Ferrari’s first-ever all-wheel drive vehicle, The FF, was unveiled for the first time in the U.S. last Thursday night at The Collection in Coral Gables, Florida.

“This car is the epitome of all the things Ferrari can do, put together,” said Ken Gorin, President and CEO of The Collection.

At a VIP party last Thursday night, people snapped photos and waited in line to get inside a bright-red FF, which boasts 12 cylinders and space for 4 passengers.

Gorin says the exact price of the car hasn’t been released yet, but it will be $300,000 or less.

The FF’s body style is very unique and that explains the difference of opinion from guests at The Collection.

“There’s something elegant about it,” said Vanessa Garcia. “I’m a painter and there’s a certain artistry about it.”

“Maybe it’s a Fast & The Furious thing,” said Mario Perez, “but it kind of looks like a cool souped-up Civic.”

There’s no debate about the car’s performance.

The FF goes 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and tops out at 208 mph.

What do you think about the Ferrari FF?

Thank you!

ARTIST GARTEL TRANSLATES A FERRARI SCUDERIA into a CANVAS.

Prior to the personal computer Laurence GARTEL broke all established methodologies when he explored electronic imaging known today as (Digital Media) in the early 70s while working on analog system computers. GARTEL set out to create new visual language through the adoption of technology in the art making process. GARTEL taught Andy Warhol how to use the Amiga Computer when he received the commission to produce the album cover for Debbie Harry (Blondie) in the 80s.

GARTEL’s new psychedelic Scuderia (valued at close to a million dollars) becomes the latest of unique projects GARTEL’s interest in SUPER CARS started several years ago and his exhibition “AUTO MOTION” based on the inspiration of the FERRARI automobile was first showcased at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Edison State College in Ft. Myers, Florida. But the question asked is: “WHY paint a FERRARI? The answer is: “WHY NOT?” – Digitally of course.

Ever since the first cave paintings were discovered in France (40,000 BC) man has had an intellectual surge of artistic expression. Stained glass as a medium created in the Middle Ages gave birth to a new formula of artistic process. The idea of “unique surface” is something artists have sought after over time.

Some purists would say, “A Ferrari needs to be left well enough alone.” That may be true, but when a collector has more than 10 of them, you can begin to see the options,” states GARTEL. “Artistic and cultural minds change our thought process,” declares GARTEL. Imagine if there was no Frank Gehry? Architecture would be dull in our contemporary environment. “So I tip my hat to Enzo Ferrari for having real vision in the automotive world. – It is about to evolve into a prophetic significance.”

“A master artist is one that does not accept society’s rules.” “We have seen break out artists such as Dali in surrealism and Warhol in pop culture. GARTEL brought us the Digital Art Movement almost single-handedly,” states the CEO of ArtFellas LLC , the initiator and main sponsor of the “Ferrari 430 Scuderia into a Canvas” project. “The internet, comes first,” it is the Media and the Medium. You will be able to watch this event online on http://artfellas.tv in live streaming which is the new dedicated section of Artfellas.com – The Art Social Network. If Marshall McLuhan’s statement “The medium is the message” were ever true, GARTEL’s art speaks volumes. “That is why his art is going live on our page. We will witness GARTEL’s creation of the Scuderia literally unfolding on our pages. In the meantime, people should look out for GARTEL’s ART SCUDERIA surprising onlookers on the streets of Miami. – Tune in Below! -)

For more information
Shelley Chaperone
Communications Director
gartelpr@gmail.com

What do you think about the vinyl wrap on the Ferrari 430 Scuderia by Laurence Gartel?
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Source: autoblog.com

The Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance auction presented by Mercedes-Benz, has become one of the high-profile, national automotive events here in the United States. The Florida-based Concours celebration is promising a 2011 lineup that is better than ever.

Now in its fifth year, this upper-crust car show has been gaining momentum in the concours community, in part by scoring a lot of “firsts” for the auction portion of its event. Auctiongoers in past years have had a shot to buy the first U.S. examples of the Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 and Spyder R8, Ferrari California and 458 Italia and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

On the docket for this year’s festivities? How does the 2012 Ferrari FF, 2012 Audi R8 GT and 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. According to The DuPont Registry, each car will be the first of its kind sold in the United States. If you need to pick up something for your kids or the wife, Mercedes has also supplied a 2012 CLS63 Limited Edition, of which only 30 are to be made – and, of course, this is also the very first one sold.

Refresher:

• Ferrari FF: The Ferrari FF is the company’s first four-wheel-drive model and is powered by a 6.3L V12 engine making 651-hp and 504 lb-ft of of torque. Mated to a transaxle dual-clutch F1 gearbox, the Ferrari FF goes from 0-62 mph 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 208 mph.
• 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG: The 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG is powered by a M157 5.5L twin-turbocharged V8 making 550-hp with a maximum torque of 590 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed Sports Transmission, 0 to 60 mph comes in 4.4 seconds and 4.3 seconds with the AMG package. Top speed is clocked in at 186 mph.
• Audi R8 GT: The Audi R8 GT is powered by a modified version of the 5.2L V10 making 560-hp (an increase of 35-hp) and a peak torque of 398.28 lb-ft. That allows 0-62 mph to come in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 198.84 mph. The V10 gets a specific power output of 107.6-hp per liter displacement. Audi will only make 333 units of the R8 GT.
• Mercedes-Benz SLS 63 AMG: Power for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG comes from a 6.2L V8 making 563-hp with a maximum torque of 479 lb-ft. Mated to an E-SELECT system that controls the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sport transmission, the SLS AMG can go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds (with the Race Start launch control system) with a top speed of 196 mph.

*UPDATE: If you were booking travel arrangements to Florida with the goal of winning yourself the first example of Ferrari’s FF shooting brake… don’t. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County (the organization for whom the concours auction is to benefit) has issued a formal retraction – the Ferrari FF will not be available for auction.

THE 2012 FERRARI FF WAS NEVER MADE AVAILABLE TO THE LIVE AUCTION AT THE 2011 BOCA RATON CONCOURS D’ ELEGANCE BOCA RATON, FL (February 18, 2011) – A press release was previously distributed which stated that the 2012 Ferrari FF was going to be auctioned off at the 2011 Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance, an event benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Recent developments have revealed an error in the initial release. The 2012 Ferrari FF will not be available for auction during the Concours hosted February 25-27, 2011.

The Live Auction hosted during the Black-Tie Optional Gala on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, will still offer gala guests the opportunity to bid on the first in the country 2012 Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster and the first in the country 2012 Mercedes CLS63 AMG Limited Edition – one of only 32 produced for the USA; and the first in the country 2012 Audi R8 GT, among other exclusive items.

For additional information on the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance and to see a full schedule of events please visit www.bocaCDE.com. As the event evolves, the website will provide up-to-date important information – so check back daily. All events are open to the public with tickets sold separately. Tickets can be purchased for the Friday night duPont Registry Live! Hangar Party for $50 per person; the Saturday Gala dinner for $500 per person; the Sunday Concours Automobile and Motorcycle exhibit for $50 per person and the Concours d’ Gourmet Café for $25. To purchase tickets, please call 954-537-1010 or visit www.bocaCDE.com.

**For Media Inquires or Information about the 2011 Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance contact:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County: 954-537-1010

Are you interested in buying any of these cars?

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Source: autoblog.com and egmcartech.com

Car owner Wes Moschetto was horrified to see his two-week old Ferrari 458 Italia run over by a Ford F-150 pickup on a Florida street.

Car collector James Glickenhaus may be hard at work crafting a racing version of his one-off, Ferrari Enzo-based P4/5, but that won’t be ready for some time yet. In the meantime, he took his road-going super-exotic to France for some high-speed runs, and posted the subsequent footage for the world to enjoy. The Pininfarina-bodied car has been seen everywhere from New York City to a Gooding’s auction at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Palm Beach, Florida and even the Paris Motor Show.

While the P4/5 has been chronicled time and time again, we never shy away from an opportunity to see and hear the Pininfarina project being driven at 10/10ths. This clip shows the car screaming around a high-banked turn at a nominal velocity before cutting to the car slogging through city traffic — an unfortunate scenario for the driver, and quite a contrast to the preceding scene. The video ends with the P4/5 parked behind red ropes in Paris, allowing the growing crowds surrounding the car to bask in its beauty.

We can’t wait to see the P4/5 Competizione in action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June, but this latest clip of the so-called stock P4/5 will have to suffice until then.

What do you think about the video of the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina doing laps at the race track in France and then being driven in Paris?

Join the discussion. Please leave a comment.

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Source: rumors.automobilemag.com and autoblog.com

Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta

Ferrari officially debuted the one-off P540 Superfast Aperta this last weekend at the Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida.

In case you missed it the first time, the P540 Aperta was commissioned and partly developed by Edward Walson, son of John Walson, the inventor of cable TV. The P540 was produced by Pininfarina and Ferrari’s Special Projects division, which handles one-off customizations for the automaker. It is a modified 599 made to look like the Ferrari from the movie Toby Dammit.

While it shares similar technical specs with the 599, it’s obviously a strong visual departure. With touches of Maserati, 250 GTO and even a bit of the Shelby Series One, this won’t be mistaken for anything else on the road built this decade-especially not with that luminescent gold paint job and the black and carbon fiber accent elements.

Whereas the donor car is a sportier GT, the P540 is a more aggressive and masculine take on it. Most notably, and the reason for the Aperta label (Italian for “window”), is the open top.

What do you think about the gold Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta?

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Source: jalopnik.com and motorcrave.com

Ferrari 599XX

Ferrari will have no official presence at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, but it will showcase the ultra-rare 599XX model in Chrysler’s booth to help celebrate Fiat’s partnership with Chrysler.

The 599XX is an extreme, high-performance berlinetta and is packed with innovative technology. The car is not approved for road use, being aimed only at non-competitive track use, and is reserved for just 20 select clients.

This “laboratory” model is the result of extensive research in both the road car and Formula One fields. It’s overflowing with new solutions in terms of aerodynamics, electronic controls and chassis dynamics, with many being proposed together for the first time ever on a car and, of these, several are unique to the model. As is usual with Ferrari’s advanced research projects, the experience gained with this car will be used as the basis for developing future road cars with extreme high-performance characteristics.

The 599XX is also an example of Ferrari’s exclusive and limited production. All Prancing Horse cars are designed, engineered and developed entirely in-house in the company’s factory in Maranello and incorporate all the latest specialist technologies that can only be applied to low-volume production like Ferrari’s.

The official track debut of the 599XX for the client test-drivers is at Homestead in Florida in March.

What do you think about the Ferrari 599XX at the Detroit Auto Show?

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Source: europeanmotornews.com and autoguide.com

Ferrari has opened a new dealership in Tampa Bay, Florida, the first in North America to carry Ferrari cars only.

The 27 thousand square feet new facility was made possible by an investment of $9 million and this important opening represents the pinnacle of a larger investment that Ferrari has been undertaking in Florida.

In recent months Ferrari of Central Florida, the Orlando dealership and The Collection, the Ferrari dealership in Miami has undergone an important restructuring.

Ferrari is about to complete a multi-million-dollar renovation of its Fort Lauderdale store and will open a brand new dealership in West Palm Beach by the end of the year.

Florida is the third largest market for Ferrari North America, accounting for more than 12% of its sales in 2008.

Ferrari North America has 36 dealerships in the U.S., four in Canada, and nine in Central and South America, wants to offer to its customers an environment similar to the one they would have by visiting the ever-renovating Ferrari factory in Maranello.

Following this philosophy, Ferrari North America’s dealer network has invested in the past two years $70+ million in new facilities, as well as in renovating the existing ones.

Source: marketwatch.com and canadiandriver.com