2010 Ferrari 599 Gtb Fiorano 2dr Cpe on 2040-cars

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Race Recap: 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix is a fool in the rain

Humidity, hunger and heartbreak were the takeaways from the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix. A proper track with a wider variety of straights and corners than the street circuit in Australia, the second race of the season was expected to be a better test of the performance of the 11 teams on the grid. It was also supposed to be a more accurate test of the Pirelli tires, the bits of rubber at the four corners of the car still at the top of the performance agenda for all the top teams except for McLaren, which even larger issues with its new car to deal with.
Then it rained. Then it rained some more. Then it rained so hard just before the race that numerous drivers slid off the track on the parade lap. Then came the race, and then came the figurative tears and ones of the crocodile variety as well.

Ferrari 812 GTS is the droptop 812 Superfast we only dreamed of before

Ferrari just officially revealed the convertible version of the 812 Superfast, and it’s called the 812 GTS. Not Spider, or Aperta or anything in between, just GTS. Frankly, itÂ’s likely going to be even more enjoyable than the regular 812 Superfast on account of its open-air configuration. Ferrari alluded to the sound being downright glorious on a couple of occasions already. “The result is a full-bodied V12 sound in the cabin in all kinds of driving but which is particularly appreciable when the roof is open,” Ferrari says. “The electric rear screen, which acts as a wind-stop, makes the car truly usable with the top down, while, with the top up, it [the rear screen] can be left open to allow occupants to continue to luxuriate in the naturally-aspirated V12Â’s unique soundtrack.” Yeah, we sure would love to “luxuriate” in the noises that 6.5-liter V12 is making. Power isnÂ’t changed between the GTS and Superfast, so itÂ’s still making the same 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque. The 8,900 rpm redline is the real draw here, and we canÂ’t even begin to imagine how epic it sounds with the top down. Ferrari claims this amount of power makes the GTS the “most powerful production spider on the market.” Fantastico. As you stare at the car, itÂ’s pretty easy to tell what Ferrari did to turn this into a “convertible.” The roof is a power-operated hardtop, and there isnÂ’t a whole lot to it. That big panel behind your head with the twin flying buttresses opens up to allow the roof to sit under it all, leaving passengers with a relatively small opening above their heads. Still, thatÂ’s plenty of opening to let the wind mess up your hair and the exhaust note to more easily reach your ears. Ferrari says it had to redesign the rear of the car to make this work. From the windshield forward, itÂ’s basically an 812 Superfast, though. The buttresses set it apart from the Superfast the most, as the coupe just has a long, sloping glass rear. Ferrari also changed the rear diffuser design in order to compensate for the loss of downforce from the elimination of the rear wheel arch bypass duct.  The last major mechanical change Ferrari made for the GTS comes via the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in the form of shorter ratios. What does all this mean for the performance? The 812 GTS will get to 62 mph in under 3 seconds and all the way to 124 mph in only 8.3 seconds. Its top speed is also exactly the same as the Superfast at 211 mph.

World Car Awards finalists snub American-branded vehicles — except for Bronco

The list of World Car Awards has been whittled down to 10 finalists, but only one American brand — Ford — appears among the remaining nine carmakers for this yearÂ’s top award. The Bronco is there, and it also is balloted as a finalist in the design category. The other categories are performance car, urban car, electric vehicle and luxury model. Each category has five finalists except World Car, which has 10. One brand conspicuous by its absence in any category: Tesla. The winner in each is scheduled to be crowned March 27 at the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan. This year marks the 20th year of the World Car Awards and the partnership with the New York show. The selection process involves 100-plus automotive journalists from 29 countries who vote, as they review and test-drive the eligible vehicles for the 2024 awards. Their journey is captured virtually on World Car TV. If youÂ’re counting, the brands that appear most on the six finals lists are Mercedes-Benz (four times), BMW (also four), Hyundai (three), and Volvo (three). HereÂ’s the full listing. A video clip showing all of them is here: World Car -BYD Seal / Atto 4 -Ford Bronco -Hyundai Kona / Kona Electric -Hyundai Santa Fe -Kia EV9 -Mazda CX-90 -Subaru Crosstrek -Toyota Prius -Volkswagen ID.7 -Volvo EX30 World Car Design of the Year Ford Bronco Ferrari Purosangue Toyota Prius Volvo EX30 Zeekr X 2024 World Electric Vehicle BMW i5 Kia EV9 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV Volkswagen ID.7 Volvo EX30 2024 World Luxury Car - BMW 5 Series / i5 - Lexus LM - Mercedes-Benz CLE - Mercedes-Benz E-Class - Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV 2024 World Urban Car  - Abarth 500e - BYD Dolphin - Lexus LBX - Suzuki Fronx - Volvo EX30 2024 World Performance Car - BMW M2 - BMW XM - Ferrari Purosangue - Hyundai Ioniq 5 N - Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid