2016 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ferrari reveals sold-out LaFerrari Spider

Ferrari's current supercar king, the LaFerrari, is a few years old, so naturally, now is the time to debut a more exclusive and expensive variant. Enter the LaFerrari Spider. Ferrari tweeted an image of the new car this morning. Rumors of a convertible LaFerrari have circled for years, though this is the first time the car was seen by the public. It will debut in the flesh this fall at the Paris Motor Show. Earlier this year, the company showed the convertible to potential customers at a private event. Reaction was so strong, the car sold out almost immediately. The droptop is estimated to cost $1.4 million, 40-percent more than the standard version. About 150 to 200 cars will be built, far fewer than the run of 499 for the original. The 949-horsepower, 6.3-liter hybrid V12 will remain in place,and Ferrari says the chassis and aerodynamics were modified to maintain performance. It will offer carbon-fiber and soft tops. Although the LaFerrari Spider most likely won't usurp the Bugatti Veyron and as the fastest convertible, it will still be one of the fastest and rarest cars in the world. Related Video: Featured Gallery Ferrari LaFerrari Spider News Source: Ferrari Ferrari Convertible Performance ferrari laferrari ferrari laferrari spider

Ferrari 488 Spider configurator is just in time for summer

The weather is just starting to show signs of being nice enough for open-top driving, which makes it a perfect time to configure a Ferrari 488 Spider. The configurator lets you select every aspect of your future Ferrari, and that means this Prancing Horse will fully let you express your own personality. In this case, you can spec out the 488 Spider as a track monster with a plethora of carbon fiber parts, or if you want more of a grand tourer, there are options like electric seats and the choice to alter practically every part's color. Unfortunately, none of the selections come with a price, so there's no way to know how much the gold metallic paint for the brake calipers adds to the bottom line. It's fun to dream, though. Mechanically, the 488 Spider is identical to its coupe sibling. The engine is a 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 with 661 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends that muscle to the rear wheels. The droptop can reach 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, just a few tenths off the coupe, and the Spider's top speed is 203 miles per hour. As for the final number for those who love tracking every bit of performance with a stopwatch: the roof hides away in a scant 14 seconds. Related Video:

ATS rises from the ashes with its gorgeous GT supercar

Here's a name we haven't heard from in a while: Automobili Turismo e Sport is throwing its name back as an entrant in the war of the supercars with its new GT, a coupe that serves as a successor to a never-produced gran turismo car from the 1960s. True to its rarified segment, just 12 models will be produced starting at about $1.33 million, each highly customized to the purchaser's tastes. The coupe is a successor to the 2500 GT, which was revealed at the 1963 Paris Motor Show but never went into production before the entire company shut down in 1964. ATS was launched by Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini after leaving Ferrari in 1961 due to a dispute with Enzo Ferrari. The initial aim was to beat Ferrari, and the company managed to produce a Formula One racer and the mid-engine 2500 GT. Despite teasing several models in recent years, the GT will be the company's first new production supercar in nearly half a century. Today's version of the company is being run by ATS's design chief, Emanuele Bomboi, and Daniele Maritan, a former race car driver turned importer and distributor of fast sports cars. The company insists this rebirth "is not a 'nostalgia' operation" and says it has other ideas it plans to develop beyond the GT. Bombi formerly worked for Fiat and Bertone, and it shows in the GT's styling. "The side silhouette of this new Gran Turismo is charged with energy, with clean lines framing arched surfaces," the company says. "The outlines above the wheel are evocative while a clean flowing line divides the car's upper and lower halves. As with the original car's design, the windows provide a focus for the flanks of the car." The new car also borrows its predecessor's front spoiler, which runs the whole width of the car with the same blue Dragon of Bologna logo, with two stripes running along the bonnet. It gets a carbon fiber body and chassis for a curb weight of 2,866 pounds. Powering the GT is a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 mounted behind the cabin that does 650 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Or, buyers can upgrade to a 700-horsepower version with 553 lb-ft of torque. Either is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that drives the rear wheels. Zero to 60 time is around 3 seconds, and top speed is around 206 mph. Three driving modes are offered — Viaggio, Sport and Corsa — with each configuration changing the colors of the cockpit controls from blue, to yellow and red, respectively. Does that sound a lot like the McLaren 650S to you?