200 km/h rollercoaster at Ferrari World theme park!

Abu Dhabi is slowly but surely catching up with its showy sister emirate Dubai. It’s already a Formula 1 host, and later this year we’ll see the world’s largest indoor theme park and the first ever Ferrari theme park open its gates at Yas Island. The mega development covers the already in use racetrack, shops, hotels, thrill rides and everything else that will make it a “Disneyland” for the car enthusiast.

Unsurprisingly, everything here is the biggest or the fastest. The theme park’s red roof, which is supposed to be inspired by the side profile of the Ferrari car, shades over 2.15 million square feet and is imprinted with the largest Prancing Horse emblem ever made (66-metre diameter).

The star ride at Ferrari World will be the world’s fastest rollercoaster. Travelling at speeds “in excess of 200 km/h”, one doesn’t need to be in Alonso’s car to feel extreme G-force and wind on the face at 200 km/h. Passengers can expect to be launched over 62 m through the roof and back down again to replicate the F1 G-force experience. Another rollercoaster ride is the GT Racing Coaster which will have two “competing” cars racing along parallel tracks to the “finish line”. As you can see here, the car is a replica of a Ferrari F430 Spider with a cabin for four – another world’s first?

Supercharged Ferrari California

The Ferrari California does very well for an “entry-level” model, with its front-mid mounted 460 bhp/485 Nm 4.3-litre V8 paired to a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox for 0-100 km/h in four seconds and a top speed of 310 km/h. German based tuner Novitec Rosso aims to put the California’s performance beyond doubt by plonking in a supercharger for the V8.

The result is 606 bhp at 7,900 rpm and 603 Nm of twist. Now the 2+2 GT can complete the century sprint in under 3.8 seconds and reach maximum velocity of 325 km/h. The cogged belt driven mechanical charger’s boost pressure is at 0.4 bars. New components include a water-to-air intercooler, custom intake manifold and larger injectors. The Cali is also equipped with a Novitec stainless-steel exhaust system with sport catalysts. An integrated flap mechanism activated by the steering wheel manettino switch controls the intensity of the exhaust note.

I must say that the white example seen here isn’t too over the top (can’t always say that for tuned cars), and the add-ons blend in nicely without looking like add-ons. Novitec says that its front spoiler was wind tunnel developed and reduce front axle lift at high speeds. New rocker panels with integrated airfoils and black side markers are the changes to the side profile. For the rear, of course there’s a diffuser and a spoiler lip, but also here is a carbon-fibre strip surrounding the number plate.

Novitec’s springs lower ride height by 35 mm, but what’s cool here is a hydraulic lift system for the front axle that can raise the Ferrari’s chin by 40 mm at the push of a button. This will make it easier to navigate speed bumps or car park ramps. The front reverts to its original position at a second button push or automatically upon reaching 80 km/h.

Lastly, those pretty three-piece star spoke Novitec NF3 wheels of 21 inches up front and 22 inches at the back are wrapped with special order Pirellis measuring 255/30 and 315/25, respectively.

First Ferrari 458 Italia in US raises $530,000 for Haiti

Ferrari has raised $601,000 for relief efforts in Haiti by the CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) and the William J. Clinton Foundation. At the star studded gala event, the first Ferrari 458 to arrive in America was auctioned off for $530,000. US prices for Maranello’s latest isn’t out yet, but it’s priced close to £170,000 in the UK, which translates to nearly $255,000, so the unnamed buyer “gave away” quite a bit for charity.

Hosted by Piero Ferrari, Deputy Chairman, Amedeo Felisa, worldwide CEO of Ferrari, and Marco Mattiacci, the newly appointed North America CEO, the party was attended by over 500 guests and Ferrari aficionados, including John Mayer, Jeremy Renner, Patrick Dempsey, Aaron Eckhart, Joel McHale, Malin Ackerman, Mollie Simms and Katie Cassidy.

Other things to go under the hammer was Fernando Alonso’s original racing suit (which raised $31,000) and two “experiences as a Scuderia Ferrari team member” at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, which went for $20,000 and $21,000.

It was also announced that the Department of Orthopedics and Hand Surgery of the University of Modena will make its knowledge and resources available to help CMMB in Haiti. A team of hand and microsurgery specialists, whose studies have been financed by Ferrari, will help out in the earthquake wrecked Caribbean nation.

Ferrari 458 Italia

Naza Italia, the distributor of Ferrari and Maserati in Malaysia, has unveiled the Prancing Horse’s latest supercar – the 458 Italia – at a Ferrari party with some 400 guests, including the Scuderia’s two Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. The glitzy party was held at the company’s facility in Petaling Jaya.

Ownership of the 458 Italia starts from RM2 million, and Naza Italia already has 14 names in its order book for the car. That’s a big number, considering that the company has only sold about 23 Ferraris since it was given local rights to the brand back in March 2008.

The 458 Italia, which made its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, is powered by a mid-rear mounted direct injection 4.5-litre V8 producing 570 bhp (at a screaming 9,000 rpm!) and 540Nm of torque (80% available from 3,250 rpm). With the F1 dual-clutch gearbox and a low weight of 1,380 kg, it completes the 0-100 km/h sprint in under 3.4 seconds on to a top speed of over 325 km/h.

Ferrari 599 GTO is Maranello’s fastest ever road car

Reviving the Gran Turismo Omologata moniker that recalls the 1962 250 GTO and the iconic 1984 GTO, only 599 examples of the 599 GTO will be made. Ferrari will debut its latest at the Beijing Motor Show later this month.

The 599 GTO’s engine is lifted from the 599XX but with necessary modifications for road-going homologation. With that, the engine complies with Euro 5 and LEV 2 standards. The 6.0-litre V12 makes 661 bhp at 8,250 rpm with maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6,500 rpm. This is good for a 3.35 second run from 0-100 km/h and a top speed of “over 335 km/h”. It uses a 6–speed F1 gearbox with 60 ms shift times and the ability to make multiple downshifts. The 1,495 kg 599 GTO lapped Fiorano at 1′24″, faster than the Enzo.

Apart from new springs and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar, the 599 GTO also features a second generation magnetorheological suspension control system. It works in tandem with VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and latest-generation F1-Trac traction control. These combine to make the car extremely responsive to driver inputs – thanks in part to the “very direct steering ratio” – highly stable under braking, sharper on turn-in, more precise in cornering and quicker out of corners, says Ferrari.

It also comes with second-generation carbon-ceramic brakes (100-0 km/h in just 32.5 metres), new aerodynamic innovations such as wheel doughnuts that improve aerodynamic efficiency and brake cooling, and Supersport tyres developed by Michelin. The driver-car interface is also new with the adoption of the Virtual Race Engineer (VRE) which provides the driver with instantaneous information on performance. We wonder if Mr. VRE will give the 599 GTO driver hurry ups like how Rob Smedley does with Felipe Massa.

Ferrari 430 Scuderia

The new Ferrari 430 Scuderia joins it’s siblings the F430 coupé and the F430 Spider, and has a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.45 kg per hp thanks to a low dry weight of just 1250 kg – 100 kg less than the F430.

Sitting in the engine bay is a 4.3 liter naturally aspirated V8 making 510 horsepower at 8,500rpm – a horsepower to displacement ratio of more than 100 horses per liter. This engine is mated to an F1 Superfast gearbox which shifts in 50 milliseconds.

The new model is a special series based on the F430 and is aimed specifically at Ferraris most passionate and sports-driving oriented clients. It uses an E-Diff electronic differential and F1-Trac traction and stability control combined in a single integrated system, tuned for a sporty drive naturally, one that is deserving of being in a Ferrari.