Ferrari building six copies of invite-only supercar

Ferrari building six copies of invite-only supercar

CNBC.com - October 27, 2014

Ferrari just got even more exclusive. The Italian luxury automaker is gearing up to start production on its invite-only supercar known as the Ferrari Sergio, and only six people will be able to get their hands on one.

The concept car, unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, was designed in collaboration with Italian firm Pininfarina, and each model is expected to sell for millions, though Ferrari would not disclose an exact price.

But if you wanted to be one of the lucky six, you're too late as Ferrari has already pre-sold all the Sergio cars. Long-standing Ferrari clients are the only ones who got the invites.

 A spokesperson from the automaker told CNBC the final orders are being confirmed and production will start "shortly", with the aim of delivering the final product to clients next year. Ferrari will have to make changes to the design unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in order to comply with road laws so the design is likely to be different from the original concept which had no windshield or mirrors.

Ferrari has made a point of being exclusive by capping the number of vehicles it makes each year to 7,000 and the move has paid off financially. The brand, owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA-IT), reported revenues of 1.3 billion euros ($1.65 billion) in the first half of the year, a 14.6 percent rise from the same period in 2013.

The company also has a "one off" program where enthusiasts with deep pockets can design a bespoke car from start to finish and have it made at Ferrari's Maranello headquarters. The Sergio buyers' identities have not been revealed but in the past big names like Eric Clapton have purchased custom made cars.

 The Sergio is based on the Ferrari's 458 Spider mechanical base and technologic components. The doors rise up rather than open outwards and the company said the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3.4 seconds.

Ferrari has pursued a similar exclusive approach with another car in its range – the LaFerrari supercar . Only 499 are being made, and after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show last year, over 1,000 people had already requested the car. But similar to the Sergio, you don't choose the car, Ferrari chooses you.

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McLaren's P1 And Ferrari's LaFerrari: BATTLE OF THE SUPERCARS!

By Business Insider October 27, 2014 3:55 PM

The McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari are two of the superbaddest supercars in the supercar world.

Business Insider checked out the McLaren last year in New York. We're still waiting to get an up-close with the LeFerrari, successor to the Enzo and Ferrari's new flagship supercar.

Both are gorgeous. Both are hybrids. Both cost more than $1 million.

We crunched the numbers — considering power, speed, looks, and more — to find out if one is better.

[And earlier version of this post was written by Alex Davies.]

NAME: The P1 name links the car to McLaren’s legendary F1, the former fastest production car in the world.

NAME: LaFerrari is Italian for “The Ferrari.” In English or Italian, it's a bit confusing.

NAME: McLaren takes this one, easily.

McLaren P1: 1

LaFerrari: 0

HORSEPOWER: The P1 pairs a V-8 engine that delivers 727 hp with an electric motor, yielding a total of 903 hp.

HORSEPOWER: The LaFerrari is also a hybrid, combining a 6.3-liter V-12 engine with two electric motors. Total horsepower: 950.

HORSEPOWER: Ferrari ties it up.

McLaren P1: 1
LaFerrari: 1

TOP SPEED: The McLaren has an electronically limited top speed of 217.5 mph.

TOP SPEED: The Ferrari tops out at 217 mph.

TOP SPEED: Too close to call. We'll given them each a point.

McLaren P1: 2
LaFerrari: 2

ACCELERATION: The P1 goes from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds, and can hit 186 mph in 17.

ACCELERATION: The Ferrari's 0 to 60 mph time is also under 3 seconds, but it reaches the 186 mph mark in just 15 seconds.

ACCELERATION: Ferrari for the win.

McLaren P1: 2
LaFerrari: 3

EXTERIOR: The P1 has some beautiful styling cues, especially the fighter jet bubble windshield and nostril-like air intakes in the hood, which are reminiscent of the swooping McLaren logo.

EXTERIOR: The LaFerrari is also a gorgeous car, with rear view mirrors that look like the stalks on the Pagani Huayra.

EXTERIOR: This is a close (and subjective) call, but we give it to the P1.

McLaren P1: 3
LaFerrari: 3

WITH THE DOORS UP: In a classic pose for any car with scissor or gullwing doors, the P1 cuts an impressive figure.

WITH THE DOORS UP: But this view of the Ferrari gives us shivers.

WITH THE DOORS UP: An easy point for the LaFerrari.

McLaren P1: 3
LaFerrari: 4

INTERIOR: For extraordinarily complex cars, both have impressively simple interiors. The P1 continues the fighter jet theme with a glass canopy overhead. To save weight, there’s no sound deadening, but customers will want to hear all 903 horses.

INTERIOR: The LaFerrari’s interior is similarly minimalistic. We like the unorthodox, three-button (Launch, R, Auto) gear shifter, big shifter paddles, and simple controls. But we dock points for the almost square steering wheel.

INTERIOR: We give this one to the P1.

McLaren P1: 4
LaFerrari: 4

PRICE: McLaren has put the P1 price tag at $1.2 million.

PRICE: The LaFerrari is $1.4 million.

PRICE: Ferrari edges ahead.

McLaren P1: 4
LaFerrari: 5

AVAILABILITY: McLaren will make just 375 P1's.

AVAILABILITY: Ferrari's run is also very limited: Only 499 LaFerrari's will roll off the line.

AVAILABILITY: The fewer the cars in a limited run, the more valuable each one is. McLaren takes the final category.

McLaren P1: 5
LaFerrari: 5

And the winner is...

The LaFerrari is a beautiful car that everyone wants.
But despite being less powerful and a tad slower, McLaren's P1 is the more jaw-dropping of the two — and harder to get.

The McLaren P1 takes this one...and it's a tie at the finish line!

But that's not as far as you can go with the P1...

DON'T MISS: This $3.2 Million McLaren Is So Exclusive That Only 375 People Can Buy One>

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1958 Ferrari sells for $8.25 million

1958 Ferrari sells for $8.25 million

This Ferrari, along with nine other top-selling cars at the 2013 Scottsdale collector car auctions, together raked in about $39 million.

Peter Valdes-Dapena - 'Fortune' magazine - January 23, 2013

 
Sold for: $8.25 million
Auction house: Gooding & Co.

Watch: The Ferrari California Spider - A car collector's dream

At the annual Scottsdale, Ariz. auto auctions last weekend, the biggest headlines were about the Batmobile, which sold for $4.6 million. But that was only the third-highest price paid at the auctions and it wasn't even close the top dollar amount.

That honor went to this beautiful 1958 Ferrari painted in Bleu Sera Metallizzato which sold at the Gooding & Co. auction. Only 50 long-wheelbase versions of this car were ever made and this is number 13. It has its original upgraded V12 engine.

All the prices in this gallery, as collected by the collector car insurer Hagerty Insurance, include commissions which usually amount to 10% of the "hammer price."

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Ferrari rides wave of green super-cars

[Above: BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 27: A model stands beside a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta car during the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition at China International Exhibition Center on April 27, 2012 in Beijing, China. More than 2,000 automotive enterprises from 14 countries and regions participated in the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition from April 23 to May 2. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images; Photo: Feng Li / Getty Images]

Spotlight on Technology (Market date provided by Bloomberg News)

Ferrari hybrid surpassing Enzo as costliest car

Tommaso Ebhardt (tebhardt@bloomberg.net) - Bloomberg News - May 17, 2012

Ferrari will turn to fuel-saving hybrid technology to create its most powerful and expensive model, showing that even elite performance cars are under pressure to get greener.

The Italian automaker's first hybrid, called the F70 in trade press and blogs, will probably surpass the $850,000 price of the limited-edition Enzo, said a person familiar with the plan.

Using technology developed for Formula One racing, the model will combine two electric motors with a 12-cylinder gasoline engine to produce more horsepower than any previous Ferrari, while cutting fuel consumption 40 percent.

"Dedicated Ferrari drivers look first at power and technology," said Fabio Barone, chairman of the Passione Rossa owners club, who has two Ferraris. "The new Enzo will satisfy their appetite."

The model is part of a wave of green super-cars as high-end automakers step up efforts to make their models environmentally palatable, while still maintaining or boosting performance. As more models become available and emission rules tighten, sales of hybrid super-cars may surge from less than 100 this year to more than 2,100 in 2015, according to IHS Automotive.

Top-of-the-line Porsche

Porsche, which now sells hybrid versions of the Cayenne sport utility vehicle and Panamera four-door coupe, plans to start deliveries next year of the 918 Spyder, which will cost around $845,000. The top-of-the-line Porsche sports car will combine a 500-horsepower engine with 218-horsepower electric motors to hit a top speed of more than 199 mph.

BMW will roll out the i8 plug-in hybrid in 2014. The BMW super-car will be able to drive up to 21 miles on electric power and accelerate to 62 mph in less than 5 seconds.

"If you want to sell a vehicle in the U.S. and Europe, you must show you want to make the difference in terms of lower emissions, even if you sell" a $125,000 car, said Ian Fletcher, an analyst at IHS Automotive in London. "Even a super-car becomes more usable for city driving if it carries a hybrid engine."

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, which has led the way among luxury-car makers in introducing the technology, offers five hybrid models, ranging from the $29,120 CT to the $112,750 LS. Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz sells the $91,850 S-Class hybrid and introduced a diesel-electric version of the E-Class in Germany this year. Volkswagen AG's ultra-luxury Bentley brand is considering a plug-in hybrid version of a planned SUV.

U.S. seen as big market

The Ferrari hybrid will go on sale starting next year, with the United States likely to be the model's biggest market, the person said, declining to be identified because the plans have not yet been made public. Ferrari will produce a limited number of the model, with the final price yet to be decided, the person said.

Ferrari, in Maranello in northern Italy, will show the heir to the Enzo this year, Chairman Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo said in a statement. Ferrari declined to comment on the vehicle beyond the statement.

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Chasing the new 2010 Ferrari 458

Chasing the new 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia! Incredible sound!

From the video description by jorrie2:

Jorrik records the very first Ferrari 458 Italia in the Netherlands!! It just arrived yesterday morning!

We drove on a highway in the Netherlands when a Ferrari 348 past us, so we decided to follow it and we came out at Kroymans (Ferrari/Aston Martin/Maserati) in Hilversum. In the garage we saw this great Ferrari 458 Italia, we waited half an hour and than it came out for a little testride! Please watch the whole vid, at the end can you see how incredible fast this new Ferrari is!
Please rate and leave a comment about the vid or about the car :)

Thanks for watching.

Jorrik.

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First Look: 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

First Look: 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

By Marty Padgett - TheCarConnection.com

July 28, 2009

Ferrari says its new 2010 458 Italia will replace the F430 this fall when it makes a world debut at the Frankfurt auto show.

The new two-seat, mid-engined, V-8 supercar from Maranello is new from the ground up, according to the Italian automaker. They also believe it's one of the biggest leaps forward for the company ever in terms of technology, performance and emissions.

The core of the new supercar is a 4.5-liter engine (hence the name, plus an "8" for its cylinder count) that puts out 570 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Ferrari promises the new engine, coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, will shuttle the 458 Italia to 60 mph in less than 3.4 seconds--comparable to a Nissan GT-R. Top speed should reach 202 mph.

The core of the new supercar is a 4.5-liter engine (hence the name, plus an "8" for its cylinder count) that puts out 570 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Ferrari promises the new engine, coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, will shuttle the 458 Italia to 60 mph in less than 3.4 seconds--comparable to a Nissan GT-R. Top speed should reach 202 mph.

The performance envelope is much bigger than the car it replaces, the F430, and the new 458 Italia benefits from more racing influences than ever, the automaker says in a release. Namechecking F1 champion Michael Schumacher at every opportunity, Ferrari says the handling, design, even the shape of the steering wheel get their inspiration from Formula One, with the input of Schumacher.

With a weight balance of 48/52 and a double-wishbone suspension in front and multilinks in the rear, the 458 Italia's handling will be race-ready, it's claimed. And new traction systems derived from anti-lock brakes should make the new car up to the safety standards of Ferrari's other new model, the California hardtop convertible.

Weight-saving construction techniques have kept the 458 Italia to a lean 3042 pounds, and Ferrari promises low fuel consumption for the class, which includes the Lamborghini Gallardo and potentially, the Lexus LF-A supercar, along with the Nissan GT-R.

We'll have more from this fall's 2009 Frankfurt auto show.

First Look: 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia (link with images)