Archive for category Ferrari
1985 Ferrari Testarossa Review
Posted by in Car Collection, Ferrari on July 4, 2011
Ferrari has a formidable presence in the international motoring scene and there isn’t a car enthusiast in the world who can’t automatically paint a mental picture of the Ferrari Testarossa when called to task.
The cherry-red finish with the silver rims and cream-colored interior is the combination that made Ferrari famous and that made the Testarossa the most admired car of the 1980s, leagues above Chevrolet’s Stingray Corvette.
Ferrari started production of the Testarossa in 1984, with the first model to hit the streets being the 1985. For the 11 years it was in production, there were a few minor tweaks to improve the overall appeal and functionality of the sports car, but the basic model stayed the same, and the original was always considered to be the best of the bunch.
Testarossa wasn’t just an average production model for Ferrari. This was to be the car to succeed the Berlinetta Boxer and hopefully put Ferrari back on the map. Everything about Ferrari’s newest sports car just stood out as dominant and “cool.” The name itself was derived from the red cam covers – testarossa literally means “red head” in Italian.
Undoubtedly, the Ferrari Testarossa instantly took center stage and became the world’s fastest production car (non-racing, of course). This is the model that practically invented the term “supercar” when associated with road-ready production models.
The designing process for the Testarossa began in 1982, with the idea to create a street car that both looked and performed like a racing car. The design team came up with a sleek, mid-engine design, featuring radiators in the flanks, a low top, state-of-the-art brakes, a stellar transmission and a 12-cylinder powerhouse engine.
A lot of testing also went into the overall design of the car’s body. Ferrari pulled no punches when it came to measuring the Testarossa’s performance at high speeds. They designed the car by using a high-speed wind tunnel to measure drag and eventually formulated what they considered to be a flawless aerodynamic design.
Carbon-fiber construction wasn’t really big in the automotive industry in the 1980s, so Ferrari used what they had available, while still making sure to use only the best materials. The 1985 Testarossa was built from galvanized steel for the roof and doors, strong, lightweight aluminum for the body, and glass fiber pieces throughout other areas of the car. Read the rest of this entry »
Luxurious Cars – The Ferrari 458 Italia
Posted by in Ferrari on July 4, 2011
The Italian-made Ferrari has been one of the biggest-selling sports cars of all time. Not only do the cars look sleek and stylish and like something you’d see in the sky as opposed to on the ground, but they’re also extremely well built, lightning fast and rugged enough to hold up to the rigors of prolonged high performance. One of the newest Ferrari’s is the 458 Italia.
The 458 Italia came along to replace the Ferrari F430. Not that the F430 was obsolete or a lesser car by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just common practice with a lot of automakers to bring in the new to get out with the old.
Unlike Ferrari models of the past, this new design wasn’t really based on any old design of street model car, per se. Instead, Ferrari used their experience with Formula 1 racing and new technologies and designs to piece together the 458. The results speak for themselves.
To simply call the 458′s engine powerful would be too much of a compliment to other powerful engines on the road. The mid-rear mounted (a first for Ferrari) 4499 cc V8 direct injection engine is dominant on all fronts. The engine is able to deliver 570 CV at 9000 rpm and has a power output of 127 CV per litre.
Ferrari aimed to make this car driver-friendly, and to do that they made sure that a standard automatic transmission would be used. The 458 doesn’t have a manual option; instead, the Getrag dual-clutch 7-speed transmission handles all the shifting duties.
The car’s performance is breaking previous Ferrari records. The car hasn’t even been in production for a full year, and already sports car lovers are lining up to drop the $230,000+ for a 458. It hits 60 mph in around 3.3 seconds, and it can achieve a top speed of 202 mph while surprisingly being kinder on the gas tank than previous models.
Ferrari didn’t have to go completely off course. They still believe that if something’s not broke then there’s no sense in fixing it. This is why the 458 has a recognizable double-wishbone suspension in the front and a multi-link suspension in the rear, as well as traction control systems and state-of-the-art brakes.
The Ferrari 458 was designed to drive at high speeds. Nearly everything about the car is fine-tuned to provide ultimate power and precision handling at any capable speed. Even the body of the car was thought up with speed in mind. The styling features were designed specifically for aerodynamic efficiency and producing a substantial down-force. Read the rest of this entry »