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Ferrari to reveal California-based 149M on February 12

The updated, turbocharged Ferrari California might be the Prancing Horse's worst-kept secret ever. The long-rumored car was spotted testing last summer at the Italian dreammaker's Fiorano test track with the unmistakable whistle of a forced-induction engine, and Ferrari is now teasing the reveal of its "149M Project" on February 12. Because that the original codename for the California was the F149, the new car is almost certainly the refreshed version.
The exact engine under the hood is still a mystery, but it is rumored to be a tuned version of the 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 found in the Maserati Quattroporte with 523 horsepower and 524 pound-feet of torque, an engine that is already a significant upgrade over the 483 hp and 372 lb-ft in the current California. Other reported upgrades suggest there is the possibility of revised exterior pieces to make the new model look more like the F12 Berlinetta, along with an improved interior featuring a more modern infotainment system. As expected, Ferrari has no plans to drop the California's retracting hardtop for the updated model.
While Ferrari will debut the new car on February 12, the public will probably not get its first chance to check out the brand's entry-level sports car until the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Former Dolphin Richie Incognito takes a bat to his own Ferrari [w/video]

Richie Incognito, the former Miami Dolphin's offensive lineman, reportedly vandalized his own new Ferrari FF with a baseball bat on Wednesday, in a story that is just the latest bizarre event to befall the professional football player.
Initial reports indicated that Incognito's car was vandalized and, weirdly, covered in t-shirts bearing the player's name. Following those reports, though, Incognito then told police that he attacked the black FF, although we're still unsure as of why.
Incognito has been in the news of late, following reports from the Miami Dolphins regarding his hazing of teammate Jonathan Martin. As for the Ferrari, damage seems rather light considering it was attacked with a bat by a 320-pound NFL offensive lineman. There are some dings and dents in the hood, and there's a piece of bat lodged in the grille, but beyond that, it looks like this FF will live to drive another day. Scroll below to watch a brief video report on the supercar beatdown.

Where did Ferrari's new CEO come from? Cigarettes and money

At the close of the 2006 Formula One season, cigarette advertising was banned from the cars on the grid. Arguably the most prominent and widely recognized brand/car package was the red, black and white Marlboro logo that encompassed the Ferrari cars. Marlboros were marketed by the company then known as Phillip Morris. Phillip Morris became part of a conglomerate named Altria. The man who was the CEO of Altria at the time of the tobacco advertising ban, a man who had long been an exec at what was still just Phillip Morris during the 1980s and 1990s, when much of the truly exciting F1 racing occurred, was Louis C. Camilleri. Camilleri has been given the powers of the CEO by the board of Ferrari and is likely to be given the official job within days due to the unfortunate health-related circumstances of Sergio Marchionne. According to a story that appeared in November 2001 on Motorsport.com about the ban on tobacco advertising in Formula One, the organizing body of the sport, the FIA, released a statement that said, in part, "Today tobacco sponsorship remains an important source of revenue for a number of Formula 1 and World Rally Championship teams. The precise value of such sponsorship is hard to estimate but probably exceeds 350 million per year." Serious money. And as Camilleri, presumably, had more than a little something to do with the splashing of the Marlboro signage on the cars of drivers including Schumacher and Massa, his association with Ferrari probably had more to do with nicotine than gasoline. In October 2015 Ferrari's IPO was priced at $52 per share. At the beginning of 2018 the price was at $105.15; as of July 20, $140. Like any good billionaire, he is said to have a collection of Ferraris, though he isn't a "car guy" in the traditional sense of coming up in the business. (One of the Altria companies had been Kraft Foods, so he may know more than most about things like Velveeta.) But Ferrari is as much about serious money as it is about V12s nowadays, maybe more. Related Video: