Future Ferrari: lighter weight, 2+2 V8, new supercar

**Tommy_F** · 14th September 2007, 18:04

Posted Sep 14th 2007 10:01AM by Jonathon Ramsey

Ferrari's getting in on the environmental game. Well, relatively speaking. The next supercar from the home of the prancing horse will be lighter and use a lower-displacement engine, but still have at least 500 HP. Thoughts are that such a car would derive its powerplant from the one mooted for the Millechili concept shown earlier this year. Though the car shown was nothing more than cardboard, the powerplant spoken of was a twin-turbocharged, direct-injection, 550-hp, 3.0-liter V-8.

The other big news is more information on Ferrari's No-It's-Not-A-Dino. Instead, what will be revealed early next year is a 2+2 V8 with a 4.3L V8 mounted up front. Other changes to the rest of Ferrari's line have taken a back seat due to the marque's growing popularity. The 599 hardtop convertible has been put on hold in light of the coupe's 18-month waiting list. The 612 will remain unchanged until its replaced in 2010.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/14/f...-new-supercar/

Ferrari shows off future technologies with its FXX Mille Chili concept

Posted Jun 21st 2007 6:31PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Details have started to emerge regarding Ferrari's new eco-friendly concept vehicle, the FXX Mille Chile. Ferrari, like other high performance vehicle manufacturers, realize that it needs to develop and introduce new technologies in order to keep selling its high-performance brand of vehicles. Ferrari has been working on many of these technologies and is showing them off on its latest concept. It's important to note that this is merely a paper and wood concept and is not slated for production. It also does not appear to have anything to do with the Millechili concept from 2005.

New technologies introduced to the public on the Millechili concept include active aerodynamics, a new type of hybrid drivetrain, adjustable steering wheel and pedal placement and high-tech (and high-cost) carbon fiber construction. Also seeing daylight are low rolling resistance tires and ceramic composite brakes. Many of these technologies have been done before, but not with quite the same intent as what Ferrari is doing.

Read on past the break for all of the details!

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

With active aerodynamics, vehicle manufacturers have been able to add or reduce downforce as required. The Bugatti Veyron is a good example of this. But, Ferrari is changing things up a bit by reducing the size of its ceramic composite brakes and using underbody modifications to lower the speed of the car. Also, the hybrid system is different than what we are used to. Instead of being able to power the vehicle, the electric motor only seems to activate while the vehicle is being shifted. This means that an almost seamless stream of torque is routed to the wheels, even when the clutch is disengaging the engine from the transmission. Speaking of that transmission, it appears to retain the F1 style paddle shifting, but the hybrid system makes shifting faster than ever.

Another noteworthy feature is the lack of seat adjustment fore and aft. Instead of a seat mounted on a sliding track, the steering wheel and pedals adjust. This is much lighter, and allows the canopy design of the body to closely hug the passenger compartment, lowering weight and improving aerodynamics. Clever stuff! Remember the video of the latest horror-inducing F1 crash? Yeah, the driver walked away. That same type of safety technology is proposed in the Mille Chili concept. A smaller front end is created using carbon fiber, which of course is obscenely expensive, but also extremely stiff and lightweight.

It is safe to say that if this vehicle were actually built and produced it would certainly be priced way out of reach for all but the richest people in the world. You thought the Enzo was expensive? The hope is that with time, the cost will come down and make vehicles like this concept a reality, but we're not there yet.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/21/f...li-c/#comments

**xpman** · 15th September 2007, 03:51

rather have that carzy lambo

**justjesper** · 8th October 2008, 22:21

This is cool too

Ferrari Planning To Build A Hybrid Sportscar

I think that there is no need in reminding you that greenhouse gases are affecting the air which is more and more polluted. Due to this problem, car manufacturers are forced to design greener cars that will not have negative impacts on the environment.
We all know what Toyota managed to do as the Prius is the most renowned hybrid-car in the world. A while ago, the European Council came up with a new rule which will lead the automakers to manufacture cars with an 130g/km limit of the CO2 levels by 2012. This ruling would ruin the business of supercar manufacturers like Ferrari or Lamborghini.
In a recent interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said that they are planning to reduce CO2 levels by 40% before 2012. They will make it possible thanks to a new hybrid technology and Ferrari might build cars powered by turbocharged V6 engines which are smaller and more fuel-efficient.
“We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1″, he said. KERS or Kinetic Energy Recycling System is a technique based on the brake-energy-regeneration principle and it consists of a super-efficient CVT gearbox which uses a spinning flywheel to harness energy when the car brakes. This energy will be perfect to increase the acceleration needed when overtaking or cornering.
In the end, Luca di Montezemolo revealed that the hybrid Ferrari “would still have to fundamentally a Ferrari” therefore we can still expect high-performance cars. The problem is that the first hybrid Ferraris will enter on the market “until around 2015″. I guess we will have to wait and see what Ferrari will prepare for us.

Ferrari lead the way, well not, but they are on the right track

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