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Future Ferraris could be based off single, modular platform

Thanks to its imminent initial public offering, Ferrari sits at the precipice of being an independent sports-car maker for the first time in decades. With Sergio Marchionne still at the helm, expect the famous brand to push even harder to grow sales around the world. According to an investigation of the company's future by Automobile, the next-generation of Ferraris could ride on a shared, modular platform and embrace turbocharging even more. Modular underpinnings, like Volkswagen's MQB or Volvo's SPA, are hugely popular in the industry because they let automakers cut development time and share more parts among models. According to Automobile, Ferrari is prepping an aluminum space frame that could support front- and mid-engine models. The design would also allow electronics, suspension parts, and powertrains to be shared among the Prancing Horse's vehicles. The first Ferrari using this platform could be the next-gen California, which is predicted to launch around 2017. The more aggressively styled hardtop convertible could also have an entry-level version with a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6, possibly shared with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Contrary to previous rumors, Automobile reports that the Dino might not be getting this engine, but instead could pack a bespoke, 600-horsepower V6 behind the driver. The coupe would carry a price tag of around $200,000. Also, look for Ferraro to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2017 with a car Automobile refers to as the LaFerrarina, because it would use the LaFerrari's platform for a grand-touring model. Related Video:

Ferrari design contest winner is sleek Manifesto concept [w/videos]

Ferrari asked students at a selection of top design schools around the world to submit their best ideas, and this is the one that a jury of people close to the company unanimously chose as the winner. It's called the Manifesto, and it was designed by six students at the ISD-Rubika in Valenciennes, France. The sleek design features a single line extending from the nose, rising between the arched fenders, over the greenhouse, and back to the tail. The rear wheels are spaced from the tapering greenhouse in a manner not unlike those on the Ford GT. There's a snorkel air scoop on the roof, thin strips for head- and taillights, and a split cockpit that opens with canopy-like clamshell doors. The striking shape is rendered in black with red highlights, and appears to be propelled by some manner of jet engine. The jury was made up of designers, engineers, collectors, and drivers – including Paolo Pininfarina, Sebastian Vettel, Nick Mason, and Jay Kay. Despite their varied backgrounds, Ferrari says their decision was unanimous in singling out the Manifesto as the clear-cut winner. They also made special mention of the FL, a futuristic cockpit layout designed by Roman Egorov – a Russian student at the Hochschule Pforzheim in Germany. The results from an online poll also awarded the popular Premio Speciale to the de Esfera designed by three students from Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. Check out the winners in the gallery above and the videos below. You can also review all the entries in the supplemental gallery at bottom, and if you think the jury made the wrong call, share your thoughts in comments. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Presenting Manifesto – The Ferrari of the future Winners of Top Design School Challenge announced Maranello, 15 January – The Manifesto, the FL and the de Esfera are the three winning models in the third Top Design School Challenge, in which four prestige institutes submitted three designs each of the Ferraris of 2040. The jury comprised Ferrari exponents in the broadest sense of the term from designers to engineers, drivers and even famous collectors: Nicola Boari, Franco Cimatti, Aldo Colonnetti, Rodolfo Gaffino Rossi, Jay Kay, Flavio Manzoni, Nick Mason, Andrea Militello, Paolo Pininfarina and Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari V6 hybrid said to arrive in May with as much as 723 horsepower

Ferrari has five debuts planned this year, one of which we've seen in the F8 Tributo. The next four will add to and update the mid-engined sports car range as well as the front-engined GT range. Car magazine thinks it has a bead on the long-awaited Ferrari six-cylinder engine that will sit in the middle of some new sports car definitely not named Dino. According to Car's sources, the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 works up 610 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque by itself. Given plug-in hybrid assistance and an e-motor between the engine and transmission, the numbers grow to 723 hp and almost 800 lb-ft. The magazine says there's also room for an e-motor powering the front axle "at a later stage." Since Ferrari CEO Louis Camillieri nixed the Dino name, it's said the moniker 486 could get a call-up when Ferrari reveals the powerplant, expected to happen in May. We just need to see where that engine is going to go, since the carmaker's V8 hybrid is also due this year, and also rumored for a May reveal. The V8 hybrid will fit inside a new flexible platform and power a mid-engined model above the 710-hp F8 Tributo in the range and more profitable than the 812Superfast. The F8 Tributo sits on a heavily updated version of the 488 platform, which itself was a heavily updated version of the 458 platform from 2009. The new mid-engined model will focus on track performance. Ferrari has confirmed that its new mid-mounted platform will be able to adopt the V6 family. The brand's SVP of commercial and marketing, Enrico Galliera, told Australia's WhichCar, "So the technology we are going to have, V12, V8, V6 turbo. Hybrid will give us the possibility to have a platform that we can mix to achieve emissions targets." Since the other three Ferrari debuts are predicted to be in the GT and ultra-luxe categories, it's possible the V6 will introduce an entry-level option for a model like the Portofino. Or it could grace a new, more traditional model. There's a new "front-engine hybrid architecture for host of new cars, including Purosangue SUV," the SUV not due now until 2022. Galliera also told WhichCar, "We are developing some products that are designed to give the same emotion as a Ferrari." They will be sports cars, "but with this design that it is more elegant that is more for everyday driving in order to attract those people that maybe are not considering to buy a Ferrari, because they are not willing to have a highly sporty car.