Tradition may yet reign for the next Enzo, as Autocar reports Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said that the Enzo successor will be powered by a mid-mounted V-12 and also utilize a carbon-fiber chassis. Though previously reported that a twin-turbo V-8 might be destined for Ferrari’s next super car, it appears the Italian sports car maker will follow a formula similar to that of the last Enzo, and F50 before it.

The announcement of the next Enzo’s powerplant wasn’t the only thing recently revealed about the upcoming supercar. Speaking to Autocar at the launch of the Ferrari 458 Spider, Felisa said the Enzo successor could also make use of hybrid technology. Ferrari already announced its intention to hybridize much of its future lineup at this year’s Geneva show in March, and we’ve seen 599 hybrid prototypes undergoing testing in Germany.

Felisa also told Autocar that the lessons Ferrari learned with its Formula 1 program and the development of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) for racing applications could prove useful in production cars. Still, Felisa maintained that such a system, if employed on a road-going car, would not focus solely on performance, but efficiency as well.

The Enzo successor will sport a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis even though most of Ferraris other cars primarily use aluminum in their structure.

“The using of carbon fiber does not make sense,” Felisa told in an  interview. “If you compare what you can get with some part done in composite  [with] full aluminum, you are very close in terms of weight…but the cost difference is huge.”

In addition to the weight savings versus cost argument, Felisa also stressed the difficulty of assessing damage to a carbon-fiber chassis after a crash. Whatever technology Ferrari has in store for its next Enzo, as well as the rest of its future lineup, the automaker says it’s focused on keeping its identity intact. Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo told Autocar that an official reveal of the Enzo successor would happen by the end of 2012, but a final name has yet to be chosen.

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Source: wot.motortrend.com and rumors.automobilemag.com

Rumor has it that the Ferrari Enzo’s replacement will be very similar to the Bugatti Veyron hypercar.

A Ferrari source reportedly told Autocar “The world is a very different place to how it was when the Enzo was launched. It has moved on completely. And we are Ferrari – we do not take part to make up the numbers.” Compared to the opulent Veyron, the Enzo was more of a spartan, single-minded vehicle focused solely on performance, and this could perhaps signal the biggest departure from not only the Enzo, but the F50 and F40 supercars which preceded it, and were known for their raw, uncompromising nature.

The replacement for the Enzo will probably arrive in 2012 or 2013 and could be powered by a twin-turbo direct-injection V8 engine which is very similar to the legendary F40 engine.

The original car used a 6.0-litre V12 engine, which produced 651bhp at 7800 rpm and 485lb ft of torque at 5500rpm. Features of the prancing horse’s supercar included Formula 1-inspired carbonfibre body, F1 gearbox and ceramic disc brakes. Also on the features list were active aerodynamics and traction control.

The replacement for the Enzo will have a difficult job to surpass the current Enzo and outclass the Bugatti Veyron. To do so, it is believed the new performance machine will gain a lot of horse power compared to the 650 hp of the Enzo.

Every time a new hypersports car arrives on the scene, it rewrites all the laws in the hypercar books and at the same time it makes other models in its class look like ordinary automobiles. Enzo’s replacement will without any doubt do so and probably the new model will be fitted with technologies that future Ferrari models will incorporate.

One particular technology that the Italian automaker is developing is active aerodynamics which pumps air out through the body to influence the way airflows over and under the car’s bodywork.

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Source: autocar.com, autoguide.com, and autoevolution.com

Ferrari is working on in-car technology that will monitor a driver’s mental and physical state and adjust the car’s stability and traction control systems to suit, Autocar can reveal.

The technology is outlined in a series of Europe-wide and global patent applications. The documents show how Ferrari expects a range of sensors to provide the cars of the future with data on the driver, allowing it to adjust its set-up accordingly.

Ferrari’s application states: “Drivers tend to miscalculate — in particular, overestimate — their driving skill and, more importantly, their psychophysical condition, with the result that driver-selected dynamic vehicle performance simply reflects the driver’s wish, as opposed to the driver’s actual psychophysical condition and proficiency.”

The application describes a cabin housing “various (preferably non-invasive) biometric and psychometric sensors for recording and transmitting… the values of a number of psychophysical parameters of the driver”.

It adds: “The biometric sensors may comprise a piezoelectric measuring device for measuring the driver’s respiration, a device for measuring the driver’s blood pressure and heart rate, a television camera for monitoring the driver’s eyes (blink rate) to determine the driver’s alertness, a device for monitoring the electric activity of the driver’s brain, a device for recording the driver’s surface temperature and a device for recording the conductivity of the driver’s skin (to determine the degree of perspiration).”

A single line diagram with the application appears to indicate that sensors would be mounted in the cabin ceiling, dashboard, steering wheel and driver’s seat area. It also includes a manettino dial, indicating that Ferrari intends to continue offering the race-based driver control system.

The application is based on improving driver safety but could also be used to sharpen a car’s dynamics to better satisfy a more alert driver.

Ferrari says: “The dynamic performance may be modified to enhance driving safety in the case of a tired or unresponsive driver, and also to enhance driving pleasure and/or performance in the case of an alert, responsive driver.”

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Source: autocar.co.uk

With ever-tightening emission regulations and climbing fuel economy mandates, low volume manufacturers like Ferrari are scrambling to produce cleaner, more fuel efficient cars. Ferrari’s chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, confirmed that the legendary marque will be bringing back a V6 engine option for cars like the California.

Autocar asked Montezemolo about the possibility of a V6-powered Ferrari and he replied, “An engine smaller than a V8? Why not?” Six-cylinder engines are not foreign to the brand, just unexplored in recent years as the company has predominantly moved towards bigger V8, V10, V12 power plants. Montezemolo did add any move towards increased efficiency will not spoil the brand’s amazing heritage.

Ferrari is no stranger to V6 power plants, and supplied 2.0 liter V6 motors to Fiat for the Dino from 1966 to 1969. In 1969, Ferrari changed to a 2.4 liter V6, which was used in the Fiat Dino, the Dino 246 and the legendary Lancia Stratos. In racing trim, power output was 280 horsepower for a normally aspirated Stratos. Turbocharging was allowed in Group 5 competition, and some Stratos race cars made as much as 560 horsepower. Briefly, as reliability proved to be an issue when running massive amounts of boost.

Already the company has begun to employ some technological tools to keep power up while reducing fuel consumption. The California, for example, uses the company’s first direct-injection engine and as Ferrari moves forward with the next generation of engines, focusing on the development period from 2013 to 2016, there’s also the possibility of using a turbocharger or other forced-induction methods to strike a balance between power and economy.

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Source: ridelust.com, green.autoblog.com and motorauthority.com

Ferrari Logo Prancing Horse

Ferrari could put a hybrid car on the market by 2015, according to the automaker’s CEO and General Manager Amedeo Felisa. In an interview with Autocar, Felisa says that either European Union or Italian environmental regulations could force the company to put a hybrid up for sale.

Speaking to Autocar at the last Beijing Motor Show, Felisa had some rather interesting remarks on the future of his company, notably regarding the powerplants needed to meet future emissions and fuel mileage requirements. Says Felisa: “Our customers are looking for the essence of Ferrari-the emotion, the performance, the technology and so on. The way in which we fix emissions is not their problem but ours. If we are not able to fix it, only then will it become a problem for them.”

That’s rational, we’d say. But here’s the point where Felisa’s comment’s seem sure to raise some eyebrows amongst the environmental crowd: “[Hybrid will come in] 2015, if we are forced to by the [government] regulations. The issue of emissions for Ferrari is more a political one than real one. Lowering emissions of every Ferrari will not save the planet, but it will cost us a lot of money…In the next five to 10 years, hybrid technology will develop and maybe something else will come up. Maybe it’ll be hydrogen, but for our cars only hybrid is ready.”

According to Autocar’s quote from Felisa, “Hybrid means we can protect the V12,” suggesting Ferrari believes its unassisted 12-cylinder will live on. Autocar’s theory is that the next Enzo could see its V12 paired with an electric motor to keep the government watchdogs happy. Of course, this contradicts Autocar’s Ferrari piece from about ten days ago when, after speaking with Felisa, it wrote, “Felisa also hinted that the new Ferrari Enzo will be powered by a direct-injected twin-turbo V8 when it is launched in 2012.”

From this perspective you could say that hybrid drivetrains are doing something unimaginable, they are saving the possibility of having a massive V12 engine in the supercar of your dreams.

Felisa said that the only reason behind the company developing hybrids is not to compete with Porsche’s KERS or any other mainstream application but simply to find a loophole in fuel economy that would save their way of thinking up Ferraris of the future.

Currently, Ferrari is only exploring hybrid powertrains to reduce emissions within the next ten years. The company has not ruled out the eventual use of hydrogen.

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Source: autoblog.com, automotorblog.com and worldcarfans.com

Ferrari Enzo

People are eager to see Ferrari’s replacement for its famous Enzo supercar, and more details about the car are beginning to emerge as it moves along from concept towards production. The latest information comes from Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, who indicated that the car will in fact use a direct-injected, twin-injected turbocharged V-8.

Ferrari verified it is working on a ”special series Enzo” set to debut in 2012 at Fiat’s five-year business plan. Other details include the use of lots of carbon fiber and no hybrid powertrain. Amedeo Felisa also hinted that the car is going to use a direct-injected, twin-turbocharged V-8, the opposite of earlier reports of the possibility of a twin-turbo V-6 or twin-turbo V-12. Reports indicate the engine will produce around 700 horsepower and use the vehicle’s lower weight for mind-bending performance.

“There are no plans for a six-cylinder engine today. Ferrari will not build a six-cylinder engine until customer attitudes towards smaller engines change,” Felisa told Autocar. “The perception today is that the number of cylinders equates to the possibilities of the car. That is why we are developing hybrid technology that can be applied to our V-8 and V-10 cars. Hybrid means we can protect the V-12.”

The most interesting aspect of Felisa’s statement is the mention of V-10-powered cars–an engine not found in Ferrari’s current lineup, not even in racing. This demostrates Ferrari is planning a V-10 engine for use in a car in the near future. Given Ferrari’s current lineup and the unveiling of the 599 HY-KERS, the future V-10 engine, if used at all, is likely to power Ferrari’s next large grand tourer, the 612 Scaglietti replacement.

Additionally, Felisa confirmed that Ferrari will use carbon fiber to lower the weight of the Enzo successor. “We will only use carbon fiber on very special cars which have a very low rate of production and which are not for everyday use, such as the new Enzo,” he said.

Besides validating that Ferrari will continue to use copious amounts of carbon fiber in its supercars as it did on the Enzo and F50, this shows Ferrari won’t follow rival McLaren’s example of using carbon fiber in its “everyday” cars. McLaren uses a carbon fiber monocoque in its latest MP4-12C roadgoing car. Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have committed to using carbon fiber extensively in the future as well.

“The fact is that nobody today has a real understanding of what happens if you damage a carbon fiber structure. After 20 or 30 years of use, who knows what state a carbon fiber structure will be in?” Felisa gave as his reason behind limiting the use of carbon fiber to Ferrari’s exotic supercars.

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Source: autocar.co.uk via rumors.automobilemag.com

2010 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Ferrari won’t be pressured into producing a four-door sports saloon, unlike its rivals Aston Martin and Porsche. “As Enzo Ferrari would say, we will never do four doors,” Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari’s vice general manager, recently told Autocar. “We will keep this tradition.”

Although his company has broken into some new (and unusual) territory with the likes of the 599 HY-KERS hybrid and is using fuel-saving stop-start technology on its cars-which it previously has said that it won’t ever do, Felisa points out the European Union regulates emissions and fuel economy–not the number of doors a vehicle must incorporate.

“We stand 60 years and never needed four doors,” he said. “Frankly speaking, no one is asking for a four-door Ferrari. If you want a four-door Ferrari, we have a Maserati.” He said that one of Ferrari’s strong points has been that its products are kept “in the right way.” He said further that while he can’t categorically state that four doors isn’t right for its image, it’s just not part of its heritage.

On that note, look for a few new four-doors in Maserati’s future. During Fiat’s five-year product plan rollout, it was revealed that a new Quattroporte is in the works, as is a smaller sedan, designed to compete with the BMW M5. No time frame was given for either model offering.

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Source: rumors.automobilemag.com and 4wheelsnews.com

For those hardcore Ferrari owners and collectors-who have a few million to toss around-there is the FXX development program, where Ferrari cleverly uses its client base to test new technologies used in F1 which could carry over to production. The client purchases the car without ever being able to take the car home; however, they have the chance to work closely with Ferrari engineers at dedicated track days providing feedback on the car’s performance and driving characteristics.

Now, I know the Ferrari 599XX is nothing new to many of you as it was launched last year in the Geneva International Motor Show. But since only a handful of Ferrari owners (known as Client Test Drivers) will ever get the chance to get close to one, I thought it would be great to share this Autocar test drive video with you.

The Ferrari 599XX is 10 seconds faster than the Enzo on the Fiorano race track and the price for this supercar, a hefty GBP 1.3 million.

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Source: chrisescars.com and brakebanzeen.com

Dino 246 GT

You don’t buy a Ferrari expecting the latest in green technology, but there are signs of environmentally friendly evolution in Maranello.

Not only did Ferrari’s chief executive, Amedeo Felisa, spoke to the British press, he has had several things to say such as that V-6 cars could be in the company’s future and asked about the possibility of V-6-powered Ferraris by Autocar, Mr. Felisa said, “If I had to answer the question a year ago I would have said no, but attitudes are changing and we build cars for customers.” He has said to Autocar in the U.K. saying in regards to the hybridized 599 that the automaker has been testing for quite some time:

“The technology is not ready. The suppliers are not ready. Everything is underdeveloped. There is a lot of work to so. It is not for tomorrow. We haven’t decided when [it will be introduced]. It will be around 2015, but not before five years.”

Luca di Montezemolo, the company’s chairman, also announced recently that it was bringing a hybrid version of the 599 GTB to the 80th Geneva International Motor Show, which runs from March 4-14, 2010. He described the hybrid as “a great path towards the future.”

A Ferrari 599 hybrid model has been in testing for about one year. The vehicle is showing a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption but that comes with an increase in weight. While a Ferrari hybrid is going to have a smaller impact on the environment, at its core it is still a Ferrari, and Ferraris are known for their performance. This increase in weight may be a deal breaker for Ferrari enthusiasts.

Amedeo Felisa explains that the Italian supercar manufacturer has no plans to introduce electric cars, saying:

“If you look at global warming, the right solution is not full electric. It’s more a marketing solution than a real one. Sound, in the form of a rich exhaust roar, is important to Ferrari,” he said, and the company “will not make engine sounds with speakers.”

The V-6 car, anathema to purists, is probably not imminent – Mr. Felisa said, “In 20 years, who can say?” – but a Ferrari hybrid is definitely coming, though there’s no assurance it will ever see production.

Matteo Sardi, Ferrari North America spokesman, said: “It is going to be a prototype, and it will appear in Geneva. We absolutely think ahead of everybody in technology research, and a hybrid is in line with that.”

The last time Ferrari built a V6 (also used in Fiats and Lancias) was with the Dino 246 (pictured above) that went out of production in over a quarter century ago. The Dino is, however, fondly remembered as a classic, despite its relatively small engine.

The hybrid has long been rumored, especially since the company patented a “four-wheel-drive system with hybrid propulsion a year ago. In that concept, the gas engine and electric motor drive the front or rear wheels separately. In practice, according to Motor Authority, that could enable the driver to switch between rear-and four-wheel-drive, and enable brief spurts of battery-only power. And that, the site said, “will vastly improve Ferrari’s carbon footprint and position in the eyes of environmentalists.”

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Source: wheels.blogs.nytimes.com, green.autoblog.com, autoblog.com and mnn.com

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

In addition to unveiling the new 2010 Ferrari F10 Formula 1 car, CEO Luca di Montezemolo used last Thursday morning’s press conference to briefly announce a hybrid version of the company’s 599 GTB Fiorano that will be shown in March at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Though the car at the show will be a prototype, the hybrid 599 is in fact destined for production. The car will be based on technology developed by Ferrari’s F1 team. It is designed by Pininfarina. Rumors of a hybrid Ferrari based on the Ferrari 599 GTB, which debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, have long been making the rounds.

“It has to be the avant-garde in automobile technology. We’re constructing cars with an enormous part of the innovative technology. We’ll present a 599 hybrid in Geneva, which will represent a great path towards the future,” Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo said in Maranello, Italy, at the presentation of the 2010 Formula One Ferrari.

Ferrari filings with the European Patent Office for a “4WD system with hybrid propulsion” were reported last June. Ferrari first disclosed its plan to launch a hybrid to British magazine Autocar also last June, though the company didn’t say when it would first be viewed by the public, but hinted at a release within a year.

The Italian enthusiast magazine Quattroruote first reported last December that the car would be unveiled to the public in Geneva.

At the announcement, which seems appropriate as it was during the 2009 F1 season when Ferrari first began using its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)-a kind of mild hybrid system of sorts that captures energy normally lost to braking in a flywheel-was used in actual competition… with mixed results though.

The hybrid we expect will be fitted with a rear-mounted electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack and a street-going version of the KERS Ferrari developed for-but has since dropped from-its Formula 1 cars.

A KERS system recovers energy at one of the car’s axles, rather than in the brakes like most hybrids. As used in racing, it can actually be a performance enhancement, allowing drivers a temporary power boost for a burst of speed and also permits the 612 hp engine to shut down at stop signs.

The hybrid system will decrease overall fuel consumption from around 8.7 miles per gallon to 11.75 miles per gallon with the battery being recharged while the 599 is decelerating. That is about a 35 percent savings in fuel.

Ferrari has already produced a car that can run on biofuel. The ethanol-gulping F430 debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January of 2008.

Also at the unveiling of the new F1 car event, di Montezemolo mentioned that the automaker will continue to adapt F1 technology for its street vehicles. Ferrari will also continue to look for ways to improve their car’s efficiency as part of the board’s plan to make the company more sustainable.

It was announced also last week that there is the driving debut of the Ferrari 599XX. Seven owners of the car will have them delivered to Spain’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, where they’ll get to drive them for the first time. Upon arriving at the track, the 599XXs will be fitted for their drivers, then the owners will be familiarized with the cars with the aid of individual Ferrari instructors before being let loose on the circuit. Because the 599XX is not approved for any major safety standards, it is reserved for off-highway use only.

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Source: motorauthority.com, worldcarfans.com, blogs.edmunds.com, rumors.automobilemag.com, fwd.five.tv, seekingalpha.com, usnews.rankingsandreviews.com, luxist.com, news.cnet.com, motorcrave.com, and wot.motortrend.com