Tag Archives: Enzo

Faster Than Enzo – Maserati MC12 Stradale

The Maserati MC12 Stradale is the road going variant of the Maserati MC12 Competizione which successfully took Maserati back to the race tracks on the FIA GT Circuit in 2005.

Maserati MC12 Stradale, Desert Classics Concours d'Elegance,

Sharing a chassis, modified motor, running gear and windscreen with the Enzo Ferrari the rest of the body was originally conceived by Giorgetto Giugiaro and stylised with the aid of a wind tunnel by Frank Stephenson.

Maserati MC12 Stradale, Desert Classics Concours d'Elegance,

The two batches of 25 MC12 Stradales built in 2004 and 2005 were only delivered in white and blue, sans radio or even anywhere to fit an after market one, a nod to the exploits of the American Lloyd Perry ‘Lucky’ Casner’s Camoradi team.

Maserati MC12 Stradale, Desert Classics Concours d'Elegance,

In two separate road tests at Dunsfold Aerodrome and on the Nurburgring MC12’s proved to be quicker than the Enzo Ferrari that spawned it. I believe the example seen here in Geoffrey Horton’s photograph’s, taken at last years Desert Classic’s Concours d’Elegance, is one of those built in the 2005 batch.

It appears to belong to the The Riverside International Automotive Museum a non profit corporation run by Ray and Doug Margon dedicated to “Preserving the memory of California’s rich motorsports heritage” which also houses a collection that includes one example of every road going Maserati sold in the US since 1951.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Faster Than Enzo” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an early Renault. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Century Festival Painting – Maserati MC12 Cent 100

The Maserati MC12 was conceived as a limited edition super car which would allow Maserati to return with a racing programme for the first time in 37 years.

Maserati MC12 Cent 100, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The first batch of 25 cars was pre sold at US$ 600,000 each and delivered in 2004 with a second batch following in 2005.

02 Maserati MC12 Cent 100_1605sc

I believe twelve MC12 Competizione race versions were also built and a one off chassis was turned into a Pininfarina bodied concept car called the Birdcage 75th that was first seen at the Geneva show in 2005.

Maserati MC12 Cent 100, Michael Bartels, Goodwood Festival of Speed

After disputes regarding the legibility of the MC12 Competizione were settled in 2004 Maserati’s return to racing proved a success with Maserati claiming the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers Cup, the following season the Vitaphone Racing representing Maserati won the 2006 FIA GT Teams Championship and the teams drivers Michael Bartels, seen waving above, and Andrea Bertolini shared the FIA GT Drivers Championship.

Maserati MC12 Cent 100, Goodwood Festival of Speed

By 2009 Vitaphone Racing had won the FIA GT Teams Championship 5 consecutive times with Michael and Andrea claiming 3 FIA GT Drivers Championships. In 2010 Vitaphone Racing still representing Maserati, Michael and Andrea claimed the inaugural FIA GT Teams and Drivers World Championships.

Maserati MC12 Cent 100, Goodwood Festival of Speed

With it’s Ferrari Enzo derived chassis the MC12 is carries body work that is bulkier than the Enzo in every dimension, too big to be used in the ELMS or ALMS series, but is much more aerodynamic than the Enzo.

Maserati MC12 Cent 100, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The chassis for the MC Cent 100 was a ‘spare’ at the Maserati factory that became the first new MC12 to be built since 2005. The one off Cent 100 carries special paint work celebrating Maserati’s 2014 Centenary depicting Alfieri Maserati driving a Tipo 26, Stirling Moss driving a 250F and a map of the Goodwood Hillclimb on which Michael Bartels finished 2nd at this years event driving today’s featured car.

Thanks for joining me on this “Century Festival Painting” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Delage powered by a V12 aeroplane engine. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Ferrari Friday – Danville Concours d’Elegance

To round out the week we will take another trip to Danville Concours d’Elegance where Geoffrey Horton took today’s photographs a couple of weeks ago.

Ferrari 500 Superfast, Danville Concours d'Elegance

Only 12 Ferrari 500 Superfast Series II’s were built and this 1965 example has been with the same owner for 45 years.

Ferrari 365 GTB/4, Danville Concours d'Elegance

For a while during the 1970’s and 1980’s it looked like front engined Ferrari’s, like the 1972 365 GTB/4 above, might disappear altogether they carried on building front engined 400 and later 412 models up to 1989, then there was a 3 year gap before the front engined 456 appeared in 1992.

Ferrari 512 TR, Danville Concours d'Elegance

The Ferrari 512TR replaced the Ferrari Testarossa in 1992, powered by the same flat 12 motor, but producing 30 more horsepower which increased the top speed from 180 mph to 195mph.

Ferrari Enzo, Danville Concours d'Elegance

Above the interior of a Ferrari Enzo, the gears are shifted using an electrohydraulic shift transmission operated by paddles on the steering wheel with LED lights advising drivers when to shift a transfer of technology from Ferrari’s racing programme.

Ferrari California, Danville Concours d'Elegance

The Ferrari California model above has now been replaced by the Ferrari California T, but it still looks timeless with the roof up or down.

Ferrari 458 Convertible, Danville Concours d'Elegance

Black sheep of this weeks Ferrari Friday post is the 199mph Ferrari 458 Spider above.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photos taken at Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ferrari Friday” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be visiting Castle Combe for the first 500 cc Formula 3 race run at the circuit in 50 years. Don’t forget to come back now.

Share

HY-KERS Limited Edition – La Ferrari

La Ferrari, first seen in 2013 is Ferrari’s first hybrid production car of which the manufacturers say just 499 examples will be built.

La Ferrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

This hybrid is based on the Enzo and track FXX models.

La Ferrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The carbon fibre moncoque was developed by Rory Bryne who was responsible for the design of Micheal Schumacher’s Formula One Championship winning cars at Benetton and Ferrari.

La Ferrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

La Ferrari features an in house designed body, the first Ferrari road car body since the Bertone styled body for the Dino 308 GT4 not to feature any input from Pinninfarina.

La Ferrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

La Ferrari is fitted with a 789hp V12 and a HY KERS, Hybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System, battery powered electric motor that will deliver an additional 160hp for short periods, making La Ferrari the most powerful street legal Ferrari ever built.

La Ferrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ferrari quoted performance figures include a rest to 62 mph time in under 3 seconds and top speed of 217 mph.

La Ferrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The price of La Ferrari is said to be more than GBP £1 million / USD $1.69 million.

Thanks for joining me on this “HY-KERS Limited Edition” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Ferraris At The Castle – Sherborne Castle

A couple of weeks ago David Roots kindly invited me to join him at last weekends Classics at the Castle in Sherborne and today’s post is dedicated to a hand full of the many Ferrari’s present.

Ferrari Enzo, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

While waiting to meet David I heard the unmistakeable wail of a highly tuned V12 approaching and just had time to whip out my camera to capture this ’04, as listed by the DVLA, Ferrari Enzo. Enzo aficionado’s will of course know only one Enzo, the 400th and final one, was built in ’04 and that red car was donated to the Vatican for a charity auction, which means this car imported into the UK in 2004 must have been built in ’02 or ’03.

Ferrari 360, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Not far behind the Enzo came this ’03 Ferrari 360 Spider, it was a day approaching 20 degrees centigrade when this photo was taken, one wonders how much heat the owner needs before being persuaded to lower the roof !

Ferrari F430, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Next a couple of Maranello Yellow Spiders came by with their roofs down an F430 leading a 360.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Oldest of the Ferrari’s I saw present was this 1961 Ferrari 250 GT/E chassis #2245GT.

Ferrari F12berlinetta, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

With 50hp more than the Enzo and keeping things bang up to date was this 2014 F12berlinetta.

Ferrari F40, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

The F40 “MAD40F” is officially registered at the DVLA with a spelling mistake, type the registration number and select Ferrari from the drop down menu on this linked website and you will get no further details, but select “Other” from the drop down menu and type in “Ferari”, and you will see this is a 1991 model.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ferraris at the Castle” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an AC prototype at Classics at the Castle. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

730hp Grand Tourer – Ferrari F12berlinetta

In 2012 Ferrari announced it’s new Pininfarina styled 730hp F12berlinetta would replace the 612hp Ferrari 599 which had been in production since 2006.

Ferrari F12berlinetta, Autosport International

The 730hp V12 motor is a tuned version of that seen in the 650hp Ferrari FF first seen in 2011 as is the 7 speed dual-clutch automated semi-automatic transmission which can also be found in the California, 458 Italia and LaFerrari models.

Ferrari F12berlinetta, Autosport International

The F12berlinetta’s alloy chassis developed with Scaglietti is said to be stiffer and and lighter than that of the 599 which it replaces, the center of gravity has also been lowered and the finished car has a 46% front, 54% rear weight distribution.

Ferrari F12berlinetta, Autosport International

Among the interesting novelties fitted to the F12berlinetta are active brake cooling ducts which open only when the brakes are hot, this feature reduces the cars overall aerodynamic drag during the course of a journey. The cars drag coefficient is said to be 0.299.

Ferrari F12berlinetta, Autosport International

When lapping the Ferrari Fiorano test circuit the F12berlinetta is said to be 3.5 seconds faster than the 599 GTB, and two seconds faster than the Enzo, 458 Italia and 430 Scuderia.

Thanks for joining me on this “730hp Grand Tourer” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Last Finest And Most Exciting – Bristol Fighter

When I got up at some absolutely ungodly, dark and cold, hour last November to join some friends from the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club for a trip to the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham the last thing I could have imagined was finding my self sitting at the wheel of a 210 mph car, the last Bristol ever built to boot, taking a selfie, a couple of hours later thanks to the generosity of owner Mr Gibbs that is exactly what happened.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

The Bristol Fighter was designed by Max Bostrom, regular GALPOT readers might remember another vehicle from his design portfolio the rumbling Aston Martin AMR 1 Group C Le Mans challenger. The design of the Fighter seems to center on it’s motor which is based on the 8 litre / 487 cui all aluminium Chrysler V10 as used in the Dodge Viper and Dodge Ram SRT-10 pick up.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Fitted with Bristol’s own heads the motor was made available with 525 hp in normally aspirated base form, a 628 hp option was also available which with the effects of ram air when in motion is boosted to 660 hp, and if that was not was not enough in turbocharged from the motor produced 1012 hp to become the second most powerful motor ever offered by a manufacturer second only to the 1046 hp quoted for the SSC Aero.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

The standard transmission is a six speed manual and with all the torque from the V10, when Richard Porter tested one for evo magazine in in 2008 he found the motor would pull in sixth gear from as low as 30 mph. A 4 speed automatic was an option with performance being the same regardless of transmission meaning 60 mph could be reached from rest in a claimed 4 seconds with the 525 hp motor.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Despite extensive use of aluminium and carbon fiber to save weight and keep the center of gravity than almost every weekend apart from a Ferrari Enzo the interior is completely civilised and decked with finest Wilton carpet over extra thick soundproofing underlays to provide a “perfect environment in which to enjoy the car’s astonishing performance.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

At 6′ tall I find many performance vehicles no go area’s, however the Bristol is different it was designed to accommodate individuals between 5′ and 6′ 7″. I can just picture my 5′ 2″ mother loving this car since she recently passed her Institute of Advanced Motorists test. Notice the swicth gear, finest military grade good enough to last the life of the car, just as well since a replacement switch would cost you £60 each in 2008.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

With all of that glass parking should be a piece of cake, no having to open the gull wing doors and getting a mate to talk you in as would be mandatory with some of Marchello Gandini or Pininfarina’s finest designs.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

As Bristol said “in a world where cars are styled first and tested for function afterwards the Fighter is again unique”. The 0.28 drag coefficient of the body is class leading, in part because this 210 mph car has no need of wings, Gurney flaps or even venturi because it was designed to set new aerodynamic standards not follow the crowd.

Bristol Fighter, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Exact production numbers for the Fighter are hard to come by one source says sixteen Fighters were built while another suggests at least 46 may have been built. What is for sure is that today’s featured car was the last completed Bristol to leave the factory, the owner Mr Gibbs also tells me that one incomplete Fighter left the factory when it closed down in 2011.

In the advertising cody for the Fighter model Bristol claim that it is “Designed according according to engineering and aerodynamic principles, it is intended to represent the finest and most exciting way for two people to travel by road.” One day I’d like to put that to the test, meantime I’d like to thank Mr Gibbs for letting me try his Fighter, the very last complete Bristol to leave the factory, for size.

Now all I have to do is see if I can save my pennies fast than any one else before Mr Gibbs parts with it, did I mention this car which has never been registered is for sale ? It was and if you would like to purchase it get in touch and I’ll gladly pass the message on.

Thanks for joining me on this “Last Finest And Most Exciting” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. When I’ll be looking at a agricultural super vehicle. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share