2021 Ferrari Roma on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Alfa Romeo considering Ferrari-developed engines for new product lineup

A report in Bloomberg adds more details to the plans for Alfa Romeo's fourth turnaround plan in Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's tenure, and this time Ferrari is apparently going to be part of the show. In December Automotive News Europe reported that a new Maserati-derived rear-drive architecture would be the centerpiece at Alfa Romeo, as well as coming Chrysler and Dodge products. At the time, ANE said the platform would support a new midsize sedan and wagon perhaps to be called Giulia, a fullsize sedan and a midsize crossover, with retail appearance of the product initiative commencing perhaps as soon as next year. It would be part of Fiat's $12.3-billion spend on new models and European recovery.
The Bloomberg report says that particulars haven't been finalized, but the plan is to have six new Alfas appear over the next five years, two of which would be SUVs. The futures of the Mito and Giulietta, two of the three cars Alfa currently sells and 99 percent of sales last year, aren't assured, meaning that the lineup in six years could be seven cars (including the 4C), six of which we haven't any definitive clue of yet. The top-tier versions of those cars, according to the report - perhaps the Quadrifoglio Verde - "will be equipped with motors developed by Ferrari."
Marchionne wants to get sales up to 300,000 units per year when the lineup is complete, pairing Alfa sales with Jeep's global dealer network to open up the retail channel. That kind of volume would get Fiat's Italian plants back in business properly, even though Marchionne's stance on Italy-only Alfa production would mean the end of the anticipated roadster that was to be twinned with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata. Alfa's direction will be laid out in Detroit in May as part of the overall strategy presentation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

Ferrari stock demand exceeding supply

As with the Ferrari cars, so it is with shares in the company's initial public offering: When Ferrari has a limited quantity of something to sell, demand far outstrips supply. Investors told banks weeks ago that bids for the $1 billion in stock – up to 18.89 million shares – would exceed the number of shares available over the entire expected range of $48 to $52. Ten percent of the company is going on the block' Bloomberg reports that the books close on the IPO on Monday at 4:00 pm. The final price will be set on Tuesday, and trading will begin Wednesday under the ticker symbol RACE on the New York Stock Exchange. Piero Ferrari, the son of Enzo Ferrari, will hold onto the ten-percent stake he currently has in the company. Fiat Chrysler will disburse the final 80 percent to its investors sometime in 2016. In combination with spinning Ferrari off from its parent company next year, the share sale is expected to put $4 billion into Fiat Chrysler coffers, which will be used to help fuel the growth of Alfa Romeo, Jeep, and Maserati. Assuming all goes to plan, Bloomberg says Ferrari will be valued at roughly $12 billion, a number $1 billion greater than the valuation Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne put on Ferrari earlier this year and higher than the brand's own internal assessment. Related Video:

Ferrari F40 GT goes all Farmkhana for Tax the Rich

Tax the Rich has thrown a number of Ferrari supercars around the farm in bouts of eyebrow-raising madness. It's featured a 288 GTO, a couple of F50s, even an Enzo. All it was missing was an F40, but its latest video installment corrects that in spectacular style. The self-styled Farmkhana gurus haven't just brought out any old F40 for this video, but a competition-spec F40 GT – and one with considerable pedigree. Chassis number 74047 was the sixth of only seven built, showcased after its construction at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show and converted to racing specification by Michelotto in 1991. The factory's racing partner managed to squeeze a massive 590 horsepower out of it, dropped the suspension, upgraded the brakes, and generally turned the beast way up past eleven. Privateer racer Luca Sartori campaigned it in the Italian GT Championship in the early '90s, winning races at Imola, Monza, and Mugello. The long and short of it is that this is a rather spectacular supercar, even among the rarified breed of F40 racecars. Which only makes it that much more shocking to see what they've done with it in this video. We'll let you watch the two-minute clip yourself to see how it unfolds, but suffice it to say it does not end well. Or at least that's what we're lead to believe.