Monday, July 30, 2012

Ferrari Service San Francisco - Photos and Videos of the New Ferrari F12berlinetta from the Fiorano Presentation- San Francisco Motorsports




In case you haven't heard, Ferrari kicked off the international media test drive of its all-new F12berlinetta in Italy this week.
And just to let you know what you are missing out on, the Maranello-based supercar-maker released a handful of new photos plus two videos from the inaugural event, including a general promo and a clip with Scuderia Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa having some fun at the Fiorano racetrack.
Ferrari claims the F12berlinetta is not only the most powerful road car ever built in Maranello, with its 6.2-liter V12 engine delivering 730hp (740PS) and 690Nm (509 lb-ft) for a 0-200 km/h (124 mph) acceleration time of 8.5 seconds and a 340 km/h+ (211mph+) top speed, but also the most potent in Fiorano with a lap time of 1’23”.



Friday, July 27, 2012

Ferrari Service San Francisco - Rare Ferraris May Fetch $20 Million at Auction - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
Source: Gooding & Company
1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione

It's only four cars, but together they may fetch upwards of $20 million when they go on the auction block next month at Pebble Beach, near Monterey, Calif.

Auction house Gooding & Co. has put its mitts on the Ferraris of a collector named Sherman Wolf, who is described as one of the most zealous fans of the famous Italian brand. Wolf died earlier this year.

"Sherman Wolf was one of the most earnest and generous Ferrari enthusiasts I've ever known and he is dearly missed by many friends in the collecting community," says David Gooding, president of the auction house.

The star of among the four cars, the one expected to fetch up to $9 million, is a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT long-wheelbase alloy California Spider Competizione. Gooding says it is "recognized as one of the greatest sports cars of all time," one of only nine created. This one was displayed at the 1960 Chicago Auto Show.

The others include a:

•1953 Ferrari 340 MM Competition Spider by Vignale. It was the lasts of 10 and was long part of the collection of the chairman of the Pebble Beach Road Races Committee, a fellow named Sterling Edwards, who picked it up on his honeymoon in Europe and raced it in 1953 and 1954. It's expected to be worth up to $6.5 million.

•1957 Ferrari 500 TRC by Scaglietti. It is described as "one of the most beautiful Ferrari sports racing cars ever built," one of only 19. It is expected to get up to $4.5 million.

•1985 Ferrari 288 GTO. The Pininfarina-designed 288 was one of 272 cars, Ferrari's first supercar, yet it has power windows and air conditioning. It could fetch up to $900,000.
By: Chris Woodyard, USA Today
 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Ferrari Service Bay Area - Ferrari Corse Clienti at Spa Francorchamps - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

Ferrari Corse Clienti at Spa Francorchamps

Ferrari’s next stop in the Ferrari Corse Clienti 2012 tour was the Belgium circuit of Spa Francorchamps.

The Ferrari Corse Clienti is an unique program for customers of the Ferrari brand. The exclusive event is special testing program for the lucky owners of FXX, FXX Evolution, 599XX and 599XX Evolution racers giving them the option to drive the cars at the track, while being supported by the people from Ferrari.



source: gtspirit.com
by MR

http://www.sfmotorsports.com

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ferrari Sales Bay Area Porsche 918 Spyder testing - San Francisco Motorsports



A few days ago, we brought you a new series of spy shots for the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder and today, two new videos have popped up that show the car in action at the famous Nurburgring race track. These two videos may be short, but they do provide a good idea as to how cool the 918’s engine sounds.
As a reminder, the 918 Spyder will be powered by a race-derived 4.6-liter V8 engine combined with two electric motors for a total output of 762 HP and 552 lb-ft of torque. The model will be offered with "spectacular solutions such as a full carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque with unit carrier, fully adaptive aerodynamics, adaptive rear-axle steering, and the upward-venting ’top pipes’ exhaustsystem." Sales will begin at the end of 2013 at a starting price of $845,000.
  • 2013-porsche 918 spyder
  • 2013-porsche 918 spyder












Friday, July 20, 2012

Ferrari Service Bay Area - Ferrari 599XX at Spa Francorchamps - San Francisco Motorsports

Video Ferrari 599XX at Spa Francorchamps

In this video you will see a few Ferrari 599XX on the track shot at Spa-Francorchamps. While heading up to La Sources hairpin the trackday cars had glowing brake disks.

The Ferrari 599XX is a race car built by Ferrari for their clients, based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, but for the track. This monster can achieve 700 horsepower at 9,000rpm. The sound of the car is astonishing, but the best part has got to be the downshifts. Although the sound isn’t as good as in real life




source: www.gtspirit.com
by MR

www.sfmotorsports.com

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Ferrari Sales San Francisco - Ferrari F40 on the Val de Vienne Race Track - San Francisco Motorsports

Video Ferrari F40 on the Val de Vienne Race Track

French representative Alexsmolik made this compilation of a few Ferrari F40 having fun on the Val de Vienne track during the 2012 Sport & Collection event. More than twenty were expected but sadly only seven showed up.
Just a small recap. The Ferrari F40 is powered by a 2.9 liter twin-turbo V8 engine with 478hp and a maximum of torque 577Nm. The performance from 0-100km/h was acceleration in 3.8 sseconds and top speed over 324km/h (201mph). The curb weight is 1,155kg.






source - www.gtspirit.com
by MR

www.spmotorsports.com

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Ferrari Sales Bay Area - Fully Functional 1:3 Scale Ferrari 312PB - San Francisco Motorsports


Pierre Scerri Ferrari 312PB

As a young boy, Pierre Scerri was impressed by the looks and sound of the Ferrari’s which he saw in many races. So he wanted an Italian racing car, but because he couldn’t afford one he decided to build one himself. Recreating the Ferrari 312 PB which won the Targa Florio in 1972, turned out to be quite a challenge.
He snapped some pictures of the real Ferrari 312PB, which he translated into drawings and schematics. This process alone took him three years before he could start on his own Prancing Horse. He had not only make every single part of the car himself, he had also design and make the molds for all these parts. The rubber tires, glass headlights, battery, frame, gearbox or working gauges, all were made by Scerri who spent another twelve years in building this car.
The heart of the 1:3 scale model is fuel injected, dry sump, flat 12-cylinder engine with a displacement of 100cc which puts out 8 horsepower at 10,500rpm. It even makes the same sound as the original car.
A total of over 20,000 hours were put in this impressive project by the Frenchman before it was finally completed in December 1992. The result is not only a stunning looking and exact replica of the original Ferrari 312PB, but it’s also a monumental tribute to Pierre Scerri’s craftsmanship and patience. Check it out in the video below.





source: www.gtspirit.com
By

www.sfmotorsports.com

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Ferrari Service Bay Area - David Piper’s Ferrari Collection - San Francisco Motorsports San Rafael

Video David Piper's Ferrari Collection


David Piper is a former british Formula One pilot. He is also well-known for having quite a nice collection of awesome cars, all in the “David Piper green”.
To the 2012 Sport & Collection event, Mr. Piper was kind enough to bring two jewels: his green Ferrari 250 LM, as well as the green Ferrari 330 P4, which is actually a replica, but with the authorization from Ferrari. YouTube member Alexsmolik filmed both cars.





David Piper also starred in the movie “Le Mans”, where he had an accident with his Porsche 917 and lost part of his leg. But that won’t stop a man with true passion to keep driving. Especially if he still can, and is still good at it. In other words, legendary man, legendary pilot!

source: www.gtspirit.com
by MR

www.sanfranciscomotorsports.com


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Ferrari Service San Francisco - 18 Ferrari 250 GTOs in Action at 2012 Classic Le Mans - San Francisco Motorsports


Video 18 Ferrari 250 GTOs in Action at 2012 Classic Le Mans

This weekend our man in Paris Alexsmolik headed over to Le Mans to attend the 2012 Le Mans Classic, an event dedicated to “classic cars” that happens every two years. Lots of nice things to see and hear, but if you had to see only one thing this year, the “GTO Tour”.
No less than 18 different Ferrari 250 GTO cars showed up at the mythical circuit! The 250 GTO is one of the most exclusive, rarest and expensive (one was sold for 35 million dollars not too long ago) car in the world. Seeing one is already quite an achievement, but seeing 18 of them, on the track is pretty unique.


source: www.gtspirit.com
by MR

www.sanfranciscomotorsports.com

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Ferrari Service and Repair San Rafael - Ferrari 250 GTO 50th Anniversary Tour


Ferrari 250 GTO - 50th Anniversary Tour


The Ferrari 250 GTO Tour was held July 1-8, 2012 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Gran Turismo Omologata from Maranello. A gathering of 23 Ferrari GTOs toured the Champagne region of France, with stops at castles, vineyards and race tracks.
A total of 36 Ferrari GTOs were produced in 1962 and ’63 and three ‘Series II’ were built in ’64, bringing the total of GTOs made to 39. The car debuted at the 1962 12 Hours of Sebring, driven to a 2nd overall finish by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien. Ferrari dominated international GT racing with the ever-competitive GTO, highlighted by winning the FIA World Manufacturers Championship from 1962 to 1964. Today, the cars are some of the most desirable in the world, with values for top cars surpassing $35 million USD.
Given the immense popularity of the Ferrari 250 GTO, it will come as no surprise the 50th anniversary of the famed racing car has been celebrated for nearly a year, including a gathering of more than 20 GTOs at the2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and a dozen at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, among others.
The 2012 Ferrari 250 GTO 50th Anniversary Tour honored the cars at many locations where it celebrated its first victories. The event’s 23 participants started their engines on the legendary Reims-Gueux race track before arriving at the Hautvilliers Abbey for a gala dinner with Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo. The Tour also put in some laps on the race track of Monthléry and discovered the castles of Villlandry and Chambord at the Loire before heading to Circuit de la Sarthe as guests of the Le Mans Classic historic races.
Julien Parent and Remy Dufont of Chtiphotocar offer the following pictures that captured the Ferrari 250 GTO 50th Anniversary Tour in wonderful form









source: Sportscardigest.com

www.sfmotorsports.com

Friday, July 6, 2012

Ferrari Service and Repair San Rafael - All Three F1 Six-Wheelers to Gather at Goodwood Festival of Speed - San Francisco Motor Sports

All Three F1 Six-Wheelers to Gather at Goodwood Festival of Speed


All Three F1 Six-Wheelers to Gather at Goodwood Festival of Speed
A few decades ago, technical regulations in auto racing were much more relaxed than they are nowadays. Sadly it’s reduced race engineers’ creativity to fine tuning all-too similar looking cars by moving flaps a few millimeters here and there – even in Formula One, which is the pinnacle of motorsports.
Back then race engineers tried many different things. One of the most famous ‘experiments’ was the development of F1 cars with six wheels. Tyrrell was the most successful with its P34 six-wheeler, which was campaigned in 1976 and 1977. In order to improve the downforce, increase tire grip and braking force, the team used four small 10-inch wheels up front.
March and Williams took a different approach with four wheels at the rear but neither of them raced in actual Grand Prix races even though the 1982 Williams FW08B set lap records during testing.
In 1983, the FIA banned six wheel cars as well as four-wheel-drive and the era of six-wheeled F1 cars came to an end. Ferrari even took a stab at trying out a similar idea with dual rear tires.
Now, for the first time ever all three six-wheeler Formula 1 cars that actually ran will appear together at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the world’s must-attend auto events, that takes place June 28 – July 1. The Tyrrell P34 has appeared several times before at Goodwood as it has proven to be a good car in classic races but it’s the first time the March 2-4-0 and Williams FW08B will share the limelight.

source: blog.roadandtrack.com
by John Rettie

www.sfmotorsports.com

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Ferrari Service and Repair San Rafael - Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza – Driving Report - San Francisco Motor Sports


Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza 221x295 Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza   Driving Report
Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza
Ever dreamed of driving an Alfa 8C?
Watching black and white videos of Monza, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, Monaco and the old Nürburgring and imagining what it was like for Borzacchini, Ferrari, Campari and the Figlio del Diavolo, the Devil’s Brother, Tazio Nuvolari behind the steering wheels of these narrow, lightweight and ferociously powerful cars in the early Thirties?
There were, by model expert Simon Moore’s reckoning, about 190 Alfa 8Cs built between 1931 and 1934. They embodied some of the most advanced technology of their time: 2.3 (or 2.5 or 2.6) liter inline eights with dual overhead camshafts, superchargers and a driving position set well back behind the long hood.
Today they are among the most sought of all pre-war cars, commanding prices in the mid- to high-seven figures. The last one sold at auction, 2311218, brought $6,710,000 at Gooding & Company’s 2010 Pebble Beach auction.
At Amelia Island this March I drove one.
But that requires a little explanation, since Dr. Fred Simeone, Roger Willbanks, Keith Duly and others fortunate enough to own 8Cs didn’t let me behind the wheel of one of their irreplaceable 8Cs.
Especially since righthand drive is unfamiliar at best and the classic positioning of the accelerator pedal between the brake and clutch was a novel experience.
What I drove was parked discretely on the Ritz Carlton access road where it attracted frequent but low key attention. Its dull blood red paint was matched by patinated upholstery and a suitably blackened tail beside the exhaust pipe. It looked used, just the way an 8C should.
It was a Pur Sang 8C Monza, a nut-and-bolt reproduction of the original.
How “nut-and-bolt”? Pur Sang sells engine blocks, superchargers and other components to owners of Alfa 8Cs. Matched, drilled and fitted in the artisanal tradition, they are bolt-in replacements.
Pur Sang is the dream of Leonidas Anadón who builds Type 35s, 8Cs and similar cars in the Villa Lola – the former residence of Argentina’s president – in Paraná, Argentina. Pur Sang makes every part, literally every part, in its own workshops following original blueprints and the variations observed on original cars.
It is a consuming labor of love and respect rendered with the skill and individual attention to detail that was last seen in the ateliers of Molsheim and Milan two generations ago.
Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza 2 620x465 Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza   Driving Report
Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza engine
How does it drive?
Well, I’m a poor observer because I’ve never driven an Alfa 8C.
Thus qualified, it’s ferocious, a cacophony of gears, supercharger, exhaust and wind that could be disorienting but is somehow coherent and logical.
At the same time it’s impressively docile and sensitively responsive. In retrospect it’s possible to see how the aces of the day were able to place their Monzas precisely on the track, coaxing power back to the skinny rear tires in sympathy with grip and angle.
The tires sit out there and it takes only a glance to lean over to the right and see exactly where they’re pointed and tracking.
That is an object example of why European performance cars into the Fifties were righthand drive on Europe’s clockwise circuits, making it possible to clip every righthand apex with absolute precision.
The engine’s inertia and the straight-cut gearbox take some experience, let alone the center accelerator placement. I learned to drive in an XK 120, not known for flawless synchros, and still double clutch downshifts, but the 8C took another level of skill and experience.
I embarrassed myself a few times, but not completely, which speaks volumes for the robustness and simplicity of the 8C.
I got out a little breathless – not quite as breathless as driving few laps in full face helmet in a kart on a 1/4 mile road circuit, but close – and wishing for a hundred miles or so to acclimate to the engine and gearbox’s relationship and the pedal placement.
The 8C would drive easily on the road. It’s not modern – it’s far from modern – but it’s straightforward and mechanically logical. Driven conservatively it pulls from minimal rpm in any gear and would burble through town as easily as a flathead V-8 (but with more power and a great straight-eight sound). The steering is light and stable above parking speed; it goes where it’s pointed. The brakes pull down straight and true if at drum brake deceleration rates. Still, they make the XK 120 look needy in braking.
It has something to do with weight – which also contributes to the 8C’s handling (on those skinny tires), acceleration and braking.
Then there’s the question of replica-ness.
It’s not easy.
The Pur Sang 8C is not an Alfa Romeo. It’s a Pur Sang.
Pur Sang numbers its cars with clearly identifiable replica numbers, a BO prefix for Bugattis and a PS prefix for 8Cs.
But the experience is the pur sang, the real thing rendered in 21st century metal and craftsmanship.
Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza 1 620x447 Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza   Driving Report
Pur Sang 8C 2300 Monza
It’s hard to separate the two, but if five (or eight or ten) million dollars isn’t even close to realistic and you want to know what it felt like to be Tim Birkin at Le Mans or Nuvolari at the Nürburgring this is the experience rendered as exactly as possible.
In many ways the Pur Sang 8C is hardly less “real” than many rebodied Alfa 8Cs assembled from an assortment of disparate parts.
In any event the argument is largely academic. The Pur Sang 8C is no more than it claims, a nut-and-bolt re-creation of the Alfa 8C.
It gives the experience of driving a legendary sports car, which is all that its builders claim for it.
And that is something to experience. I know, because I had it.
You can, too. All it takes is a phone call to John Bothwell, Pur Sang’s American and English-speaking Commercial Director at 949 698 6603 or an e-mail to john@pursangweb.com.ar.
Pur Sang’s cars have been well known in Europe for decades but the lack of an English-speaking representative has kept them from becoming better known in England and North America. John Bothwell’s addition to the team is intended to remedy that. The initial step was the company’s display of a Type 35 and the 8C at Amelia Island this year – and letting a wanker like me get behind the wheel.
For additional information, visit www.pursangweb.com.
Report and photos by Rick Carey, Auction Editor
[Source: Rick Carey]

Monday, July 2, 2012

Ferrari Service and Repair San Franciso - Watch the Ferrari F60 F1 and 458 Spider Run the Goodwood Hill Climb - San Francisco Motor Sports San Rafael

Watch the Ferrari F60 F1 and 458 Spider Run the Goodwood Hill Climb






There was plenty to see and do for Ferrari fans at this past weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed.
For starters, the Italian sports car maker showed two UK debuts at this year’s event, the new 458 Spider and the lighter and more powerful California 30, both of which tackled the famous 1.16-mile hill climb route.
Joining the two cars on the track were the flagship V12-powered, four-wheel drive FF and the 2009 F60 F1 single-seater driven by Scuderia Ferrari driver Marc Gené, who had this to say about the race:
"The track is extremely narrow, so it feels quite fast even though we are only doing 250 km/h (155 mph). We have brought the car here because it won in 2009 and we like to bring F1 to the fans here in England. The Festival of Speed is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – events in the world."
For fans of older Ferrari models, the Maranello-based automaker had several classic cars on display including Nick Mason’s rare 250 MM from 1953, the ex-Carrera Panamerica car, a 250 GTO, 250 SWB, 275 GTB4, 365 GTB4 and 288 GTO, just to mention a few.
If you scroll down, you will find a gallery of photos from the event and videos of the 458 Spider and F60 F1 single-seater from the hill climb race.




source:  carscoop.blogspot.com