Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, SSC Ultimate Aero and a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Convertible.

No, that’s not the guest list on tomorrow night’s BBC installment of Top Gear, but rather a partial lineup of the kind of things you’ll get to see at the OC Auto Show, widely regarded as the “start” of show season.

Knowing that it’s fighting an uphill battle with consumers in rapid retrenching mode and corporations cutting back in a grim death march to bankruptcy, the show’s got to pull out a few stops in order to get anywhere.  Included in this year’s plans?  A special appearance by Absolute Poker pro Matt Vengrin, a live mixed martial arts cage battle, and not one, but THREE bikini contests, including the Miss Hawaiian Tropic Model Search.

If I’ve got your attention, and chances are something on that list did, you’ll be happy to know that getting into the show might be the cheapest thing you do all day:  adults get in for $10; senior citizens (62 and older) shell out $6,  students with ID pay just $5 and kids under 12 are admitted for free.

The show starts today and runs through Sunday.

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It seems that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is unhappy with the current hype surrounding his company due to its decline since the late 90s. Well, if what he says is true Lotus will be on par with Lamborghini, Maserati and Ferrari soon enough.

Autocar quotes Mr. Bahar:

“Lotus was mentioned in the same sentence as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati in the 1970s-1990s. Then, it got closed into a corner. We believe it’s the right time to bring Lotus back to where it was.”

Will they succeed? All three of the automakers he plans to go against have long been regarded as some of the highest quality, most expensive and fastest cars in the industry, so let’s wish them luck.

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A supposedly leaked document has recently turned up that gives us a hint at what the Ferrari 458 Italia pricing scheme will look like. You didn’t think it would be cheap, right? I mean, it is a Ferrari after all.

But anyways according ot the document the 458 Italia will start at $240,000 in North America and €162,900.

Until Ferrari officially confirms these numbers, we’re going to mark this one off as a rumor.

via ferrarichat

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Do you have enough money for a Ferrari 458 Italia? No? Me neither, but I like to pretend I do that’s why I got pretty excited that Ferrari has today went ahead and launched their 458 Italia online configurator.

If you’ve played with an online car configurator before this is essentially the same thing, change the color along with various other things to customize the 458 Italia just to your liking.

Check out the Ferrari 458 Italia online configurator here.

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If recent reports are to be believed we may in fact be seeing a drop top convertible version of the Ferrari 458 Italia entitled the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider appear at some point in the near future.

WCF says that reports come to us out of Italy where buzz is circulating that Ferrari will in fact begin producing the 458 Italia that surfaced after Ferrari’s Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was quoted to have said the Spider is coming withing the next couple of years.

Those who plan on purchasing the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider better start saving up now as it’s not going to be cheap. I mean, it is a Ferrari, after all.

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For the car buffs, here is a rare black Ferrari that should interest you. Only 399 models of this black Ferrari Enzo were built in 2003 and now one of them is being offered for sale over at eBay for a whopping $1.3 million. The vehicle is in pristine condition and is actually one of three with the same specs in the U.S.

Among the highlights of this black Ferrari Enzo include original window stickers, 2 keys, a car cover, battery tender and luggage. This is definitely a car worth getting especially for car geeks who are avid fans of Ferrari models.

(Source) Bornrich

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We’ve seen Ferrari’s 458 Italia in numerous spy shots and a promo video but what we haven’t seen is the actual car driving on the road. Luckily, a YouTube user by the name of Marchettino has taken a 2 minute long video of the vehicle driving around which we’ve included for you above.

This will have to hold you over until Ferrari officially unveils the car at this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. As always, we’ll keep you updated on any happenings regarding the car.

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Ferrari has recently released the above video to hype consumers (who can actually afford a Ferrari) for the impending release of the 458 Italia supercar. This car will feature a 4.5-liter V8 engine and an aerodynamic design making for a 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.4 seconds.

Anyways, watch the above video because I’m sure the majority of you would like to hear Ferrari’s Senior VP, Dany Baher, tell you all about the car’s different features.

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Just a few days ago we brought you live shots of a Ferrari 458 Italia with minimal camouflage. Well, the car has once again been spotted but this time actually driving on an open road. As you can see, it still has the camouflage but now we have a clear shot of the back end of the car. Included after the break is the same car with a yellow paintjob. As you can see, this car is quite beautiful and sits right on par with the rest of Ferrari’s offerings.

Now all we need are some official specs from this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and we’ll be all set.

via TeamSpeed

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It seems that an artist by the name of Jon Sibal has grown tired of waiting for Ferrari to release anything regarding the Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder and has decided to take matters into his owns hands.

What you see above is his creation, a render of a Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder. As you’ll see, it’s nothing more than yesterday’s image of the Ferrari 458 Italia with a drop top.

There’s really no telling if Ferrari has plans to make the Italia Spyder look similar to this but if they do, they may have a winner on their hands.

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Ferrari has officially revealed the new 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia. The 458 is the successor to the recently snubbed F430. We won’t be hearing the full story until this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show come September, but the automobile company is still leaking out some of the details to get some hype.

Some of the main features: a mid-mounted V8 makes 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 398 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm. The top speed of the 458 is an incredible 203 mph, which is an improvement from the F430’s 197 mph. The 458 Italia’s body and chassis are completely aluminum, with an interior design by Ferrari Chief of Design Donato Coco.

More details are to come at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

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This is a great example of how the economy is affecting consumer buying even among the rich. Selling properties is already on a downhill trend and from this example alone, you can see how some people are trying to sweeten the pot in the most tempting way.

Imagine selling a £300,000 mansion and then adding a Ferrari F430 for the lucky buyer? Now that is something you don’t see every day but apparently no one is biting. The Ferrari F430 alone is priced at £100,000 and yet no one is biting. So adding this as a freebie or bonus, you know the seller, Mr. Duncan Jones either wants to liquidate his assets or simply wants to get rid of some idle stuff.

The timing may be off, but today you will agree, we are seeing a lot of crazy deals and this is one of them. For now he is planning to transform the mansion into an office. It makes you wonder if the Ferrari would be a service car or be leased as well. If it does go with it, now that is really crazy!

(Source) SkyNews via Bornrich

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Do you have a Ferrari? No? Me neither. But for those of you who do own such a car read on — Ferrari has reecntly announced that they will begin offering free roadside assistance for all of their cars that aren’t currently covered under warranty.

This means that if you have any model of Ferrari built after 1947 and said car breaks down, Ferrari will come to your rescue with your run-of-the-mill tow to an authorized mechanic in addition to paying for you to get back home (or to a hotel).

No word on North American availability but Italian Ferrari owners will apparantly get the treatment first with Europe getting it at a later date.

Press release after the break.
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Mere days after Max Mosley announced that he wouldn’t be running for FIA president re-election we have Jean Todt announcing that he will run to take Mr. Mosley’s place:

“It is my intention to continue and expand the outstanding work of president Mosley, who for 16 years has worked tirelessly to strengthen the FIA’s major motor sport championships.”

For those who don’t know, Jean Todt was the former CEO of luxury automaker Ferrari so he knows a thing or two about speed. Max Mosley even announced alongside that he won’t be running for re-election that Jean Todt is his candidate of choice for the next FIA president.

Here’s to hoping that Mr. Todt will utilize his automobile knowledge to bring great things to the FIA and Forumla 1 in general.

via WorldCarFans

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Ferrari has recently announced the launch of a retail store smack dab on the grounds of the Nurburgring circuit. The store will contain all storts of Ferrari memorabilia but details on exactly what were scarce.

WorldCarFans reports two Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen cut the ribbon at the store’s grand opening.  Additionally, the store will contain a relaxation loungue and corporate meeting area.

Furthermore, the store was designed by Italian architeture and design firm Studio Iosa Ghini whick explains it trendy look.

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