The all-new 2018 Ferrari Monza SP2 showing of its stunning red interior.
Only the most loyal and committed Ferrari clients were invited for a private viewing in Maranello on the 17th of September 2018. They were delighted with the launch of two new cars: the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2.
Let’s start with the name. Ferrari is not shy of hinting back to historical models with their new cars. The new Ferrari Monza is no difference as it received the same name as the 1950s Monza. Those beautiful race cars sported a four-cylinder or V12, depending on which Monza you are talking about. Just like the Monza, the new Ferrari Monza comes in two variants: a one-seater (SP1) and a two-seater (SP2).
Both cars wear the chassis of the Ferrari 812 Superfast, but the carbon-flooded bodywork is really something else. It simply is one of the most radical designs for a road-legal car in the past few years. The doors open just like the LaFerrari Aperta, the rear-light spans all the way from the left to the right and the front is a real art piece hinting to the 250 Testarossa.
‘’The new Monza SP1 and SP2 are the first models in a new concept of limited-edition special series called Icona’’. We’re very excited to see what Ferrari has in store for us with future models.
This particular bodywork is called barchetta and simply means ‘’little boat’’ in Italian.
(Performance) figures
The naturally aspirated V12 hides under the stylishly designed front hood and packs an incredible 810 bhp, which means it can take you from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 2.9 seconds. You’ll reach 200 km/h (124 mph) just five seconds later. Ferrari will produce 100 units and all have been sold to close clients.
We received a lot of comments and messages on our Instagram stating that the car is pretty similar to the SLR Stirling Moss. We did some fact checking and found out the 2009 SLR Stirling Moss is inspired by the 1955 300 SLR. The 300 SLR was clearly inspired by the way the 750 Monza looked like. As a true Ferrarista, I have to disagree with all the comments about Ferrari copying Mercedes.
It was not a good weekend for the Prancing Horse fans around the world. Marina Bay saw confusion and poor race management unfold in the Ferrari paddock, as Lewis Hamilton easily takes a win bringing him closer to his fifth World Title, Sebastian Vettel trailing 40 points behind.
Qualifying and strategy
After inexplicable confusion during Q2 on Saturday (on a favourable track for the red cars) and a stunning, record-breaking Q3 drive from Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen start the race in P3 and P5 respectively. Singapore’s high temperatures, humidity and track design make for a difficult, long race. Tyre degradation and brake temperatures must be looked after, and the twisty and tighty corners make for a 100% Safety Car chance.
Lap 1, in fact, immediately sees that the Safety Car is sent out when Esteban Ocon’s car is removed from the wall in Turn 1, where teammate Sergio Perez sent it. Just seconds before the “no overtaking” signal is issued, Sebastian beautifully overtakes Max Verstappen, snatching P2. The Safety car comes back into the pits in Lap 4, and the whole top ten is running at a very slow pace in order to preserve the delicate and easily degradable Hypersoft tyres which they have all started on.
Undercut and tyre management, gone wrong
At Lap 15 Ferrari’s box calls Sebastian Vettel (still P2) inside, going for an undercut on race leader Lewis Hamilton. Surprisingly to everyone, the German fits Ultrasoft tyres, which were predicted to be used only on a two-stop strategy, and immediately starts tending to them, without setting fast laps. At this point, Mercedes’s strategists respond by fitting the more durable Soft tyres on Hamilton at the very same lap, as does Max Verstappen a few laps later, managing to snach the position from a frustrated Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, tries the overcut and mounts Softs, being able to pose a serious threat to Valtteri Bottas’s P4 until the very end, without being able to gain the position.
Fights and penalties
The Lap 1 collision between the two Racing Point Force India drivers constitues a serious setback for the team’s progress in the standings: Sergio Perez causes Esteban Ocon to hit the wall and break the front right suspension, ending his race and hindering its own. Although no further action is taken for this specific incident, the Mexican is later given a drive-through penalty for voluntarily and heavily shunting into Sergey Sirotkin’s side in a messy overtake attempt. The Russian, on the other hand, is also given a 5-second penalty for sending Brendon Hartley out of the track limits.
On such a twisty track, overtaking lapped car is not an easy business, even when blue flags are displayed. Leading drivers have to make themselves way between those on the back of the field, frequently without getting any collaboration: Romain Grosjean is, in fact, given nother 5-second penalty for ignoring blue flags in the last 20 laps.
The title race
Today’s somewhat disappointing results for the Prancing Horse are seriously putting the title fight at risk. Mercedes is leading with a considerable advantage in both the Drivers’ and the Constructors’ Standing, and there are only six races left. However, every single driver on the grid has already fitted all the Power Unit parts allowed by the FIA for this season. This means that whatever part is replaced on whatever car from now on, grid penalties will ensue. Even Lewsi and Sebastian will have, at some point in the next six race weekends, to start from the back of the grid. And we can all imagine that it will be great entertainment.
After days, even months of speculation, the official announcement came today: Charles Leclerc will replace Kimi Raikkonen in Scuderia Ferrari starting from the 2019 season
The up-and-coming Ferrari Driver Academy protégé, winner of the 2017 F2 Championship and author of a surprising F1 rookie season for Sauber, was said to be destined for Raikkonen’s seat since his debut in Formula 1, it being only a matter of time. Despite Raikkonen’s brilliant season, collecting more podiums that teammate Sebastian Vettel, setting the fastest lap in F1 history and the record for oldest pole-sitter in Monza, the 38-year-old Finn will be let go after Abu Dhabi.
Kimi’s future in Sauber
However, this is not the last we will hear of the Finn: Raikkonen is set to join Alfa Romeo Sauber for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Finnish media and Mika Salo had already speculated on such an outcome, hinting that Kimi would be precious in fostering the development of the car, eventually stepping down and joining the team as a shareholder. The 2007 World Champion is therefore closing his career in the team where he first started.
The business talks
The decision might have been heavily influenced by Leclerc’s contractual obligations derived from his Ferrari Driver Academy membership: the Monegasque is tied to the Prancing Horse until 2019, the Scuderia deciding his future. If a valuable seat hadn’t been offered by that date, Leclerc would have been free to try his luck elsewhere, and Maranello clearly didn’t want to lose such a shining talent. Unofficial reports state that after trying to secure a place for him in Haas, but being met with the American team’s reluctancy, Ferrari’s only chance of keeping Charles was anticipating his transition in the main team to 2019. Furthermore, rumour has it that Sergio Marchionne had already signed a pre-deal with Leclerc for the 2019 season, and that the new board was wary of disattending one of Marchionne’s final decisions.
We wish both Kimi and Charles good luck in their future endeavours.
This picture was taken by Andrea himself last year. The prima variante is one of the best marshaling posts, right in the middle of the action.
Are you aware of the difference between extrication and decarceration? Do you want to know more about how to become a race marshal? Today I’ve met with Andrea, who covers the role at the Italian Grand Prix, to find out. Additionally, we went for a road trip with his stunning Ferrari F355 Berlinetta to Modena and Maranello, where the Ferrari magic happens.
Andrea, what does it take to become a race marshal?
“Here in Italy, you have to take a three-day course at your local Automobile Club, then you have to take a final test. Once passed, you are eligible to be called to any event taking place at the Autodromo and abroad too. We are all volunteers, but we do receive a small reimbursement which should cover travel and food expenses.”
Is it a particularly time-consuming job?
“During the year, I am usually called for ten events at the Autodromo. Of course, you give your availability at the start of the season, clearly indicating the days when you would be free to come. Once you are called, you have to attend a pre-race briefing (for the Italian GP, this happens on Tuesday) where the Race Direction discloses a full timetable of the event, not available to the general public and specific regulatory additions for the race. Usually, the Race Director goes through the previous year’s highlights, to indicate what’s been good and what can be improved.”
What is your responsibility as a race marshal?
“We have to take care of the drivers’ and of the audience’s well-being. Our priorities are clear: we have to safeguard our own lives, then the drivers’, then the audience’s. The car comes last. During the Italian GP there are 260 marshals divided in various marshalling sectors and posts, each one of them having a Head Marshal. To that, you have to add firefighters, medical personnel and extrication teams, making it 600 people around the track. If you are marshalling in the pit lane, during some competitions you are assigned one or two boxes: your job is to check if any infringement of the Sporting Regulations is undergoing. For obvious reasons, only expert marshals are assigned to this post.”
What do you do if an accident happens in your sector?
“The first thing we do is checking the driver’s health conditions. We are under no circumstances allowed to touch him or her: if they cannot come out of the car on their own, medical personnel and extrication or decarceration teams must be called. These last two teams intervene in different events, the first being involved in GPs and single-seater competitions, while the latter are called for GT competitions. As the name suggests, a decarceration team’s job is slightly different: if the rollbar is deformed in the accident or collision, it can literally form a cage around the driver. Their procedure is highly technical, that’s why marshal do not perform it.”
In the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena, which we visited today, you can also admire an accurate reproduction of Ferrari’s on-track technical direction.
What about communication with the Race Direction as regards flags and Safety Cars?
“All communication is made between the Head Marshal and Race Direction. We are not allowed to use the black and white flag (warning a driver about unsportsmanlike behaviour) and the black flag (disqualification). We can use the red flag (session stopped) only if told so by the Race Direction.”
The Ferrari F355 Berlinetta
Thank you for your precious insight, Andrea. Tell me more about your stunning F355 Berlinetta.
“I have acquired this beauty four years ago: it took me a while to find exactly what I was looking for, since I wanted a stock model, without any kind of tuning or modification. The V8 engine this car carries is one of the best Ferrari has ever produced, and its sound is amazing. What I really like about Ferrari is that you are always a top-class cliente to them, whethere you’ve bought a 488 Pista or not. This car is a true pleasure to drive around, especially since I’m a former rally driver. I never take her to the Fiorano circuit, because I know I might get the temptation of joining the competition again!”
I know I spent my last column taking a hammer to plenty of past Ferrari designs, but it’s a bit like when you talk trash about your own family. They know you still love them. This week, though, it’s all about loyalty. I’m in my rosso corsa gang colors talking about why Ferrari is still the untouchable Boss.
Remember early Lamborghinis, all sleek and minimal? Through the years they’ve became overwrought, almost Baroque. They dare you to not look, like the automotive equivalent of Bernini’s “Rape of Persephone.” If that famed sculpture captures Lamborghini, Ferrari lives in the moment where the right hand of Hades meets Persephone’s thigh, his fingertips pressed into her marble flesh. You see, at its best, Ferrari renders solid material so exquisitely that it suspends the imagination and appears to breathe life, while brands like Lamborghini continue to rely on deafening maximalism.
There’s no better expression of this design philosophy than the godawful Lamborghini Veneno, which looks like the doodles of a comic book-loving preteen come to life. Half its bodywork is irrelevant to aerodynamics and I honestly think I would feel silly driving one as a grown man. Their other seven-figure misfire, the Reventon, has not aged well either. It’s basically an Aventador with a painfully boring interior, and it’s the only $1M+ car actually losing value.
Other purveyors of boyish maximalism include early Koenigseggs (the new Regera finally tames some of the brand’s sillier design ideas) and the fugly new McLaren Senna. As for the other obvious culprit, Pagani, it took a visit to the factory and the release of the Huayra to bring me around to them. (There’s still no justification for tartan upholstery.)
Horacio Pagani, a Lamborghini disciple, created a worthy competitor with even deeper Baroque theatrics and outlandish futurism, yet I’ve come to respect how far he pushes passion, imagination and obsession with detail. Pagani’s impossible-to-follow naming system is a whole other discussion…
Ferrari, on the other hand, reinvents its design language across a truly diverse selection of models every 7 to 10 years. A new anniversary hypercar sets the tone, and subsequent models borrow from it throughout the design cycle, resulting in a fresh and exciting lineup.
Look at the F355, the car that modernized Ferraris for the ’90s. You can trace its swooping side air scoops, backend design and nose elements right back to the F50. With the Enzo, we see interpretations of its backend, tail lights and front air intakes – as well as its overall angularity – neatly incorporated into the F430.
The 488’s front end, with its nose scoops upheld by thin pillars, comes directly from the LaFerrari. It’s also interesting to see Ferrari continuously rethink how to deliver air to a mid-mounted engine. The 458’s closed-up body design broke from the trend of large openings and went back to the F40 and 288 GTO’s discreet intakes tucked behind the windows. Then the 488 reversed course and brought back wider intakes that actually contain mini-wings to create extra downforce. (As an aside, I love the Sicilian necktie on the front end of the 488 Pista; it reminds me of the F40LM.)
The evolution of Ferrari (left) and the evolution of Lamborghini (right)
If you step back and look at Ferrari as a whole, there is a consistent design philosophy with ideas that tie the generations together, but aside from the color red, they don’t rehash too many ideas. They keep it fresh.
Which is my main issue with Porsche. Whether the 911 has been refined or recycled over decades is in the eye of the beholder, but honestly, they all look the same to me. I can’t be the only one who finds this boring. Speaking of never changing, Lamborghini just keeps making (delicious) wedges (of parmesan). The Countach, Diablo, Murcielago and Aventador reinterpret the same idea. Granted, il toro has an awesome silhouette, but carrying on in the same direction for decades lacks a certain imagination.
This is why Ferrari is the ultimate supercar brand. No other carmaker offers such an interesting, diverse, beautiful and consistently great lineup. Agree? Angry? Leave a comment or connect with me on Instagram @drvnbydesign.
The Ferrari Performance Collection photographed by Theodore W. Pieper for RM Sotheby’s.
Ferrari nowadays offers customers over 30 different paint colours, ranging from shades of silver, yellow, green, blue, black, white and red. Fortunate clients who opt in for the Tailor Made configurations are even given the opportunity to create their own colour. The popularity of traditional red is slowly decreasing, but why is red still the most present colour in the history of the brand? Let’s find out.
About 40% of the new cars that Ferrari sells are ordered in red. This might seem like a huge number, but if you compare it to the early 1990s – where over 85% of new cars were ordered in red – you could say that buyers are becoming a bit more creative and less narrow minded.
This shows an interesting change, with clients now often choosing for a different colours such as silver, black, yellow or blue. Ferrari eventually took notice of this change, and in recent years, many of its new cars weren’t launched in a shade of red: the 458 Speciale Aperta and F12tdf were launched in yellow, the LaFerrari Aperta in black and the 488 Pista Spider in white.
National colours in the early 20th century
To explain the importance of red to the history of Ferrari, we have to go back to the first decade of the 20th century. Young Enzo Ferrari visited a race at Circuito di Bologna in 1908 and saw talented drivers of the time (Vincenzo Lancia, Felice Nazzaro) in red Fiats. The fact those cars were red, was not a coincidence; the Italians adopted Rosso Corsa as their national racing colour the year before, after an Itala (car) won the Peking-Paris rally. The AIACR (called FIA today) made new regulations that required race teams to paint their cars in their respective national colour.
The French raced in blue, the Britons in green and the Germans in white. During a race in the mid-1930s, the German cars were a bit too heavy, so they removed the paint and were left with a bare body that was silver. A new racing colour was born; most German race cars are currently known as the Silver Arrows.
Why is red the national colour of Italy?
There are various stories about how red became the national colour of the country, and this is one of them. Supporters of the Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi wore red shirts/blouses – a trend he started when he was involved in military action in Uruguay in the 1840s.
Garibaldi spent time in the South American country when he was banned from Italy because of his strong thoughts and beliefs. During his time in Uruguay, he used red shirts from a nearby slaughterhouse that were meant for their employees. After Garibaldi became one of Italy’s founding fathers, the newly unified country adopted red as its national colour as a sign of respect towards one of its greatest modern generals.
What is your favourite Ferrari colour? Leave a comment below!
Wondering Wednesday is a two-monthly column by Max Lammers where he explains the many unclear subjects in the World of Ferrari.
Timossi-Ferrari ‘Arno XI’ Racing Hydroplane and Ferrari Portofino
Over the past few years, Ferrari has made big strides in performance improvement. Just look at the development of front-engine V12 cars. The 2006 599 GTB had 612 bhp and the 2012 F12berlinetta produced 730 bhp – an increase of 118 bhp in just 6 years. While doing the math, I wanted to find out how long it took them to get 600 bhp in their latest Grand Tourer, the Portofino. Here’s the timeline…
1953 – Timossi-Ferrari ‘Arno XI’ Racing Hydroplane (600 bhp)
Achille Castoldi, an Italian speedboat racer, aspired to break the World Speed Record on water back in the early 1950s. He got in touch with Formula 1 drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi and they managed to persuade Enzo Ferrari to offer a 4.5-L V12 engine for Castoldi’s boat. This was the same engine Ferrari used in the 1950 Ferrari 375 F1 – the car that gave Scuderia Ferrari their first ever Grand Prix victory.
The standard engine produced roughly 335 bhp, so Castoldi had to increase the power to make it competitive on water. He attached twin superchargers and twin four-choke carburettors to make the 600 bhp power output reality. On 15 October 1953, he set a new World Speed Record on water: 241.708 km/h (150.190 mph). This remains the record for an 800 kg boat to this day.
1969 – Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale (620 bhp)
Filippo Sapino, designer at Ghia for over three decades, might be most remembered by this 1969 Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale, which he designed during his short tenure at Pininfarina. Ferrari placed a 6.0-L V12 from a 612 Can-Am in the back. Sadly, it was a block placed for the sake of having a filled engine bay. The car wasn’t able to move itself; it was purely used to introduce a new design language further developed in the 1970s. Still though, a great thought to have access to over 600 bhp with your right foot in such a ‘’wedge’’ car.
1970 – Ferrari 512M (610 bhp)
From 1953 to 1992, the FIA ran the World Sportscar Championship. Notable races in this Championship were the 24 Hours of Daytona and 1000 km of the Nürburgring. The 512M, an upgraded version of the Ferrari 512S, debuted at the 1970 1000 km of Zeltweg. Ferrari also entered the 1971 Championship with the 512M. The car was powered by a 5.0-L V12 producing 610 bhp.
1983 – Ferrari 126 C3 (591 bhp)
The first Formula 1 car in this list is the 1983 Ferrari 126 C3. Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest surviving Formula 1 team, having competed in every championship since the 1950 season. The heritage of Ferrari in the highest racing championship is noticeable when you wander through its history. It all started in 1950 with the 275 F1 with 300 bhp and now we have the SF71H with over 1000 bhp.
The Ferrari 126 C3 was introduced at the 1983 British Grand Prix with Patrick Tambay behind the wheel. René Arnoux got to drive the car at the next race, which was the German Grand Prix that he managed to win. He also won the Canadian and Dutch Grand Prix of that year. Tambay finished first in the Italian Grand Prix. The 1.5-L V6 produced a total output of 591 bhp at 10500 rpm.
2003 – Ferrari 575 GTC (597 bhp)
The Ferrari 575 GTC was a development of the 550 GTS. The 550 GTS was a very successful competitor in the GT Championships and Ferrari wanted to offer such a car to close customers. The car featured a 6.0-L V12 pushing out 597 bhp, and is one of the best-sounding engines ever to appear in a race car.
2017 – Ferrari Portofino (591 bhp)
This is the fun part, where you realize how far Ferrari has come. From 600 bhp in a custom boat, Formula 1 cars, concept cars and race cars, the same power output ended up in their current grand tourer, a car that is used to comfortably get from A to B. This list shows how quick the progress of cars can be and it also shows why I personally love Ferrari. They may not aspire to be the best in the market, nor to be the fastest, but they aspire to better themselves with every new car they introduce. Ferrari clearly uses Enzo’s ‘’I don’t sell cars, I sell engines’’ philosophy, since numerous engines have won several awards in their respective categories.
One of the marketing expressions for the Ferrari Portofino read: ‘’This is the Ferrari you drive back to your summer or weekend villa, top down, with a cigar in one hand, your family and a grin on your face as you think about how sweet life is.’’. It shows how radically our perception of 600 bhp has changed throughout the years.
Sebastian Vettel exerts a total domination at the Belgian Grand Prix, taking the lead in Lap 1 and keeping it steady until the chequered flag. A very unfortunate contact with Daniel Ricciardo at the start, however, dramatically hinders Kimi Raikkonen’s and forces them both to retire, the Finn suffering from substantial floor damage.
Before the race
The Belgian Grand Prix weekend has been extremely unpredictable. Free practice is dominated by the Ferraris, with Kimi Raikkonen topping FP1, Sebastian Vettel doing the same in FP2 (smashing the track record) and a Prancing Horse 1-2 in the third and last session. Qualifying is influenced by heavy rain in Q3 and Lewis Hamilton takes pole, mastering wet conditions as he always does. The starting grid sees Vettel in P2, with Esteban Ocon right behind him, and Kimi Raikkonen in P6, with Daniel Ricciardo on his tail.
Lights out and safety car
When lights go out, Nico Hulkenberg loses control of his Renault and dramatically crashes into Fernando Alonso, causing a dangerous collision which puts both drivers out of the race. Leclerc loses the front wing in the impact (and risks his life, was not the Halo there to protect his head), Ricciardo’s rear wing is destroyed and Raikkonen suffers a puncture, coming slowly into the pits. The safety car prevents him from being lapped, while Vettel takes the lead with a masterful overtake. Safety car comes in at lap 5, Sebastian keeps the lead of the race while his teammate is overtaken by Bottas (starting in P17 after engine penalties were applied) in the very back of the queue. After three pit stops performed in an attempt to save the Red Finn’s race, floor damage causes him to retire on Lap 9.
Pit windows are open
Valtteri Bottas, in the meantime, comes up the ranks in his superior Mercedes. At lap 22, Hamilton goes for the “undercut” and pits for Supers, Vettel following shortly. Despite Lewis’s best efforts in setting record sectors, a very quick and perfectly timed pit stop allows Vettel to rejoin the race in P1. The pit stop carousel gives Bottas the chance to move forward for P4, a position he’s going to hold until the end of the race, eventually winning tha battle with a superlative Sergio Perez. Max Verstappen manages to keep Bottas in P4 with a well-timed pit stop, joining 25.1 seconds behind Hamilton.
The second stint sees Lewis being considerably slower than Sebastian, losing more than 0.3 s at every lap. Bottas finally pits for softs, his first stint being significantly longer than any other in the higher ranks. Daniel Ricciardo retires at lap 31: the Aussie cannot break free of his dry spell, an unfortunate ending to a difficult race and a disastrous weekend.
A solid and steady ending
His tyres being definitely fresher than the other drivers’, Valtteri Bottas sets the lap record at 1:46.286. The overtaking of lapped cars starts at lap 34, blue flags being displayed throughout the track. The last ten laps see a complete Sebastian Vettel domination, prolonging his advantage over Lewis Hamilton at every single lap and eventually closing the race with more than 11 seconds of interval, the podium being completed by Max Verstappen.
Overall, a positive weekend for the Prancing Horse: despite the unsatisfactory results in qualifying and Kimi Raikkonen’s DNF, the SF71H confirms once again his excellent performance and the team has quickly showed great strategy can really make a difference in this year’s Championship.
Ferrari revealed the 488 Pista Spider during Car Week
Car Week.. oh Car Week, we love you. The annual car event in Monterey (California) brings the most exciting cars ever made to one place in order to celebrate the automotive history. Among the Concours d’Elegance’s, auctions and gatherings, car manufactures tend to introduce their latest creations as well..
The 488 Pista Spider is an open-top version of the 488 Pista, revealed earlier this year. The Pista Spider is the 50th Ferrari drop-top model.
Just hours before the reveal, potential buyers were invited to view the car in private. At 2 p.m. local time, Ferrari pulled off the covers of their latest creation: the 488 Pista Spider.
Behind the passenger seats, we can find the same award-winning 3.9-L V8 as in the Coupé. Just like the 488 Pista, the performance figures are crazy. What to think about a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 2,85 seconds, a power output of 710 bhp and 770 Nm (568 ft·lb) @ 3000 rpm. The new roof structure makes the car a bit heavier: 1380 kg (3042 lb) instead of 1280 kg (2822 lb).
Fun fact: the car is as fast as the 488 Pista and 812 Superfast around the Fiorano test track
Launch car in detail
The launch 488 Pista Spider wears Bianco Italia (blue) with a newly designed stripe (in Blu Tour de France) stripe down the middle, complemented by new 20” alloys. Interior wise, the car has a lot of blu carbon fibre in the dash, doors, central tunnel, seats and more. Even the exterior is full with blu carbon fibre.
Remember it’s a track focused car, which you’d like to have as light as possible. The seats in this particular model are Blu Sterling Leather with white piping and stitching.
This configuration is said to be inspired by the wishes of Sergio Marchionne, who passed away last month.
Ferrari: ”…a premiere in the US was a natural choice given that, ever since the 1950s, North American clients have always been keen connoisseurs of high-performance convertibles.”
The 488 Pista Spider will set back lucky buyers around €350.000. The demand for the 488 Pista was very high, so Ferrari will – most likely – pick buyers that weren’t offered a Coupé allocation.
Ferrari: ”The car features new diamond-finish 20” alloy wheels with a novel 10-spoke star-effect interpretation of Ferrari’s traditional mid-rear engine berlinetta-style rims. Also available are the optional one-piece carbon-fibre wheels which offer a 20% weight reduction over the standard forged alloys.”
Which one would you rather have? The Coupé or the Spider? Leave a comment below!
Although the majority of car enthusiasts are male, female fans (and owners) are certainly emerging. Figures like Alex Hirschi and Emelia Hartford are great examples. Rajia Bibi, a London-based entrepreneur and good friend of ROSSOautomobili, has been in the car scene for many years and she’s a great inspiration for female car-lovers out there.
Hanging out at HR Owen Ferrari is great: the staff is very kind, the showroom is filled with stunning cars and you get to see customers coming in and out to spec their new Ferraris. At some point, a customer was configuring his new 812 Superfast and I was able to sit down with him and salesman Garry O’Dea in the Atelier. They picked dark blue – I believe it was Blu Pozzi – in combination with a tan interior and gold wheels and it looked fantastic!
While I was waiting for Rajia at the dealership, a stunning black Ferrari F12tdf with red accents arrived. Knowing that this exact car is her dream car, I sent her a quick video and when she arrived she was super excited to see it and talk to the owner about potentially buying it from him. The owner was a kind gentleman and truly passionate about the brand. When he opened the bonnet of the car, my jaw dropped. Part of the factory team signed the engine with a white permanent marker. That’s some real dedication!
Her first Ferrari
Rajia bought her first Ferrari – this 458 Speciale – in 2015. She previously owned various exotic cars such as the Maserati GranCabrio and Audi R8, but it was only when she purchased the Speciale that she realized she was entering the world of serious cars. Her main car goal is to own a LaFerrari one day, preferably in black.
Rajia and I go way back. We first met at the 2016 Paris Motor Show where she invited me to check out the newly unveiled LaFerrari Aperta. Earlier this year, we got to spend time around the 488 Pista at the Geneva Motor Show. She has always supported ROSSOautomobili and I am thankful to call her a friend. From an entrepreneurial point of view, she’s a fighter: she overcame early challenges to qualify as a Doctor in 1997 and started several businesses along the way. She’s very into tech and is currently working on a company to better the healthcare industry.
Aren’t Ferrari’s supposed to be red?
I asked Rajia where her love for black cars came from, and she replied: ‘’I owned two red cars, but both brought me bad luck. After a while, I moved to black cars and fell in love with them. The fact that they look so aggressive, mysterious and enigmatic really helped.’’
After spending some time at HR Owen, we got in the car and drove to the first photo location. Earlier that day, I searched for some nearby (so-called) mews – small, quiet backstreets typical of London. I sent her down a very narrow road, but she seemed to know her cars’ dimensions well. She parked up, got out and I took these pictures.
#17
These shots are among my favourites of the whole trip. I love the contrast between the dark and menacing car and its brighter surroundings. As you may have noticed, there’s a number 17 on the side of the car. She took delivery of the car on July 17, 2015, the same day racing driver Jules Bianchi passed away from injuries sustained in his Suzuka accident nine months earlier. Bianchi’s racing number was also 17. As a tribute, she added the number 17 to her car.
Another little detail of the car is a plaque inserted between the two seats. It reminds her, and her passengers, to always stay driv3n.
That’s the end of my reporting from London. I really enjoyed spending time around all these inspirational people and amazing cars. Let me know in the comments below which Ferrari is your favourite of the whole trip, and check out all the articles below if you missed any.
Ferrari Lifestyle | ROSSO 