Traction Inc.

Crank Up the Volume
So it turns out that the most compelling review video of the Ferrari 458 is not much of a review at all.  Just watching this car dance and hearing the mechanical symphony unleashed by its engine is evidence enough that this car is simply amazing.  
I must find a way to get behind the wheel of one of these.

From the internets:

“My elderly co-worker Serio is an ex-Ferrari mechanic who wrenched for the team back in the 60’s and 70’s. He will ask me to pull up a chair and tell random stories out about when he was growing up, working on Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Alfa’s, ect. He comes in today with some old pictures of himself with the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO #3987 he worked on back in the late 60’s.

“This particular chassis is the one that Roger Penske won the 12 Hours of Sebring with in back in 1963 (in GT), was later driven by Alain de Cadenet and is now owned by Ralph Lauren.

“In the photo, Serio is in the red check shirt and the guy in the white shirt with the pipe is Dr. Baumgardner, the car’s owner at that time. Note that the car had the orange lights on the roof that were needed to run at Le Mans.”

Cool story bro!

» Traction Inc.: Remember when BMW's were the Ultimate *Driving* Machine?

that911:

BMW isn’t the company they were 10 years ago.  BMW used to build cars that lasted forever.  Now they build cars with planned obsolescence.  I loved the cars BMW used to make.  I can tell you that I will not be buying made by BMW after the e38, e39, and e46. 

I have a friend that’s a BMW mechanic, and he says the same thing.  But BMW isn’t alone. Compare any new Porsche with what was in their showrooms a decade and a half ago—it’s like an entirely different company.  Even Ferrari has been completely transformed.

(Source: gearheadsandmonkeywrenches)

A lap of Atlanta Motorsports Park in a Ferrari

I must say that I was really impressed with this brand new race track. I had been keeping tabs on AMP since before construction started, and I was a bit worried because the track was designed by Tilke & Co.  I feared it could be as bland to drive as a new-generation Tilke F1 track. I could not have been more wrong.

Imagine a racetrack that truly moves with the land - every single brake zone and corner happens during a camber or elevation change, and the main ‘straight’ is only straight at the end. Modern F1 cars could never race there, and that suits me just fine.

(Source: youtube.com)

Taking to the track in a Ferrari F430
First time in this car, first time on this track, so driving fast but not at 10/10ths.

PS - We had been instructed in the driver’s meeting not to bother with shifting the cars because none of us had seen the track before and we would be carrying plenty of speed already.

(Source: youtube.com)

And what better way to learn a new race track than from the cockpit of an F430?

Any day behind the wheel of a Ferrari is a good day.