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2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso First Drive

The Ferrari FF is a monster, a four-wheel-drive bread van with a 6.3-liter V12 that people like us have adored since it arrived in 2011. It's great to drive and better to look at, a shooting brake with more power, less practicality, and a higher price tag than pretty much anything else in this shape. Ferrari has sold almost 6,000 of them, handily beating its target of 800 per year. It was a success by any measure. Its replacement, the GTC4Lusso, might sound like something out of Ferrari's mad, bad Sixties brochures, but under the skin is pretty much the same aluminum-alloy space frame of the FF. Ferrari has carefully listened to its critics on practicality, price, and power, and duly made the GTC more powerful, pricier, and not much more practical. There have been some slight stylistic adjustments. A scallop was cut into the front fender and door skins to reduce the visual weight, and the roofline has been extended, terminating in a slight spoiler at the waist, which is said to improve aerodynamic efficiency by up to six percent. It looks sharp and mean on its 20-inch five-spoke alloys, although some of the detail, such as the wing vents and the absurdly long hood, verge on the cartoonish. The basic 65-degree, 6.3-liter, quad-cam V12 stays largely the same, but has a higher compression ratio and redesigned cylinder heads and pistons, which make the fuel/air mix burn more efficiently and consequently provides 30 more horsepower. The engine shrieks to 8,250 rpm, but peak power is 681 hp at 8,000 rpm with peak torque of 514 pound-feet produced at 5,750 rpm. Top speed remains the same at 208 mph, but the 0–62 mph acceleration time comes down slightly to 3.4 seconds. US gas mileage is yet to be homologated, but the European-cycle figures improve slightly – not that you care. The engine drives a rear-mounted, seven-speed, twin-clutch transaxle and then there is that extraordinary four-wheel-drive system, which consists of a simple, helical-cut, hydraulically controlled gearbox running off the front of the crankshaft. It weighs 100 pounds and has two speeds plus reverse and a couple of Haldex-type clutches to activate each wheel when required in first to fourth gears and at speeds below 124 mph. New for the GTC is a ZF rear-steering system, a ram powered by an electric motor that pushes the rear suspension against its bushings to give a couple of degrees steering in either direction.

Haas F1 secures engine deal with Ferrari

Plans are coming together for Gene Haas to launch his US-based Formula One team in 2016. The tooling magnate and NASCAR team owner has renamed his grand prix racing outfit from Haas Formula to Haas F1, he's setting up shop in North Carolina with a satellite location to be announced somewhere in Europe, and now he's penned an engine supply deal with Ferrari.
The deal doesn't come as such a surprise after Haas signed on as a sponsor with the Maranello squad a couple of months ago, but confirms the reinforcement of the partnership between the two teams. "The multi-year agreement," according to Ferrari in the statement below, "is for the supply of the entire power unit starting from 2016," including the engine, hybrid assist and presumably the gearbox as well. But that's not the extent of the deal.
Billed as a "technical collaboration agreement," the deal opens the door for Haas and Ferrari to cooperate even more closely than the latter does with existing powertrain customers Sauber and Marussia. "We believe this new partnership has the potential to evolve beyond the technical role of supplying our power unit and all related technical services," said Scuderia Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci.

The Prancing IPO

Owning a Ferrari is something that a lot of car nuts hope to achieve. If you cringe every time you see some celebrity put massive rims on a 458, or paint an F430 neon purple, then you are the kind of person that appreciates what a Ferrari is. It's not a status symbol that will somehow make everyone love you and think you the most amazing person. Rather it is a medium with which to connect yourself to the history and heritage that exists in Modena. The sights, sounds, and smells of the car are worth more than any "thumbs up" you might get driving down the street. The exclusivity of the brand is one of the mechanisms that helps preserve that absolute care it takes to create a Ferrari. Now I don't own a Ferrari, but I appreciate that the Mr. Enzo Ferrari had a very significant part in molding car culture and motorsports. That tradition was carried on by a lot of people after Enzo himself. During my formative years that person was Luca Di Montezemolo. Every time he stepped in front of the camera in his distinctively Italian suit and shoes, I knew Ferrari was in good hands. Just the attitude he had made me feel safe that this very significant part of car culture was in safe hands. He could be giving an interview in Italian and without understanding a single word (well maybe one word, Ferrari) knew he was going to keep the Ferrari in Ferrari. Enter Sergio Marchionne. Now I am a huge Sergio fan. This guy is not your typical auto exec. His office isn't in the highest part of the tallest tower in Auburn Hills, and he doesn't wear a hand-crafted suit made of million thread count cloth. Not dogging in the man's style (his wardrobe is for sure worth more than mine and most others), but basically he is normal guy that doesn't conform to what might be considered the norm. He is his own man. On top of all that, he is a financial wizard. I was skeptical when he took over the reins at Ferrari only because he seemed to have so much on his plate to begin with. In the end I knew a car-guy, albeit one with a CPA/MBA, was in charge. So now when I heard he wanted to spin off Ferrari, I started trying to guess how long it was going to be before the geniuses of Wall Street started pushing Ferrari to pump volume. I saw a horrible future where there was now some entry-level Ferrari with a turbo-six, and four doors...just so every 30 yr-old analyst could flash their Ferrari key at the bar. Then I started thinking about another thing, the value. What is it worth?