The 1987 to 1992 Ferrari F40

The Last And Greatest Ferrari Enzo Blessed.

 

     Today if you were to ask a Ferrari fan what the best Ferrari ever created was, he or she might say something like the F12 Berlinetta or the Ferrari 458 Italia. However most auto enthusiasts and journalists will say it was the last Ferrari Enzo himself blessed before he passed away. That Ferrari is the legendary Ferrari F40. Let's learn more about Enzo's dream come true.

     The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine Italian supercar, and the first to reach a top speed of over 200 mph. No wonder Enzo decided this was his company's greatest achievement ever. The car is equipped not with a V-12 like most vintage Ferraris, but rather a 2.9 liter V-8 with parellel twin-turbochargers giving the car 471 hp which was ridiculously good for its time. The turbos came from a Japanese company called IHI. IHI's turbos we're popular in certain Japanese cars such as Subaru, Nissan, and Mitsubishi.

     Anyway moving on now. The 2.9 liter twin-turbocharged V-8 of the F40 allowed it to reach 60 mph in 3.8 seconds which seems modern even today, and that's a good thing. The engine is coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox with a stick made in a classic Ferrari style. Unfortunately the F40's plexiglass engine cover had to have excellent venting due to the possible fact the V-8 tended to get too hot too often. Thankfully the venting was enough to calm the prancing horse. Inside the driver's area, the insulation wasn't the best so it felt like you we're in a room designed to test sound-based technology. Thankfully again many F40 owners didn't seem to care for any of this because at the time they had the best car in the world, and in some ways it still is. Apparently I also learned of a fun fact about the F40. When the car's engine is turned off there are still noises and vibrations that can be heard.

     Back in the day a Ferrari F40 would cost up to $400,000 which is expensive even by Ferrari prices. Today it's even more expensive at $1.15 million for a pristine 1990 model, and $781,000 for a mostly pristine 1991 model with no more than 300 miles on it. Even today you can say all of the Ferrari F40 models have aged well and even look fresh out of the factory today.

    

The 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S

Could This Become My Uncle's New Favorite Aston Martin?

(These we're the only pictures I could find without violating copyrights. Sorry)


 

     Because my uncle plays Forza Motorsport 4 his current favorite Aston Martin is the 2010 Aston Martin V-12 Vantage for its looks and performance. However what will happen if a Forza Motorsport 7 was created and featured the new 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S? Let's learn more about the car to see if we can answer that question. 

     The 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S is grand touring car equipped with a naturally aspirated 5.9 liter V-12 that delivers 592 hp and can help the car reach a maximum speed of 201 mph. Naught to sixty takes 3.5 seconds which is point 1 second slower than the Aston Martin V-12 Zagato I wrote about earlier. Torque is 465 lb-ft. The engine is coupled to a currently unknow gearbox. Given that Aston Martin has been recently putting sticks in their cars for gear changing don't be surprised if this new car gets one too. However I can see Aston putting in a flappy paddle gearbox with a dual-clutch transmission, but that's just what I think will happen. 

     Other than the exterior changes to certain areas like the grille, it would seem this Aston's interior thinks black "filograph" leather is the new alcantara. The steering wheel has also been given a makeover. The buttons and knobs are now placed in a "Chopped Carbon Fiber" fascia. This "Chopped Carbon Fiber" was used so much in the interior it replaced the traditional wood trim inside some well-known and not so well-known Aston Martins. Unfortunately nobody knows how this "Chopped Carbon Fiber" was created. It's possible Aston is guarding the technique like a loyal British knight would protect his king or queen.

     Prices for the 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S will cost 199,950 pounds in the United Kingdom, 262,950 euros in Germany, and 294,950 dollars in the United States. To answer the question about my uncle liking this new Aston Martin better than the one from 2010 I believe the answer could very well be a yes.

The 2017 Spyker C8 Preliator

Spyker's Latest Car Gone Lotus-Like

(All the pictures had to removed for copyright reasons. I apologize.)

     For the year 2017, Spyker decided to create a successor to the C8 Aileron. This new Spyker's name has nothing to do with airplane or jet parts. It's called the Preliator which means fighter or warrior in ancient Latin. This actually isn't a surprising choice of name since the car has Italian words on the exhausts that translate to "for the tenacious no road is impassable." Plus the Spyker Cars company has a massive respect for Enzo Ferrari and his famous saying "what's behind you, doesn't matter." But enough of that. Let's learn more about Spyker's latest hit. 

     The Spyker C8 Preliator is a Dutch grand tourer that borders on being a pure sports car. The Preliator uses an Audi 4.2 liter supercharged (yes you heard me) engine that delivers 517 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. The maximum speed of the Preliator is 201 mph which is very good for the class of car the Preliator is in. Zero to sixty takes 3.7 seconds. The engine is coupled to a Getrag, six-speed manual transmission, or an A ZF six-speed automatic with paddles. 

     Something that is a surprise or shouldn't be for the Preliator is that not much as changed appearance and aerodynamics-wise since it's predecessor the Aileron. The car is now longer for increased leg room, the interior mixes retro with modern technology perfectly, and there are now added fender flares and intakes on certain areas of the car. The most interesting thing to me at least is that Spyker decided to go sort of Lotus Exige with the rear of the car in it's appearance. This is again not a surprise as Lotus was the one who helped build the Preliator's suspension, just like they did with the Aileron. If the Aileron drove really good with its Lotus suspension in Forza Motorsport 4 and real life, I can imagine the Preliator is even better. I bet Spyker had to get permission from Lotus to make the rear of the Preliator look sort of like the rear of a Lotus Exige. 

     The Preliator's body is likely made of carbon fiber like the Aileron.

     Not surprisingly again the Preliator is being built to compete with Ferrari's California T, and the McLaren 570S. The cost of the Preliator will likely be $354,990 for the manual, and $362,990 for the automatic. 

     I guess some car companies don't need to make many changes to keep their cars looking good.