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.

Tags: 458 italia, convertible, Ferrari, Italy, rumor, spider

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Who wouldn’t enjoy taking in the picturesque Mediterranean countryside while driving an exotic sportscar? The Italians have no shortage of sleek automobiles but if you’re looking for something more along the lines of a British model, then car rental company Hertz can probably help. The agency’s Italian locations have just received a fleet of Lotus Elise SC sportscars as part of their Fun Collection.

The Elise SC has a compact Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter four cylinder engine with a supercharger producing a humble 218 horsepower, but weighing less than 2000 lbs it can take off doing 0-60 in just 4.3 seconds.

Tags: Auto, Fun Collection, Hertz, Italian, Italy, rental, sportscar

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Work has begun on the £14m museum, which will sport a wavy yellow roof resembling the hood of a vintage car. The museums roof will be bisected by “gills”, which are inspired by the radiator of the classic Italian sports car. It will bow over the two-storey house in that car designer and motor racing legend Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898.

The museum is being built in the town of Modena by London-based Future Systems and will be dedicated to Ferrari’s life and work and will contain vintage Ferraris, Maseratis, car engines, memorabilia and film footage. Due to be completed in 2011, the hope is that the museum will become an iconic landmark attracting up to 200,000 visitors a year.

Tags: Enzo, Ferrari, Future Systems, Italy, Modena, museum

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In a move to do away with the old and in with the new, Britain is on the threshold of devising a plan to entice local car owners to trade in their old cars for new ones. The scheme would probably involve payments of £2,000 vouchers to scrap vehicles that are more than nine years old and offer discounts on new more environment friendly cars.

The plan is designed to boost demand for new cars and help UK’s motor industry which is suffering during the recession. Austria, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain and France are among countries that have started such a plan.

Many British ministers are pessimistic about the proposed car scrap scheme as they believe that the plan would mainly benefit countries like Germany and France that produce many of the cars that are sold in the UK. UK car producers say that the plan could generate demand for up to 250,000 new cars.

(Source) Press TV

Tags: brainstorming, car owners, car producers, car scrap, Germany, Italy, new britain, new cars, old cars, recession, scrap plan, spain, uk car, vouchers

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A group of students called Team Haya from People’s Education Society Institute of Technology (PESIT) has built a formula race car named PM408 which will reportedly race in Italy.

This high technology car has semi-automatic gear shifting mechanism besides having a horizontal geometry, inspired from the Formula one car. Honda City engine is the only thing which has been fitted in from outside while rest of the parts have been made in-house by the college students.

The car has a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour and has the capacity to accelerate from 0-100 kilometers in little less than 3.5 seconds.

(Source) Auto Racing Daily

Tags: formula one car, formula race car, Honda, honda city, Italy, maximum speed, pesit

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Each country seems to have their own share of problems these days. The latest news in the automotive sector is that Italy has approved a stimulus package that should help their own share of faltering problems in their economy as well.

Italy’s government has approved a $2.6bn stimulus package for its ailing car and domestic goods industries, in a bid to boost the country’s economy. The Italian car industry has been hit hard by the global economic downturn, with new vehicle registrations down by 32.6 per cent in January.

Under the government’s stimulus package, people trading in their cars will receive a payment of up to $1,930 to buy a new, more fuel efficient one.

Consumers will also receive a 20 per cent tax deduction on appliance and furniture purchases of over $12,890.

The plan is the latest attempt by Italy’s government to boost the economy amid the global financial crisis, after an economic stimulus plan announced in November was criticised for being ineffective.

(Source) Aljazeera

Tags: Cars, consumers, economic stimulus plan, economy, italian car, Italy, stimulus package, vehicle registrations

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2008 is out, 2009 is in folks! That means we should be looking forward to all the racing that’s going to start in 2009. And the Formula One show is just a couple of months away.

Ferrari is the first team to reveal its 2009 racing car. And that’s the F60. The name symbolizes all the 60 seasons Ferrari has competed in. We’re looking forward to see all those F1 teams to reveal their secrets. Let the racing start!

via easycarblog

Tags: F60, Ferrari, Formula One, Italy

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India’s largest car manufacturing company, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) has been resuscitated and it looks like they are making another go at exporting smaller cars to Europe. It has been 4 years since they stopped exporting cars and this time around, they are kicking of their trade by planning an initial export of 1,500,000 cars.

The pilot consignment, comprising 1,534 A-Star cars for export to the UK (1,458) and Italy (76), is expected to reach the European ports by early February 2009. Maruti Suzuki had started exporting its cars in 1985-86 to Europe, but stopped in 2004. The company has exported over 552,000 units cumulatively with about 280,000 units to Europe and Israel.

If you look at it, it is a great time of re-entry for MSIL. Considering the demand for smaller cars are growing these days, the sales potential has indeed become lucrative in the market. And for car buffs looking at various models and pricing of cars, MSIL may just be able to pull out some great deals to continue their venture which last came in 2004.

(Source) Economic Times

Tags: Europe, european ports, exporting cars, India, Italy, manufacturing company, maruti suzuki, star cars

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Aren’t we in for a surprise F1 fans? The Italian Grand Prix, home of the Ferrari team, has been won by none other than German debutant Sebastian Vettel? Who’s the guy? Well the guy is the same one that managed to get into pole position for these formula 1 race. So who’s the guy?

Sebastian Vettel is a young German driver which currently ‘works’ for the Toro Rosso Team. This F1 team is a Ferrari powered team so we shouldn’t be that surprised to see them win in Italy. Vettel has also become the youngest pilot to ever get a pole position, a record previously held by Fernando Alonso. Are we witnessing the birth of the future Schumacher?

And what a race it was. All drivers had to face the heavy rain, and they all had to face the facts. Vettel wasn’t going to be reached, let alone surpass. He led a brilliant race from the beginning to the end. I guess it pays of to have former legend Gerhard Berger for team boss doesn’t it.

With four races to go the fight is still on. Hamilton and Massa are divided by just a point. But we’ve seen surprises before. Defending champion Kimi Raikkonen is in for a tough and almost impossible fight for hanging on to his title.

Tags: Formula 1, Grand Prix, Italy

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