If you’re looking for a reason to relocate to Japan, we’ve got a great one. A brand new Ferrari, courtesy of Cornes & Co., is coming exclusively to Japan.

Automotive News is reporting that Volkswagen is hoping to buy a stake in Ferrari, with the Italian sports car builder being of particular interest to Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech.

So many luxury auto-brand watches, so little time. Making it even harder to settle on just one, Ferrari has just released its latest timepiece to the market – the new Ferrari Lap Time chronograph.

Dhiaa Al-Essa had already hit Internet stardom (for better or worse) with his collection of 30 or so exotic supercars. Now that final count is at 33 after taking delivery of two of Ferrari’s finest automobiles. The first Ferrari 599 GTO is now in his possession and to make it an interesting match, Al-Essa took hold of the very last (499/499) Ferrari F430 Scuderia Spider 16M.

The Chevy Camaro might officially be the car of the 2010 SEMA Show, but we crossed paths with a rather significant number of Ferraris on the show floor; in particular the new 458 Italia. That being said, we thought it worth a post to share with you the modified 458s becase after all, who doesn’t love Ferraris. (OK, maybe a few Lambo guys don’t, but besides them, we think we have a pretty strong argument here).

We’ve checked out Oakley Designs’ rendition of Ferrari’s 458 Italia before and now we’ll have a chance to see it in person in the HRE booth at this year’s SEMA show. By far one of the cleanest styling packages we have seen for the new Italia, the British tuner looks to to give it the American spotlight with its North American debut at the largest aftermarket show in America.

The Ferrari aficionado who commissioned the one-off 612 GTS Pavesi must have been a fan of Bon Jovi and Trans Am’s in a previous life, because he somehow decided that the base Ferrari 612 wasn’t awesome enough – it needed a T-Top.

This particular 612 was allegedly done by Ferrari’s in-house customization program, and also sports a Tubi exhaust and an apparent output of 550 horsepower. The name “Pavesi” is also shared with an Italian go-kart engine manufacturer, giving a clue to who the owner may be. The carbon fiber roof must have cost a lot to engineer and install, and only an industrial magnate would have the budget for such an expenditure. Rock on, bro.

[Source: Autoblog]

Movie producer turned investor and serious car nut James Glickenhaus has just revealed the final renderings of what his P4/5 Competizione race car will look like. Set to compete at next year’s Nurburgring 24 Hour race, the car is a followup to his Ferrari Enzo-based P4/5 supercar that was designed by Pininfarina.

Wraps are easily becoming the new aesthetic modification of the future. The offer owners a fairly cost-efficient method of changing the entire look of their vehicle, without having permanent ramifications. If you get bored of it, you can simply peel it off and go back to the stock look. And with any style that catches on and demand goes up, enthusiasts find new and better ways to set themselves apart from the crowd. This Ferrari F40 went the route of a full on carbon fiber wrap as opposed to just a more common flat black wrap.

James Glickenhaus’ bespoke race car, the P 4/5 Competizione, has competitive ambitions, and the team has announced a driver lineup of veteran wheelmen, some with a more extensive Ferrari background than others.

EVOMS is known for its “intelligent tuning” capabilities on some of the world’s finest luxury and exotics. Their lineup of ECU upgrades includes products for Porsches, Lamborghinis, AMG Mercedes, Bentleys, Bugattis, Ferraris, Maseratis, VWs and Audis. In short, some of the greatest creations that sport four wheels.

Yes, you’ve got yourself a Ferrari 458 Italia and while you absolutely love the vehicle, you want to do a little something to spice it up and set it apart from your neighbors identical version. But you don’t want to go overboard or scream “Hey look at me!” so what do you do? Well now you’ve got yourself a great option with replacement carbon fiber accessory parts straight from Maranello.

We’ve already seen video of Ferrari‘s new 458 Challenge race car testing on the track, but it’s not something that gets old quickly. That being said, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share some more great video of the track-only version of the latest and greatest Prancing Horse.

It’s official, having a twin turbo Ferrari Enzo that can hit 238-mph is no longer a big deal. In fact, that’s just a snails pace compared to this 288 GTO that went 275.4-mph (averaged over two runs) out at the Bonneville Salt Flats this year. This makes it the World’s Fastest Ferrari and the World’s Fastest Sports Car. It was about 3-mph faster than the previous record holder. But there’s a catch – this 1988 288 GTO isn’t all genuine Ferrari.

Owner Steve Trafton teamed up with P4 by Norwood, a renowned Ferrari tuning shop, to swap out the stock GTO heart for a GM V8 540 ci big block motor. Take the giant V8, toss on a pair of Borg Warner 80mm turbochargers with 17 psi of boost and that nets you 275.4-mph passes. We’re guessing the power plant puts out close to 1,000-whp if not more.

So while the body and chassis is all Italian Ferrari, the power to set the record belongs to American GM. We’d probably pin an * next to World’s Fastest Ferrari, but still an awesome project nonetheless.

[Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer via  Autoblog]

Check out the video after the break.

Do you remember what you got for your 18th birthday? Was it an iPod? Maybe a laptop for college? Perhaps just a hug and kiss from your mom and dad? Or even worse, you don’t even remember. Well this kid won’t have that problem, because for his 18th birthday he got himself a very rare Ferrari 599 GTOs.

And better yet, this is just one of many cars in his collection that he shares with his dad. When he was a mere 15 years of age, he got an Audi R8 V8 that his dad didn’t really like much. His daily driver is an ML63 and he also shares a Porsche Panamera with his dad. But those vehicles barely hold a light to what else is in the garage – we spy a Bugatti Veyron and two Scurerias.

Truth be told, we rolled our eyes a tad when we first saw the post, along with many forum members on Luxury4Play. But as the thread grew, along with the skepticism, some forum members revealed that he is a fairly well respected member of the community and is quite mature, all things considered. We sure know if we got an 18 year old Ferrari 599 GTO for our 18th birthday we’d be like a little kid in the candy store bragging to each and every internet-friend we have.

The owner remains anonymous to this day, but we’re glad to see he’s got a good head on his shoulders despite being offered some of life’s finest luxuries that very few get to experience. It’s more than we can say about our good ‘ol friend Nick Hogan.

[Source: Luxury4Play]

Check out all the pics of the 599 GTO, plus the rest of the exotics in this 18 year-old’s stable after the jump:

You thought having a Ferrari Enzo was cool enough these days? How about a twin turboed one that set a class speed record (and subsequently an Enzo top speed record) of 238 mph? Our only regret is not being able to hear just how amazing this piece of machinery must sound – at idle and at 200+ mph.

A company known for high-performance vehicles, Ferrari unveiled a new, more environmentally-friendly model at the Paris Auto Show. Based on the California, the California HELE (High Emotion Low Emissions) model produces 23 percent fewer emissions than the standard model – although Ferrari hasn’t released how much fuel economy has been improved by.

Some may say it looks a little like a Corvette Convertible, regardless, there’s no denying the Ferrari 599 SA Aperta is classically beautiful. With just 80 models being built, the SA Aperta is ultra-exclusive (they made five times as many Enzos) and celebrates 80 years of Pininfarina design. The name itself honors the design house – in particular Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina.

Fiat is considering a partial sale of Ferrari in order to finance further ownership of U.S. automaker Chrysler. As insane as the idea is of selling some of what might just be the best and one of the most profitable automakers in the world in order to purchase a further stake in one of those held in the lowest esteem and with some of the largest financial hurdles, that is reportedly the case according to Il Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily newspaper.

If you can’t afford a Ferrari, perhaps you should think about purchasing the all-new Hasselblad H4D Ferrari Limited Edition camera. On second thought, you probably won’t be able to afford that either.

After taking a look at Anderson Germany’s Ferrari California offering, we were excited to find out the tuning firm had just released a package for the Ferrari F430 Scuderia.

To celebrate Pininfarina’s 80th anniversary, Ferrari has released its most exclusive vehicle ever – the SA Aperta. The name itself is in honor of Sergio and Andrea Pinfarina and just 80 of the vehicles will be built – all of which have already been sold. For the record, that’s just a fifth of the production of the notoriously rare Enzo.

It may look a lot like a real car, but the photo above (and the ones below) are 3D renderings created by John Mark Vicente of JMVDesign.

Much like many automotive enthusiasts in the world, when Ferrari showed off the new 458 Italia, John Vicente wasn’t really fond of the initial design. He decided to revamp it with his vision, making it more aggressive and, subsequently, a lot more appealing.

Sure it’s a little Lamborghini-esque, but we can’t say we hate it. John’s whole design actually looks more in line with what we would have envisioned Ferrari to have done in the first place. The aggressive nature of this 458 Italia GT really shows what Ferrari is all about, while the aggressive rear diffuser and spoiler give it a real race car look.

We wonder how long it will be before we see some tuning company transform this vision into reality.

[Source: Jon Sibal]

See all the renderings after the jump:

Apparently having your run-of-the-mill Ferrari F430 Scuderia Spider isn’t cool enough anymore. To be really cool, you have to shell out $650,000 for this full carbon fiber model. Yes, the entire body is made of carbon fiber… and so are the wheels. The body itself was crafted by Carrozzeria Zanasi, Maranello’s premier bodywork specialist. Needless to say it’s flawless inside and out, and even in the engine bay – due partly to the fact that this Scud only has 126 miles on the odometer.

Ferrari‘s 612 Scaglietti has always been the odd man out in the Ferrari lineup. More of a grand touring car than any of the other F-cars, the odd looks, four seat configuration and lower profile than the other models, the Scaglietti is a rare sight, even among Ferraris, for all the wrong reasons. In fact, it’s the only Ferrari you can walk into a dealer and buy for MSRP.

Ferrari has announced a virtual racing simulator, titled Ferrari Virtual Academy, that allows any enthusiast to discover what it’s like behind the wheel of a Ferrari F10 single-seat F1 car. And apparently it’s the only PC simulator to do this. Best of all, it’s available for a really cheap price, $19. That gets you access to the Fiorano Circuit. And for another $12.75 you can get access to the Mugello and Nürburgring circuits.

While Ferrari is recalling all those beautiful 458 Italias out on the road due to a fire hazard, Amalgam Fine Model Cars has released a $5,000 1:8th scale replica of the Italian machine. Looks like some clever marketing to us, then again, maybe it’s just a coincidence.

Ferrari‘s next supercar and the successor to the Enzo will use hybrid technology. “That car will incorporate the state of the art of our knowledge in terms of increasing performances while reducing fuel consumption and emissions. It will then influence all Ferraris that appear after it,” said Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo in an interview with AutoWeek.

According to at least one report, Ferrari will unveil a “green” concept car based on the California at the Paris Auto Show. Rather than use electricity or a complex hybrid system, the concept is expected to focus on how more conventional techniques can be used to make significant advances in fuel economy and help reduce emissions.

Ladies, you know those mornings when you’re in a rush and you can’t get your hair dried quick enough? Well, now there’s one less thing to worry about on those days when you’re on the go. Conair BaByliss Pro is now offering a hair dryer actually comes with a Ferrari engine to power it. Imagine the bouffant ‘dos you’ll be able to create with this beauty.

Ferrari is quietly recalling 1,248 of its 458 Italia supercars due to a fire hazard that has seen multiple well publicized incidents of the 458 Italia catching on fire.

Just because we didn’t bring you any photos of the Ferrari 599 Spyder from Pebble Beach, it doesn’t necessarily mean the car wasn’t there. And no, it didn’t slip past our camera lens.

After previous reports that Ferrari would launch a 458 Spider with a soft-top, Italian outlet Auto.it is indicating we’ll get a retractable glass-top model instead. This setup would be similar to the one found on the 575 Superamerica, where the glass top would slide in behind the passenger compartment.

Ferrari won’t confirm as much, but it’s believed the Italian automaker has recalled its new 458 Italia model after as many as four vehicles were damaged (or altogether destroyed) after spontaneously combusting like a Spinal Tap drummer. The vehicles created headlines (at least in automotive circles), with many blaming engineering while others blamed the drivers.

Later this week, a many as 100 high-powered exotics will partake in the first ever “Race the Base” charity fundraiser at the Canadian Forces base in Cold Lake, Alberta, culminating in a shootout between a CF-18 fighter jet an an 860-hp twin-turbo Ferrari Enzo.

The event is a collaboration between Calgary, AB exotic car sales and service center ZR Auto and CFB Cold Lake, with participants paying a $1,500 registration fee that will go towards supporting four different charities: Military Families Support Society, Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, Bonnyville Health Foundation and Hearts for Health Care.

Registered owners will be able to test the speed of their cars on the 3.7 kilometer, 8-lane wide airstrip and the event will also include a car show, parade, a school for participating drivers, practice sessions and an appearance by the Snowbirds.

The “Race the Base” fundraiser will culminate in the Enzo vs CF-18 shootout, with speed freak and event organizer Zahir Rana (of ZR Auto) testing his “World’s Fastest Ferrari Enzo” against the fighter jet.

Those looking to buy tickets or participate can get more info at www.zrauto.ca.

The vent takes place at CFB Cold Lake August 27-28.

[Source: The Vancouver Sun]

Owners of Ferrari‘s new 458 Italia are taking delivery of their coveted exotics and it seems that more than just a few of those owners are quickly learning to do without. Several incidents of 458 fires have made headlines over the past month, compounded by the usual group of excited owners wrecking their cars.

Back in 2006, Provo, UT resident Richard Lossee crashed his Ferrari Enzo at over 100 mph during a sanctioned road rally. Rather than let the car go to waste, he opted to re-build it. But with its prospective resale value shot, what could really be done with it? Richard, a.k.a. “Our Idol” decided to build a twin-turbo monster with the express purpose of assaulting the Bonneville Salt Flats. Skinny tires? Check. Parachute? Check. Lexan windows? Check. Aerodynamic nose-cone? Check.

Got your hands on the beautiful and exotic Ferrari California? Finding it a little too mundane for your tastes now? Have no fear because Anderson Germany has released a styling and performance package for every avid California owner out there.

We’re really digging the demo car that they built showing off a fancy white and black theme. Plenty of carbon fiber is scattered throughout the exterior and can be seen on the hood, front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear bumper. The wheels feature a classy split-five spoke design in a 21-inch and 22-inch variety with a carbon fiber center. Lowering can be adjusted between 1.37-inch (35mm) lower to 1.57-inch (40mm) higher.

As for performance, Anderson Germany goes above and beyond Ferrari’s R&D to eke out another 55-hp taking the stock 453-hp to 508-hp. The 4.3L V8 produces more power thanks to Anderson Germany’s ECU retune and a valve-controlled stainless steel exhaust system. The exhaust offers three different modes conveniently controlled by a remote.

And if you’re still not content with the extra power and carbon, interior modifications are plentiful with carbon fiber trim throughout.

GALLERY: Anderson Germany Ferrari California

Official press release available after the break.

As though the Ferrari 599XX isn’t mean enough looking, a few owners have decided to turn the car’s badass dial up to 11 with matte-gray and matte-black paint jobs. The photos were taken by Sevan Calians are from a private event at the world famous Paul Ricard circuit where owners were able to fully test the car’s 700-hp V12 engine and incredible aerodynamics.

Also of interest from the photos are two shots, the first showing what appears to be Horacio Pagani, and the second showing the Pagani Zonda R on track with the 599XX. What makes this so interesting is that Ferrari and Pagani have a bit of a rivalry going on right now, with Ferrari claiming a production-based Nürburgring record of 6:58, which was promptly annihilated by the Zonda R with a 6:47 time. It’s nice to see that the rivalry is a friendly one.

Check out plenty of pics of the matte-black and matte-gray 599XX at the links below.

[Source: Sevan Calians Flicker Photo Stream via  JonSibal]

On display for the first time even, Ferrari chose the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to display the one-off P540 Superfast Aperta. One of the first vehicles to come from Ferrari’s Special Projects program (others including the Enzo-based P4/5 and the F430-based SP1), underneath this gold beauty is a Ferrari 599 chassis.

Surrounded by “ The Great Ferraris” the 599 GTO was arguably the star attraction of the Ferrari exhibit at The Quail – one of the many high profile events leading up to Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Sharing podium space with the Ferrari California and the very new 458 Italia, the 599 GTO is the fastest street legal model from the Prancing Horse.

With too many classics and legendary vehicles to list, on display at this year’s The Quail Motorsports Gathering in Monterey, CA we simply can’t ignore the incredible selection of Ferrari models. Running under the banner of “The Great Ferraris” the models on display did not disappoint in celebrating the Prancing Horse’s iconic history.

For its second year under new ownership and at the new Laguna Seca Golf Ranch location, Concorso Italiano continues to grow. With the numerous other events on the Monterey Peninsula leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Concorso Italiano is one of the few that caters to late model vehicles – although it does also celebrate Italian classics.

As planned, the annual Concorso Italiano festival brought together a collection of Ferrari F40s from across the continent so that the owners, and onlookers, could revel in their minimalist glory. Destined to be one of the most collectible Ferraris of all time, the F40 is a bare-bones street legal race car powered by an awesome twin-turbo 2.9-liter V8 engine. Making 471-hp, it weighed just 2,400 lbs thanks to a carbon-Kevlar body and did not have traction control – meaning we’re surprised so many have survived.

The very first special project vehicle made by Ferrari, the SP1 made its North American debut at Concorso Italiano today, one of the lead-up events to Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Owned by Junichiro Hiramatsu of Japan, the SP1 features custom bodywork by Leonardo Fioravanti, who’s past works for Ferrari include the Dino, Daytona, P5, P6, 512 Berlinetta Boxer, 365 GT4 2+2, the 308 GTB and the 288 GTO. The SP1 was built under the auspices of Ferrari, and is fully sanctioned by the company.

The latest in a long line of douchebags writing off exotic cars is one gentleman who apparently took delivery of a Ferrari 458 Italia at Ferrari’s Maranello factory, only to write it off 24 hours later.

The video features the predictable burnouts and revving-really-high-in-a-low-gear type of behavior prone to 17 year old Honda drivers, but then cuts to video of the 458 French kissing a pole. No footage of the actual accident is shown, perhaps to spare the driver further embarrassment…or because it was staged?

Hit the jump to see the full video

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Vroom, Vroom! Get your morning revved up with a caffeine jolt from The Racepresso.

Michael Schumacher, 7 time Formula 1 world champion and current driver for the Mercedes GP team, has always come under fire for his less-than-graceful attempts at punting his rivals off the track.

With only a small selection of photos available, we’re certain you haven’t seen enough of the Ferrari 458 Challenge and so we’re excited to bring you several minutes of video of the newest Ferrari racer.

According to Ferrari the new 458 Challenge weighs significantly less than the production model, although specific numbers have not been given. In addition, this race car gets aluminum bushings, stiffer springs that lower the car by 30mm, 19-inch racing wheels and wider Pirelli racing slicks. Ferrari claims it’s capable of 1.6 Gs of lateral acceleration. Also included are a new generation of Brembo carbon ceramic brakes (called CCM2), that first debuted on the 599XX.

And for the first time on a Ferrari Challenge car, the Prancing Horse has decided to equip its gentleman racers with traction control. The F1-Trac system constantly monitors grip to deliver the most power possible, with a dry track and wet track setting. And because these are real Ferrari race cars, drivers can also opt for CT-OFF on the steering wheel-mounted manettino to completely shut off the TC system.

Compared to the F430 Challenge car, Ferrari claims the 458 Challenge is two seconds a lap faster on its Fiorano test circuit, setting a new record time of 1:16.5.

The 458 Challenge will run alongside its 430 Challenge predecessor in the 2011 Series, while the latter is phased out. Ferrari also plans to expand its Ferrari Challenge series next year, adding a new series in the Asia-Pacific region.

[Source: MotorMorph]

See the video after the jump:

They might not get you across the finish line, but these miniatures are still winners. Ferrari is celebrating the cars that have made their mark on the automotive landscape. From the superb 599 GTO that made its impressive launch at Beijing Motor Show, to the short wheelbase version of the Spider 250 California that debuted Geneva show in 1960, you can now own a little piece of Ferrari memorabilia.

Sometimes it’s hard not to be jealous at those lucky enough to own exotics from Ferrari or Lamborghini. It’s natural, we understand. But we gotta say, it’s extra tough when we see a Ferrari owner that’s able to take their F430 over to Underground Racing, pick out a twin turbo kit and throw down 1,000-hp.

This isn’t the first time we’ve been entertained by a video starring Underground Racing’s vehicles. Instead of a Lamborghini though, this time we’re treated with some exciting footage focused on the 1,000-hp creation. The video does a fantastic job highlighting the car itself and takes us through some of its dyno runs where we can hear the V8 in all its pure, unadulterated glory. Feast your eyes and ears guys and gals, this is the true way of owning an exotic.

Check out the video after the break!

[Source: YouTube]

After teasing us with just one photo of the all-new 458 Challenge race car, Ferrari has released a small selection of additional pictures for the car that will replace the 430 Challenge in the Ferrari Challenge Series.

Ever wanted to laugh at the plebian masses in the Ferrari F430s and Lamborghini Gallardos? Ever wanted to do it from the other side of the car’s cabin? Now you can, if you are Scrooge McDuck and have the requisite amount of gold coins needed to buy the Sultan of Brunei’s Ferrari F50, one of two right hand drive models produced.

Ferrari announced its financial results today, and the company has wasted no time in gloating that sales in the USA are up 10% while Chinese sales are up 20%, a number that is “likely to rise further still in the coming months”.

With the Ferrari 458 Challenge official revealed just last week, we have come to expect plenty more Ferrari 458 Italia race cars coming around. Now as realistic as this Ferrari 458 Italia may look, it’s simply a render done by the uber-talented Jon Sibal. We all know = that inevitably there will be a Ferrari 458 Italia GT race car to replace the current F430 GT, so why not indulge ourselves in what it could potentially look like?

Perhaps its divine punishment for that awful, gaudy Polo shirt, but some poor shmuck’s Ferrari 458 Italia went up in flames in Paris earlier this month.

After bringing you some of the first unofficial pics of Ferrari‘s F430 Challenge successor, we now have the one-and-only first official photo of the new 458 Challenge race car.

According to Ferrari, the new 458 Challenge weighs significantly less than the production model, although specific numbers have not been given. In addition, this race car gets aluminum bushings, stiffer springs that lower the car by 30mm, 19-inch racing wheels and wider Pirelli racing slicks. Ferrari claims it’s capable of 1.6 Gs of lateral acceleration. Also included are a new generation of Brembo carbon ceramic brakes (called CCM2), that first debuted on the 599XX.

And for the first time on a Ferrari Challenge car, the Prancing Horse has decided to equip its gentleman racers with traction control. The F1-Trac system constantly monitors grip to deliver the most power possible, with a dry track and wet track setting. And because these are real Ferrari race cars, drivers can also opt for CT-OFF on the steering wheel-mounted manettino to completely shut off the traction control system.

Compared to the F430 Challenge car, Ferrari claims the 458 Challenge is two seconds a lap faster on its Fiorano test circuit, setting a new record time of 1:16.5.

The 458 Challenge will run alongside its 430 Challenge predecessor in the 2011 Series, while the latter is phased out. Ferrari also plans to expand its Ferrari Challenge series next year, adding a new series in the Asia-Pacific region.

Get all the official details after the jump:

The replacement for the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti may come with a newly-developed all-wheel drive system from the Italian automaker. The source for the story is the well connected admin (DJ) on TeamSpeed, who claims his source inside Maranello has confirmed the AWD setup. This same individual also just brought us the very first photos of the 458 Challenge race car.

Thanks to the well-connected folks at TeamSpeed, we have these first photos of the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge car, that will replace the current F430 Challenge cars in the Italian automaker’s gentleman racing series.