2011 Ferrari 458 Italia 2dr Cpe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chris Harris wrings out Ferrari F40 and F50 on track

Chris Harris one of the most beloved of British automotive journalists, and yet Ferrari doesn't seem inclined to take him off its black list. Something about having shined the light on the way Maranello sets up its cars for press evaluations, years ago... So the only time the auto scribe and video host we know as Monkey gets his hands on a Prancing Horse-emblazoned steering wheel is when a private owner offers Harris a drive. Fortunately, that seems to happen all the time, but rarely in such a fashion as it has for this latest video.
Here the owner of not only an F40 but also its successor the F50 has lent Harris both of his anniversary-edition Ferrari supercars and insisted that he drive them aggressively. So off they went to the Anglesey circuit in Wales to see how these precursors to the Enzo and LaFerrari fare alongside one another decades after they first hit the road.

Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Ferris Bueller Ferrari replica is so choice, and now it can be yours

If you have the means, we highly recommend you consider picking up this replica Ferrari GT Spyder California that had a starring role in 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Granted, Ferris Bueller (played by Matthew Broderick) and his friend Cameron Frye (played by Alan Ruck) ended up completely destroying the car in the movie – don't worry, this wasn't the one that went careening backwards out of a garage. This car, one of three built for the film, is fully restored and is in complete working order, according to Mecum Auctions. Set to go under the auction hammer later this month during Monterey Car Week, the 'Ferris Bueller Ferrari' is a cinematic and photogenic gem, despite the fact that, ahem, it's not an actual classic Ferrari. If it was, trust us, the price would be far in excess of the pre-sale estimate of $250,000-$300,000, which Mecum has placed on the car. For reference, back in 2012, a true 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder found a new home after someone handed over more than $8-million dollars to buy it. So, all in all, this phony Ferrari could be the steal of century, as long as you don't mind a 5.0-liter V8 engine under the hood, versus a screaming Ferrari V12. Originally built in 1985 by a California company called Modena Design and Development, this car is based around a steel-tube frame and comes powered by a V8 fitted with four Weber carburetors. Power is fed to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. Design touches to make the car appear authentic include a Ferrari grille, chrome side vents and wire-spoke wheels, Jaeger gauges across the dash, toggle switches, tan leather seats, a wooden steering wheel and period-correct AM/FM radio. Interestingly, the car is also fitted with air conditioning. The car is fresh from a nine-month restoration, carries its original VIN, and has apparently covered only 1,520 miles since new. Related Video: