Tag Archives: Speciale

Lateral Acceleration 1.33g – Ferrari 458 Speciale

The Ferrari 458 Speciale was launched 2013 Frankfurt Motorshow with the strap line “Extreme technology
FOR SPECIAL EMOTIONS”.

Ferrari 458 Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Aimed squarely at owners looking for an even more focused sports car offering extreme driving emotions the 458 Speciale bristles with innovations on the 458 Italia from nose to tail.

Ferrari 458 Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The bodywork developed with Pinninfarina is tweaked with innovations carried over from Ferrari’s racing programmes to look marginally, I would say tastefully, more aggressive from every angle than the standard 458 Italia from which the model is derived.

Ferrari 458 Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Even the road wheels have been subtly restyled and in gold hark back to the Campagnola Competion Alloy’s used by the Lancia Stratos Team on some events in the mid 1970’s.

Ferrari 458 Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Speciale weighs in at some 90 kgs / 198lbs less than the Italia.

Ferrari 458 Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Speciale has 30 hp more than the Italia with total hp now quoted as 597 hp.

Ferrari 458 Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

With the increased power to weight ratio the Speciale will reach 62 mph from rest in less than 3 seconds and can generate 1.33g lateral acceleration in a corner.

Of course this car does not just look great and deliver terrific performance it sounds like an orchestra on wheels check out the Official Video on this link, I’ll take mine with the North American Racing Team (NART) stripe please.

Thanks for joining me on this “Lateral Acceleration 1.33g” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ferrari Friday – San Marino Motor Classic

For the final visit to this years San Marino Motor Classic today’s featured marque is, unsurprisingly Ferrari.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Coupé Speciale, San Marino Motor Classic

Oldest of the Ferrari’s in this years show and winner of the
Art Center College of Design Award, was this Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé Speciale. Built in 1956 with a 410 Superamerica body the car was delivered new to a descendent of FIAT’s Agnelli family who coincidentally was also member of the FIAT boardroom.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet S2, San Marino Motor Classic

Looking at the entry list which names only the entrant, marque and date and other resources it appears the vehicle above is a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Cabriolet Series 2.

Ferrari 250 GT Coupe PF, San Marino Motor Classic

I’m much less certain as to the identity of the vehicle above it’s definitely one of 351 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé’s. The combination of repeater light, absence of optional bonnet scoop and drivers side only door mirror lead me to believe this particular vehicle may have been built for a US Serviceman from Chicago who kept the car for 16 years.

Ferrari 250 GT/L, San Marino Motor Classic

Winner of the Pasadena Humane Society Award was the 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L belonging to Alan & Wendy Hart, a car originally delivered to a customer in Belgium.

Ferrari 365 GTS/4, San Marino Motor Classic

There were only 122 Ferrari 365 GTS/4’s built but I have not been able to link the owner of this 1973 example on the entry list to any particular chassis of the many with yellow bodies and Borrani wheels.

Ferrari F40, San Marino Motor Classic

It will also take a historian far more capable than me to tell you which of the 1,315 F40’s, like the 1990 example above, this is.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton and Paul McNabb for sharing their photographs.

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 looking at some details from last month’s Avenue Drivers Club meeting. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Grigio Ingrid – Ferrari 250 GT Competition Berlinetta Speciale #0403

Unbelievably, thanks to the continuing support from you dear reader the “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres adventure today enters it’s fourth year. To mark the occasion I have selected, in my humble opion, one of the finest Ferrari’s known to humanity.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Chassis #O403 has a one off body by Pinin Farina that was to have been given to Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman in 1956 who was, at the time married to Italian film director Roberto Rosselini.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

For reasons that are not clear to me, Ingrid never took delivery of the car, possibly because her relationship with Rosselini whom she would divorce in 1957 was drawing to a close.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The car ended up being sold to American James Gerard Murray who lived in Modena and Pittsburg.
In 1986 #0403, painted red since 1983, was being offered at a knockdown price of $145,000, down from 175,000 by the same vendor.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#0403 changed hands for 1.6 million dollars in 1989, but by 1999 it was bought for ‘just’ $945,000.The following year it was restored to it’s original Grigio Ingrid, a colour mixed just to suit Ingrid Bergman, that had first been seen on a pair of custom Ferrari 375 MM’s built for Rosselini and Bergman in 1954.

Ferrari 250 GT PF Speciale, Goodwood Festival of Speed

When Sergio Pininfarina saw the elegant #0403 at Pebble Beech in 2004 he commented that it was one of his favourite.

Thanks for joining me on this third birthday “Grigio Ingrid” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, thanks also for sticking with the blog, if you have not done so before do not be afraid to like the “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ facebook page, to share the page with your friends or leave a comment below. I’ll be continuing the series commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Aston Martin tomorrow with another car that has a Scandinavian connection. Don’t forget to come back now !

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