Im not too sure this is going to be the world’s coolest theme park, but Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi is opening on the 27th of October.

What does Ferrari World include? Well, the world’s fastest roller coaster: Formula Rossa. Of course you will also be able to enjoy a little wining drinking non-alcoholic beverages and dining.

Oddly enough, the theme park bases its pricing structure not on age but on height—basic tickets go for 225 United Arab Emirate Dirhams (around $61) for people five feet tall and up, and 165 AED (around $45) for those 4′11″ and shorter. Premium tickets, which let visitors cut ahead of the plebs, go for around $102 for the tall and $74 for the short. Only some of the attractions will be open by October, with a grand opening in December.

[via Ferrari World]

A Hello Kitty Ferrari 360, now I have seen it all! This Ferrari 360 was spotted in Jakarta, Indonesia.

[Detik and GTSpirit via Carscoop]

Straight from sources in Maranello comes this information on the upcoming 458 spider. Power will remain the 570 hp 4.5 liter V8 as found in the coupe. The top will feature similar mechanisms as found in the California. Call your dealer now and beg for a spot!

Here is a quick run down of the top 7 new cars im looking forward to seeing in 2010. All these cars were showcased in the 80th International Geneva Motor Show.

Ferrari 599 HY KERS – This Ferrari comes with a green paint job and features the latest Ferrari regenerative braking technology integrated into seven dual clutch transmission and installed right below the centre of gravity of the car. This Ferrari 599 comes with a V12 engine and 100 horsepower engine with KERS system.

Koenigsegg Agera -  The Koenigsegg Agera has a full carbon fiber and aluminium body, featuring a 4.7 litre V8 engine and can hit 0-100 in under 3.1 seconds. Other sexy features include a set of wheels made to generate a vortex as they suck hot air away from the brakes. With a raw power of 910 hp at over 7000 rpm there is no telling what this beast is capable of.

Mercedes F800 Style – This has to be the most sexy five seat sedan I have ever seen. This hybrid provides over 400 bhp of raw power and can reach speeds of over 375 kmph. A 300hp direct injection V6 gas engine and a 109hp hybrid module allows the Mercedes to function perfectly

Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid – Very sexy two door hybrid sports car with a fluid cooled lithium ion battery that gives it the perfect charge. This Spyder can go from 0-100 kmph in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 320 kmph. This has to be one of the top sports cars for the richie rich who still want to save the environment.

Lotus Evora – Every motor show has to have a top Lotus, and this time it was the Evora. The Lotus Evora has a 3.5 liter V6 engine, which can go from 0-100 kmph in 5.1 seconds. Apart from offering a top speed of 231kmph this lightweight sports car consumes only 8.7 liter of fuel for every 100 km travelled with a carbon emission of less than 205 g per km of CO2.

Top Gear has posted two snippets of video showing the Stig getting sideways through a turn at the wheel of a Ferrari 599 GTO.

The Ferrari 599 GTP has 670 horsepower and is the fastest road going Ferrari ever.It goes from zero to 62 mph in 3.35 seconds.

Top Gear magazine publishes its rundown on the GTO on May 19 and is suggesting the 599 GTO may be the best Ferrari ever. We’re not going to post Top Gear’s copyrighted videos here because their lawyers are bigger than our lawyers. Head over to TG and check ‘em out there.

A 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica was purchased at an RM Auction in Monaco for $3.5 million over the weekend, the highest price ever paid for a Superamerica.

The Superamerica in question is a 1962 Ferrari 400 Short Wheelbase Cabriolet sporting a 340 HP, 4.0-liter single overhead cam V12 engine three Weber carbs and enough banshee wail to haul the showroom fresh sports car to 145 MPH on the Bonneville salt flats when it was purchased new. The event was recorded for posterity in the November 1962 issue of Road & Track so if you go hunt through the archives you can see this beauty in its element. Of course since then it’s been fully restored and primped beyond factory finish. We sincerely hope the new owner doesn’t put it up on a pedestal and keep it as the automotive equivalent of a Swarovski vase.

Ferrari launch 599 GTO! Top speed is also increased to a nice 208 mph, while 0-60 is achieved in 3.35 secs.

So it’s extremely rare (599 units) and obscenely expensive (about $460,000) but for the looks and the speed its a must by for someone who doesnt really care about money!

Press Release:

Maranello, 8 April – Now available on www.ferrari.com are the first photos and information on the new 599 GTO, an extreme V12 berlinetta developed to a specific performance-oriented brief. The 599 GTO is, in fact, the company’s fastest ever road car. It is an exclusive limited edition special which, in true Ferrari tradition, is a completely new concept, albeit inspired by a production car. In fact the 599 GTO is based on the 599XX, the advanced experimental track car, and can be considered almost a road-going version.

The 599 GTO is reserved for just 599 clients who seek the maximum expression of high-performance driving. The 599 GTO benefits directly from the technological transfer from racing and set a record lap time at Fiorano in 1′24″.

The Fiorano lap time provides just one indication of the potential of this car. Just as significant are the technical specifications – 670 hp in a 1495kg car represents a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp, and ensures a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of just 3.35″ as well as a top speed of over 335 km/h.

Fundamental to the GTO’s performance is the innovative approach to chassis development which, for the first time on a production car, saw the integration between a handling set-up tuned for a level of responsiveness that is close to the limit and highly sophisticated electronic controls. The result is the almost complete absence of understeer and a truly communicative chassis.

As is Ferrari’s policy, every new Ferrari features new solutions for a road car. Thus the 599 GTO is equipped with the latest, second-generation carbon-ceramic brakes which are lighter and offer better performance, new aerodynamic innovations, such as the wheel doughnuts which increase aerodynamic efficiency as well as improve brake cooling, and the Supersport tyres developed by Michelin include a wider front tyre for greater roadholding. The driver-car interface is also new with the adoption of the Virtual Race Engineer (VRE) which provides the driver with instantaneous information on performance.

The 599 GTO’s more aggressive character is also apparent in a number of styling elements that recall the 599XX and from the powerful sound of the V12.

The GTO (Gran Turismo Omologata) moniker instantly calls to mind two Ferraris that have entered the collective imagination as symbols of performance. After the 1962 250 GTO, which swept the boards in GT racing categories in the 1960s and is now a highly prized collector’s car, came the iconic 1984 GTO, which basically invented the entire modern supercar genre.

The web special includes photos, videos and interviews on the new car, while an exclusive preview for a small number of Ferrari clients will be held on April 14th at the Military Academy in Modena. The public debut of the 599 GTO will instead be at the Beijing International Motor Show at the end of April.

599 GTO TECHNICAL CONTENTS

ENGINE AND GEARBOX

The 599 GTO’s engine is directly derived from the 599XX unit implementing, however, the necessary modifications for road-going homologation. It thus complies with Euro 5 and LEV 2 standards. The 5999 cc 65-degree V12 engine punches out 670 CV at 8250 rpm with maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6500 rpm and there is a smooth, constant rush of power all the way to the redline with no loss of flexibility even at medium and low revs. This result was obtained by working on the fluid-dynamics and components to reduce internal friction and by adopting, amongst other things, the 599XX’s redesigned crankshaft. The car also has a racing-type intake system with a new manifold with diffuser-type intake geometry and short inlet tracts designed to improve power delivery at high revs and reduce losses. To maximise volumetric efficiency per cylinder, a connection between the two plenums at the front compensates for variations in the volume. This is how the engineers managed to achieve maximum performance at high engine speeds. The engine sound inside the car is carefully controlled to balance the intake sound with the exhaust, which features a 599XX-derived 6-into-1 manifold.

The 599 GTO features the same, lower 60 ms shift times and the possibility to make multiple downshifts as on the 599XX.

VEHICLE DYNAMICS

One of the most significant innovations on the 599 GTO is the close correlation between the chassis set-up, which is close to the handling limit, and the input from the electronic controls which are developed to increase overall levels of performance.

Since the very earliest states of the two cars’ development, Maranello’s engineers worked to ensure that these two areas of the car would be seamlessly integrated thus pushing responsiveness to the limit. The result is, of course, superlative driving involvement as well as faster lap times. Apart from new springs and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar, the car also features a second generation magnetorheological suspension control system (SCM2). The suspension works in tandem with the VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and latest-generation F1-Trac traction control. This makes the car extremely responsive to driver inputs – thanks in part to the adoption of a very direct steering ratio – but also very stable under braking, sharper on turn-in, more precise in cornering and quicker out of corners.

WEIGHT REDUCTION

The 599 GTO inherits much of the development work – using the same principles as employed in F1 – that went into making the 599XX such an extreme performance car. Reducing weight was a vital objective and the result was the widespread use of composites and components manufactured with technologies more akin to racing specifications. The areas involved include the bodywork and greenhouse (with thinner gauge aluminium and thinner glass), the brakes, transmission and exhaust system. The result is a dry weight of 1495 kg and a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp, a very significant figure that underlines the GTO’s performance potential.

AERODYNAMICS

The 599 GTO’s aerodynamics have benefited significantly from Ferrari engineers’ experience in F1 and with the 599XX which allowed downforce to be greatly increased without impacting on drag. Thanks to solutions transferred from the track car to the road-going version, the GTO generates downforce of 144 kg at 200 km/h. The entire car was honed, including the front, the sides, the flat underbody and cooling flows. In the latter instance, the GTO can count on improved ducting to the brake discs and pads, and the adoption of wheel doughnuts – a disc positioned outside the brake disc that ensure that hot air exiting the wheelarch stays as close to the body of the car as possible to reduce drag.

Work on the nose of the car was aimed at reducing the width of the wake generated by the front and thus reduce drag. The front spoiler incorporates a separate lower wing that increases downforce at the front of the car and increases the flow of cooling air to the oil radiator. On the flanks there’s a new sill design with a more pronounced leading edge that improves the efficiency of the central section of the underbody. The underbody itself incorporates a new, lower front section with diffusers ahead of the front wheels to optimise downforce, and a new double-curve rear diffuser.

WHEEL RIMS AND TYRES

Here the difference in size between the front and rear tyres has been changed. The GTO’s front tyres are now 285/30 on a 9.5” channel with 315/35 on an 11.5” channel at the rear. The 599 GTO has 20” rims. Roll rigidity is greater at the rear to minimise understeer. These solutions guarantee improved lateral grip and quicker turn in.

BRAKES

The new CCM2 braking system is lighter and even more consistent in high performance situations. Its consistent coefficient of attrition meant that the ABS could be calibrated to a particularly high performance level, further reducing lap times, thanks to improved deceleration and shorter stopping distances. In fact, the 599 GTO boasts an excellent 100 to 0 km/h braking distance of just 32.5 metres. As well as their role in improving aerodynamics, the Formula 1-derived wheel doughnuts also improve braking efficiency by optimising brake cooling.

CAR-DRIVER INTERFACE

The car-driver interface was designed to maximise car and driver performance with a layout of the main commands that ensures absolute efficiency and minimum distraction. The Racing manettino also puts the emphasis firmly on sporty, track-specific driving settings by offering the driver full choice with regard to the electronic control parameters. The ICE position on the 599 GTB Fiorano has been replaced by CT-Off (traction control off). The GTO is also fitted with bespoke, longer carbon-fibre F1 paddles for easier use in high-speed driving. In addition the GTO also features the Virtual Race Engineer, a system that monitors the status of the car and gives the driver immediate visibility of vehicle performance.

599 GTO technical specifications

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Length: 4710 mm (185.4 in)

Width: 1962 mm (77.2 in)

Height: 1326 mm (52.2 in)

Wheelbase: 2750 mm (108.3 in)

Front track: 1701 mm (67.0 in)

Rear track: 1618 mm (63.7 in)

Dry weight*: 1495 kg (3296 lbs)

Kerb weight*: 1605 kg (3538 lbs)

Weight distribution: 47% front – 53% rear

Fuel tank capacity: 105 litres (27.7 US gal/23.1 UK/gal)

Boot volume: 320 litres (11.3 cu ft)

ENGINE

Type: V12 – 65°

Bore & stroke : 92 x 75.2 mm (3.62 x 2.96 in)

Unitary displacement: 499.9 cc (30.51 cu in)

Total displacement: 5999 cc (366.08 cu in)

Compression ratio: 11.2:1

Maximum power: 500 kW (670 CV) at 8250 rpm

Maximum torque : 620 Nm (457 lbs/ft) at 6500 rpm

GEARBOX

F1 6–speed + reverse

SUSPENSION

SCM2 – Magnetorheological Supension Control

TYRES

Front: 285/30 ZR20”

Rear: 315/35 ZR20”

CARBON-CERAMIC BRAKES

Front: 398 x 38 mm (15.7 x 1.5 in)

Rear: 360 x 32 mm (14.2 x 1.3 in)

ELECTRONIC CONTROLS

CST with F1-Trac: Traction and stability control

TPTMS: Tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system

PERFORMANCE

Maximum speed: over 335 km/h (over 208 mph)

0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) : 3.35 sec

FUEL CONSUMPTION

Combined cycle (ECE)*: 17.5 l/100 km

CO2 EMISSIONS

Combined cycle (ECE)*: 411 g/km

*European version

The Ferrari 599 hybrid is real!

Posted at CarSpyShots.com the pictures were snapped on the stand just days before it was to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Im not too sure if many people will want to have a Ferrari hybrid, but I guess as the world comes to terms with completely green cars, then the Ferrari hybrid and maybe even a complete green version will become very popular.

The Ferrari 599 hybrid will have a V12 engine up front and an electric motor and related electronics mounted on the rear transaxle. The system is based on the kinetic energy recovery system Ferrari’s Formula 1 team developed.

Reports are coming out that Ferrari will launch a new hybrid officially in Geneva in March. I find it little funny that Ferrari is all about being bold and standing out from the crowd, but this Red colour will soon be turning Green.

The Ferrari 599 hybrid will be powered by a pertrol / electric combination, with energy sourced from lithium-ion batteries. With their consistent effort to transfer F1 technology into road-going models, Ferrari F1 will likely use KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which will also be used for regenerative braking to bring inertia to a smooth stop.

Fuel consumption will be reduced by about 35%, which will mean that even the poorer Ferrari owner (if that exists!) will be able to run their Ferrari’s a lot more often.