Tag Archives: Ferrari

NEW CARS

Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider: A Legendary Name Returns With 1,050 Horses

Ferrari doesn’t just unveil a new flagship convertible every day. So when the Prancing Horse pulled the covers off the 849 Testarossa Spider, the successor to the SF90 Spider, the international press and Ferrari’s most loyal clientele knew they were witnessing more than just a model launch. This is a landmark car for Maranello: a plug-in hybrid V8 super-spider packing 1,050 cv (1,036 hp), a dizzying blend of motorsport-derived technology, cutting-edge aerodynamics, and a design that deliberately resurrects one of Ferrari’s most evocative names.

Power, Electrified

At the core of the 849 Testarossa Spider is Ferrari’s latest iteration of its award-winning twin-turbocharged V8, internally coded F154FC. Completely reworked, it now produces 830 cv on its own thanks to new turbos—the largest ever fitted to a Ferrari road car—revised cylinder heads, lightweight titanium fasteners, and racing-inspired machining throughout.

That engine is paired with a trio of electric motors: one mounted on the rear axle and two up front, together contributing 220 cv. The result is a 1,050 cv all-wheel-drive monster that doesn’t just eclipse the SF90 Spider but establishes a new benchmark for Ferrari road cars.

The numbers are staggering. Expect face-flattening acceleration and top speeds that demand private autobahn stretches or a track. But the real genius lies in the hybrid system’s seamless calibration: Ferrari’s eManettino switch allows the driver to toggle between pure electric cruising (up to 25 km), hybrid efficiency, performance, and a full-on “Qualify” mode that unleashes everything the system can muster.

A True Coupe, A True Spider

Ferrari has refined its Retractable Hard Top (RHT) system to perfection. In just 14 seconds, even at speeds up to 45 km/h, the Testarossa Spider morphs from berlinetta to open-air missile. Engineers also developed a clever new wind catcher behind the seats, ensuring that high-speed top-down blasts won’t punish occupants with turbulence.

That duality—coupé precision and spider thrill—defines the car. It’s equally at home slicing through Alpine passes as it is storming Imola’s straights.

Race-Bred Dynamics

Performance hardware comes straight from Ferrari’s motorsport playbook. A brake-by-wire system paired with the ABS Evo controller delivers surgical stopping power. The chassis has been lightened and stiffened, suspension geometry revised, and the new FIVE digital estimator system creates a real-time “digital twin” of the car to refine traction, torque vectoring, and braking.

Despite the added complexity of hybrid components, the 849 Testarossa Spider matches the SF90 Spider’s curb weight—thanks to obsessive mass reduction—yielding the best power-to-weight ratio of any Ferrari in series production.

Aerodynamics With a Purpose

The styling, penned under Flavio Manzoni, channels the sports prototypes of the 1970s with sharp, geometric surfaces and a cab-forward stance. But every crease serves function as well as form. The 849 generates 415 kg of downforce at 250 km/h, 25 kg more than the SF90 Spider, while improving cooling efficiency for both the engine and hybrid systems by 15 percent.

The rear features a distinctive twin-tail architecture inspired by the 512 S, complete with an active spoiler capable of flipping between low-drag and high-downforce modes in less than a second. Beneath, a sophisticated multi-level diffuser ensures stability at warp speeds.

Inside the Future

Ferrari has leaned into its vision of a driver-centric cockpit, evolving the layout first seen in the SF90. A floating dashboard, digital cluster, and passenger display give the cabin a futuristic vibe, while the gated-style gear selector pays homage to Ferrari tradition. A new HMI interface streamlines hybrid management, and the redesigned steering wheel integrates both digital controls and old-school mechanical buttons, including the iconic red start switch.

Seats can be spec’d for comfort or track-ready aggression, and new trim options—including the rich Giallo Siena Alcantara—ensure owners can personalize every inch. Connectivity, wireless charging, and Ferrari’s MyFerrari app keep this supercar firmly in the present day.

The Return of a Name

Perhaps most significant is Ferrari’s decision to revive the Testarossa badge, first coined in 1956 for the red-painted cam covers of the 500 TR and later immortalized on the 1984 Testarossa road car. With the 849 Testarossa Spider, Maranello isn’t just paying tribute—it’s redefining what the name stands for in a hybrid, electrified era.

Assetto Fiorano: The Sharper Edge

For those who want their Testarossa Spider with extra bite, Ferrari offers the Assetto Fiorano package: carbon-fiber and titanium components for a 30-kg weight reduction, Multimatic dampers, Michelin Cup 2R tires, and aggressive aerodynamic tweaks including dual high-incidence wings. Think of it as Maranello’s track-day prescription for the boldest clients.

The 849 Testarossa Spider is not just another chapter in Ferrari’s hybrid experiment—it’s a declaration that the future of performance can still be visceral, analog in feel, and true to Ferrari’s racing DNA. With its heady mix of 1,050 cv, hybrid intelligence, and open-air drama, it doesn’t just replace the SF90 Spider; it redefines what an open-top Ferrari should be.

The Testarossa name is back, and it’s louder, faster, and sharper than ever.

Source: Ferrari

Auctions

Ferrari F50: Ralph Lauren’s Yellow Unicorn Shatters Records

This past weekend, someone with a very large wallet and an even larger sense of taste spent $9.24 million on a Ferrari F50. Yes, that’s right — nearly four million more than what these cars typically command. You could call it madness, but we call it inevitability.

Because this isn’t just any F50. This is the fashion-forward unicorn once owned by Ralph Lauren — a man who, when he wasn’t redefining American prep, was amassing one of the most jaw-droppingly valuable Ferrari collections on Earth.

And what a spec it is. Out of the 349 F50s ever built, just 55 were tailored for the American market. And of those, only two were painted in Giallo Modena yellow — this being one of them. So yes, rarity cranked up to 11.

Lauren eventually let go of the car back in 2003, and since then it’s spent most of its life in hiding. In fact, the last time it showed its face in public was in 2009, before disappearing into the quiet suburbs of Virginia. Cue this auction, and the world finally remembered just how intoxicating the F50 really is.

In preparation for its big debut, Ferrari Central Florida gave it a fresh dose of TLC in late 2024: new fuel tank, brakes, and rubber. And it’s got the Ferrari Classiche certification, because obviously. Despite being almost 30 years old, the odometer reads just 8,690 kilometers. In Ferrari-speak, that’s barely run in.

It wasn’t always like this, of course. For years the F50 lived in the shadow of its lairy older brother, the F40, and its futuristic younger sibling, the Enzo. Critics once moaned about its looks, its lack of a turbocharged punch, or the fact that it felt too much like a race car on the road. Today, those same critics are probably kicking themselves, because values are now skyrocketing faster than the rev counter on its 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V12 — an engine with genuine Formula 1 DNA.

For context, the previous record for an F50 was a mere $5.5 million, set earlier this year by an example with just 2,174 kilometers on the clock. This new sale obliterates that, and suddenly the F50 isn’t the “forgotten middle child” of Ferrari hypercars anymore. It’s the one everyone wants.

So, what have we learned? Simple: if you’ve got an F50 sitting quietly in your garage, congratulations — you’re sitting on a gold mine. If you don’t… well, best start designing polo shirts.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

News

Dust, Glory, and V12s: The Newport Beach Time Capsule

It’s the sort of story that makes car enthusiasts everywhere both weep and grin: in Newport Beach, California, an 88-year-old gentleman has decided it’s finally time to crack open his garage and let a few legends breathe. And by “garage,” we don’t mean a humble two-car suburban unit with a lawnmower in the corner. We mean a treasure chest where modern icons have been quietly slumbering, under a film of dust but otherwise frozen in time.

The headliners? A Ferrari 550 Maranello, a BMW M5 (E39), and a Ford GT. Not tatty, tired examples. Oh no. These are so pristine they make delivery-mile exotics look like rental cars from Miami Beach.

Ferrari 550 Maranello (2000)

Let’s start with the blue-blooded beauty. The 550 Maranello — Pininfarina’s long-nosed love letter to the front-engined V12 — looks as elegant today as it did in its 1990s heyday. This particular car is painted in the deliciously rare NART Blue, paired with a sumptuous brown leather interior. Mileage? 908 kilometers. That’s fewer steps than most of us take on a trip to the pub.

After a proper detail, the car’s lines once again glistened like liquid metal, the 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 promising its 485 horsepower symphony to a very lucky new owner in New York. Consider this: most Maranellos out there have lived the life of a true GT, storming across continents. This one has barely made it to the grocery store.

BMW M5 (E39, 2002)

Next up, the one that petrolheads will argue over until the end of time: the E39 M5, the sports sedan against which all others are judged. This Carbon Black masterpiece has covered a scarcely believable 6,838 kilometers in 22 years. It has never changed hands since new. And yes, it’s got the six-speed manual gearbox and the 4.9-liter V8 with 400 horsepower—the recipe for one of the purest driver’s sedans ever built.

Inside, black leather and wood trim remain untouched, like a Bavarian time capsule. Now in Colorado, its new custodian essentially owns one of the best-preserved examples in the world. Lucky sod.

Ford GT (2006)

And then there’s the American hammer blow: the 2006 Ford GT. A retro homage that didn’t just nod to Le Mans history—it bellowed, wheelspun, and blew the doors off contemporary Ferraris. This one is painted in retina-searing red with white racing stripes, and like the others, it’s barely been touched. Odometer: 1,159 kilometers. Registered? Not once. It’s as close as you’ll ever get to buying one brand new today.

Underneath that aluminum skin sits a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 with 558 horsepower, paired with a six-speed Ricardo manual. Back in 2006, this was Ford flexing against the Europeans, and two decades later, it’s still one of the most charismatic supercars America has ever built.

The Rest of the Stash

Of course, those three are just the tip of the iceberg. Peek further into the Newport Beach vault and you’ll find an eclectic mix of Americana and oddities: a 1973 De Tomaso Pantera, several generations of Chevrolet Corvette, a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, a Dodge Viper GTS, a Plymouth Prowler, a Dodge Ram SRT-10, and even a couple of Bricklin SV-1s. It’s a museum masquerading as a garage.

Some of these machines are destined to go back into climate-controlled hibernation, while others will roar back to life on public roads, scattering pedestrians with noise and nostalgia.

Final Thought

Every enthusiast dreams of finding a forgotten barn, peeling back the tarp, and discovering greatness. In this case, the cars weren’t in a barn—they were hiding in plain sight, napping in a Newport Beach garage. And now, thanks to one man finally deciding to part with his collection, three of the finest machines of the last 30 years are back in circulation. Dusty? Sure. Glorious? Absolutely.

Source: Silver Arrow Cars