1982 Ferrari Mondial 8 Base Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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The Ferrari 488 Challenge is the one-make series' first turbo car

Ferrari has revealed its newest Ferrari Challenge series racecar, just in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the one-make series next year. The new model is the 488 Challenge, and like its road-going sibling, it features a turbocharged V8. This makes the 488 Challenge the first car in the series to use a turbocharger, and at 670 CV (660 horsepower), it's the most powerful car the series has featured. The car made its debut at the season-ending Finali Mondiali event at Daytona International Speedway over the weekend. In addition to the new powertrain, the 488 Challenge gets other updates compared to its 458-based predecessor. The engine is lighter by more than 43 pounds, and the exhaust has lost nearly 19 pounds. The front bumper and the hood have been completely redesigned, and the rear wing is larger than its predecessor's. Drivers also now have a pair of manettinos (make that manettini) on the steering wheel for managing traction control settings, instead of one like on the road cars. One adjusts when it activates, and the other controls how aggressive the system is when it does kick in. Thanks to these various changes, the 488 Challenge is notably faster than the previous Challenge car, the 458 Challenge Evoluzione. Ferrari claims the 488 lapped its Fiorano test circuit a full second faster than the 458. You'll be able to see this new Ferrari in action in the coming year's Ferrari Challenge Series. But until the series starts, check out our live photos of the new machine above and a gallery of Ferrari-supplied images below. Related Video:

Sergio Marchionne confirms Ferrari LaFerrari Spider

Sergio Marchionne has been the CEO of Ferrari for about five minutes, and there's already big product news coming from Maranello. The LaFerrari hypercar will be sold as a convertible (or Spider, if you prefer). Marchionne confirmed the Spider during an interview with Automobile Magazine, which looks like it happened before today's CEO announcement. After being asked about the so-called LaFerrarina – which Automobile calls "a less extreme version of LaFerrari" – Marchionne said "the only future product connected to LaFerrari is the Spider," which was "no secret since potential customers have already been approached." While the company is hard at work on the LaFerrari Spider, Marchionne was less forthcoming on the long-rumored, V6-powered Dino. "Where should that Dino be positioned? How much should it cost? How would it relate to the next 488? What is the right balance between too many and not enough units?" Marchionne peppered. "We haven't found answers to these questions yet." Marchionne didn't go as far as saying when Ferrari would sell the LaFerrari Spider, but if the company is already reaching out to its exclusive clientele, a debut can't be far off. Perhaps 2017? That year is, after all, the 70th anniversary of the first Ferrari-badged car, 1947's 125 S. Related Video:

Ferrari F12 races Air Malta A320 jet

Air Malta recently worked up a little stunt that pitted an Airbus A320 against a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta in a drag race to raise funds for charity. It's easy to forget just how quick something the size of a jetliner can be, but watching the video below shows us just where the big passenger aircraft stands when it comes to sprinting down a runway. We won't spoil the clip for you, you'll just have to check out the showdown below.
Air Malta says it raised over 178,820 euro with the stunt, which is around $230,000. That's despite the fact that intermittent rain showers kept crowds away. Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton even stopped by to say "Hi" to the crowds. He wasn't piloting the F12, however. Check out the video below for yourself.