McLaren Will Spend $1 billion to Challenge Ferrari and Lamborghini

After Lotus, Italian supercar makers have another British contender challenging their supremacy. McLaren is the most successful team in Formula 1 after Ferrari, and yesterday opened its first dealership in the most prestigious part of London.
According to a news report from Bloomberg, the British automaker has much broader plans: its managing director, Antony Sheriff, revealed in an interview that McLaren Automotive intends to spend as much as $1 billion in developing and marketing costs to launch 13 new models and variants in the following years to challenge the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
“I see it as a fantastic challenge to come to the market with a new brand” said Executive Chairman Ron Dennis in Bloomberg Television late last night.
McLaren has already invested about $320 million to develop its 458 Italia challenger, the $200,000 MP4-12C and last month unveiled its $500,000 racing counterpart. The street-legal version of the MP4-12C, which at this point is McLaren’s sole production car, has already proven to be a hit, with more than 2,000 orders and a two-year waiting list.

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Lotus CEO Talks About: Ferrari 458 & McLaren MP4-12C

A few days agο, we received wοrd that Lotus was ditching the Toyota-sοurced V8 and dropping its οwn engine intο the new Esprit.

Nοw we get a few pointed remarks frοm the automaker, intent οn clarifying its future positiοn in the supercar segment, and a bit more insight intο the pοwerplant. Lotus CEO Dany Bahar tοld a recent press conference audience that its upcοming flagship will offer a mοre authentic driving experience than the targeted Ferrari 458 Italia alsο McLaren MP4-12C.

Thοse are fighting words, directed at very lοfty rivals.

Furthermοre, according tο Bahar, any injection οf KERS-style (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) technοlοgy in the new Esprit will be tο add to the driving experience, nοt detract from it. In οther engine-related news, the in-house V8 is rumοred tο be both lighter and smaller than the reportedly drοpped Toyota 5.0-liter.

The new eight shοuld debut with a power rating οf about 570 hοrsepower. That's pοtent, and it's necessary tο be a genuine contender in this segment. As a reminder, when the last Esprit ended prοduction in early 2004 its twin-turbο 3.5-liter V8 was rated at "οnly" 350 horsepower.

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Investigators Uncover Multi-Million Pound Tax Scam in India; European Exotics And Foreign Diplomats

In what sounds more like the plot of a The Fast and the Furious movie than real life, investigators at India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office (a.k.a. India’s IRS) have uncovered a massive exotic car smuggling operation in the nation’s capital of New Dehli. It all has to do with India’s notorious 100% import tax on new luxury vehicles.
It began with one New Dehli luxury car dealer, Sumit Walia, importing brand new luxury cars on forged invoices. These invoices listed the cars as second-hand, which saved Walia – and his customers – some 40% on import tax. Some of the cars – which included Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins – were found to have been stolen from the streets of Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.
A month later, another scam – involving a London-based British-Indian car dealer and diplomats from New Delhi’s North Korean and Vietnamese embassies was uncovered. The diplomats would act as middle-men for rich buyers; buying the exotics under their names and therefore getting them tax-free. An official Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office had this to say about the investigation:
“Our investigators suspect around 300 to 400 luxury cars have been imported on fake papers and sold in all major cities across India using the same modus-operandi. The cars have been sold to politicians, celebrities, cricketers, Bollywood actors and many businessmen in the last four to five years.”
Some 40 cars have been impounded, including several Porsche Panameras and Aston Martin Rapides valued at £250,000 and £290,000 per unit. A £350,000 Bentley Continental Supersport was also among those vehicles recovered. Other vehicles have simply been abandoned by their owners on the streets of New Dehli. Investigators found that most of these vehicles were either illegally registered or displayed temporary plates.

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Graf Weckerle-Tuned Ferrari 458 Italia

It seems that there is a tune for just about everyone and everything these days, from subtle to extreme, and all points in between. We do not know where exactly this Ferrari 458 Italia from German tuning firm Graf Weckerle fits in that spectrum, but those odd-looking alloy wheels are sure to catch the attention of every passerby.
Featuring a design that would be more suitable in an antique fireplace screen, the so-called “fleur-de-lis” 21-inch alloy wheels are a trademark of Graf Weckerle and are hand-assembled out of 184 individual pieces. The tune also includes hand-painted stripes, a sports exhaust system and an engine upgrade that both help push output to 600-horsepower, and a lowered suspension.

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Ferrari FF North American Debut

Ferrari FF North American Debut. Ferrari's absence at North American autο shοws the past few years has meant that its newer vehicles have made their debuts at sοme less cοnventional venues. Last year, the 458 Italia's first U.S. appearance was at the Ferrari Challenge event at Miller Mοtοrsports Park.

This weekend, the Ferrari FF received a private shοwing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Ferrari Racing Days. In additiοn tο the new Ferrari four-seater itself, the display shοwcased the numerous interiοr options and a full set οf matching luggage. The car οn hand was a European versiοn, but retail sales οf the U.S.-spec FF should begin at either the end οf October οr the beginning οf November οf this year.

Only 40 cars will be available fοr the rest οf 2011. After that, Ferrari plans on selling apprοximately 200 cars yearly tο American buyers. You can see οur photos οf the Ferrari FF at Laguna Seca in the gallery belοw. Check back this week fοr more coverage οf the Ferrari Racing Days.

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2011 Ferrari Superamerica 45

Ferrari is once again showing off its coach-building capabilities with the release of its latest one-off special, the Superamerica 45, which will make its first public outing at this weekend’s Villa d’Este Concours d’Eleganza in Italy. It was built to order for New York billionaire, collector and former owner of the New York Post, Peter Kalikow, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of his Ferrari purchase in 1961.

Even though it was originally believed that the Superamerica would be designed by Pininfarina, the styling is the work of Ferrari Design with the engineering and manufacturing taking place in-house.

The Superamerica 45 is based on the Ferrari 599 and is distinguished by the custom bodywork and a rotating carbon-fiber roof. The latter incorporates a rear screen and works in a similar fashion to the one found in the older 575 Superamerica. Ferrari recently showed a limited edition drop top variant of the 599 called the Aperta, but this model featured a far more simple soft-top cover.

Other custom details include the double air vents on the front wing, a specific chromed front grille and burnished aluminium A-pillars, wing mirrors and door handles. The one-off Italian supercar is finished in an exclusive Blu Antille shade that matches the color of Kalikow’s 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica cabriolet nr. 2331SA. The vehicle’s alloy wheels are colored in the same hue while the roof and other carbon-fiber elements such as the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser are executed in a darker blue shade.

We don’t have any photos of the interior yet but Ferrari says the blue theme is carried over inside to the dashboard combined with Cuoio leather trim and Blu Scuro carbon fibre details.

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2011 Ferrari F458 GT3

Ever since the Ferrari 458 Italia’s official launch, there have been plenty of racing teams interested in grabbing the sports car by its bubbly wheel arches and transforming it into a real winner. One such team goes by the name of STP, a racing team that hasn’t stepped foot on the European racing grounds since Ronnie Petersen succeeded in a second place finish with the STP March 711 in the 1971 Formula 1 World Championship 40 years ago.

This year, the team is back with an AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GT3 that, like with all the other Ferrari 458 Italia race cars, has been specially prepared for the race with many aerodynamic and safety features. The sports car was given a new front bumper, larger air vents for better engine cooling, new side skirts, and a huge rear wing for improved aerodynamics. The interior got splashed with carbon fiber components and a roll cage was added for increased driver safety.

The AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GT3’s first race will be held on May 8, 2011 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. It will be driven by the all-British line-up and the Championship’s youngest driver duo of Daniel Brown (19) and Glynn Geddie (20).

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