Ferrari F1 Stars Alonso And Massa Drive Jeeps?

Formula One drivers aren’t like you and I. They live in nicer houses, have bigger bank accounts and sometimes have garages filled with lustworthy cars. Jenson Button, for example, used to own a Bugatti Veyron, and the McLaren Mercedes driver recently sold his classic Ferrari 512 BB. It’s not uncommon for automakers partnered with F1 teams to give drivers their wares, since it’s clearly good advertising for the brand. Current world champion Sebastian Vettel drives an FX50 crossover from team sponsor Infiniti, and we’d be willing to bet he didn’t pay list price for it. Read more

Video: Let’s Play ‘Name The Wrecked Exotics’

Years ago I rode with a sportbike club, until one ill-fated weekend ride where the group suffered three crashes and a member received a ticked for 100 miles per hour OVER the speed limit. After spending two days running from a certain Western state’s highway patrol, I realized that having a license, and not being dead, were more important than the occasional high-speed hoon weekend. Bad things happen in high speed groups, whether you’re talking about motorcycles or cars. Read more

Do You Know The Story Behind Ferrari’s Logo?

The Ferrari logo is among the most recognizable in the automotive world, featuring a prancing horse on a yellow background, topped by the colors of the Italian flag. As with most logos, it’s steeped in history, dating back to an Italian fighter ace from World War 1 named Francesco Baracca. Baracca, who racked up some 34 kills before being killed in action himself, chose a black prancing horse as the symbol of his airplane, originally a Nieuport 17. The horse was a tribute to the time Baracca spent in the cavalry, and Baracca believed it brought him good luck.

The video below, found on Left Lane News, explains the rest of the story, which Enzo Ferrari told just once. We’re not sure that the black prancing horse brought much luck to Baracca, but it certainly has helped Ferrari win races and customers over the past six decades.

Ferrari Superamerica 45 is One of a Kind

Forty five years ago, Peter Kalikow purchased his first Ferrari. Back then, it was a used Ferrari 400 Superamerica convertible, but Kalikow’s latest addition to his Ferrari collection is neither used nor available at your local Ferrari dealer. Kalikow, who’s amassed a significant collection of Ferraris over the years, commissioned Ferrari to build him something unique: starting with a Ferrari 599, the company blended styling elements of the SA Aperta and the 575M Superamerica to create a one of a kind testament to Kalikow’s love for the brand. Read more

Here’s One Commercial You Won’t Skip Over

To commemorate the 60 year partnership between Ferrari and Shell, the oil company spent a month filming vintage Ferrari F1 cars in locations including New York, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney and Hong Kong. The resulting video is nearly two minutes of pure Ferrari F1 car porn, with just seventeen seconds of advertising added (at the very end of the video) to keep the marketing types happy. The soundtrack alone makes the video worth watching, so I suggest you turn up the speakers until your ears are bleeding. If the neighbors aren’t complaining yet, keep watching it until they do. Read more

Would You Roll The Dice On A $31k Ferrari

Some time back, a colleague of mine announced he was shopping for a used Ferrari 308. “Don’t do it,” was the advice I gave him, because “there’s no such thing as an affordable Ferrari.” He listened to me then, but succumbed to the affordable exotic fever a few years later. When I caught up with him last year, I asked how the Ferrari was. “Great,” he said, “it hasn’t cost me anything yet this year.” Which was his way of saying that he hadn’t been driving it lately, because the car needed some $5,000 worth of engine work. The timing belts, for example, were long passed their replacement intervals. Still, it was a Ferrari, it was paid for and it was in his garage, and that was good enough for my buddy. Read more

Ford Sues Ferrari Over Use Of F150 Name

In the eyes of most consumers, Ford and Ferrari run in different automotive circles. The prancing horse brand from Maranello, Italy, is best know for building world class sports cars and dominating in F1 racing. The blue oval brand is best known for building sensible family cars, the Mustang and the best-selling F-150 line of full size pickup trucks. Ford has a lot riding on the F-150 name, which it’s been using since 1975 and trademarked in 1995. When Ferrari decided to name their 2011 F1 car the F150 (in honor of the 150th anniversary of Italy’s reunification), Ford requested that they pick another name. Ferrari initially ignored Ford’s request, but later agreed to change the car’s name to “F150 th Italia”; whether or not this will be acceptable to Ford has yet to be determined. Read more

Ferraris Invade Palm Beach International Raceway

Bullet Motorsports, who specializes in the marketing of exotic vehicles, was on hand to capture the recent 2011 Ferrari Festival at Palm Beach International Raceway. My only questions are, “why didn’t I know about this” and “why wasn’t I there”? Palm Beach International Raceway, which used to be known as Moroso Motorsport Park, is only a few hours from where I live, and the chance to see cars like the F40 and the 333SP in action doesn’t come around all that often. I’ll be checking the calendar for next year’s event, and I promise to mooch dinner and a place to crash off my brother in law shoot lots of up close and personal pictures. In the mean time, enjoy this superb HD video after the jump. Read more

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