Mark A Cella and the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione

The precursor to the Berlinetta, which means “Sport Coupe,” was the Ferrari 250 GTO. Indeed the GTO was built on the strength of Ferrari’s record producing V12 GT racers. GTO equates to “Gran Turismo Omologato,” Italian for “Grand Touring Homologated,” while homologated means “Official Agreement”. The 250 is the cubic centimeter displacement of each cylinder in the engine.

The car was built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964 becoming Ferrari’s most successful line of cars to date. It was the first Ferrari to receive four disc brakes. Versions of it were the first four seater. Having a lightweight V12, 260-275bhp, 4 gear trans., competition engine launched its success at winning so many races recounting in detail would be endless, so here’s a few:

The first four places in its class at the 1960 Le Mans 24 hour race, leaving Chevy and Aston Martin far in its dust. With three consecutive Tour de France wins, taking the first three places at the 1960 Tour de France, 5500 km race. Later that season the SWB won outright, at Goodwood when Sterling Moss lapped the entire field in it, making it the second consecutive win. Then in England, Monza in Italy, Spa, Nurburgring, and Monthlery.

The Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione weighed in at only 2,314 lbs., giving it a very high power to weight ratio. Top speed was approximately 152 mph, and 0-60 was done it 6.2 sec. Great numbers for this era.

It is said that owners of this car had the luxury and thrill of being able to drive it to the race track, unload their luggage and be ready to race with minimal or no modifications. Just place their numbers on the sides and race. Although the competition models did have an extra 30-40 horsepower and other modifications like shorter wheel base, and aluminum vs. steal, not much could help most other manufacturers.

Motor Trend gave the 250 SWB the ranking of 5th out of ten of the Greatest Ferraris of all time. Sports Car International rated it 7th Top Sports Car of the 1960′s. Mark Cella rates it his first place 1960′s era Muscle Car, followed by the 1967 Corvette Sting Ray and 1968 Chevy Camaro.

Mark A Cella and Ferrari California’s Backseat

Ferrari can do many things other car companies cannot, including building a machine that links past with present and that tries, however successfully, to be the fastest car to the market and back. A retractible hardtop. It’s the first Ferrari to sport a retractible hardtop, to rock a dual-clutch 7-speed transmission, and the first to wield a front-engine V8. It’s also got something called backseats, which seems like a cute concept for a Ferrari — a “2+” is the technical term. And as a result of this transmission it presents at least one last: The last Ferrari to offer a manual gearbox. Anyway who wants to deal with complaints from the backseat?

The California is a “2+,” a two-door with what we’ll all agree to call two ass-holders in what we’ll all agree to call the “backseat.” Which puts it in the class of “grand tourer,” a fine distinction for a car that really does look like it just wants to get on the road and stay there. Oh, and you’re of course invited to come along.

Its link to the past is right there in the name — the California is so named for the 250 GTs that awed a 20th-century world in the late ’50s. It ended its life by sailing out a window, a scene which horrified the Ferrari cognoscenti in audiences across America — who may still have unnecessary nightmares, as the car in that film was a replica. (The car in the movie was a replica, not an actual 250, because if it had been, Ferrari enthusiasts would have burned down Hollywood had Hughes actually destroyed one of the rare beauties.)

So the new series, which could just as easily have been called the “Utah” or the “Connecticut,” adopts the name of that 50-year-old classic and lays in all the new gadgetry of this, the modern era. Performance is turn-of-the-century, too: zero to 60 in a shade under four seconds, a top speed of 193 mph, and due to long hours in a wind tunnel, the most aerodynamic car Ferrari’s ever built.

But in the canon of Ferrari’s aggressively powerful cars, the California has already gotten a bit of a rep for being nice. It’s lovely, but not shockingly so. So while it’s a bit peculiar for a Ferrari, it’s still a breathtaking machine when compared to, gosh, anything with a backseat. Just make sure you call shotgun at least once. And while the front end brings to mind, say, a dignified Aston-Martin, the rear gets a lot of grief for being a bit too big.

But Ferrari was serious when it decided to build a car that could perform but could also fit a small child (say, the child of your mistress) in the back seat. A little something for everyone, it seems. Everyone who has $230,000 and a wish to take your best normal-sized friend and your best small friends for an exhilarating trip.

Mark A Cella and the Ferrari 599 GTO – A Tribute to the 1962 250 GTO

The Ferrari model GTO and other 599′s is a product of Fiorano which have been producing a lot of GTO’s and 599′s in the past few years. In 2006, Michiel Van Den Brink the founder of Vandenbrink Design Company designed the GTO. And in 2009, they managed to come up with a new design which pays a tribute to the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. This new design is the Ferrari 599 GTO which has similar features with the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

Design wise, there are a lot of people who say that ìit is the best-looking car Iive ever seenî. But it is not only that because if people are impressed with its design, they should try to look under the hood. The Ferrari 599 GTO may be a tribute to the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO but the specifications are technically based on the superb specs of the Ferrari 599 GTB (This is another product from Fiorano).

Combined with some of the features from the 1962 GTO and the technical specifications of the 599 GTB, the 599 GTO is something special that there are only 5 cars to be specially designed and customized for customers. This offer is highly exclusive so that it would be guaranteed that this model of the GTO is highly exclusive.

There are 2 types of GTO that was produced. The first one is the Ferrari 599 GTO which has the specification of 5998 cc and 650 horsepower. While the other one is the Ferrari 630 GTO which is also known as the high performance 630 GTO.

The specifications of the high performance 630 GTO are ñ 6300 cc and 750 horsepower. The cost of the high performance 630 GTO would reach up to 993,000 Euro Dollars since it is top of the line when it comes to design and performance.

Based on the other reviews for Ferrari, it is not only the 599 GTO that was built to pay tribute for the 1962 GTO. Basically, all the new GTO’s that were produced is in tribute for the 1962 GTO. Michiel Van Den Brink made sure that each and every design of a GTO would impress the people who are always waiting for a new GTO to be manufactured. This made a good impression to the public that is why there are a lot of people who concluded that it is the best-looking car ever made.

Moving on and talking about the specifications and features, you may be surprised on what the GTO has under the hood. The features similar to the 1962 GTO is quite noticeable. If you look closely, the signature shape of the GTO is still present in all the new models released.

The specifications may be technically based on a 599 GTB. This was done because of the superb performance of the 599 GTB. If they wanted to create the best car than they should put in the best specifications which is the specifications of a 599 GTB. This completes the whole cars superb design and performance.

Mark A Cella and the Ferrari 599 GTO

A combination of power, speed and passion that is what the amazing Ferrari 599 GTO is all about. It has the power of a V12 engine that can produce 670 horsepower and an F1 6-speed gearbox – it is the best toy that a man could ever buy. It is simply amazing not just because of its great specification but in general it is really amazing. The design of the car could not be distinguished as the traditional design of Ferrari. However, it doesn’t really matter because they made a great job coming up with this design.

This model is another product of Fiorano which made it a symbol of passion. It is also a product of other 599XX’s which was originally produced to exclusively for customer testing and running laps in the race track. Its price may reach up to 300,000 Euro Dollars but people would just simply say ìit is worth spending that much for a Ferrari 599 GTOî.

Specification wise, here are the amazing specifications of the Ferrari 599 GTO. F1 6-speed Gearbox for better Acceleration ñ it can go from 0 to 100 Km/h in just 3.3 seconds which is really an amazing rate of acceleration. This is a record breaking acceleration among the products of Fiorano. That is why among the Fiorano products, this is the fastest one that they’ve manufactured.

There is another advantage of this acceleration spec of this car and that is to reach its maximum speed faster than any other Fiorano product. It can reach up to 335 km/h (top speed) – it can actually reach the top speed faster than other cars because of the F1 6-speed gearbox. From 100 to 0 km/h there is no problem with breaking because it is 10 meters lesser than a regular car when it comes to breaking abilities.

Engine type, V12 with compression of 11.2:1 ñ The engine of a Ferrari 599 GTO provide the car with 670 horsepower which is powerful enough to compete with other super cars with V12 engines. At 8,250 rpm, it has a maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6,500 rpm. The specifications of the engine are new including manifolds, fluid dynamics, ducts and intake system.

Electronic Controls Specifically Traction Control ñ This car has a CST with F1-Trac traction and stability control which gives the car additional good handling specification. With its power and acceleration speed, it might be hard to control. Because of this traction control, it is balanced and it would still be easy to drive.

These are some of the specifications that give the Ferrari 599 GTO a good acceleration rate and handling control with enough power. There are more specifications that are really amazing and would complete the package of a super car.

With these features and specifications, it is really easy to say that Ferrari 599 GTO is really amazing. Its exterior design may not be the typical or traditional Ferrari but based on other 599XX’s manufactured earlier it is still the same Ferrari. The interior of the car may not be discussed but you’ve never seen a dull or ugly design of any interiors of any model of a Ferrari car.

Mark A Cella and the 2010 Ferrari California

Ferrari can do many things other car companies cannot, including building a machine that links past with present and that tries, however successfully, to be the fastest car to the market and back. A retractible hardtop. A front-engine V8. A dual-clutch 7-speed transmission, for those seamless gear changes. The $230,000 auto is called a “grand tourer” I suppose for this reason, though you’d better find some small friends or very young children if you want to do any grand touring without major leg circulation issues. Anyway who wants to deal with complaints from the backseat?

This is a Ferrari after all, and it makes no apologies for conceding a few extra seats. The eight cylinders get you to 60 from a standstill in just under four seconds, well on its way to 193 mph, an impressive speed that is the result of long hours in a wind tunnel.

Its link to the past is right there in the name — the California is so named for the 250 GTs that awed a 20th-century world in the late ’50s. It ended its life by sailing out a window, a scene which horrified the Ferrari cognoscenti in audiences across America — who may still have unnecessary nightmares, as the car in that film was a replica. (The car in the movie was a replica, not an actual 250, because if it had been, Ferrari enthusiasts would have burned down Hollywood had Hughes actually destroyed one of the rare beauties.)

So the new series, which could just as easily have been called the “Utah” or the “Connecticut,” adopts the name of that 50-year-old classic and lays in all the new gadgetry of this, the modern era. But anyway yes the new California gets its name from those cars of yore, and while it’s sure a fine product from those Italian fellows, it seems to have gotten a lot of gossip about being a “nice” car.

But in the canon of Ferrari’s aggressively powerful cars, the California has already gotten a bit of a rep for being nice. It’s lovely, but not shockingly so. So while it’s a bit peculiar for a Ferrari, it’s still a breathtaking machine when compared to, gosh, anything with a backseat. Just make sure you call shotgun at least once. And while the front end brings to mind, say, a dignified Aston-Martin, the rear gets a lot of grief for being a bit too big.

But Ferrari was serious when it decided to build a car that could perform but could also fit a small child (say, the child of your mistress) in the back seat. A little something for everyone, it seems. Everyone who has $230,000 and a wish to take your best normal-sized friend and your best small friends for an exhilarating trip.