Archive for category Ferrari
Luxurious Cars – Ferrari Enzo – A Road Car That Emulates the Technology of Formula 1
Posted by in Ferrari on July 20, 2011
Very few automobiles in history can match the pure performance power and sleek intensity of a Ferrari. This Italian sports car has long been a favorite of car connoisseurs all over the globe.
Ferrari have produced many classics; however, none rival the brand’s most awe-inspiring project, the Enzo. Named after Enzo Ferrari, the car’s founder, this mid-engine wonder – put out in 2002 and halted in 04 – is still one of today’s most powerful production automobiles.
Everything about the Enzo is sleek, stylish and oh-so powerful. To make this car a rival for some of the competitors out there, Ferrari decided to emulate Formula One’s technology and build the Enzo using a state-of-the-art carbon-fiber body. This creates strength without adding drag – and the end result is a stronger, faster, better-handling car.
Other Formula One-style aspects were incorporated into the Enzo, such as the sequential shift transmission. Made famous by motorcycles, this type of transmission is for high-performance only. Instead of selecting specific gears, a driver must use the gears in order. This helps to eliminate human error and increase acceleration time.
The brakes of the Enzo are also state-of-the-art. When a car goes this fast, it’s imperative that it stops well. To handle this task, carbon-fiber-reinforced ceramic composite disc brakes were used. These brakes eliminate heat build-up and unnecessary friction, and they don’t wear down or lock up like conventional brakes. The Enzo is full of modern technology, including a computer that controls the rear wing in order to maintain downforce.
The engine in this Ferrari is one of the most powerful to ever be placed inside of a production model sports car. The brand was always famous for power, but in the Enzo, things went a step further. The 6.0 liter V12 features 4 valves per cylinder and dual overhead cams, as well as a Bosch Motronic ME7 fuel injection which makes the Enzo a naturally-aspirated vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »
1985 Ferrari Testarossa Review
Posted by in Car Reviews, Ferrari on July 19, 2011
Ferrari has a formidable presence in the international motoring scene and there isn’t a car enthusiast in the world who can’t automatically paint a mental picture of the Ferrari Testarossa when called to task.
The cherry-red finish with the silver rims and cream-colored interior is the combination that made Ferrari famous and that made the Testarossa the most admired car of the 1980s, leagues above Chevrolet’s Stingray Corvette.
Ferrari started production of the Testarossa in 1984, with the first model to hit the streets being the 1985. For the 11 years it was in production, there were a few minor tweaks to improve the overall appeal and functionality of the sports car, but the basic model stayed the same, and the original was always considered to be the best of the bunch.
Testarossa wasn’t just an average production model for Ferrari. This was to be the car to succeed the Berlinetta Boxer and hopefully put Ferrari back on the map. Everything about Ferrari’s newest sports car just stood out as dominant and “cool.” The name itself was derived from the red cam covers – testarossa literally means “red head” in Italian.
Undoubtedly, the Ferrari Testarossa instantly took center stage and became the world’s fastest production car (non-racing, of course). This is the model that practically invented the term “supercar” when associated with road-ready production models.
The designing process for the Testarossa began in 1982, with the idea to create a street car that both looked and performed like a racing car. The design team came up with a sleek, mid-engine design, featuring radiators in the flanks, a low top, state-of-the-art brakes, a stellar transmission and a 12-cylinder powerhouse engine.
A lot of testing also went into the overall design of the car’s body. Ferrari pulled no punches when it came to measuring the Testarossa’s performance at high speeds. They designed the car by using a high-speed wind tunnel to measure drag and eventually formulated what they considered to be a flawless aerodynamic design. Read the rest of this entry »