2011 Ferrari 458 2dr Cpe on 2040-cars

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Marchionne holds Maranello talks amid Ferrari's struggles

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has been in Maranello this week holding key meetings with staff to work out what needs to be done to rescue its season. With the Formula 1 campaign approaching its halfway point, Ferrari is still without the victory that it has been targeting since the first race in Australia. And worse than that, it appears to have fallen behind in the development stakes against Mercedes and Red Bull – leaving it now facing a challenge to finish second in the constructors' standings. On the back of a deeply disappointing British Grand Prix, where the team struggled for pace all weekend, Marchionne has elected to spend the last few days in Maranello to try to get to the bottom of what has gone wrong. For although its early season progress was impacted by the tragedy surrounding technical director James Allison, whose wife died just after the Australian Grand Prix, progress more recently has not been good enough. While Mercedes has been pushing on with upgrades at each race to keep improving its speed, Ferrari is still struggling to understand why its car has such a sensitive set-up that allows it to be competitive only in a very narrow performance window. Rather than sitting back and simply hoping for answers, Marchionne has taken it upon himself to push things forward. Motorsport.com has learned that he has held a series of key meetings at Maranello with the chassis and aerodynamic departments – with a particular focus on speaking to those who report to department heads as well as their juniors. Marchionne is determined to find out whether or not there is a belief from the shop floor that more potential can be extracted from the SF16-H, and if the true state of progress of the car is as he has been led to believe by senior management. It is possible that Marchionne could take action after these meetings to tidy up internal structures – moving around those staff who he believes have not been exploited to their best, and moving aside those whom he believes have been holding things back. It could be this action plan that team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was referring to after Silverstone, when he said that the situation at Maranello was now getting more serious – and that the potential for big change was coming if things did not improve. "After Hungary we cannot fool around any more," said Arrivabene.

Italian police foil plot to snatch Enzo Ferrari's body

Italian authorities on Tuesday said they had foiled a plot to steal the body of automotive legend Enzo Ferrari. That's Enzo Ferrari the man, not Ferrari Enzo Ferrari the supercar. Ferrari died in 1988 at age 90. He founded the company that produces some of the world's fastest and most expensive cars. Police in Nuoro on the island of Sardinia told a news conference that a gang had planned to snatch the body and demand a ransom from the Ferrari family or the company, Reuters and Italian news outlets reported. Authorities said the plot was discovered during an investigation into arms and drug trafficking. Helicopters and parachute regiment officers were used to execute 34 arrest warrants. Ferrari's body is interred above ground in a family mausoleum in Modena, near the Ferrari plant at Maranello in central Italy. Gang members had allegedly conducted several inspections of the burial site to plan the operation. The Ferrari founder has been in the news a lot recently. Two movie biopics are coming out, in which Robert De Niro and Hugh Jackman will each play the racing great.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Auto News Government/Legal Weird Car News Ferrari enzo ferrari

Mike Tyson's 1995 Ferrari F50 packs one helluva punch

Despite a reputation as a bit of a letdown following the now legendary Ferrari F40, the Ferrari F50 is still one of the most raw and unfettered sports cars to ever grace public roads. RM Sotheby's auctions is now selling a pristine 5,694-mile example that was once owned by former professional boxer Mike Tyson. Like Tyson, the F50 and its Formula One derived V12 is sure to leave a lasting impact on anyone that crosses its path. Though the celebrity tax varies from car to car, Hagerty's valuation tool says even a heavily used F50 is still a million-plus dollar car. RM Sotheby's expects the car to sell for between $2.2 and $2.4 million, slightly more than the $2.25 million estimate for a nearly flawless example, which this car appears to be. According to the listing, the car has never been driven hard and has been well maintained throughout its life. The 1990s weren't Ferrari's best years for design with soft edges and questionable fascias. Likewise, the F50 is a love it or hate it sort of design. The paint appears to be in good condition and free of any damage. The bare carbon fiber and leather interior shows little to no wear. The gated manual shifter connected to a 4.7-liter naturally-aspirated 520 horsepower V12 is a combo that's gone out of vogue. The engine is derived from the one that powered the Alain Prost's 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula One car. This car is number 73 out of 349 and one of only 50 built to US spec. Tyson sold the car with roughly 4,900 miles, with the rest accumulating since about 2005. The car's service records are incomplete, though it has had an a couple of engine-out services along a full electronic updates, a new rear seal, rebuilt oil and water pumps, the dashboard pod removed, serviced, and reinstalled, the lighting system upgraded, the ride height actuator replaced, new tires, new fuel bladders, a full brake system service, and new main seals. In addition, the car comes with two sets of tools in the front deck, owner's manuals and warranty booklet in their leather folio, wheel socket, car cover in bag, both the removable hardtop and emergency soft top with bag, utility light, its window sticker, and the "circus trunk" containing roll bars, and a carbon rear tonneau cover. Look for the car to head across the auction block on Saturday March 11. No Internet bidding, but if you have the cash to pony up the you probably can afford to be there in person. Related Video: