It was the Spring of '93 and I was living large in my 1988 Dodge Omni. The little hatch was white with a burgundy interior, smelled like fast food and usually carried a substantial coat of dirt and grime that held it all together. One of the black plastic bumper pieces was missing from when I backed into my dad's car and the Omni was rolling fat with four over-sized tires scored from my brother's totaled Pontiac 6000. The tires were so large that I couldn't make a tight turn without grinding the rubber against the wheel well.
For my big date, though, the Omni at least go washed. I pulled into this poor girl's driveway jamming my brand new Jackyl tape when the her dad walked up. He glared at my car and said "You guys will be going to the baseball game in my wife's Astro Van, and you're not driving."
That was my first date car, which was followed by an Escort, Ranger and GMC Sonoma. Quite an unimpressive array of vehicles with which to make a first impression, which I reckon makes me an expert on the subject. So here it is: the Top 10 Cars You Should Never Drive on a First Date.
Photos of topless super-models parading around sun-drenched southern Europe -- the paparazzi never tire of snapping them, we never tire of seeing them, and like so many celebrity gossip magazines, here at Autoblog we never tire of running them. Take, for example, this particular Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano spotted now for the second time sashaying around Italy with its top half off. Not only is the regular car a rare treat to behold, but this one lets slip the promise of something more.
Although it hasn't appeared completely topless, this test vehicle is wearing an ill-fitting roof that suggests it may show the way for an upcoming convertible 599. That could mean a soft-top like the F430 Spider, a folding hard-top like the California or a rotating flip-top like that featured on the 575M-based Superamerica. Meanwhile, it could also mean a "regular production" model or a rare special edition for the Italian automaker. With the California just making its debut, the 16M Scuderia Spider just around the corner and the initial batch of spy shots just hitting the web, we asked the people at Ferrari what they were working on. Their response was that they're testing a lot of different ideas and that nothing had been given the green light (yet), so we'll just have to hold on and hope the higher-ups get out their stamps of approval.
Ferrari seem to content with cutting the roof off of everything these days. The F430 Spider remains the company's hottest-selling model, with the new California on the way. A roadster version of the 430 Scuderia is anticipated to make its debut at Mugello in November, and now spy shots have surfaced showing what sources suggest is a convertible version of the 599 GTB Fiorano.
Although the test mule in the spy shots has a fixed roof in place, reports note that the roof appears ill-fitting and mismatched in color to the rest of the body. If that's anything to go by, Ferrari could be planning a successor to the Superamerica version of the Fiorano's 575 predecessor and the 550 Barchetta that came before that. The former featured an intriguing Fioravanti-designed glass roof mechanism, however the 599 Spider would, in all likelihood, employ a similar folding hard-top to the clever mechanism found on the new California, to the possible inclusion of the Fiorano's aerodynamic buttresses. Following the revival of the GTB (grand touring berlinetta) designation on the existing 599, the convertible would likely take on the GTS (grand touring spider) nameplate, while installment of Ferrari's new quick-shifting SuperFast3 dual-clutch transmission could help mitigate the extra weight. Of course this is all pure speculation, so stay tuned.
For some Ferrari faithful, every prancing horse that comes out of the factory should be painted in red. Yellow, black, blue and grey are just plain heretical, and perhaps that's why some of the purest Ferraris, the F40 and 288 GTO, were only offered in red. Well, if anything but Rosso Corsa bothers you, then this particular Ferrari will give you the shivers. We can't imagine what inspired this Saudi Arabian Ferrari owner to chrome his 599 GTB Fiorano, but it definitely reflects his personality. We also have to wonder if it helps keep the car cooler in the hot sun. No matter his reasoning, he's guaranteed himself plenty of looks.
While we all know that a 16-cylinder Bugatti Veyron would leave a 12-cylinder Ferrari 599 GTB choking in its own emissions, two blokes in the UK apparently wanted to check it out for themselves. After witnesses reported the two supercars jockeying for position at high speeds on public highways, police took pursuit in a BMW patrol car. Following velocities of nearly 140 mph in the chase, the Bugatti respectfully pulled over while the Ferrari got away scott free. Fortunately for the Bugatti driver, police officially clocked the 253-mph Veyron going a mere 97 mph. The resulting citation was three points on his license and a fine of just £60 (about $120). We think the outcome would have been much, much uglier in the States.
You may not remember the name Ugur Sahin, but if you've been reading Autoblog for a while you probably remember his designs. The Turkish designer has dreamed up the Corvette Z03 Concept, and before that brought the world his interpretation of what a modern Ferrari Dino might look like (he was a little off). It turns out that Sahin has been continually evolving his Dino design, however, and today we get our first look at the result of his extra doodling: the USD GT-S Passionata concept. Based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, the Passionata retains the grand sports tourer personality of its host chassis, but adds a body that's much more organic with swoops, bulges and soft curves everywhere the eye falls. The mega hood scoop makes the car look a little insect-like, and we also see some cues inspired by the Corvette, Lotus and even McLaren F1 in the front end, but overall it's a knock out design and the connection to Ferrari's own design language is unmistakable. Truthfully, we just wish that we could draw cars this well. Sahin, however, is hoping to do more than just draw the Passionata, as he claims in his press release after the jump that "production will be arranged" if there's a demand for it. Unfortunately, a brand new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano will have to be sacrificed to build the Passionata, which we think probably violates Ferrari's warranty. Check out a high-res gallery of the Ugur Sahin USD GT-S Passionata below to view the design from every angle and let us know what you think in the comments.
Say what you will about Edo and the things it does to supercars, but you've got to hand it to them: it takes a lot of nether-regional fortitude to try and improve on the most finely honed and intricately developed performance machines. The latest results of Edo's endeavors is the 630 Scuderia.
Although you wouldn't recognize it from the name, the 630 Scuderia is based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Using Edo's existing 630 GTB – whose engine more closely resembles the high-strung unit from the FXX than the "stock" 599's Enzo-derived powerplant – and upgrades it with a new aerodynamic kit designed to optimize the cooling and airflow around the vehicle. There's a sharply-styled front end with bigger vents that help cool the brakes, with an integrated lip spoiler increasing downforce. Underneath and around back, a new aerodynamic undertray and widened six-blade diffuser help optimize stability, aided by the new side skirts. All the components are made from carbon fiber, cutting curb weight down by 110 lbs.
Check out the images in the gallery below – and the press release after the jump – to make up your own mind: stylish and functional enhancement or sacrilegious defilement?
Remember last month when we showed you a pair of supercars tuned by MANSORY at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show? Perhaps the poor lighting inside the Geneva EXPO obscured the awesomosity of these two tuner vehicles. MANSORY has corrected this by releasing a slew of high-res official images showing each car in perfect lightning so every detail is laid bare, for better or worse.
The first car is the MANSORY McLaren SLR "Renovatio", which is obviously based off of the Mercedes-Benz supercar but features many replacement carbon fiber pieces, lighter wheels and a new body kit that makes the standard car look downright dowdy by comparison. MANSORY didn't just alter the SLR's looks, but went one step further by upgrading its supercharger and intercoolers, so the 5.5L V8 is now producing a stout 700 horsepower. The interior also gets the same Midas touch as the exterior.
The second car is the MANSORY Ferrari 599 GTB "Stallone", which to Europeans may evoke images of wild stallions, but to U.S. folk sounds like an homage to Mr. Balboa. MANSORY takes the already superlative 599 and adds an F1-inspired aero body kit and a supercharger with enough engine upgrades to bump the 6.0L V12 from 620 to 720 horsepower.
Both vehicles have the grunt to fully back up their new appearance packages, but we're still not sure we'd actually want to be seen in them.
It's always nice when money gets thrown at making epic videos of cars, and this one is so beautifully produced that it obviously cost a bundle. What could be more epic than a couple of Ferraris being treated like the rentals Rowdy and Cole duked it out with in Days Of Thunder? Okay, Ferrari and NASCAR, ne'er the twain shall meet, but what we do have here is a fantastically beautiful video of a Ferrari 599 showing the F40 what an old man it's become. Let's see, do we want to take the comfortable, easy-driving, fighter-jet fast GT, or would we prefer the raucous, painful, finicky throwback that's nearly as fast but is probably more exhilarating due simply to the cacophony behind your head? Either could be fun - follow the jump to see for yourself.
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OK, we've seen some of their previous work so we probably shouldn't have expected much more this time around, but when we heard that Mansory had gotten its hands on an SLR and a Ferrari 599 GTB, we certainly hoped that it would figure out a way to enhance their gotta-have-it quotients. Alas, our prayers went unanswered. Done up in a matte gold and black combo, the SLR looks a bit toy-like, but it should manage to sell in the single digits at least. Which digit you choose to count the sales is up to you. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano had actually been criticized in some camps for being a bit too evocative of the Chevrolet Corvette when it was first shown. The Mansory edition done up in white and carbon fiber looks even more Vette-like to our eyes. Thoughts of a ZR1 or the recent 427 special edition Z06 leapt to mind. There was also a Phantom in the booth, but quite honestly, doing something outrageous to a Roller just doesn't offend us as badly. Take a look at the gallery and let us know if you agree. We've already heard from at least one other journo who happened to be winding his way down the road towards us that the 599 looks seriously racy and that we are dead wrong about it. We'll let you decide for yourselves. Click away.
