2004 Ferrari Chalange Stradale on 2040-cars

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McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari call for unfreezing F1 engines

Formula One is a hugely expensive sport. Not only do you have enormous salaries and logistical expenses, as you would in any other sport, but each team also spends huge sums developing their own chassis from the ground up – and so too do the participating automakers in developing the engines. One of the ways the series organizers mitigate those costs is by freezing development. So once the new crop of V6 turbo hybrid powertrains were developed, that was it. But now three of the of the sport's leading teams are calling on the FIA to unfreeze engine development. Their reason? Unfair advantage. There's little question that Mercedes did the best job of developing its "power unit" to meet the new regulations that took effect at the beginning of this past season. That's how the Mercedes team won all but three of the grands prix this season and finished with at least one car on the podium at every single race. It's also a big part of how the teams that bought their engines from Mercedes this season managed to consistently outperform the other non-works-supported teams. That clear advantage is why Red Bull, Ferrari and now McLaren are calling for engine development to be unfrozen. Their argument is that, under the current locked-down status quo, their engine suppliers (Renault, Ferrari and Honda, respectively) cannot possibly catch up. So unless the FIA and Formula One Management want the next few seasons to be the kind of absolute blow-outs that this past season was, these leading teams argue, the powers that be are going to have to make some changes. For its part, Mercedes naturally counters that unfreezing engine development would send costs spiraling out of control. But then of course it stands to lose the most by re-opening engine development. If those three teams, however, closely intertwined as they are with the three other engine suppliers participating in next year's championship, manage to solicit enough support from the other customer teams and bring the matter to a vote, Mercedes may very well find itself out-numbered. News Source: ESPNImage Credit: Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Motorsports Ferrari McLaren Mercedes-Benz F1 engine

This 1987 Ferrari F40 LM is for the millionaire who dares to be different

Throughout the past decade, the Ferrari F40 has become one of the most highly regarded and highly coveted supercars ever built. When cars become so iconic, any red model no longer excites. It's the specialty models, such as this stunning light blue Le Mans example, that catch the real attention at an auction house. This 1987 Ferrari F40 LM is expected to go for up to perhaps $6,280,000 at the upcoming RM Sotheby's in Paris on February 6 during Retromobile week. According to RM Sotheby's, the Pilot exterior livery makes this one of the most recognizable F40 LMs ever built, although that pool is extremely small. Only 19 F40s were ever created by Michelotto to LM or Competizione spec. Chassis No. ZFFGJ34B000074045 is reported to be only the third F40, not just of LM F40s, of all F40s built. It was a pre-production prototype, and the car's insane history doesn't stop there. It also participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 and 1996, yet finished only 12th in 1995 (it did win the 1995 Anderstorp 4 Hours). That's shocking considering the engineering and power this car is known for. In Michelotto LM spec, the twin-turbocharged V8 was uprated to more than 700 horsepower using enlarged turbochargers, bigger intercoolers, and a better Weber-Marelli fuel injection system. Using tech learned from the Group B 288 GTO Evoluzione development, it also had a stiffer chassis, an upgraded transmission, better brakes, and altered exterior aero equipment. Rated at about 2,350 pounds, it was one of the fastest cars on the planet at the time. Wherever this car goes, we hope the owner takes advantage of its eligibility for numerous racing events. Several other Ferraris will also roll across the auction stage, including a 1996 F50, a 1966 275 GTB/6C Alloy Berlinetta, a 2011 SP30, a 599 SA Aperta, a 2003 Enzo, and a 2006 Superamerica. Outside the Ferraris, the 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport is catching our eye. Featured Video:

Ferrari Enzo successor caught testing again

Although we're still not really sure what Ferrari plans to call its long-awaited successor to the Enzo, we're certain that this is going to be one mean car. We've heard that it will be called the F150, F150 Italia and even the F70 over the last year and a half. Regardless of its name, this guppy-faced prototype you see above is Ferrari's answer to the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder with a rumored 900-horsepower hybrid powertrain.
Since the last time we saw this car testing, the only difference appears to be that the exhaust outlets now may be closer to production form, with dual pipes on each side sitting up higher in the fascia. Aside from that, these shots are much clearer and at a better angle allowing us to get an idea of what the final product might look like. We do see some of this car's details such as the headlight placement and shape similar to the 458 Italia and the massive brakes with drilled carbon ceramic rotors.
No word as to when we might see the production version of the car, but Ferrari did tease a couple photos of it last month and is much further along than spy shots we saw less than a year ago.