Ferrari Service Bay Area - 2013 Ferrari 458 GT3 Spotted Testing - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

Ferrari presented numerous racing versions of their V8-flagship, the 458 Italia. There is the 458 Challenge for Ferrari’s spec racing series, the 458 GT2 that competes in the GTE class at Le Mans and the FIA WEC, the 458 Grand Am that campaigns in the US, and the 458 GT3 that has taken various trophies at a huge variety of sportscar racing series around the world.

A prototype of the updated 458 GT3 took to Adria International Raceway in Italy for some testing. The test, organized by Ferrari’s Corse Clienti department, along with motorsports firm Michelotto Automobili, was aimed at evaluating many of the car’s updates.



With the latest updates, Ferrari has been preparing for the next season. The 2013 Ferrari 458 GT3 will benefit from optimized aerodynamics to keep it out in front of such rivals as the McLaren MP4-12C GT3, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and Audi R8 LMS Ultra.

It can be identified by its widened fender, a huge GT wing and an aggressive body kit. Its engine has a redline of 9,000 rpm, a limited output of 550hp and it gets a special sequential transmission.

source: http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/12/29/spyshots-2013-ferrari-458-gt3-spotted-testing/
by Fabian


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Ferrari Service and Sales San Francisco - 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Series I For Sale in US for $41 million - San Francisco Motorsports - San Rafael

Ever since its inception back in the early 1960’s, the Ferrari 250 GTO has always been one of the world’s most desirable cars with a handful of 250 GTO’s have been sold for well over $20 million in recent years. In fact, one recently sold for $35 million back in June, making it the most expensive transaction ever involving a car.

However, if the list price of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Series I finished in red is met, then it’s set to become the most expensive GTO ever sold. Currently listed at $41 million on Anamera, the site promises that this car has been very well cared for in the past, is in exceptional condition and one of the finest 250 GTO’s in the world.

The car is up for sale by Ed Classics in the United Kingdom, and is left-hand drive, manual and features a completely blacked out interior.

At the moment it seems as though this particular 250 GTO will be sold privately, rather than at an open auction, meaning that a selling price is unlikely to ever be known if the car does indeed sell.
Just 36 Series I cars were ever built, making it one of the rarest supercars ever produced and features a 3.0 liter V12 engine producing 300hp and a five-speed manual transmission.

source: http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/12/18/1962-ferrari-250-gto-series-i-for-sale-in-us-for-41-million/
by Brad Anderson


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Ferrari Service and Sales Bay Area - Alex is a journalist for the day with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

 It’s not every day that you get the chance to interview Fernando Alonso, just ask all the journalists who try and prise an exclusive with the Spanish driver out of the Maranello press office. But good fortune fell on Alex, who won the “Journalist for a day” competition organised by the Santander Bank for children of the media representatives who were at the Ciudad Financera di Boadilla del Monte yesterday for the traditional Christmas time event.

In this video you can watch the whole interview in Spanish, also available with English and Italian subtitles.

source: http://www.ferrari.com/english/formula1/news/headlines/Pages/121213-alex-is-a-journalist-for-the-day.aspx

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Ferrari Service and Sales San Francisco - This is the amazing Christmas wonderland Ferrari builds for kids every year - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

Granted, when we think of a "Ferrari Christmas Wonderland" our dreams naturally manifest something like a red FF with a bow on the hood and keys on the seat, parked in front of a Fiorano Circuit that's ours for the day. A guy's gotta dream, right?

But, luckily for a lot of beaming children and their grateful, non-selfish parents, Ferrari's gift back to the people of Maranello is far more festive. The Italian automaker clearly pulls out all of the stops for its annual Kids Christmas party to celebrate the season. The event, which sees the Ferrari grounds transformed in to a veritable amusement park in a holiday theme, seems pretty massive of scale and impressive in its detail.

Click through to the video clip below to see what we mean, and pay special attention about two-thirds of the way through, when a special contingent of 'Santas' drop by to say "Boun Natale."

Source: Autoblog
by Seyth Miersma

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Ferrari Service and Sales San Francisco - Ferrari F150 next Enzo photos - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

 

The pictures show the nose of the car and feature swept-back headlights and an attractive sculpted bonnet.

Ferrari has revealed the first official images of the F150 project that will be the successor to the Enzo.

The first official images of the highly anticipated successor for the Ferrari Enzo - codename F150 - have popped up in the Italian sports car maker’s in house magazine. The pictures show the nose of the car and feature swept-back headlights and an attractive sculpted bonnet.

The Enzo replacement is rumoured to use a 7.3-litre V12 together with an F1 style KERS electric motor to develop in excess of 590kW of power. That’s significantly more than the legendary original Enzo which produced 478 kW.

That sort of power combined with significant weight savings - which Ferrari has already foreshadowed at The Paris Motor Show with their carbon fibre chassis – is guaranteed to result in exhilarating performance. The new Ferrari is tipped to have relentless acceleration and a 0-100km/h time of less than 3 seconds. There’s also talk of a double clutch gearbox and ceramic brakes as standard but that’s to be expected for such a flamboyant supercar.

When this top of the range Italian stallion goes on sale sometime in late 2013 it is unlikely to retain the F150 codename given the 2011 legal stoush with Ford over the name. It seems The Blue oval were upset about alleged misappropriating of the famous Ford F-150 pickup name when Ferrari tried to name their 2011 F1 car F150. As a result the successor to the Enzo is rumoured to be wearing a F70 badge.

source: carsguide
by Vlad Manu

 

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Ferrari Service and Sales Bay Area - History of the Ferrari 275 GTB - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

 

During the late sixties, Ferraris road-oriented berlinettas split in terms of design from their race cars. After the 250 short wheelbase berlinetta, the dual purpose road / race Ferrari seemed gone. This new distinction motivated Ferrari to manufacture more civil road cars having impressive specification. The first example of this new trend was the 275 GTB. 

The 275 GTB/GTS was debuted in October 1964 at the Paris Salon. It was designed by Pininfarina and built by Scagliettie. The 275 GTB was based on the 250 GT Berlinetta Lusson and the 250 GTO. The GTS version drew styling from the 330 GT 2+2. Production continued through 1966.
The fastback Berlinetta coupe was the GTB series. This version was meant for driving on the road and at the track. The Open Spyder was the GTS series designed to replace the 250 California. This version was more comfortable and more suited for touring. Around 200 examples of the GTS were created during its two year production.

Being light, powerful and strikingly beautiful, the 275 was a very successful car for Ferrari. It sold well, with around 1000 examples made, and, as an afterthought, scored victories in endurance racing after the 250 LM was denied homologation. 

By moving the transmission to rear of the car, better weight distribution was achieved. The engine used was a Colombo-derived V-12 engine that produced 260 horsepower in the GTS and 280 horsepower in the GTB. With the GTB version, an option was given to the buyer to purchase the vehicle with three or six Weber carburetors.

In 1965, Ferrari created three examples of the 275 GTB for the purpose of endurance motor sport racing. The vehicles were dubbed the 275 GTB/C and outfitted with a light-weight aluminum body, air vents for the brakes, six carburetors, and a 320 horsepower engine, and a few other minor mechanical modifications.

In 1966 the 275 GTB was re-introduced with a four-cam version of the V12. Six Webber carburetors aided in delivering around 300 horsepower. To cope with the new power, the GTB/4 was given wider tires and a ZF limited-slip differential. The 4 in the name GTB/4 represented the twin camshafts per cylinder bank totaling four. This was the first quad-cam road-going Ferrari ever created. It was easily distinguished by its bulge in the hood. During its production run lasting until 1968, around 320 examples of the 275 GTB/4 were created.

The 275 P and P2 were purpose built to Capture the World Championship and in the process beat Ford. The 275 P was powered by a 3.3-liter powerplant; a 4 and 4.4 liter version were also used. These mid-engined, open-topped cars were comprised of many of the same components as the road-going versions.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2006
source: http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z8785/Ferrari-275-GTB.aspx

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Ferrari Service and Sales - Ferrari 458 Spider at the Stelvio Pass - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

The Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps shot to worldwide attention when the team at Top Gear visited this legendary road back in Season 10 for their quest to find the greatest driving road in the world.

The road is still considered as one of the best roads for automotive enthusiasts and in a recent episode of Car & Driver Abroad, Jethro Bovingdon traced the Stelvio Road in the Ferrari 458 Spider to both test the car at its absolute limits while simultaneously experiencing the wonder of such a road.

source: http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/12/17/video-ferrari-458-spider-at-the-stelvio-pass/
BY BRAD ANDERSON

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Ferrari Sales San Francisco - Video: Ferrari 458 Italia at 341km/h - San Francisco motorsports San Rafael

RSR Nurburg did a great video their Ferrari 458 Italia putting in a few high speed runs on the German Autobahn. In the video you will see the Italian supercar traveling through the German countryside at speeds of up to 341 Km/h?

 

 

source: http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/11/29/video-ferrari-458-italia-at-341kmh/
by Lawrence

 

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Ferrari Service San Francisco - Evren Milano Designs One-Off Ferrari 770 Daytona - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

In an automotive world where one-off supercars are becoming the norm, thanks to the array of special Pagani Zonda’s out there not to mention Eric Clapton’s custom Ferrari 458 Italia, it comes as no surprise that yet another prospective designer has jumped aboard the bandwagon to create what he hopes will be built in conjunction with Pininfarina in a car dubbed the 770 Daytona.

Only one rendering of the 770 Daytona has been released thus far but from the image it’s immediately apparent that this car is certainly something extremely special. Taking heavy inspiration from the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, the front end of the car features completely unique headlights which harp back to the good ‘ole days of grand touring in one’s original Ferrari Daytona.

If the car were given the green light to be produced, Evren Milano believes it could be constructed around either the new F12 Berlinetta or its predecessor, the 599 GTB Fiorano considering both cars have similar proportions.

There is just one small hurdle stopping the 770 Daytona from reaching the production line (even in limited numbers) and that is finding prospective buyers. Additionally, it has not yet been confirmed if Ferrari is in fact in favour of such a venture.

source: gtspirit.com
by Brad Anderson

 

Ferrari Service San Francisco - Over 30,000 fans at Valencia for the Ferrari party - San Francisco Motor Sports San Rafael

Cheste (Valencia), 2 December – Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit was today the stage for the most eagerly-anticipated spectacle of the four days of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari, the event that traditionally rounds off the Maranello company’s competitive season which has been attended by more than 30,000 fans this weekend alone.

The Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team took to the track together with the main stars who raced for Ferrari this year in the international Gran Turismo competitions. This led to a truly unique show that was worthy of the legend of the Prancing Horse: an appearance by over fifty historic cars. It was led away by two Californias driven by Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni with Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and Managing Director Amedeo Felisa on board.

The extraordinary parade then continued with the five models that have raced in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli championship, which reached its 20th anniversary this year. Each ar in the hands of one of the Scuderia’s drivers: Marc Genè at the wheel of a 348 Challenge, Davide Rigon on board a F355 Challenge, Jules Bianchi with a 360 Challenge, Felipe Massa in a F430 Challenge and Fernando Alonso driving a 458 Challenge. They all exchanged places on the track to celebrate the success of this long-lived championship that since 1993 has offered both professional drivers and gentleman drivers the chance to race on the world’s finest circuits.

The second part of the show then saw a parade by the 458 GTs brought to the track by the Italian team AF Corse, which secured the Teams title in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team also had a distinguished year in the Spanish International GT Open series and in the Blancpain Endurance Championship, along with the cars of the teams AIM Autosport and JMW Racing who put in prize-winning performances in the prestigious Le Mans Series and Grand AM champoinships. The final act of today’s celebrations then saw Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso at the wheel of two F60s. They put in a few laps of the track and a pit stop simulation before the traditional photo together with all the stars of the intense four days in Spain and a final greeting to all the clients and passionate fans present.

source: http://corseclienti.ferrari.com/2012en/2012/12/30000-fans-valencia-ferrari-party/


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Ferrari Sales and Service Bay Area - Ferrari 288 GTO Buying tips - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

Good

• Historically significant Ferrari that bridged the past and future
• Competition raison d'etre promises a very involving, exhilarating driving experience
• Despite that mind-bending performance, it is tractable and comfortable enough for daily use
• Beautiful lines and is much more elegant than its F40 successor
• Very reliable when driven and serviced regularly

Bad

• Looks similiar to a standard 308 that costs 1/10th the price
• Bad panel fit and alignment are not up to Ferrari standards
• Though state of the art in 1984, turbos suffer from the low rpm lag
• Lacks v-12 wail
• Limited production numbers reduce quality offerings

Buyer's Check list

Green Flags

• Documented one or two owner history
• On street registered cars, proper EPA and DOT releases
• Major services done, regardless of miles
• Compression of 160-170
• No type of body or paint work

Red Flags

• No records or books
• Broker to broker owner history
• Cars used on race track
• Oil around intake pipes
• Clutch not functioning problems with the bellhousing

source: Forza 17, June 1999
by Winston Goodfellow

Ferrari Sales and Service San Francisco - Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer Buying Tips - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

What to look for when buying a Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer





Good

• The engine is very flexible and robust
• When properly serviced, it is reliable
• Body rust is not a problem
• Good a/c on later cars

Bad

• Clutches can be problematice
• Interior and paint wears quickly on earlier cars
• Carbureted cars are expensive and difficult to smog
• High center of gravity makes for twichy handling at the limit
• As this was never a US model, you can find shoddy EPA and DOT work
• If improperly maintainted, it can be expensive to repair

Buyer's Check list

Green Flags

• Worn paint and interior doesn't mean a car is mechanically shoddy
• All smog equipemtn is in place and working
• A straight frame
• Documented, under 50,000 miles on the odometer
• Service records that verify milaage claims
• Current California BAR sticker in the door jam

Red Flags

• Weak clutch
• Second gear synchro and transaxle problems (especially on 365s)
• No smog, EPA and/or DOT releases
• Chassis with crimped or kinked frame rails
• No service records to verify mileage
• Excessive smoke out the tail pipes on cold start

source:  Forza 9, February 1998
by Winston Goodfellow

Ferrari Service San Francisco - Ferrari Belinetta Boxer History - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer was produced between 1973 through 1984 with a total of 2,323 examples of all 'BB' models produced. This was a very important model for the Ferrari marque, and one that followed in the footsteps of the mid-engined road car, the 206 GT Dino. Mid-engine placement had been proven to be a useful technique in improving handling and performance; Cooper was one of the first marque's to showcase the potential in motor sports. 

When Ferrari introduced their 206 GT Dino, they also introduced a model that stayed true to their heritage, with the 'cart before the horse.' The 365 GT/4 Daytona front-engined car was a phenomenal vehicle, equipped with a V12 power plant, and soon became legendary.

The 365 GT4 BB, for Berlinetta Boxer, was introduced at the 1971 Turin Motor Show. It incorporated many design features from the P6 Show Car of 1968. Mounted mid-ship was a flat-12 engine which shared its design and construction with Ferrari's racing program. It was introduced to rival Lamborghini's Miura. The production version was shown at the 1973 Paris Motor Show with sales beginning that same year. A total of 386 were constructed with 58 being right hand drive. 

The flat-12 engine was longitudinally mounted in the engine bay at a 180-degree angle with the gearbox mounted directly under the engine. The flaw in this design was too much weight in just one place and not evenly dispersed throughout the vehicle. Sixty percent of the weight was in the rear, as well as the engine sitting rather high since it was above the gearbox. 

In 1976 at the Paris Motor Show Ferrari introduced their next iteration of the BB series, the 512 BB. This version brought changes to the vehicles design along with a five-liter power plant. The triple tail lights were replaced with double units. 

In 1981 the 512 BBi was introduced. The 'i' signified a fuel injection system. The 512 BBi remained in production until 1984 when it was replaced by the Ferrari Testarossa.
By Daniel Vaughan |
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z8808/Ferrari-512-BBi.aspx


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