Ferrari held gathering in London about plans for future

At last, we get to know what Ferrari has in plans for its future. At a private press gathering in central London, CEO Luca di Montezemolo discussed Ferrari past, present and future as well as confirmed that an ‘open-top 599′ would debut at the Pebble Beach Concours in California this August.

These images above and below show how the 599 could look. It’s likely to be fitted with some roof mechanisms but it’s believed that the technology developed for the 575 Superamerica in 2005 fits the bill. The limited-run car features an electric roof section that flips back over the rear windscreen.

To handle the added weight, the car gets a 25bhp power increase. Montezemolo also revealed that the roadster will have a “very romantic name.” However, he said that the Superamerica badge won’t be used.

Some valued customers requested that the open-top 599 be produced as part of an extremely limited production run. With regards to Ferrari’s hybrid plans, di Montezezmolo said that the future for Ferrari will be built on the hybrid for the 12-cylinder and new [turbocharged] technology for the eight-cylinder.

Montezemolo also said that three or four years from now, the company will be ready with a V12 hybrid based on the HY-KERS concept. What this comes down to is that the replacement for the Enzo, as well as the next 599 GTB Fiorano and 612 Scaglietti, will feature smaller-capacity V12s coupled to electric motors to raise efficiency. Meanwhile, future Ferrari V8s will be focusing on conventional turbo power to follow the performance and CO2 emissions targets.

What do you think about an open-top Ferrari 599 roadster and Ferrari’s plans for V12 hybrids & turbocharged V8s for the future?

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