This little gem in Muscat, Oman represents what you do when you have bodacious sums of money and time. Now we're all for having a little fun, but we're talking about an Enzo, which, while not the prettiest of Ferraris, still doesn't deserve to endure the eighth-level of Maaco paint-shop Hell. Whoever did this gets points for authenticity, even including the roof signage. If nothing else, we'd certainly go for a ride: as passenger to get anywhere in seven seconds, as driver, so we could say, imitating the voice of Blofeld, "That'll be one hundred million dollars."
For a company with only two principal model lines, Lamborghini sure has been busy lately. The limited run of Reventon seven-figure supercars are still rolling off the line, the Gallardo LP560-4 is reaching the market, the crowds at the Paris Motor Show were wowed by the four-door Estoque concept, there's an anticipated Superveloce (SV) version of the Murcielago on its way, and all the while, the team at Sant'Agata has been working on an all-new supercar. Sources differ on whether the new model, tentatively known as the Jota (reviving a classic Lamborghini nameplate) will emerge as another limited-edition ultra-car to rival the Ferrari Enzo or whether it will serve as the replacement for the aging Murcielago. The latter has been on the market for about seven years now in various iterations, the original breeding the Roadster, the LP640 revision, a handful of Versace editions and the aforementioned Reventon. But Lambo has known for a while now that its supercar, as eminently desirable as it remains, is due for replacement. The spy shots, snapped (where else) at the Nürburgring, show a test mule running with Murcielago bodywork, only with a few key modifications that betray its secret identity like Clark Kent caught without his glasses. For starters, the wheels are bearing what appears to be some sort of telemetry hubs. The vehicle also appears even wider than the linebacker Murcielago, and the vents behind the side windows have a different shape. Eyewitness accounts suggest the new Raging Bull will wear lightweight carbon fiber bodywork, except for the doors and roof, which seems like an odd choice. The Reventon-inspired bodywork is expected to be laid over an aluminum spaceframe to replace the current Murcielago's outdated and overweight steel tub. We expect the vehicle to retain its all-wheel-drive system – by now a hallmark of modern Lambos – with power coming from the latest version of the company's perennial V12, but with the potential addition of direct injection for improved power delivery. Whether the car in question will emerge as yet another limited version of the existing Murcielago or its anticipated replacement will become clearer as we get closer to its anticipated debut in two years as a 2011 model. But our money's on the latter.
Given the relative scarcity of cars like the Ferrari Enzo (349 production units built, an indeterminate number destroyed), you're unlikely to encounter one. On those rare occasions when such a thing does happen it seems even less likely that said owner will say, "Hey, wanna go for a ride?" Given the improbability of such events, it seems even more bizarre that our friend Jonny Lieberman found himself in such a situation this past weekend at the inaugural 24 Hours of LeMons in Houston, TX. It turns out that Matt Groner is the owner of the Enzo best known for being cracked up by Eddie Griffin. We reported on the car being repaired and offered up for sale a couple of months ago and it's still available on eBay with a Buy It Now price of a mere $1.2 million. So what was Groner doing at LeMons? Why racing of course. According to Jonny, he rolled up to the track in the Enzo and hopped into a Neon to compete in the crap-can "race."
We've been patiently waiting for a successor to the Ferrari Enzo for some time now, and here's evidence that development of the next supercar from Maranello is underway. Codenamed FX70, the mule is housed in the shell of an F430 Scuderia, though there are a number of clues that what you're looking at is something very special. Take for instance the wheels, which are grossly oversized for the Scuderia. The track is also much wider and out back there's a large center-mounted exhaust. Next Autos reports that Ferrari is working on two separate engine options for the FX70 including a 700-hp twin-turbo V8 and a twin-turbo V12 that could reach 800 hp. Rumors suggest that Ferrari may go with the TT V8 in deference to the climate concerns of our time, though we hardly expect Ferrari to mix in too much green with that Rosso Corsa Red.
When buying a used car, no matter what kind, a major crash is usually a big deterrent. In this case, however, it was its claim to fame. Try though you surely have to forget, you'll likely recall actor/comedian Eddie Griffin's lamentable crash of a Ferrari Enzo into a concrete barrier while promoting his then-new movie Redline. Most figured the exotic was a write off – or an accounted-for marketing expense, as some contend – but it has been given a new lease on life thanks to Matt Groner.The Texas broker deals in wrecked luxury and sportscars, and usually sells them as is. With the Redline Enzo, however, Groner decided to put in the effort to restore the vehicle. Since the Enzo's chassis is composed of separate carbon fiber sections bolted to the center tub, Groner had simply to call up the factory and order the replacement parts. Well, not so simply, as it turns out, because the parts cost $300k and took months to arrive. But the restoration has been completed, and the car is up for sale for a $1.3 million sum that's sure to cause as much whiplash as Griffin's crash did in the first place.Head on over to Jalopnik for more information, including photos (before and after), a first-hand account from the restorer and a video news segment detailing the saga. For our part, we'll be lobbying Hollywood to include "no exotics were harmed in the making of this film" disclaimers in the credits.
Alfa Romeo is hard at work on a replacement for the 166, the flagship sedan which debuted in 1998 and was discontinued last year. The students at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, however, seem to have gotten fed up of waiting around for Alfa Romeo to unveil the new car, so they've come up with a few proposals of their own.
Well, not exactly. The transportation design course was carried out under the auspices of the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo and the watchful eye of Fiat Group design chief Lorenzo Ramaciotti. So they had a good chance of getting the automaker's attention. (Next year's masters program at the SPD, meanwhile, is being conducted in conjunction with Lamborghini.) Nine projects – carried out by students from Korea, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Brazil, the United States and Italy – were presented, but we'll have to see which elements find their way into the final product.
What do you think racing engineers do with their spare time? Go fishing? Watch some television? Fill in crossword puzzles? No! They build more race cars! Less complicated race cars, actually. That's what the boys at Bentley did with their Continental DC at the Greenpower Corporate Challenge. Over in Maranello, meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari has joined the ranks of little kids across America with the 2008 Scuderia Soap Box Trophy.
The first round of the trophy took place on Sunday... while the Monaco Grand Prix was underway, leaving us to wonder just who was taking part in this competition. (The Italian-language video after the jump doesn't clarify things, either.) The cars themselves seem as different as can be imagined, and Adriano Zocca of Bologna won this first round – held at the Ferrari-owned track at Imola – with his XFX soap box racer. The next round will take place this coming weekend in Milan.
Edo Competition has no qualms about taking positively perfect exotic machinery and tweaking it to suit customer's tastes. And when it comes to the paragon of rolling automotive masterworks, the Ferrari Enzo is arguably King of the Hill.
While the Enzo isn't lacking in either the power or appearance department, that hasn't stopped Edo from making some subtle changes to the Enzo's exterior and powertrain. Edo began by replacing the intake with a revised ram-air system and a set of high-flow air filters, then worked its magic downstream with a set of headers similar to those in the FXX, along with a duo of high-flowing cats and a new exhaust system with remote-controlled, butterfly valves that allow the sound levels to be adjusted on the fly. All those bits are tuned through a modified ECU to produce 700 hp and 527 lb.-ft. of torque, which is sent through a heavy-duty clutch and on down to a retuned stock transmission that replicates the shift times of the FXX.
The Enzo's factory rolling stock has been replaced with 19x10-inch wheels in front and 20x13-inch wheels in the rear, wrapped in Michelin tires sized 265/35 R19 and 335/30 R20, respectively. The wheels can be custom painted to the customer's specs and a new suspension package, with adjustable compression and rebound, has been developed to mimic the setup found on the FIA GT MC12.
Edo claims that the sprint from 0 to 62 mph is estimated at 3.5 seconds and that the run from rest to 186 mph is dropped to 22 seconds flat. All the specs are available in the press release after the jump.
Professionals earn pockets full of cheese usually because they do whatever it is they do better, faster, stronger than anyone else. Sometimes, though, they get the big bucks because they'll do something again after having nearly killed themselves the first time. That is: they'll get right back on the horse when a lot of non-professionals would instead grab a gin and tonic and watch reruns of I Love Lucy.
Jorge Lorenzo earned his money and a stay in hospital over the weekend during practice for the MotoGP China Grand Prix. On one run the bike bucked under him coming out of a turn, sending the 21-year-old rider up out of his seat like he was riding a bronco, but he managed to keep the bike upright and moving. On a following run he wasn't so fortunate, highsiding, somersaulting, and suffering a fractured left ankle, a painful right ankle, a cut heel, a knee abrasion, and forearm compression.
But here's where Lorenzo really impresses: he still got on the bike to qualify on Saturday, and came in fourth in Sunday's race. Follow the jump to check out the videos of the bucking incident and the highside. And from now on, the word you're looking for to describe Jorge Lorenzo: pro.
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Following hard on the heels of the highly publicised crash in the spring that saw a Swedish businessman crash a Ferrari Enzo in Malibu, California, and wind up serving a jail sentence, and a second smash in August in the US state of Utah, another Enzo has been crashed in dramatic circumstances; this time an example belonging to a Russian Member of the Duma. This report, by Nikolai Sergeev is courtesy of today’s edition of Kommersant.
Suleiman Kerimov, the Russian businessman listed by Forbes as the 72nd richest person in the world, was seriously injured on Saturday in an automobile accident in Nice, France. He lost control of his Ferrari Enzo, which struck a tree at an enormous speed and burst into flames, as he was travelling from the local airport toward the city center. Kerimov was taken by helicopter to the regional burn center at Hopital de la Conception in Marseille. He is now on artificial respiration.
The accident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. on a stretch of the Promenade des Anglais where the speed limit is 50 km/h. Kerimov himself was behind the wheel and moving significantly faster then the speed limit when the black Ferrari unexpectedly crossed the sidewalk and struck a tree. Kerimov and his passenger were pulled from the burning car by passersby, who also tried to extinguish the flames using clothing and rugs. It took fire brigades from the Nice airport to dowse the flames, however. The accident caused a two-hour traffic jam on the busy highway.
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