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Ferrari developing V-twin motorcycle engine?

When we read reports that Ferrari had applied for a patent on a V-twin engine design, our first thought was to check the date: this says the first of October, right... not April? And so here we are, entertaining the notion that Ferrari could be developing a motorcycle engine.
The report comes from Autocar, which claims to have dug up the application to patent the design for an "internal combustion engine having two cylinders, which are arranged in a 'V' configuration." In other words, a motorcycle engine. The application reportedly goes on to describe a balancing shafts to reduce vibration. Our own research did not lead us to find the application in question, so we'll have to take it with a grain of salt for the moment. But supposing it's all on the up and up, and that Ferrari was actually developing a motorcycle engine. Would that be so out of the ordinary?
Well, yes and no. Parent company Fiat, which is taking increased direct control of Ferrari, is undoubtedly looking at rival Volkswagen and its recent acquisition of Ducati (putting it in close proximity to Lamborghini) and would be keen to get in on that action. However tenuous the relationship, Lotus has also recently authorized a motorcycle bearing its name. And of course automakers like BMW and Honda, with which Ferrari has competed on and off the race track, also make motorcycles.

Hot Wheels loses Ferrari diecast contract to Chinese company

If you're anything like this writer, chances are you've got a diecast model or two kicking around the house. And if one of those models replicates a Ferrari, chances are it's made by Hot Wheels. The Mattel brand secured an exclusive contract from the Maranello automaker in the late 1990s, but the latest word from Hemmings has it that Ferrari has ended its partnership with Hot Wheels and awarded it instead to the May Cheong Group. Unless you're an avid diecast collector, you may not have heard of May Cheong, but you may have heard of its brands Maisto and Bburago. Both brands are longtime players in the model car market, but it's the Bburago part of the deal that's particularly interesting. Founded in Italy, Bburago made a name for itself largely due to the scale Ferrari models it made back in the day. But when the Prancing Horse marque awarded the exclusive contract to Mattel, and with increasing competition from the Far East, Bburago collapsed. May Cheong swept in and scooped it up, and now the Italian model brand, along with its onetime rival Maisto, will be producing diecast Ferraris once again. Whether Bburago will use any of its old tooling to resume production of Ferrari scale models or start from scratch with all-new equipment remains to be seen, as does the matter of whether either it or Maisto will be able to produce the same quality of models as Hot Wheels has with some of its higher-end offerings. Like most collectors, this writer's looking forward to finding out. Looks like it's time to buy another display case.

LaFerrari for sale in Florida for $4.7 million

Want to get your hands on a new LaFerrari? It's gonna cost you, and cost you big. The factory charged $1.35 million for each of the 499 it will ever make, but you can bet speculators will be selling them for much more than that. Just take a look at this listing from Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Collection South has one LaFerrari for sale with an asking price of $4.7 million. That's more than triple what Ferrari charged for it. The example in question bears the VIN ZFF76ZFA2E0205216 and appears to have been built for the US market in September 2014. It's done up in the classic combination of Rosso Corsa over a black interior and has just 388 miles on the odometer. It has a few options installed, including carbon-fiber side mirrors, a sports exhaust, and Prancing Horse logos embroidered into the headrests. Each of those options is worth a good grand or two on top of the list price, but their addition doesn't go very far toward explaining the enormous markup. With no other examples of LaFerrari having been sold at auction just yet, we don't have much of an indication of how much they're worth on the open market. According to Sports Car Market, the most anyone paid for the previous Enzo was just over $6 million this past August at the RM Sotheby's sale in Monterey, but that was the final example of the breed that was gifted to Pope John Paul II. Most of the rest have sold for a million or two – not over four. Related Video: Featured Gallery Ferrari LaFerrari for sale in Fort Lauderdale View 40 Photos News Source: Fort Lauderdale Collection South via The Supercar Kids Auto News Green Ferrari Car Buying Coupe Hybrid Supercars ferrari laferrari laferrari