It's amazing how well the combination of Speaker Pelosi, Fiat President Marchionne and the rear of a 599XX brought out everyone's collective wit. There were many uproariously funny entries this week. The win goes to you, deserveliberty, for your amusing read on the politics of the automotive industry.
Here are the honorable mentions, all of which made us laugh.
This baby has a parachute in the trunk, it'll bail itself out! (sherief)
"The Italian Stallion... the car, not me" (e90_m3)
We're working on one made out of recycled Styrofoam; it runs on cow flatulence and won't exceed 45 mph! (roadburner)
Mrs. Pelosi, all this could be yours IF you play THE PRICE IS RIGHT! (vt8919)
And this is the new all electric family sedan by Chrysler. It gets a million miles to the gallon and will be sold next year for only $15,000. (dougtheeng)
Meet my invisible friend, who will help Chrysler turn a profit in 2010. Why yes, he is Jay Leno and he did come out of a bottle of motor oil. (greenpony)
"And this, Miss Speaker, represents our latest hybrid model. It runs on the hopes and dreams of its owner and emits only puppies." (eidolways)
We brought only the rear of this car here the front is still reviewed by the members of your congress. (f1ndler)
I'm sorry, but women in pantsuits can not get any closer than this to any Ferrari, otherwise all the sexy is drained from the vehicle. (ergsum)
There is candy in the trunk. Why don't you go have a look? (dougtheeng)
Thanks for playing, everyone. See you next week!
Categories: Chrysler,Ferrari,Fiat,Trends
Just because we like our surreal extra weird, we rolled back over to the Chrysler/Fiat/Ferrari/re-badged Lancia/Jeep stand here at the show to find one Ms.Nancy Pelosi of Washington, D.C. spending some quality time with Sergio Marchionne in an electric Fiat 500.
Later, Serg showed her his Ferrari.
Categories: Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show,Ferrari
#NAIAS Apparently, getting dumped by a German company, gutted by a private equity firm and being given away to a foreign concern has a way of making strange bedfellows. Pictured here is the Ferrari 599XX/Dodge Challenger section of the Chrysler stand at Detroit. 
Incidentally, that 599XX is the only Ferrari at Detroit, where the company insists it has no presence. What you can't see is that behind this black Challenger is a Plum Crazy one with white stripes.
We saw our friendly local Ferrari PR guy relaxing in the nearby lounge. "Hey, how are you?" He said, "I am not really here."
OK.
Categories: Auto Shows,Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show,Dodge,Ferrari,Fiat
There will be a Ferrari display next to Jeep and Dodge at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, but it won't constitute an official presence for the brand. There won't be a 458 Italia. Rather, you'll just see this Ferrari 599XX, the race version of the 599, that originally debuted at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show.
Probably you're not among the 20 people in the world who will get to use a 599XX as a personal track-day car (it's not homologated for public-road use), but you could drive down to Homestead, Florida, in March to witness its U.S. track debut and possibly get kicked out by security.
Nevertheless, the mere presence of a car with a 700-horsepower V12 on the Detroit show floor should instantly confer credibility on the nearby Jeep Wrangler Islander.
Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Ferrari,Sports Cars
This might be our favorite unintended consequence of Fiat's "mentorship" of Chrysler: Instead of occupying its usual spot in luxury row, Ferrari will have its booth smack between Dodge and Jeep at this month's Detroit Auto Show. Oh, yes, and Maserati will be there, too.
That's just how it goes when you're part of the Fiat Group. Evidently, it's hoped you'll come for the Italian sports cars and stay for the, um, Plum Crazy Challenger and whatever the latest going-away-special Viper is. And if you're aching to see another electric car, well, get yourself over to the Fiat 500 EV exhibit.
Detroit News
Categories: Chrysler,Dodge,Ferrari,Fiat,Jeep,Maserati
Ferrari put on a little show for a crowd in Italy, as test driver Luca Badoer drives the 2009 F60 Formula 1 car around a makeshift track. Every time he exits the pits, he does a burnout.
Categories: Ferrari,Motorsports
You know the German tuner Gemballa for its work on Porsches. But yesterday The Real JDM blog published the first photos of a Ferrari Enzo tuned by Gemballa. Ostensibly, this car exists because a private owner in Dubai wanted it to exist.
Gemballa calls it the MIG-UI, a code name that makes reference to the owner of the donor Enzo, Mustafa Galadari. No specs have been released yet.
The Real JDM
Categories: Ferrari,Sports Cars,Tuners and Modifications
Legendary Motor Cars has a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda project car, Super Cuda, with a twin-turbocharged V10. They humbly claim it makes over 1,000 horsepower. Earlier this month, LMC was invited to bring the car to Chrysler's Michigan proving grounds and lap it on the oval. Coincidentally enough, a Ferrari Enzo happened to show up.
LMC also has an extensive gallery of photos (low-res, unfortunately) from the day on the proving grounds and from the process of building the Super Cuda. It's worth a look.
Categories: Coupes,Ferrari,Plymouth,Tuners and Modifications
There are a few schools of thought when it comes to the Ferrari California. Some say it's a logical addition to the lineup. Less manic that the F430 and soon-to-be-released 458 Italia, the dual-purpose California is a proper grand tourer. Others simply consider it one of the ugliest Ferraris ever built.
Novitec has now released its attempt to butch up the soft lines of the California along with a little extra power to back it up. The new upgrade kit adds a more aggressive front air dam, extended sills and a reworked rear diffuser. There's also a set of staggered 3-piece wheels with 255/30/ZR21 tires up front and 315/25/ZR22 tires in back. The spring rates were also bumped up and the car sits 1.4-inches lower than stock.
For extra power, Novitec reprogrammed the engine management computer for faster throttle response and a higher 8,300rpm redline. A stainless steel exhaust system rounds out the package.
So, does it do much for ya? Maybe it's just the black color, but it doesn't look half bad to us.
Continue reading Novitec Makes Ferrari California Slightly Less Unsightly.
Categories: Convertibles,Coupes,Ferrari,Luxury Cars,Sports Cars,Tuners and Modifications
This sad space used to house the Ferrari/Maserati stand at the L.A. auto show. Now it is the exclusive domain of a half-dozen bar tables and a one-man coffee stand. A guard still stands at the entrance, but we're not sure why.
Ferrari Bows Out of L.A. Auto Show
Categories: Ferrari,LA Auto Show,Maserati
Hope you weren't counting on seeing the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia at next month's LA Auto Show. Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley and Lamborghini have all pulled out of the show due to financial considerations. A source close to the LA Auto Show tells us the decision came months ago, though a report out of Detroit has drawn the Web's attention to it today.
Aston Martin is still on the exhibitor list. Although Aston public relations officials told us recently the company would have no official presence there, the LA-based Aston dealers are still expected to pull together a booth. Our source tells us that show organizers tried to persuade the other exotics to do the same, but Ferrari and Maserati in particular were against that because they wouldn't be able to control the brand message going out to consumers.
2009 LA Auto Show exhibitor list, TheDetroitBureau
First Drive: 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
Categories: Aston Martin,Bentley,Ferrari,LA Auto Show,Lamborghini
Curious whether the new 2010 Honda Accord has an optional neck massager? How about the tow rating on the Ford F-150? And what about those European cars, they're always adding some new totally nonessential technological "feature."
Now there's an easy way to find out. Our 2010 Buyer's Guide lists every model change from every manufacturer. From colors to options to full redesigns, it's all there.
2010 Buyer's Guide
Categories: Acura,Aston Martin,Audi,BMW,Bentley,Bugatti,Buick,Cadillac,Chevrolet,Chrysler,Dodge,Ferrari,Fiat,Ford,GMC,General Motors,HUMMER,Honda,Hyundai,Infiniti,Jaguar,Jeep,Kia,Lamborghini,Land Rover,Lexus,Lincoln,Lotus,MINI,Maserati,Maybach,Mazda,Mercedes-Benz,Mercury,Mitsubishi,Nissan,Pontiac,Porsche,Rolls-Royce,SMART,Saab,Saturn,Scion,Subaru,Suzuki,Tesla Motors,Toyota,Volkswagen,Volvo
The auction weekend in Scottsdale is just two months away and the various auction house lineups are starting to fall into place. Gooding and Company has announced the cars that will headline its event on January 23rd and as usual they're all quite nice -- and expensive.
Bidders will be able to choose from a 1956 Jaguar D-Type Sports Racer, a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet and a numbers matching 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta that's expected to fetch as much $400,000 when it crosses the block.
Gooding and Company
Categories: Car Auctions,Classic Cars,Ferrari,Jaguar,Maserati,Sports Cars
Next summer's Concourso Italiano held during the Pebble Beach weekend in August will feature a gathering of Ferrari F40s to celebrate 20 years in the U.S. There's actually a Ferrari F40 Reunion Group and it's aiming to attract as many as, wait for it, 40 F40s to the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch on August 13th.
Concorso Italiano
Categories: Classic Cars,Coupes,Ferrari,Luxury Cars,Sports Cars
