Ferrari California

The state of California is a beautiful scenic state......and the Ferrari California is a beautiful example of automotive art. Ferrari has built some of the most beautiful cars ever made...the only decision is which is the most attractive Ferrari ever built.

The Ferrari California is a grand touring sports car that was first launched in 2008. The California actually revives the name used for the late 1950's Ferrari 250GT.


The California is a two door 2+2 hard top convertible. Any Ferrari fan knows that the California is the first hard top convertible ever manufactured by Ferrari. An example of the hard top operating is shown in the photo below.

Power is provided by a Ferrari first 4.3 liter front-mid mounted gasoline direct injection V-8 with 453 h.p. The new motor can accelerate the California from 0-62 mph. in under 4. seconds. Even though the California is over six hundred pounds heavier than the Ferrari F430 and with 30 less h.p. it is just as fast as the F430.


Ferrari decided to increase Ferrari production by fifty percent with the introduction of the California. A separate production line has been build next to the existing factory at Maranello.
Ferrari planned on building 5000 cars during the first two years of production. It has been reported by motoring magazines that the California is sold out thru 2012.

Pricing starts at $192,000 USD plus options. In addition, the California will be subject to the gas guzzler tax.


SUMMARY:

One beautiful, fast and sexy car!

Fiat's Grand Design

Fiat S.p.A.(Fiat), an acronym for Fabrica Italiana Automobili Torino, is an Italian automobile manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin, Italy. Founded in 1899, Fiat based cars are constructed around the world in Brazil, Argentina, and Poland. Fiat currently owned the Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Ferrari brands. The auto shown above is 2009 Ferrari California!

Fiat and Chrysler LLC announced that they were going to form a global alliance. Under the terms of the agreement, Fiat would take a 20% stake in Chrysler and gain access to its North American dealer network. Chrysler in exchange will get the platforms to build smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in the US and reciprocal access to Fiat's global distribution network.

Fiat would have the option of increasing that to as much as 55%, when the government loans are repaid. Fiat would not put cash into Chrysler, but will pay for the cost of retooling a Chrysler plant to produce one or more Fiat models, which will be sold in the us. Fiat would also provide engine and transmission technology to help Chrysler introduce new, fuel-efficient small cars.

The deal is the latest maneuver by Fiat's chief, Sergio Marchionne, who has pulled the Italian company back from the brink of collapse since taking over in 2004. The partnership would provide each company with economies of scale and geographical reach at a time when both are struggling to compete with larger and more global rivals like Toyota, Volkswagen and the alliance of Renault S.A. and Nissan.

The auto shown below is a 2008 Fiat 500, which won the 2008 European Car of the Year Award. This car will probably be one of the vehicles manufactured in the U.S.

In every difficult financial time, there are tremendous opportunities to profit! Since this is such a severe downturn, the opportunities are magnified. Car companies that would have sold for substantial amounts of money are being sold a fraction of the previous value.

The Chrysler acquisition is only part of Sergio Machionne's plan. Fiat is attempting to buy General Motors (GM) European operations. Those operations include GM's German Opel division, British Vauxhall and Swedish carmaker Saab.

It is anticipated that Fiat would have to spin off the current auto business into a core of a new company, then add the new additions Chrysler and GM Europe. It will take a substantial amount of capital to realize Machionne's plan. Another suitor Magna International, Inc. of Canada has submitted a plan for the purchase of GM's Opel unit.

Shown below is a Alfa Romeo 159!


My take on this is that with every severe financial downturn opportunities like this come up. The corporations that have the cash and the financial backing to pull this off will succeed. Fiat would go from bring a side-line player to a major player on the world automotive stage.

Information via Wikipedia!

Tesla...The Future Has Arrived!

Everyone that reads my blog is aware that I am an incredible fan of the Tesla Motor Co. Three things have truly impressed me about this company. The incredible vision by the pioneers of this electric vehicle (EV) company.....GM had the lead, money and engineering staff.... but lacked the vision. The second thing that impressed me is the incredible engineering..... GM, Toyota, Ford, Nissan etc have substantially larger engineering staffs than Tesla but have not been able to match Tesla yet.

All this has been done on a shoestring budget for a few million dollars. Yet, they have developed the new electric vehicle technology with the Tesla Roadster that is incredibly fast 3.9 seconds 0-60 mph, the incredible Ferrari F430 is 3.6 seconds. Actually, the Tesla Roadster is the first electric vehicle on the roads of the U.S. and Europe.

Tesla unveiled the Model S on March 26, the all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge. Reservations immediately began streaming in online and at showrooms in California. This historic vehicle is likely to be the world's first mass-produced, highway-capable electric vehicle when production begins in late 2011. The surge of reservations already proves that there's pent-up demand for a car that doesn't compromise on performance, utility or efficiency.

The Model S does 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. A 17-inch touchscreen with in-car 3G connectivity means you can listen to Pandora Radio or consult Google Maps, or check the car's state of charge remotely on your iPhone. The Model S can be recharged from any 120V, 208V or 240V outlet or quick-charged from an external direct current supply in only 45 minutes.

The anticipated base price of the Model S is $57,400, a US federal tax credit will reduce the cost $7,500. The reservation fee of $5,000 is refundable. Three battery pack choices will offer a range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. The company has not released for pricing for options and higher mileage battery packs. If you account for the cost advantage over the life of the car vs. an equivalent internal combustion engine car at a cost of $4.25 per gallon (a likely future cost in the United States, and a bargain right now in many parts of Europe), the Model S is equivalent to a gas guzzler with a sticker price of about $35,000. Importantly, those savings are realized immediately if you lease a Model S, so there is no need to wait years to earn back the price difference.

Tesla also is taking reservations for the Model S Signature Edition with a $40,000 reservation fee, which is also refundable. Tesla will produce only 2,000 Signature Edition cars, which will be the first built and have unique interior and exterior features. Signature Edition cars will be evenly split between US and European customers.

The Tesla Roadster is more than twice as enercy efficient as a Toyota Prius and delivers approximately 244 miles per charge. Tesla delivered over 100 Roadsters to customers in March, marking the first triple-digit delivery month in the company's history. Tesla delivered over 170 cars in the first quarter – more than the total delivered in 2008. Tesla has delivered about 330 Roadsters so far. The base price of the Roadster is $101,500 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Le Rallye Monte Carlo Late last month, the Roadster set another impressive a feat of 241 miles on a single charge of the Le Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives. And the Roadster still had an estimated 38 miles left on the charge! This appears to be an absolute record for a production EV.The challenging course, sponsored by l'Automobile Club de Monaco, went from Valence, France, to the Principality of Monaco. Terrain was mixed and included high-speed driving on highways, urban streets and up and single-carriageway roads that wind through the Alps.The Roadster was the only car to finish the rally after a modified Porsche 911 dropped out.

Tesla's is opening a regional sales and service center in London's popular Knightsbridge district. This will be the first of three European stores that they plan to launch this year. The London facility will open this spring at 49-51 Cheval Place, formerly the Segrave Supercar Club. The location is approximate to Harrod's department store and close to Heathrow Airport.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, a sports car buff and a fan of the Tesla Roadster, announced this week a plan to introduce 100,000 EVs and to build 25,000 charging stations in the capital. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said EVs would be one cornerstone of his economic recovery plan.

Information via Tesla Motors!

Ferrari F430

Today, I thought a Ferrari F430 would be in order since Ferrari manufactures such fabulous machines! Ferrari has typically been know for their supercars, and in Europe for their racing prowess. Not only are Ferrari's state of the art super cars, they are art works....exceptionally beautiful designs. Ferrari's are hand built in a state of the art plant located in Maranello, Italy.

Ferrari was founded in 1928 by Enzo Ferrari, the company was engaged in racing and manufacturing race cars before moving into production of street legal sports cars vehicles in 1947. Enzo never wanted to manufacture cars but he needed the cash flow to support his racing activities. Ferrari has raced mainly in Formula One, where it has enjoyed tremendous success.

After years of financial struggles, Enzo Ferrari sold the company's sports car division to the Fiat group in 1969 to ensure continued financial backing. Enzo Ferrari retained control of the racing division until his death in 1988 at the age of 90. Earlier that year he had overseen the launch of the Ferrari F40, the last new Ferrari to be launched before his death, and arguably one of the most famous supercars ever made.

The F430's all aluminum chassis was produced in partnership with Alcoa and is virtually identical to that of the previous model, the Ferrari 360. In the F430 it has been slightly re-worked and shares a lot of common parts including the same roof, doors, front windshield and passenger compartment to engine glass.

The MSRP for a Ferrari F430 is between $168,005–$227,000 in the United States. The F430 is sold starting at about £120,000 in the United Kingdom, approximately €175,000 in the European Union and $389,000 for the base model in Australia.

The brakes on the F430 were designed in coordination with Brembo, resulting in a new cast-iron alloy for the discs. The new alloy includes molybdenum which has better heat dissipation performance. Another option Ferrari is providing are ceramic composite discs. Ceramics have much higher resistance to heat and brake fade than metals, the F430's brakes offer not only excellent performance but also a longer lifespan. Ferrari claims the brakes will not fade even after 300-360 laps at their test track. Check out this Racing Flix video!

Car and Driver magazine found the car's performance worthy of the Ferrari heritage, and recorded a 3.5 sec 0-60 mph acceleration run in the F430. This makes it the third-quickest Ferrari road car ever made, following the Enzo and the 599 GTB. That particular recorded time was made on a European spec car, which has an unusual feature...launch control, which launches the car from a standing start at high RPMs. Launch control is unavailable in U.S. presumably due to liability issues. The U.S.-spec F430 can do 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds .

Information in this post is via Wikipedia!