Quote from the Founder of Ferrari

"The Ferrari is a dream-people dream of owning this special vehicle and for most people it will remain a dream, apart from for those lucky few." -Enzo Ferrari

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Michael Schumacher fond of the Ferrari California

Before the debut of the Ferrari California at the October 2, 2008 Paris Auto Show, the seven time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has been involved with the car since its beginning and has played an important role in tuning the cars performance parameters alongside Maranello's technicians, engineers, and test-drivers.
Previously Michael's expertise was used also on the 430 Scuderia and quoted as saying: " The cars are very different, but each offers unique driving pleasure because of the inherently sporty character of all Ferraris."
"The 430 Scuderia is, of course, a more extreme model with a focus on absolutely cutting-edge performance."
"The California is very much a grand tourer in terms of usability and comfort, but still sporty and fun to drive under any conditions."
Ferrari in a statement noted that Schumacher recently explained at its dealer convention in Maranello at the headquarters saying the differences between the eight-cylinders in the 430 Scuderia and the California.
"They were designed to meet different requirements," he said. "The 430 Scuderia is aimed at drivers who want the very essence of a Ferrari and will get it out on the track as often as they can," he stated. "The Ferrari California, on the other hand, is designed for everyday use and for weekends away whilst still guaranteeing all the emotional impact that only an authentic Ferrari can deliver."
I was unable to download an image of Michael Schumacher because now I have a problem with all images from Google image search. I'm going to go to my friend at the library to hopefully get help to resolve this problem. Sorry about that.
Have a good day and I wish you well.

Source: motortrend.com, motoring.co.za, and edmunds insideline

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Ferrari California Video Released on Microsite

Ferrari says at least 500 million viewers from around the world have visited the website: http://www.ferrarigtcountdown.com/ of the Ferrari California since its launch in May-the first extensive use of the Internet by the Italian automaker as part of a pre-launch marketing communications campaign.
The Ferrari California Web site has received 1 million direct hits, but has drawn a much larger audience from other sites linked to it, including Ferrari World, the company's official Internet portal.
Ferrari says most of the viewers are from the U.S., followed by Italy, the U.K., Japan and Germany. Somewhat surprisingly, China, Taiwan and Australia are also among the top 10 countries in visitors to the site.
I tried to upload an image of a blue California, the color that it comes in besides red, twice from two different sources on Google image search and I get the error that says: "imgres. htm: Your image is corrupt or is in an unrecognized format." I will continue to try to provide images of Ferraris that I'm talking about. I'm planning on moving to Wordpress.com soon because it allows me to add more ads on my blog as well as have an affiliate program.
Have a good day and I wish you well.

Source: edmunds insideline

Monday, July 28, 2008

More images of the Ferrari California and it making U.S. rounds

Ferrari released more images of the 2009 California. There is 67 new shots of Ferrari's V-8 powered grand-tourer that hit the Internet revealing more of the new car's interior and engine.

There have been a few examples of the two color versions of the Ferrari California, yet be publicly unveiled, roaming stateside, but previously seen only in studio shot press images. While many photos and videos have been hanging around the Web regarding the latest Prancing Horse (with the latest batch coming from Maranello itself), not many have been spotted this side of the Atlantic prior to the car's debut in Paris this October.
Interestingly, much criticism has been said about the latest styling language used by Pininfarina. In going through the essential Ferrari fan and owner's site Ferrari Chat, an overwhelming amount feel the car evokes a feeling of "softness" rather than the usual edgier, race-inspired hardness expected from the supercar builder. Many can't look past the controversial exterior to find its handcrafted 4.3-liter V-8 making 460 horsepower, but if they're ever lucky enough to get a ride in one, we bet the factory claimed under-four-second sprint to 60 mph will probably lessen some of their uncertainties about the car.

I'm experiencing computer problems again so that is why I'm unable to post the latest images of the Ferrari California.
I checked out the Ferrari California microsite just recently once more. They have updated it and you can go there. It is at: http://www.ferrarigtcountdown.com/ .
Have a good day and I wish you well.

Source: motortrend.com

Friday, July 25, 2008

Ferrari Tuners

There is such a thing as tuners for automobile companies like Ferrari and Novitec Rosso is the world's leading tuner of sports cars from Maranello. There is also Edo Competition, Hamman, and Mansory.
New from Novitec is a twin-supercharger Ferrari 430 Scuderia. The German tuner of Italian hardware raised the horsepower to 717hp and 532lb-ft of torque from 510hp and 347lb-ft it is fitted with when it comes from the factory.
Novitec Rosso was not timid with the parts list. It started with bolting twin superchargers and dual intercoolers, one for each cylinder bank, alongside a new engine-management system, high-performance air filters, and large injectors. It also added high-capacity fluid coolant systems and additional plumbing for the compressors and intercoolers.
Novitec says it has tuned the Ferrari 430 into a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.5 seconds and reaches 120 mph in 10 seconds.
For handling, Novitec lowers the car's center of gravity with sport springs. There's also an adjustable suspension that can raise the car as much as 1.6 inches for driveway entry and clearing speed bumps.
According to Novitec, the car's new top speed is 216mph.
The shell gets the bumblebee treatment: a yellow coat with black stripes, and three-piece black and yellow rims. Owners can choose any color combo they want for the interior.
Take a new F430 and add $73,583 to find out how much it costs.
Have a good day and I wish you well.

Source: autoweek.com

Thursday, July 24, 2008

DSL Problem and Implementation of Adsense Search Engine

I was unable to access my blog last night because I had an internet connection problem and I called AT&T about it after I diagnosed the problem myself. After talking to a service person about it, they had to send a technician today out to my apartment to figure what was the problem. I hadn't done any changes to the DSL modem and it just decided not to work.
I had a connection problem the night before and I troubleshooted and solved it. It involved checking all of the wiring and connections, unplugging and plugging back in the modem after waiting 20 seconds. The modem worked fine after that, then this problem came up.
The AT&T technician came over this morning at about 10:15am and fixed my DSL problem. He found the problem wasn't with the wiring so the last thing that could be wrong would be with the modem. He used a diagnostic device to determine this. He went down to his vehicle to get a replacement for the modem and came back, plugged it in and it worked. The technician got my email address, that he got with the device I believe, and I gave my password to see if I had a good connection. That was good and once that was done, everything worked. He said it was done for free and it took about 30 minutes for him to fix my problem.
I was finally able to implement the two codes from Google Adsense to the blog to create the search engine on it. That was done last Tuesday, 22nd of July. I got help from my friend at the library who is a reference librarian there. I would not have been able to figure it out on my own. It took about a week to accomplish. I'm grateful for his help.
Have a great day and I wish you well.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Ferrari Personalization


The existing models of Ferraris are not enough for some people and a growing number of customers want one of their own that is unique to satisfy their need for automotive individuality.
The Enzo-based Ferrari P4/5 is an example and it isn't in the official Ferrari line-up. It was created exclusively for car collector James Glickenhaus and is valued at over $3 million (!).
Until now, customers had to turn to custom coachbuilders like Pininfarina and Carrozzeria Touring for such exclusivity, but reports now suggest that Ferrari will offer extensive customization directly from the factory.
Appear at Maranello with 2 million euros in hand and an idea in mind, and Ferrari will create your very own sportscar based on one of their existing chassis and powertrains. The only limit which Ferrari will demand is no SUVs, sedans or wagons. They won't put a Ferrari emblem on just anything.
Have a good day and I wish you well.

My source is autoblog.com.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Ferrari Cutting Emissions

Ferrari intends to cut its vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions and is working on developing hybrid vehicles, the company president said Saturday, July 5th.
"We want to reduce our CO2 emissions by 40% between now and 2012," said Luca Cordero di Montezemolo to a German newspaper. He was quoted saying "we are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources," which could include a hybrid system.
The automaker may develop a road version of the Kinetic Energy Regeneration System (KERS) its F1 team will use next season. A mild hybrid system that relies on regenerative braking, a KERS-equipped road going Ferrari would store captured energy in a battery powering an electric lightweight construction, and speculation is that future Maranello cars may squeeze similar performance numbers out of smaller engines, such as a turbo V-6. Combine this with a bio-ethanol fuel like E85, and CO2 emissions could drop even further.
Such a vehicle would be ready to go on the market around 2015.
When di Montezemolo was asked about the likelihood of fans of the powerful red sports cars buying a Ferrari with a hybrid or electric engine, he replied: " Yes, of course. It's the best sports car in the world. It's still fundamentally a Ferrari."

My sources are motortrend.com and afp.google.com.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Production of the Ferrari California

Production of the new front-engined Ferrari California has started. Manufacturing is taking place at Ferrari's brand new production line, the latest phase in the Formula Uomo program which started in 1997 to improve production, safety, and employee happiness. "Excellence is the driving force behind all of Ferrari's activities.We intend to create a working environment unlike any other anywhere in the world," says President Luca di Montezemolo. In 2007 the Maranello factory took home the European 'Best place to work' award.
Completion of the Formula Uomo is the new car assembly lines for the expected demand for the new model and a brand new restaurant. "With the addition of these two new buildings we have completed the renovation of the entire Car Production Area that began in the late 1990s and has involved the investment of over 200 million euros. Next year we will be going one step further when we begin work on the new facility for the Ferrari Formula One team," quoted the Ferrari President.
Mr. di Montezemolo said that the investment was about creating "user-friendly assembly" that increases the quality of the product and makes the experience better for workers. Ferrari says that the new line, on which cars are suspended rather than supported from below, reduces workers' movement by 60%, while increasing their available space by 20%.
The company, which has 2,800 employees in total, makes its vehicles on one site. Most of the 70 engines produced each day are destined for Maseratis, which is owned besides Ferrari by Fiat.
The Italian carmaker sold just under 6,500 cars last year in 52 markets, the U.S. accounting for the major share with 1,600 sales. About 1,000 were sold in the Asia-Pacific region and Luca di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari and chairman of Fiat, it's parent, expects those sales to catch up with America within five or six years.
Morgan Stanley said in a recent report that it expected Ferrari sales to hit 10,000 by 2010. The California will account for as much as 45% of the company's output by that time.
When Mr. di Montezemolo became Ferrari president in 1993, turnover stood at 230 million euros and the company made a 3.8 million euro loss. Last year, turnover hit 1.67 billion euros, producing a profit of 266 million euros. That figure is set to rise, giving Ferrari a pre-tax profit margin of 19% by 2010, according to Morgan Stanley, compared with 15.9% last year. If that happens, it would be more profitable than Porsche, which is thought to be the world's most profitable automaker.
Ferrari is not only known for it's cars that it sells, but for the cars it races. It funds its Formula One team through car sales, sponsorship and merchandising. Another growing number of Ferrari F1 stores is due to open on Regent St. in London in October. Guaranteeing the checkered flag may also help to convince potential buyers that it is worth waiting the average two years it takes to order and receive delivery of one of the world's most prized possessions.
Take care and I wish you a good day.

My sources of this information is worldcarfans.com and timesonline.co.uk.

Friday, July 11, 2008

An Image of the Ferrari California

I've been busy lately and haven't had time to devote to the blog, but I found some time tonight.
First of all I want to give credit to the Road & Track, Motor Trend & Car and Driver articles that were in this August 2008 issues about the Ferrari California. I don't want to plagiarize the authors' works, but I used some of their information. If I use their material, I'll give them credit.
I finally was able to put an image of the Ferrari California on the post. I at first put it in the left side of the post, but was later able to put the picture in the post by following the directions in my, "Blogging for Dummies."
I checked out the "California" website Thursday, the 3rd of July. It is one of the best or thee best website I've seen for displaying a car, in my opinion. I don't mean I have seen many auto websites, but I've seen my share. You can get the website address to the Ferrari California in the previous posting of Thursday, July 3rd.
I applied for Adsense Search, Thursday, July 3rd for this blog , but I have a difficult time implementing it. I'm trying to optimize my site. I'm going to get help from my friend, who is a reference librarian, to see if we can fix the problem.
I read an ebook called, "Harnessing the Power of Article Marketing" by Janet Wilson. The ebook is brought to you by Cynthia Minnaar. I read it last Friday, July 4th, 2008.
I'm not too interested in Ferrari F1 news. I'm not into racing, but if you want me to cover it, let me know.
As you can see I've added a blogroll and a list of websites. I try to add something every week to offer as much as possible as I can.
I've recently got a Google Alert on Ferrari articles so I can keep up with the news about the company and it's products.
So much for now.
Have a great day and I wish you well.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

The Ferrari California

I finally received last Monday, June 30th, the emails from both of the two Ferrari dealerships that I emailed to last week. It was in regards to a question my sister-in-law asked me. She asked something along the lines of, "Do they have technicians come out to your house to repair or do maintenance on your Ferrari?" One dealership said, "Only in an emergency." and the other said, "No, we only work on vehicle in the shop."
I've decided to talk about Ferraris a little more, especially the new Ferrari California. It is the much anticipated, front mid-engine, rear drive convertible-only, 2-door "grand tourer" with a true, fully retractable hardtop which when the top is down, is completely flat-just like a Mercedes-Benz SL.
It is to debut on October 1st at the Paris auto show and then goes on sale at a price rumored to be between $290,000 as for the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and the base price $210,000 for the Ferrari F430. Ferrari says the California should be on sale in Europe by the end of the year, with U.S. sales following later.
As with all Ferraris, the engine is the star of the show. Like it's stablemate, the mid-engine two-seat F430, the front-engine California is powered by a 4.3 liter V8 with a race-car-like "flat"-plane crankshaft. Unlike the F430's engine, the California's V8 sports a direct-fuel-injection system and makes 454 horsepower at 7500 rpm. The higher revving F430 V8 makes 483 horsepower at 8500 rpm in coupe and spider versions; the 430 Scuderia is good for 503 horsepower. Transferring the power to the rear wheels is a new dual-clutch gearbox (a Ferrari first) with seven forward gears. Ferrari is promising performance and fuel economy to the tune of 0 to 62 in less than four seconds and a respectable 18mpg on the highway.
Another dramatic move, Ferrari has swapped out its traditional double-wishbone suspension at the rear for a new multilink rear setup with the F-1-Trac traction control from the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and have included those amazing (and incredibly expensive, lightweight and fade resistant) Brembo carbon-ceramic disc brakes.
So why would anyone buy the less powerful California over a less expensive F430? For starters, the California is a convertible, and it has two back seats or finished parcel shelf. The rear seats are small, but a F430 doesn't have a lot of extra room for luggage or kids at all.
In yet another new move, Ferrari has been unveiling the California bit by bit online on a special website: http://www.ferrarigtcountdown.com/ . The first piece released was the sound for the car's V8, followed days later by three photographs. More photos and information about the car will continue to be posted in the coming weeks until it's release.
I will post a picture of the Ferrari California as soon as I learn how to do it on my blog.
Have a great day and I wish you well.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Implementing the Adsense Code

I finally was able to implement my Adsense Code into the HTML Source Code yesterday, the 1st of July, by getting help from a friend who is a reference librarian. He found that I added four extra digits at the end of my zip code when I first set up my account in my "Payee Information" under the "My Account"tab. When I needed to enter the zip code later when the postal code was asked for, I didn't add the four digits, not realizing that I needed them. My friend edited the "Payee Information" and I was then able to implement my Adsense Code by using the template method.
I made $1.06 for earnings on my blog with Google Adsense by last night at 9:18 pm CST. I had 22 page impressions and 2 clicks.
This is the quickest way I know to make money on the Internet, by starting a blog and using Adsense. I found out about this from John Chow dot Com, analyzing websites and seeing what other people were doing to make money.
In regards to an earlier post, Joann Mason is the author of, "21 Income Streams : Multiple Ways To Make Money Online" ebook. As I said before, she is the one that suggested to start a blog at first when you are starting out.
I finished reading, "BlogWild!" last Monday which I started reading three days earlier than that. The author, Andy Wibbels, uses TypePad as the blogging platform to make his blogs unlike Blogger that I use.
I bet you are wondering when am I going to talk about Ferraris. I'm working on an article right now on the Ferrari California and hopefully it will be in my next post once I edit it.
Have a good day and I wish you well.