1999 Ferrari 360 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Ferrari Roma is revealed as a gorgeous two-door Italian coupe

There’s a new Ferrari in town, and itÂ’s called the Roma. Take a second to enjoy the few photos Ferrari shared with us for the time being. ItÂ’s a gorgeous two-door coupe. Unfortunately, Ferrari hasnÂ’t said much beyond the carÂ’s vitals yet. We know itÂ’s equipped with the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, which is paired to the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission found in the SF90 Stradale. The boosted V8 is sitting at 611 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque. Ferrari says itÂ’ll get to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed somewhere just north of 198 mph. Its wheelbase is exactly the same as the older California T and new Portofino at 105.1 inches, but itÂ’s slightly longer overall by a few inches. The carÂ’s dry weight is quoted at 3,245 pounds, which makes it lighter than the California T convertible and Portofino replacement. WeÂ’re guessing the Portofino and this car share a similar platform, but Ferrari doesnÂ’t make that clear in its rather sparse release. The car is described as a “2+ coupe,” but we can't see what's actually behind the front seats in photos. WeÂ’ve asked Ferrari for further clarification here. As for the rest of the interior, it looks like a revolution in technology and design. We spy a completely new infotainment system and center stack layout, and the gauge cluster is all digital, as well. Plenty of touch capacitive buttons appear to have made their way into the cabin, and weÂ’re especially confused by the operation of the strange gear selector just below the central infotainment system (pictured below). Just like other new Ferraris, the passenger has a screen directly in front of them, too. ItÂ’s a good looking interior; we just want to know more about it. Ferrari says itÂ’s called “Roma” to represent the “carefree, pleasurable way of life that characterized Rome in the 1950s and ‘60s.” WeÂ’ll have more to share with you soon, so check back for additional details on the newest Ferrari.

See what the Chevy C7 ZR1 may be benchmarked against

One of the greatest things every Corvette has had going for it, and also one of the most re-used arguments against it, is its price-to-performance equation - long before the Nissan GT-R became the de facto Porsche 911 comparator the Corvette spent decades as Exhibit A. Depending on which side of the argument you stressed, supporters crowed about how much performance you got for how (comparatively) little, detractors carped on how little you got everywhere else in the bargain.
It appears Chevrolet is working as hard as ever to render the argument meaningless. Spy shooters at KGP captured a convocation of European birds of prey leaving the General Motors test center, and aimed at benchmarking the C7 Corvette ZR1. The road train comprised of two C7 Corvette Stingrays, a 2013 Corvette ZR1, McLaren MP4-12C, Ferrari 458 Italia, Audi R8 V10 Spyder and Porsche 911 Carrera S and it was last seen heading down the same kinked-up back roads used to hone the Corvette Stingray.
The C7-series ZR1 and its possible 700 horsepower are still a ways off. If it really is being positioned to compete with the celestial exotica in the testing group, could it be the first Corvette to regularly be the first answer to the question "Cost no object, which would would you rather have?"

What I learned after 5,600 miles in a Ferrari F355 Spider

I'm paraphrasing, but Autoblog reader Paul Dyer asked me one day, "Want to drive my 1998 Ferrari F355 Spider from San Jose, California, to me in Newfoundland?" I'm also paraphrasing and leaving out some colorful but unpublishable language, but essentially I said, "Yes." That's how I ended up on a two-week, 5,600-mile road trip, getting an extensive and intimate look at one of the most spectacular cars of our generation. Here's what I discovered. To paraphrase, you don't even know how badly you want an F355. The F355 Spider is the last beautiful Ferrari. Subsequent stallions are modern and dramatic, the F355 is eternally gorgeous, like Brunelleschi's doors and sunsets in Viareggio. The Iliad would still make sense if you said the Greeks took to ship after a Trojan keyed Menelaus' F355. You cannot say the same about the 348, or even the 458 (though we do love it so). This car began the era in which mid-engined Ferraris sell out for years in advance. That said, F355 upkeep is the equivalent of giving your bank account a flesh-eating disease. This car's most recent engine-out service was $28,000: $12,000 in labor, $16,000 in parts. Dropping the Propulsore Completo is recommended every three years for routine service and runs $7,000 or more if no other work is required. Gooey valve guides, melting exhaust manifolds, and cranky seat sensors are among the fickle components that will guarantee the bill will exceed that amount. A single bolt is $45. One F355 owner, asked if he'd recommend the model, replied without hesitation "Absolutely not." But the F355 began a whole new game for The Prancing Horse. One of Luca de Montezemolo's first marks on the company as president, the F355 was intended to rectify the sins of the 348 and deal with the Acura NSX. The F355's design resulted from 1,800 wind tunnel hours. It introduced Ferrari's five-valve V8 engine – at 107.3-horsepower-per-liter, the highest specific output of any naturally aspirated car at the time. It had an 8,500-rpm redline. The engine was so important that Ferrari changed its naming convention to highlight it. The F355 introduced a six-speed manual transmission to the V8 range. It introduced the paddle-shifted sequential gearboxes to consumers, previously the purview of top-tier race cars. This Spider was the brand's first semi-automatic droptop. This car began the era in which mid-engined Ferraris sell out for years in advance. Some of the trademark features take getting used to.