Special Speciale

I already did a post on the Speicale so I won't get into all the technical details here (http://carsofgeneva.blogspot.ch/2014/09/ferrai-458-speciale.html)  Enjoy the pics! You can find more pics on my Instagram now: 53nordphotography!

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

As you probably already saw, this post is going to be about the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. This, like most Ferraris, is an exceptional car! This one is powered by a V12 engine producing 730 horsepower, which lets the F12 to get from 0-62 mph in 3.1 seconds. The V12 also lets this car get up to speeds of 211 mph. Another interesting thing about the F12 is the two gaps on either sides of the hood of the car which allow air to flow past the sides and therefore give the car much needed downforce at high speeds. Another cool thing is the two flaps in the nose of the car, in front of the two wheels. The flaps are closed, to improve aerodynamics, until the breaks reach a certain temperature. At temperatures where cooling is needed, the flaps open to provided air to the brakes so that they don’t overheat. Besides all this the car looks stunning as well and is incredibly fast. The only downside of this car is the price tag: about $322,000, which, needless to say, is quite a bit. But if you do have an extra 322 grand lying around and want a stylish V12 supercar, without the super aggressive look of the Aventador, take this one :)

Other than that I’ll let you convince yourself about the looks of this Ferrari, but if you do happen to have an extra minute I strongly recommend that you watch this video from Top Gear, where Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ed8pBMel4.

458 Italia

To start the new year off right I am going to cover a car today, which, without a doubt, is nothing less than stunning… The Ferrari 458 Italia. The 458 made its first appearance in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. This Ferrari is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine, hence the name 458, which produces 561 horsepower and lets this car go from 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds. The top speed of the 458 is 202 mph.

There are multiple variations of this car. There is the Ferrari 458 Spider, which is a hardtop convertible version of the car. If you want a more in depth look of the 458 Spider just let me know and I'll do that soon :) There is also the Ferrari 458 Speciale which is the same car with some modifications, the most noticeable being the 2 exhaust pipes instead of 3 and also the two openings in the front of the car and obviously the carbon on the engine which can be seen in the engine compartment. I did a post on that one which you can look at here: http://carsofgeneva.blogspot.ch/2014/09/ferrai-458-speciale.html.  The final and newest variation of the 458 is the Ferrari 458 Speciale A, which, like the regular spider version, is a hardtop convertible, but with the same engine modifications as the 458 Speciale. I haven’t posted anything on the 458 Speciale A yet because I haven’t seen one in Geneva yet, but I will make a post as soon as I see one.

I think the 458 (especially the non-convertible ones) is truly amazing, mainly because of its look. It just looks stunning! I absolutely love the curves of this car and the way it is formed towards the rear where the air is able to flow towards the engine compartments. The other thing that I love is the engine compartment itself. Just being able to look through that big glass panel and to be able to see the engine is awesome because there are so many cars where you are not able to do so, like the Porsche 911 or the Porsche 918 Spyder. The last thing is that I love the fact that the proportions just fit and that it doesn’t have an oversized nose like the SLS AMG which looks amazing from some perspectives but really stupid from others. Not trying to say that I don’t like the SLS AMG, I think it’s awesome especially the Black Series, even though some people think the gullwing doors are a bit showoffy, I think they are perfect.

To wrap things up, I believe that the Ferrari 458 is not just a car, it’s a work of art. If any of you guys know Top Gear, the Brtitish TV series from BBC, they had an argument about the question if a car could be art and they said that the Alfa Romeo 8C was truly art, but I think the 458 belongs right up there with it.

Ferrai 458 Speciale

Last Tuesday I went into the city with two of my friends, Philipp and Fabio, to hang out and see what was driving around. Besides seeing 5 Rolls Royce (I'm going to do a post on the Wraith which we saw next), a couple of Bentleys and Maseratis and other nice cars we also came across one of our all-time favorites: the Ferrari 458 Speciale.

The 458 Speciale from Ferrari is a truly exceptional car. To start things off the 458 Speciale is based on the 458 Italia just that the Speciale has some body features which makes it lighter and lends it better performance. It also holds a 35 Hp power increase. The Speciale is powered by a naturally aspirated V8 which boasts a total of 562 HP which propels it from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3 seconds flat. But the power from the V8 doesn't end there, it keeps pushing the Speciale to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 9.1 seconds. Some more differences between the 458 Speciale and the regular 458 Italia are the two vertical flaps in the front of the car. At speeds below 170 km/h (106 mph) the flaps are closed to make sure the engine is nice and cool, but as soon as the car reaches speeds above 170 km/h the vertical flaps open to decrease drag. Then if you take a peek around the back of the car you will discover that there is a set of horizontal flaps which at speeds above 220 km/h (137 mph) lower to balance downforce between the front and rear axles. The horizontal flaps are able to be lowered by 17°. 

Now I can't make this post without telling you a little story about my friend Fabio. Last weekend Fabio's neighbors had a birthday party for their child. At one point someone pulls up in a Ferrari 458 Speciale and, needless to say, Fabio rushed outside to check it out. Once outside he started taking pictures when all of a sudden the woman driving the Ferrari asked him if he wanted to have a look inside and start the engine. Of course he jumped at the opportunity and turned on the 458 Speciale and he says it was absolutely amazing. I have to say that I'm extremely happy for Fabio that he had this special opportunity, although I can't say that I'm not jealous :) And in the end I truly am in love with this car and wished I had one in my driveway as well! Below are some pictures of the one Philipp, Fabio and I saw in the city. 

Make sure to check Cars of Geneva out on facebook at www.facebook.com/carsofgeneva and stay tuned for the next post on the Rolls Royce Wraith!

A week in Hamburg

So this week I flew to Hamburg to visit my grandma and some friends and yesterday in the city I saw this beauty... 

Honestly I think the 458 is one of the best looking cars around! 

Just another day in Geneva...

I got all these pictures on the 5th of June as well, but I thought that I would put the McLaren in a different post, since it had a story to it. These were all taken while walking through the city and I did manage to get some pictures of a very special car, which I will post in the blog soon, so come back for that! 

 Now this car from Mansory was also something special. Not only was it the first car I have ever seen from Mansory (besides the Geneva Car Show), but also one with a hefty price tag!! If I did my homework right, this is the Mercedes-Benz G 65 AMG Speedschift with 999 HP. Now with power comes a price: 899,999 EUR. So if you want to cruise around in a 999 HP Benz and you don't know what to do with your money, then this is your way to go.

As rarely as you see big cars in Geneva, this Hummer is a real rarity! Not only is this a Hummer in Switzerland, it also had a completely new interior. The interior was completely decked out in leather and on the dashboard was a box of cigars. So as you can see, another rich person cruising around in style.