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The List #0125: Visit the birthplace of Ferrari

Jessi and Patrick travel to Italy to visit the literal and figurative birthplace of Ferrari, one of the world's most storied automakers. The duo tours the Italian countryside in an all-wheel-drive Ferrari FF, making stops at Museo Ferrari in Maranello and in the founder's hometown of Modena. Join our hosts as they check "Visit The Birthplace of Ferrari" off of their list. Have an RSS feed? Click here to add The List. Click here to subscribe to The List in iTunes. Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick. Related Gallery 2015 Ferrari FF View 12 Photos Ferrari Performance The List Videos ferrari ff maranello the-list modena

Ferrari 488 Pista Prototype Drive | Pants-soiling straight-line performance

Independent studies confirm that Lotus Elise drivers are 221.6 times more likely to spontaneously dispose of light-colored undergarments after driving on curvy roads. That's because the weight distribution of a mid-engine car encourages novice drivers to inadvertently ask the rear wheels to pass the fronts in the middle of a corner. Adding insult to staining, the layout's resulting low polar moment of inertia ensures that this rotation happens more quickly than the average person's sphincter-startle clench reflex. The flip side is that even the most powerful mid-engine cars have enough weight over their rear wheels to make straight-line acceleration a worry-free affair. Well, they used to. Full-throttle acceleration in the Ferrari 488 Pista is genuinely terrifying. Wheelspin is a genuine threat at any road-legal speed — and when that happens, its rear end steps out with the same violence as the car accelerates. And that is saying something. The 488 Pista is diabolically quick. Like, hallelujah-hold-on-tight, praise-the-lord, scream-like-a-child and slap-yo-momma quick. Or, in slightly more objective terms, the Ferrari's claimed 7.6-second sprint from a standstill to 200 km/h (124 mph) is but 0.3 second behind that of the 1,000-hp Bugatti Veyron 16.4. When we say quick, we mean QUICK. Perhaps too quick for the road, so it's a good thing the car is literally named after the track. The Pista is the latest in the lineage of harder-core Ferraris that began with the 360 Challenge Stradale. The 360CS, like the F430 Scuderia ("Team") and 458 Speciale ("Special") that followed, was a little quicker than the regular car, a little more devoid of creature comforts and a lot louder. The same basic recipe applies to the 488, though in its transition from GTB to Pista (say "peas-ta"), its engine gets a bigger power boost than any of its predecessors. Boasting 720 metric horsepower, or 710 American ponies, the Pista makes 49 hp more than the already absurdly powerful 488 GTB. The expected weight-savings measures are also present, accounting for a claimed 198-pound reduction in total mass. Ten-percent-stiffer springs and recalibrated magnetorheological dampers offer tighter body control, and Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires conspire with those changes to generate massive cornering grip. But more on that later — the star of this prototype preview drive was the engine, Ferrari's award-winning 3.9-liter flat-plane-crankshaft V8.

Buy a McLaren P1 GTR, Porsche 918 Spyder, and a Ferrari LaFerrari all in one place

The McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and Ferrari LaFerrari, are arguably the three greatest hypercars yet. Of course, their extremely limited production meant that some ultra-wealthy individuals may have missed out on picking one up. In fact, to get a LaFerrari, you needed to have owned a certain number of Ferraris, and be in good graces with the company. However, if there are any super-rich car enthusiasts reading this right now, your chance to buy one or all of these three supercars is coming up next month at the RM Sotheby's Villa Erba auction in Italy. It will occur on May 27, and feature a McLaren P1 GTR, Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach, and Ferrari LaFerrari. 2016 McLaren P1 GTR McLaren fans, will RM Sotheby's won't offering just any McLaren P1, but rather the hardcore, track-prepped GTR variant. In fact, the GTR is so hardcore that it isn't legal for the street. This particular version went to specialist Lanzante to be converted for road use. Take note that it's only road legal in the UK, and it may not meet laws for other countries. However, that's still more than most GTRs can boast, and if you have the money for this, you shouldn't have any issue taking it to the UK to unleash the P1 GTR's 986 horsepower on public roads. This car could use some driving, too, as it only has about 223 miles on it, some of which included just one track event. RM Sotheby's expects this McLaren to go for between $3.4 million and $3.85 million. 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach View 31 Photos The Porsche 918 Spyder going up for auction is a special one as well. The first difference you'll notice is that it has been painted a custom color called "Arrow Blue," a hue specially mixed up as part of Porsche's custom paint service. It also features the lightweight Weissach package, which loses a few extra pounds by replacing an assortment of parts for lighter components. Among them are magnesium wheels and wheel bearings, carbon fiber roof, windshield frame, rear fenders, and rear view mirrors, and even titanium-backed brake pads. According to RM Sotheby's those pads have been replaced with fresh 918-spec pieces. The previous owner clearly enjoyed his or her 918, as it has just over 6,800 miles. In case you're interested in a well-loved 918, the auction house expects it to sell for just under $1.3 million to about $1.5 million.