Ferrari 365 GT4 Gives You the Fastest Brown in Town for $39,500!

The 365 GT4 2+2‘s predilection for automatics meant a reputation for it being considered soft. Not all were slushboxes however, and this Nice Price or Crack Pipe contender's five-speed may make your choice today kind of hard.

Price and condition were overwhelmed yesterday by miles and Focus-ness, as the atomic orange SVT fell in a narrow 53/47 Crack Pipe vote to open the week. After five straight Nice Price wins last week, it feels good to get back on the crack.

In 1963 - not while on crack, but probably following a two-martini lunch - Henry Ford II contemplated the purchase of Ferrari as a quick inroad to racing success. It was Henry's hubris that quashed the deal, and set Ford on the path to beat the Italians at any cost. Historically, that's as close as yesterday's Focus and today's contender will ever come. And while that little Ford was a hotted-up version of a mundane daily driver, today's 1973 365 GT4 2+2 was the era's most sedate and toned-down example of the Ferrari bloodline- as close to a daily driver as a prancing horse-badged car got.

Well, daily driver or not, it's still a Ferrari, and if any brand didn't need a buxom bikini model to draw attention to them, it's the Prancing Horse. Despite that, you can never go wrong with a model that has bigger headlights than your car.

And what a car that is.

One of only 521 cars built (excluding the later 400 and 412 cars) this brown beauty is a rare example blessed with three pedals in the driver's footbox. The vast majority of the 365/400/412s had a little bit of GM in them, as a turbohydromatic countered all the exotica in sort of a vanilla sorbet to the rest of the car's acceglio-infused gelato. But that's not the case with this one. That 8-ball-topped chrome lever sprouting from the sweeping center console actuates a five speed box, however the console's height precludes the traditional exposed gate. Mated to the front of the transmission is a single-plate clutch and ahead of that is Ferrari's glorious 4.4-litre DOHC all-alloy V12. The aircraft-like hoodline of the 365 is made possible by moving the intake to the underside of the top cam and laying the six 38 DCOE Webers out horizontally.

The seller of this car claims that it has undergone a minor tuneup, including the synchronizing of those carbs, as well as replacement of the plugs. While they say they have maintenance records dating back to 1990, I'm not familiar enough (meaning not at all) with this dealer to know if they should be trusted to even be touching this Colombo-derived marvel. As the car is showing 62,000 on it clock, the maintenance records are of utmost importance in revealing the history hidden in those miles.

Inside, the car is swathed in more dead cow than the Gimp from Pulp Fiction. It's all remarkably clean and shows only minor crazing in the leather, notably on the door arm rests and seat bolsters. The back seats are as roomy as you're ever going to get in a Ferrari, and look down-right inviting. Underneath, there's surprisingly little surface rust and everything looks like it's in the same place it was when it left Maranello. You'd think that the Tipo F101 AL chassis-being welded tube frame and body panels, along with that huge V12, would make this prancing horse a pig, but surprisingly it tips the scales at less than 1,500kg (about 3,300 lbs) dripping wet. That, along with the engine's 340-bhp mean sixty is only about six and a half seconds from a standstill, and a top end of over 150-mph is achievable.

It's hard to envision the 365 GT4, or later 400 and 412 derivations, without the Playboy mansion in the background, and maybe a guy in a turtleneck sweater, skinny white jeans and ankle-high shoes with zippers on the sides, leaning against it and lighting a Camel. But despite the heavy layer of ‘70s schmaltz that's inherent in these cars, they're still very good looking in a conservative, old-fashioned STD kind of way.

And while you may have discounted them for the expected GM slushbox, the presence of a five speed makes this a prancing horse of a different color. As it's a '73, the fact that it was never officially imported is moot, and you should be able to register it where ever you are without problem. What might be a problem for some is the asking price, which at $39,500 doesn't seem a lot for a V12 Ferrari, but is a lot cheddar for those of us more used to eating government cheese.

Novitec Rosso Slaps a Supercharger on the Ferrari California

Have you ever thought “My 460 horsepower Ferrari just isn’t quick enough. You know what it needs…over 600 hp. That’s the ticket.” If so, you’re in luck. Novitec Rosso, the gods of Ferrari tuning, just developed a supercharger kit for the new Ferrari California. It’s no simple power bump either – the 4.3-liter front-mounted V8 in the California jumps from a solid 460 hp – more than enough for most – to a whiplash-inducing 606 hp. Torque grows from 485 Nm to 603 Nm too, which means you’ll be burning through some serious rubber if you’re not careful.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano RACE

Ferrari 599 GTB

Ferrari F430 is a sports car

Ferrari will offer hybrid versions

In a recent interview, Italian automaker’s chairman Luca di Montezemolo said that Ferrari will offer hybrid versions across its entire lineup within the next three to four years.
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This was confirmed at the Geneva Motor Show, during the official presentation of the maker’s 599 GTB Fiorano hybrid coupe
a.k.a. HY-KERS Vettura Laboratorio.

“This is a first step of a long project and we want within three years, maximum four, to have a hybrid Ferrari car ready for every single product of our range.

Ferrari 599 Fiorano HY-KERS Concept : Geneva 2010

Ferrari took the wraps off its new hybrid 599 HY-KERS at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, and it’s as green as Ferrari can make it. Featuring a bit of traditional hybrid tech and a healthy dose of Formula1 witchcraft, Ferrari has manufactured a car that loses none of the dynamic performance of its gas-only brethren.

When it comes to center of gravity (CoG), lower is better. It is a concern in any car, but this concept is essential in a sporting car. By using clever packaging, the CoG of the HY-KERS is actually lower than a traditional 599. This clever packaging also keeps the hybrid equipment from infringing on any interior space.

As with most hybrids, the HY-KERS can run in full electric mode based on engine load and other factors. Unlike lesser hybrids, the HY-KERS does not feature a Continuously Variable Transmission. The electric motor mounts to the rear of a seven-speed dual clutch F1 transmission. Weighing about 88 pounds, the electric motor produces about 100hp to aid the not-anemic V-12. Hybrid battery charging is provided by using a Kinetic Energy Recovery System built on the experiences from last years Formula1 program.

FERRARI DEBUTS AT GENEVA WITH THE HY-KERS, A 'VETTURA LABORATORIO'

Geneva, 2 March 2010. Ferrari presents a vettura laboratorio (experimental vehicle) at the 80th edition of the Geneva Motor Show based on the 599 GTB Fiorano equipped with an advanced new hybrid transmission.

Hybrid technology is one of the solutions examined by Ferrari in its on-going research and development into making its production cars ever more efficient. Experimenting with alternative technologies represents the company's long-term strategy after the announcement in 2007 of a five-year plan to reduce fuel consumption and emissions across the range. With the launch of the Ferrari California (2008) and the 458 Italia (2009), in fact, Ferrari's average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures have already been reduced by around 30 per cent compared to 2007.

The HY-KERS displayed at the Geneva Motor Show is an example of how Ferrari is studying the application of hybrid technology to high-performance sports cars. Central to Ferrari's objectives is maintaining the balance, handling and performance characteristics typical of its cars despite the inevitable disadvantages in terms of weight represented by applying hybrid solutions to existing models.

To this end Ferrari has employed its racing experience to adapt a lightweight hybrid drivetrain to the 599 GTB Fiorano with the aim of ensuring that vehicle dynamics are unaffected. This was achieved by the careful integration of all system components, positioning them below the centre of gravity and ensuring that interior and luggage space are entirely unaffected. Similarly the flat lithium-ion batteries are positioned below the floorpan of the car inside the aerodynamic underbody. The result is a centre of gravity that is even lower than in the standard car. In addition, a part of the weight gained by fitting the electric motor, generator and the batteries is offset by being able to do away with the traditional starter motor and battery.

Ferrari has also applied its F1 technology to the design, engineering and construction of a new kind of electric motor which also helps optimise the longitudinal and lateral dynamics of the car, enhancing traction and brake balance. The motor cuts in during acceleration, providing instantaneous torque when moving away from a standstill and during overtaking manoeuvres, with torque control a function of grip, gear and accelerator pedal angle. Depending on vehicle speed and engine load – for example in town driving – the hybrid system can also function as a full-electric drivetrain. The result is a direct reduction in consumption and emissions. The motor also features a unique cooling and lubrication system for maximum efficiency under all operating temperatures and loads. The castings of the motor are made in the Ferrari foundry, complete with Prancing Horse motif.