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Ferrari extends Kimi Raikkonen's contract for 2016

Veteran Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen's second stint with Ferrari will continue in 2016, and the team announced Wednesday it's extending the Finn's contract for another season. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 35-year-old is fifth in the driver's standings this year with 76 points heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. Nicknamed the "Ice Man," Raikkonen won the 2007 World Championship with Ferrari. He left the Scuderia in 2009 and dabbled in World Rally Championship and NASCAR competition, before returning to F1 in 2012 with Lotus. He's been back with Ferrari since the 2014 season. "We believe that extending Kimi's contract into the next season will provide further stability to the team," team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said in statement. "This has been our guideline, also considering the very good relationship between Kimi and Seb [Sebastian Vettel]. On our side, this shows our great confidence in him, and I expect this confidence to be well-rewarded." Raikkonen has teamed with Vettel (who's third in driver's points) to key the Scuderia's bounce-back season. Ferrari, the sport's oldest and most successful team, is second in the constructor's standings this year with 236 points, trailing Mercedes (383). "For me, to be able to stay another year at Ferrari means that the dream goes on," Raikkonen said in a statement. "The Scuderia is my family, as I always said, it's here I want to end my career. I am more committed than ever and I want to say thank you to the people who gave me this chance." The announcement comes as Ferrari prepares for its historic 900th grand prix. It's won 16 races in Belgium, including 12 victories as Spa-Francorchamps. The team's most recent win there was in 2009 – by Raikkonen. Related Video:

Ferrari building 350 unique special editions for its 70th anniversary

Ferrari has been in business since 1947, which makes 2017 the automaker's 70th birthday. To celebrate its old age, the company has reportedly decided to create 350 bespoke special editions, each different from the next. According to Autocar, the company made the announcement to 100 owners and collectors in Venice, Italy, last weekend during the Ferrari Cavalcade. The 350 unique models will come from Ferrari's current lineup, and will include 70 each of the California T, 488 GTB, 488 Spider, GTC4 Lusso, and F12 Berlinetta. The Italian automaker chose 70 of the most iconic vehicles from its past to inspire the upcoming special editions, with each of the 350 examples being unique. To get this level of exclusivity, the Tailor-Made division, which handles the company's extra-custom orders, will lend a helping hand in design. The hardest thing for Ferrari, however, won't be putting 350 unique models on the road, but deciding how to pick which owners and collectors get the opportunity to purchase them. According to Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne, that is "the most difficult part of what I do." Yep, sounds like a tough job, turning away millionaires. Autocar reports that Ferrari will reveal the 350 special-edition models at the Paris Motor Show in October, but that sounds like a difficult task. We're guessing they won't all be present, but that would sure be a sight to see. Related Video:

Ferrari developing V-twin motorcycle engine?

When we read reports that Ferrari had applied for a patent on a V-twin engine design, our first thought was to check the date: this says the first of October, right... not April? And so here we are, entertaining the notion that Ferrari could be developing a motorcycle engine.
The report comes from Autocar, which claims to have dug up the application to patent the design for an "internal combustion engine having two cylinders, which are arranged in a 'V' configuration." In other words, a motorcycle engine. The application reportedly goes on to describe a balancing shafts to reduce vibration. Our own research did not lead us to find the application in question, so we'll have to take it with a grain of salt for the moment. But supposing it's all on the up and up, and that Ferrari was actually developing a motorcycle engine. Would that be so out of the ordinary?
Well, yes and no. Parent company Fiat, which is taking increased direct control of Ferrari, is undoubtedly looking at rival Volkswagen and its recent acquisition of Ducati (putting it in close proximity to Lamborghini) and would be keen to get in on that action. However tenuous the relationship, Lotus has also recently authorized a motorcycle bearing its name. And of course automakers like BMW and Honda, with which Ferrari has competed on and off the race track, also make motorcycles.