not be a big deal for a big, multi-national automaker, but it is for a brand like Ferrari, which produces its high-performance works of automotive art in much smaller numbers. That’s part of why so many vehicles are affected by this recall. The notice lists 13 different models produced between 2005 and 2022. These include the 430 (2005 to 2009), 612 Scaglietti (2005 to 2011), California (2009 to 2017), FF (2012 to 2016), F12 (2013 to 2017), LaFerrari (2013 to 2017), F60 America (2016), GTC4 Lusso (2017-2020), 488 Pista (2019-2020), Portofino (2019 to 2022), Ferrari 812 (2020 to 2022), F8 (2020 to 2022) and Roma (2020 to 2022). Of the affected vehicles, only about 1 percent are believed to have the defect.
This isn’t the first time Ferrari has faced a similar issue in recent years. Late last year, the company recalled nearly 10,000 vehicles because of the same issue.

Owners of the affected Ferraris should receive notices of the recall in the mail by late September. If you haven’t heard anything by then, but believe your sports car may be affected, you can check on the automaker’s website, which has a page where you can enter your car’s VIN number to find out if it has been recalled.

If the Lamborghini bellwether is to be believed, we might be reaching peak supercar.

The Sant’Agata Bolognese marque recently posted its best first-half sales ever, with deliveries climbing to a record 5,090 vehicles and profit leaping nearly 70 percent to roughly $433 million (€425 million). Those numbers are no surprise given pandemic shoppers’ unquenchable appetite for luxury combined with an easing supply chain. On top of that, the Raging Bull had the momentum of a record-setting 2021. Soaring sales are also being enjoyed by Ferrari, the friendly competitors across Motor Valley, which just claimed a record second quarter with an impressive 3,455 cars delivered, for a 29 percent gain compared to the prior year.

The US accounted for 1,521 car deliveries. 

Lamborghini

But hot-selling supercars beg an inevitable question: Is it all downhill from here? According to a recent Reuters report, there’s reason to believe the party may indeed soon be over—but not for lack of well-heeled buyers. The perfect storm a-brewin’ has more to do with messy global politics than consumer desire, specifically an impending energy crunch that portends tougher times ahead. Russia’s threats to cut off natural gas supplies to Western Europe has inspired Lambo to bank the energy source in an effort to anticipate the potential shortage.

SUVs are responsible for 61 percent of Lamborghini sales. 

Lamborghini

Adding fuel to the forthcoming fire is the fact that Lamborghini’s lineup is at a crossroads of electrification, with pure internal combustion V-10s and V-12s meeting their demise this year. The automaker has promised hybrid drivetrains coupled with naturally aspirated engines next, and an all-electric four-seat model by 2028. This could throw a potential wrench into Lambo’s upward trajectory. Let’s also not forget the other paradigm shift that has been affecting the ultra-luxury market: SUVs. The once-unfashionable genre now accounts for 61 percent of Lamborghini sales. In addition, the first Ferrari crossover is expected to be revealed this September and could further shift the tastes and tendencies of this very specific luxury consumer.
If and when those dark days do arrive, don’t be surprised to see 2022 go down in history as the year supercars enjoyed their brightest moment in the sun.

There are still a few months to go in the current GT3 racing season, but Ferrari’s already getting ready for next year.

The Prancing Horse unveiled its latest race car, the 296 GT3, before this weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium. We won’t have to wait long to see the car in action, either. It will make its track debut this coming January at 24 Hours of Daytona.

The 296 GT3 is a much more athletic version of 296 GTB that Ferrari unveiled last fall. It wears a heavily modified aerodynamic package that gives it the look of something out of an arcade game. The racer’s reworked design may lack some of the elegance of the road car it’s based on, but it allows the vehicle to cut through the air with ease. The brand says the 296 GT3 also creates 20 percent more downforce than its predecessor, the 488 GT3, sometime sure to come in useful if a race goes down to the wire.

Ferrari

The cabin, meanwhile, has been stripped of all but the most basic of creature comforts to improve visibility and accessibility. That’s okay, though. Chances are drivers won’t have much need for heated seats or a full-featured infotainment system during their next race.
The biggest difference between the track-oriented variant and the road car can be found in its engine bay, though. The car is still powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6, but the electric motor that makes the 296 GTB a hybrid has been jettisoned due to FIA regulations. Despite this, the mill—which is connected to a bespoke six-speed transmission controlled by a steering wheel-mounted paddle shifter—can still pump out 600 horses and 524 ft lbs of twist. The engine position has also been moved forward and lower in the vehicle to make it more drivable in an endurance race.

Inside the 296 GT3 

Ferrari

The 296 GT3 is schedule to make its competitive debut at the Daytona 24 Hours just after the turn of the year. The car is aimed at professional-grade race teams, but is available to “gentleman drivers” looking for a more hardcore track day experience. No price has been announced for the racer, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it comes in above the street-legal version’s $318,000 starting cost.