Newsletter 31: THE ALFA CONNECTION!

By Dee Munro2021-09-28Comments Off

Enzo Ferrari famously raced for Alfa, as a driver, from 1920 to 1932.
Ferrari won his first Grand Prix in 1923 in Ravenna on the Savio Circuit.
Deeply shocked by the death of Ugo Sivocci in 1923 and Antonio Ascari in 1925, Ferrari, by his own admissions, continued to race half-heartedly. At the same time, he developed a taste for the organisational aspects of Grand Prix racing. Following the birth of his son Alfredo (Dino), Ferrari decided to retire and focus instead on the management and development of the factory Alfa race cars, eventually building up a race team of superstar drivers, including Giuseppe Campari and Tazio Nuvolari. This team was called Scuderia Ferrari (founded by Enzo in 1929) and acted as the racing division for Alfa Romeo, cementing the Alfa Connection. The team was very successful, thanks to the excellent cars, for example, the Alfa Romeo P3, and the talented drivers, like Nuvolari.
When Ferrari retired from competitive driving, he had participated in 41 Grands Prix with a record of 11 wins.
The Alfa legacy, much like the Ferrari one, can undoubtedly be attributed to Enzo’s involvement.

2000 GTV

The Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV (Veloce) was introduced in 1971 and production ran until 1977. The 2000 was the replacement for the 1750.
The basic body shape was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone. It was one of his first major projects for Bertone, and borrowed heavily from his earlier design of the 2000 Sprint/2600 Sprint. The balance of glass and metal, the influence of the shape of the front and rear glass cabin glass, and the flat grille with incorporated headlamps were ground-breaking styling features for the era.
The engine was standardised throughout the range, with displacement of 1962 cc with a bore and stroke to 84 mm × 88.5 mm.
The engine produced 130 hp at 5500 rpm. SPICA fuel injection was fitted to cars destined for the United States and Canada, whilst carburettors were retained for all other markets, both systems produced the same power.
The interior trim was changed, with the most notable differences being the introduction of a separate instrument cluster, instead of the gauges installed in the dash panel, as in earlier cars. Externally the 2000 GTV is most easily distinguished by a grille with horizontal chrome bars, featuring protruding blocks, forming the familiar Alfa heart in outline, and smaller hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts.
Optional aluminum alloy wheels styled to the “turbina” design first seen on the Montreal.
“Turbina” refers to the wheel’s resemblance to a jet engine inlet.

The last GTV model was delivered in early 1975.
37,459 units were made before European production ended, though it continued until 1977 in South Africa at the Rosslyn assembly plant, with a further 25 being produced, all were right hand drive.
Ferris Cars is delighted to be able to offer this exceptional example of the Alfa connection.
Built in South Africa in 1974, this car is in exquisite condition.
Apart from a respray, in the original colour, twenty five years ago, the car is totally original.
Multiple Concours winner, recently “Overall Winner” at the 2021 Alfa Concours.
The car comes with the original bill of sale, original car cover, books and spare keys.
This is, without question, the finest example in South Africa.
Comparative cost in the UK, would be between £55,000 and £65,000.
This car is extremely well priced at
R749,990

For more information on this vehicle click here.

Image Source: https://www.classicargarage.com

News

Newsletter 30: FERRARI CALIFORNIA – NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE!

By Dominique Munro2021-09-20Comments Off

When originally unveiled in 2008, the California was powered by a front-mid mounted, rear-wheel drive, naturally aspirated 4.3-litre V8. In 2012 a lighter, slightly more powerful variant, the California 30 was introduced, and in 2014 Ferrari announced the second generation of the model, named California T, powered by a new twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8.

The car revived the name used on the late 1950s Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder and the 1960s 365 California. The modern California was originally introduced as an entry-level model, however, it included many new design innovations from Ferrari. The original base price of the California was similar to the base price of the F430, the company’s V8 flagship sports car at the time of its introduction.

In 2018, the California was succeeded by the Portofino.

The California represented a radical new design by Pininfarina S.p.A. and primarily intended to attract new Ferrari owners. The car’s grand touring personality was emphasized with a slightly higher ride height compared to its more aggressive siblings.

The chassis was designed and manufactured by Ferrari division Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Overall, it is considered a landmark car for Ferrari, in that it represents a number of concepts being used for the first time in their road cars:

• The first front-engined Ferrari with a V8.
• The first to feature a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
• The first hard-top convertible with a folding metal roof.
• The first with multi-link rear suspension.
• The first with direct petrol injection.

The California is equipped with an exclusive Ferrari-designed F1-Trac system. The system, originally introduced on the 599 GTB Fiorano, was updated for the California model. The variable power distribution to the rear wheels allows greater stability and performance when turning. The result is an average increase of 20% in acceleration when exiting corners.

The California was available with two passenger seating configurations. Option 1, included two rear seats that are limited in space and arguably only capable of accommodating small child safety seats.

Option 2, did away with the rear seats replacing them with a bench storage area. This storage area could accommodate slightly more luggage or personal effects than the seats and included matching leather luggage tie-down belts.

The California was manufactured in a purpose-built facility that was constructed adjacent to the existing factory at Maranello.

The new facility was part of Ferrari’s Formula Uomo programme that started in 1997 to improve production, safety and employee happiness.

Production of the California amounted to about 8,000 units spanning between 2008 and 2012.
Throughout the modern California’s history (2008 to 2017), only 3 cars were built with manual transmission.

On 15 February 2012, Ferrari announced the California 30, an updated model that was lighter and more powerful. While the Pininfarina design remained unchanged, the changes included reducing body weight by 30 kg and increasing power output by 30 hp (hence the monica ”30”).

First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, in March 2014, The “T” in the moniker stands for Turbo, a technology Ferrari last used on the F40. The “T” utilises a new 3,855 cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 553 hp, and has a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with different gear ratios, a revised MagneRide adaptive suspension, as well as a new F1-Trac system.

The California is a surprisingly quick car, Ferrari’s first real exploration into the world of the “daily” driver, this car certainly ticks all the boxes for such criteria. The California behaves well in traffic and, when you want to be a hooligan, it’s perfectly at home doing that.

Responsive, comfortable and versatile, it performs all the tasks set out for it by designers, engineers and imagineers in Maranello, with style, class and ease. The slippery aerodynamic shape has aged well in its ten-year existence. The California will, like its 250 and 365 predecessors, probably become a sought after classic.

Its fair to say that it won’t appreciate as much as the 250 and 365, but you’ll have so much fun in it, you won’t really care!

Ferris Cars is pleased to be able to offer this

2010 FERRARI CALIFORNIA

This vehicle has covered only 26,000 Km’s, and has a

Complete Service History.

Representing extremely good value for money, this particular California
has been lovingly cared for and is in exceptional condition.

Competitively priced at:
R 1 749 990

Face or Boobs? read our Newsletter 36 and decide for yourself!

News

Newsletter 29: FERRARI 458 ITALIA – TIME TO BUY?

By Dominique Munro2021-09-07Comments Off

The Ferrari 458 Italia, launched in 2009 (South Africa receiving their first one in 2010) was a complete redesign for the company and the last V8 model to be completely designed by Pininfarina.

4.5 litre, normally aspirated V8, 0-100 Kmh – 3.4 Seconds.

Impressive figures, considering it is now over ten years old. Even pitting it against today’s turbo and hybrid offerings, it’s pretty competitive. The Bugatti Veyron Supersport, for example, is only 1 second quicker, and that costs one hundred and seventy hundred and forty million hundred……… (listen carefully), more!

The 458 represents Pininfarina’s discovery of the optimal aerodynamic shape, which many supercar manufacturers copy aspects of to this day.

When Luca di Montezemolo was shown the mock-up of the 458, he looked at the exterior, the interior, and the engine, and said this is the perfect car to represent Italian motoring, its style, its speed, its power, its grace, it’s looks, and that is why it’s called the 458 Italia. – This is Italy’s car!

The Ferrari 458 Italia isn’t just beautiful to look at, its design has a purpose. The two wings situated in the front grill, deform at speed to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag. Air flows down the body of the car into a vent just behind the rear side window, where it cools the dual-clutch transmission, the result of that though, warm air is forced out the back, and reduces drag in the car – It’s all rather clever!

It’s also one of the slipperiest Ferrari’s ever made. It’s drag coefficient, or how easily it slices through the air as it goes, is just 0.330, which is a very small number, but the thing is, it’s not just how it cuts through the air, it’s how it uses it to improve airflow aerodynamics and reduce drag. Someone put a lot of thought into this!

A certain Mr. Schumacher had a lot of input in the interior cabin, everything is driver-focused, within easy reach, and that’s because he wanted it to be like a Formula 1 car, so it becomes second nature just to fiddle with your controls, you don’t have to take your eye off the road, which is really smart, because in something like this, you really don’t want to take your eye off the road.

As a driver you have loads of information at your fingertips, the steering wheel has got everything you need. The engine start button, the suspension adjust, the indicators, and all the rest, there’s the manettino switch, which is a wonderful little invention, allows you to switch instantly between the traction control modes.

It’s basically derived from Formula 1 tech, and there are five modes to choose from; Wet, for when it’s raining, Sport, which is Ferrari speak for normal, then you have Race, which turns the traction control off a little bit, (Ferrari speak for….just a leetal beet crayzee), CT off, which turns it off quite a lot, (Ferrari speak for…. starta to aloosa de plota), and then you have to press and hold it for ESC off, which turns everything off (Ferrari speak for…. youa fuckina inasayna).

There’s two screens in this binnacle, as well as the rev counter. The one on the left gives you lots of information about the car tyre pressure, oil pressure that kind of thing, also there’s a little speedo, odometer and the fuel gauge. And on the right-hand side, well, when you’re not using the Sat-Nav or the phone or anything like that, you have a giant speedo, nice big numbers you can see just out of the corner of your eye, which is really quite handy.

The big question …. “What’s it like to drive?”
Well, when you look at it you think, will it be heavy, light, wayward, slippery, tricky – none of the above, thankfully, – it’s awesome!

If you drive like a saint, you can get up to 22 miles per gallon out of it. The gearbox in this thing is an absolute masterpiece, – it is once again derived from Formula 1 technology, so a dual-clutch. There’s one clutch always resting on the even gears, and one clutch always resting on the odd gears.

Everyone wants to know, just how long is the transition between the changes? If you ask a Ferrari rep, the response will be, “We’ve really stopped measuring that because well, it’s pretty instant.” – And they’re right, it really is! – You flip the paddle, down! Flip the paddle, down! Flip the paddle, down! – It’s just bang, bang, bang, – it is that instant, – it’s absolutely incredible, it really, really is!

The steering in this thing is absolutely incredible, it is just so direct you just pop the nose in and well, away you go, there’s no hint of understeer, and there’s no threat of nasty oversteer, with you spinning into a forest. It’s absolutely incredible, and you can get it out of shape if you drive like a bit of a numpty, or you really don’t know what you’re doing; – but as a car for a normal person, it’s really, really, good. Comfort-wise, you’d expect a car like this to be very uncomfortable, very hard riding, so you sit on the freeway and go, “God! I regret spending so much on this, oh it’s so uncomfortable, oh for the love of God, make it stop!” – But in actual fact, no, there are lots of suspension modes to choose from, so you can have a nice cosseting comfy Ferrari.

The 458 Italia is as Ferrari intended, a dream, it causes a stir wherever it goes, it has a visual drama that other cars struggle to match. It combines performance, agility and style in a way that few will ever see, let alone experience! – It’s a true Italian thoroughbred! – It’s the definition of desirability, of a dream! –
It is Italy’s car!

We are proud to be able to offer this

2012 Ferrari 458 Spider

20,000km’s

R3 449 990.00

News

Newsletter 28: SCHUMACHER ON NETFLIX

By Dee Munro2021-08-28Comments Off

Netflix is set to release a new documentary about the Formula 1 legend, Michael Schumacher.
This long-awaited film, to be aired on September 15th, tells the story of the German F1 legend’s career, from karting in Kerpen to taking his record seventh championship in 2004, with interviews from his wife Corinna, their two children Gina and Mick, and many former F1 rivals and peers.
“Schumacher” promises unseen archive material showing the “many facets of his multi-layered personality.” His brother Ralf, former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo, FIA chief Jean Todt, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone are featured along with F1 drivers, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel, and David Coulthard.

I met Michael in 2007, at Fiorano. It was at the companies 60th Anniversary party. I gave him a DVD I had made of all his championship wins, to the sound track of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.
As we walked into the venue together, we were greeted by a sea of paparazzi, something Michael was all too familiar with, but for me it was a little unnerving!
A few weeks later, I received an email from Michael, thanking me for the DVD and asking me to keep in touch. We did keep in touch periodically, almost right up to that fateful day in 2013.

Photo of Michael Schumacher — 17 Mar 2002: Portrait of Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher before the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images \

Don’t miss what will be an extraordinary insight into the life and character of one of F1’s greatest ever drivers!

News

Newsletter 27: FERRARI ICONS 365 GTB/4 (DAYTONA)

By Dee Munro2021-08-23Comments Off

The Daytona name is officially unofficial. Supposedly the name was dubbed by the media rather than Ferrari, apparently to commemorate Ferrari’s 1-2-3 finish in the 1967, 24 Hours of Daytona.

Ferrari won the race with a 330 P3/4, a 330 P4, and a 412 P, respectively.

Ferrari rarely refers to the 365 as the “Daytona,” and regards it as an “unofficial” title.

In general, the accepted number of Daytona’s produced by the factory varies, depending on the source, but is widely accepted to be just over 1,400, over the entire production life. This figure includes only 156 right-hand drive coupe s, 7 right-hand drive spiders, and 15 competition cars. The competition cars are divided into three series, all with modified lightweight bodies and in various degrees of engine tune. All Daytona bodies, except the first Pininfarina prototype, were produced by Italian coach-builder Scaglietti, a name synonymous with Ferrari for a number of decades.

Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti, who had previously worked on the Dino Ferrari’s styling, was responsible for the 365 GTB/4.
It reflected a movement from Ferrari’s traditional rounded designs to a more contemporary, sharp-edged look.
Early Daytona’s featured fixed headlights behind an acrylic glass cover, however, new U.S. safety regulations banning headlights behind covers resulted in retractable pop-up twin headlights from 1971.

In 1971, a Daytona was driven by Dan Gurney and Brock Yates in the inaugural Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
The pair won with an average speed of 80.1 miles per hour (129 km/h), completing the drive from New York City to L.A., a distance of 2,876 miles (4,628 km), in 35 hours 54 minutes. Gurney was later quoted as saying, “We never once exceeded 175 miles per hour.”
In 2004, the Daytona was voted top sports car of the 1970’s by Sports Car International magazine. Similarly, Motor Trend Classic named the 365 GTB/4 and GTS/4 as number two in their list of the ten, “Greatest Ferraris of all time”.

1969 365 GTB Competizone — 1969 365 GTB/4 COMPETIZIONE

Side view of a Spider — 1969 365 GTB/4 COMPETIZIONE

EventsNews

Rhino Milk Drive – SUNDAY 1st AUGUST

By Dee Munro2021-08-10Comments Off

We expected 10 cars, we got 30. We expected to collect a couple of hundred litres of milk, we collected over two thousand litres.

Thank you to everyone who attended the rhino milk drive and donated milk.

A baby rhino will drink about twenty litres per day, so what we collected will be a big help.
We have set up a WhatsApp group for those who would like to be part of future events involving and supporting the rhino’s.
We are planning more runs, visits to the rhino sanctuaries, weekends away, and even some Grand Prix Tours.

If you would like to be included in the group, please send a WhatsApp with your name to:
082 851 3300

News

Newsletter 26: FERRARI IN THE MOVIES.

By Dee Munro2021-08-10Comments Off

Movies have the power to make a regular story become iconic. They also have the power to immortalize certain moments for future generations. Nothing in a movie has more influence than a special car. The Ferrari Movies on this list are definite scene-stealers, beautiful machines that allowed enough screentime to become instantly memorable.

Truth be told, Ferraris are always bound to attract attention, regardless of where they are or who’s driving them. In the case of these, though, they’re given iconic status by being included in the storytelling process. So which ones made the cut?

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Al Pacino can make any car look great, simply by sitting in it, but having his character drive the 1989 Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet in this movie, acquired a different meaning by the fact that his character, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade was blind.

In a 6+ minute scene, we get to see the maniacal Colonel driving the Ferrari through a deserted Brooklyn neighbourhood, without even scratching it or missing a turn, until he somehow stumbles upon the only other car on the street, which just happens to be a cop car.
“Hoo-ah!”

The Rock (1996)

Nicolas Cage has always had a soft spot for expensive, fast rides, and his star power allows him to have a say in the cars his characters end up driving on the big screen.

When he teamed up with Michael Bay for The Rock, he was lucky that Bay shared his passion, so he got to chase a Humvee H1 in a yellow Ferrari F355 Spider. Some of the footage used a replica and image manipulation, but the scene still includes plenty of real Ferrari awesomeness.

Bad Boys II (2003)

Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) was never one for subtlety, and this is also apparent in his choice of cars. In the first and third Bad Boys movies, he drives Porsches, but in the second, he got to chase down bad guys in a Ferrari 550 Maranello.

Michael Bay also directed the first two movies, so he took great pleasure in putting the 550 Maranello through its paces for our viewing pleasure, only adding some Hollywood trickery here and there when the stunts would have been too dangerous to do in real life.

GoldenEye (1995)

Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as 007 came with a superb race down a winding mountain road between his Aston Martin DB5 and a red Ferrari F355 GTS driven by Famke Jenssen, while Bond’s psychologist, who was supposed to be evaluating him, screeched in fear and frustration in the passenger seat.

The race scene employed plenty of movie magic to help Bond keep up with the Ferrari, and ended without adding to the 007 body count. It’s pure Bond action, with smart puns and now-laughable come-on’s that would only ever work to pick up girls if your name is Bond ………. James Bond.

Against All Odds (1984)

This is probably not a movie many remember, except for those who, upon viewing it, noticed that it features what is considered, to this day, one of the best car chase scenes in film history.

The chase is actually a street race between a red Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet and a black Ferrari 308 GTS, in reasonably heavy traffic along Sunset Boulevard and Bel-Air in Los Angeles, with zero damage to any car. James Woods’ place at the wheel of the 308 is taken by Carey Loftin, probably the most prolific and acclaimed stunt driver of all time, who strove to shoot the entire scene as realistically and with as little camera trickery as possible.

The Gumball Rally (1986)

No respectable list of Ferrari Movies is complete without this mention. The Gumball Rally was a silly but hilarious movie, but it deserves credit for using real cars and showing them off in as realistic a manner as possible. The star of the film is, without a doubt, the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti. The actual car used in the movie sold for $1.65 million in 2013.

Perhaps one of the most memorable scenes is a race between the Daytona and a 1966 427 Shelby Cobra.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

While this 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider is often mentioned among the most iconic movie Ferraris of all times, it was in fact a replica.

Indeed, the film uses the replica for all scenes, including the one in which it meets its untimely demise, when Cameron takes out his anger and frustration towards his father on his most prized car, which then goes flying through a second storey window, crashing through trees, onto the floor below.

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Life really can’t get much better for Axel Foley: he works as an undercover cop and is pretty good at his job, and he gets to drive a red Ferrari 328 GTS, paid for with taxpayers’ money.

The movie includes some pretty embarrassing goofs, like the use of a 308 in the first part of the movie, which then mysteriously becomes a much more expensive and newer 328, and then, in another scene turns into a 308 again. You have to watch the entire movie, just in case the car turns into another model!

Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988) and Miami Vice (1984-1998)

And finally, who could forget Magnum P.I and Det. James ’Sonny” Crockett, each with really questionable fashion style with a flair for startling patterns and colours, and Crockett’s much more fashionable side kick, Ricardo Tubbs. All had great appeal to the ladies and even better taste in cars.

Magnum drove a red Ferrari 308 GTS (he was too tall for the GTB!), while Crockett and Tubbs drove a black 1972 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider for the first two seasons. The Daytona was a replica, built on a Corvette chassis.

For season three the producers wanted a white Testarossa, the first two seasons had been such a success that Ferrari gave them one for free! The perfect ending to Ferrari Movies.

Magnum PI and Miami Vice Photo's of Ferrari Movies

News

Newsletter 25: SCHECKTER ……… YOU KNOW THE NAME !!

By Dee Munro2021-08-02Comments Off

Scheckter is probably the most famous name in South African motorsport.
It’s also pretty well known internationally, due obviously, to Jody winning the Formula 1 World Championship, but also the contributions made by the other members of this motor racing dynasty.

JODY SCHECKTER

Jody Scheckter is, so far, the one and only South African Formula 1 champion.

Born on the 29th of January 1950 in East London, his motorsport journey began due to his family ties with cars. His father had a Renault dealership in which he worked and had his first taste behind the wheel. After trying bikes, cars came in and became the option for the South African speedster.
Jody won the South African Formula Ford Series at age 20. This earned him a trip to England and a taste of the European categories.
His speed gave him the chance to make his Formula 1 debut in the last race of 1972, with McLaren. He qualified eighth for the United States Grand Prix, in the Ford-powered M19A, and finished ninth. Though he was fast, his driving skills were a little erratic and earned him the nickname, “Sideways Scheckter.”
In 1973, he won the SCCA L&M Championship, an American Sports Car Championship. Subsequently, McLaren gave him more shots at Formula 1 events, but his participation proved to be tumultuous.
He qualified third for his home race, the 1973 South African Grand Prix, in just his second F1 start. However, engine troubles left him in only ninth place.
Jody moved to Ferrari in 1979. After his first winless year since 1973, Scheckter took the Ferrari 312T4 and made the best of it.
The Flat 12 engine was efficient, the Ground Effect on the car was on point and Jody had the experience to compete for the main goal, the championship. After two tough South American rounds in Argentina and Brazil, Ferrari soon became the team to beat. Consecutive 1-2 finishes in South Africa and the US Grand Prix West, both led by Gilles Villeneuve, meant Ferrari was on course for the title.
At the Italian Grand Prix, Scheckter led a 1-2 for Ferrari which sealed both the Drivers’ title for him and the Constructors’ Championship for the team. Villeneuve and Scheckter had a cordial season and the race at Italy finished off a perfect season for Ferrari.
Sadly Jody retired from Formula 1 in 1980 having achieved the championship, he had nothing else to prove and was ready to enter other sorts of competitions: the business world. He had tremendous success in business in his post-racing life.

Scheckter’s title in 1979 was the last for a Ferrari driver until Michael Schumacher’s first championship with the team in 2000.

IAN SCHECKTER

Ian is the elder brother of F1 World champion Jody.
Ian also raced in the Formula 1 World Championship, recording 20 entries, between 1974 and 1977.
Ian was very successful in his home country, taking Formula Atlantic South African Championship titles four times in a row from 1976 to 1979, and then again in 1983 and 1984.
He’s one of three six-time champions in the South African premier open-wheel competition, along with John Love and Dave Charlton.
Ian made his debut in the South African Formula 1 Championship in 1973, for Team Gunston. In his rookie season, he was on the podium twice, finishing fourth in the points. He also made few starts in sports car races in a Chevron B26-Cosworth, sharing a car with John Watson. They retired at Kyalami 9 Hours and won the Cape Town round of the South African Springbok Trophy Series.
In March 1974, Ian made his debut in the Formula 1 World Championship with Team Gunston.

In 1974, Ian finished second in the South African F1 Championship, scoring five wins, one victory less than champion Dave Charlton.
1975 saw Ian again come runner up to Dave Charlton who captured his sixth championship trophy.
In March 1974, Ian made his debut in the Formula 1 World Championship with Team Gunston. Starting 22nd on the grid, he finished 13th, two laps behind race winner Carlos Reutemann in a Brabham.
In the 1975 Formula 1 World Championship season, Ian competed for Lexington Racing.
Later in the season, he joined Williams Racing for two events – Swedish Grand Prix and Dutch Grand Prix. He retired at Scandinavian Raceway and finished 12th at Zandvoort.
In 1976, the South African Formula 1 Championship was dismissed and the Formula Atlantic became the national premier series. Ian scored six wins and took his first championship title, stopping the reign of Dave Charlton.
Following his fourth championship-winning season in the Formula Atlantic in 1979, Ian returned in 1983 with Team Gunston. He won thirteen races and captured his fifth title. A year later, he won eleven races to take his sixth title.

THOMAS SCHECKTER

Thomas was born in Monte Carlo to Jody and then-wife Pamela.
He started racing karts in South Africa at the age of 11 and it did not take long for the young driver to reach the podium. He had his first taste of a major championship as a teenager when he captured the South African Kart Championship in 1995. In 1996 he ventured on to the main circuit in the South African Formula Vee series and soon after he was in the South African Formula Ford Series where he posted two wins.
He had proven his speed in South African motorsports and was then off to Europe the following year where he entered the British Formula Vauxhall Junior series.
Thomas earned third in the championship with one victory and one pole. He was also named series “Rookie of the Year.”
In 1999, Thomas won the Formula Opel Euroseries Championship with a record eight victories and eight poles, and in the process broke all the winning records previously set by Mika Ha kkinen, Rubens Barrichello, and David Coulthard. That success landed him a drive that same year in the last two races of the Formula Nissan Championship which Fernando Alonso had dominated that whole season. Even though Thomas was with a new team for this brief stint in Formula Nissan, he captured a win, two poles, and a second-place position.

Thomas moved on to the Formula 3 Series in 2000, and in his rookie year, he was the runner-up in the British Formula 3 Championship with two victories and two pole positions, while contending again with drivers such as Takuma Sato, Anto nio Pizzonia, and Narain Karthikeyan. He also had time to race in the prestigious Marlboro Masters F3 race at Zandvoort where he took the third podium position.
Thomas was signed as a test/reserve driver by Jaguar for the 2001 Formula 1 season.
Thomas raced in the Indy car series from 2002, with various teams including Eddie Cheever’s Red Bull Cheever Racing, Target Ganassi Racing, Patrick Dempsey’s Vision Racing, and Dale Coyne Racing.
Thomas now works at his father Jody’s Lavestoke Organic Farm in England.

JAKI SCHECKTER

Jaki is the son of Ian and the nephew to Jody Scheckter.

Former South African Formula Ford and US Barber Dodge Pro Series champion,
Jaki has joined the Ferris Cars team.

Jaki is probably best known for being the nephew to South African Formula 1 World Champion Jody and son of multiple South African champion Ian, but Jaki is a South African legend in his own right, with accolades from winning the 1992 Formula Ford SA Championship, at 18 years of age to, beating Juan Pablo Montoya in the Barber Dodge Championships in the USA, in 1994.
Alas, a lack of funding inhibited Jaki from a career in the Indy Lights Series despite having secured an engine deal.
Jaki will be joining us to assist with sales and marketing, and will be integral in a venture we are launching soon ………. Watch this space!

News

Newsletter 24: FERRARI, THE FUTURE, WHAT TO EXPECT!

By Dee Munro2021-07-05Comments Off

These are interesting and exceptional times for all supercar manufacturers.
The political and public persecution of small-volume carmakers with ignorant, broad-brush legislation, threatens to destroy the things we most value about these types of cars. Forcing a company like Ferrari to produce electric cars is pointless and will do absolutely nothing to assist in saving the planet. For one thing, companies like Ferrari only make 10,000 vehicles a year, and 95% of them are, at most, driven a couple of times a month. It is therefore mindless and moronic to force Ferrari, and other small-volume supercar manufacturers, to adhere to EV (Electric Vehicle) regulation.
To put this into perspective, one single cruise liner will produce 10,000 times more harmful greenhouse gases than the entire yearly output of Ferrari, when was the last time anyone heard of the government putting the thumbscrews on the cruise line industry?

CURRENT FERRARI LINEUP

Ferrari splits its models into four separate categories:

What can we expect from Ferrari in the short to medium future?

We recently heard about the 812 Competizione and Aperta, these being the “hot” versions of the 812 and 812 GTS. Rumours abound, as they usually do, that these will be the last of the naturally aspirated V12’s to be produced, but then Ferrari has said that a few times in the past!
Last week, Ferrari announced the 296 GTB, a 3 litre, V6 Hybrid boasting over 800Bhp, the first V6 Ferrari since the 246SP, launched in 1961.

Most of us thought the 296 would be the replacement for the F8 Tributo, but in actual fact, will sit alongside in the model range. The powertrain of the 296 will, of course, replace all the current V8’s and become the standard for new models.

Scheduled for 2022, Ferrari will be launching their “FUV” – Ferrari Utility Vehicle. It’ll be called the Purosangue, which means thoroughbred in Italian. Most Tifosi want to run away and weep at the thought of this vehicle, but it is coming!
Whilst most of us are appalled at the thought of this car, we can at least understand the need for it. People laughed and scoffed at Porsche when they released the Cayenne and then the Macan, but these cars account for over 50% of the company’s sales, and that means more money coming in to spend on other special models. So, let’s not be too hard on the Purosangue, rather than looking at it as an affront to everything we love about Ferrari, we should actually look at it as the cash cow that will enable the company to develop all the cool cars to come.

The above are the new cars we know about, but let’s take an educated guess as to what might be coming in the medium future.
Ferrari’s proven formula would dictate that there will probably be a “hot” version of the F8 Tributo, a Speciale if you like. It would make sense, as the F8 is Ferrari’s swan song and what better way to say goodbye to the V8 era than with a super special version.
Ferrari has stated that there will be a number of Icona models being released in the next few years.
Rumours are also around of ………. wait for it …………. an F40 tribute, yes you read correctly, an F40 tribute. What an absolutely amazing prospect that would be! Of course, you would have to have purchased the first Icona model in order to be eligible for this one!

As if the F40 tribute isn’t exciting enough, when the Icona division was launched to a select group of VIPs, the rumour was that Ferrari would be producing a manual tribute to the 250 GTO.

And now we get to something extremely exciting, – the LaFerrari replacement.
Yes, that’s right, it’s been nearly 10 years since the LaFerrari was launched, and we are expecting to see another super high-end, ridiculously fast Ferrari hypercar in the next 2 years.
2022 is Ferrari’s 75th anniversary, but, there’s an awful lot going on in that year; – so, we can bet that this new LaFerrari replacement will not arrive until at least 2023, or possibly 24.
It will not be fully electric and instead, it will use an evolution of the SF90’s hybrid system, with a V12 generating over 1100 brake horsepower, still be a limited production car, and possibly numbered, so it will be the most exciting Ferrari that’s arrived for nearly a decade.

A few years ago, the possibility of a fully electric Ferrari would have been the stuff of a mad man’s dreams, it was never a possibility, and it was never going to happen, but at the recent AGM, temporary CEO John Elkann, announced that in fact there would be a brand new all-electric Ferrari launched in 2025.
This creates some real problems for Ferrari, not least, the Ferrari sound, which is a bit like the Detroit sound, but a bit louder and more shrieky. The way a Ferrari sounds is sometimes as important if not more so than the way it handles and how fast it goes; – and the march of electricity will rob all of us of the soundtrack of these wonderful cars. Yes, the sound could be synthesized as it is in the Lexus LFA, but honestly, who wants that?

But there is some good news… the LaFerrari and the SF90 powertrain shows that Ferrari can successfully embrace hybridization and electrification. – These are bonkers fast technological marvels, that bring F1 gizmos to the road, and no one can really argue that they aren’t proper Ferrari’s.
The Roma and the forthcoming “hot” Roma’s are usable daily with less emphasis on outright speed and sound, it’s a stealth Ferrari, and one that you won’t care about the mileage. You could hybrid or electrify the Roma, and no one would bat an eyelid.
And the Purosangue, love it or hate it, it’s coming, and it’s coming hard. If you don’t mind the GTC 4 Lusso, then you’re probably more than halfway to accepting the “sang” into your life, and it probably won’t be the huge SUV that we all thought it would be.
So there we are then, a reasonably detailed look at the future of Ferrari.
What can we take away from this?
Well first of all Ferrari is increasing its production to over 10,000 units a year. Get used to it! Over the next 5 years, we’ll see a steady increase to at least 15,000 units.
Second, an all-electric Ferrari is coming in 2025.
Third, Ferrari has no idea how to combat the loss of the Ferrari sound when electric cars come along.
Fourth, there are plenty of exciting models on the way, not least, the new A12 Competizione and the new Icona.
Fifth, V8 cars will be replaced with V6 hybrids, it’s already happening.
And finally, sixth, one would expect synthetic fuel to allow us all to drive our classic Ferrari’s in the future.
With the market at the bottom of the curve, there has never been a better time to pick up a classic Ferrari, in the reasonably secure knowledge that it will increase in value, and you’ll be able to drive and enjoy it for many years to come.

This article was made possible with the kind permission of:
Damian Butt from The Car Guys.
To see the complete video, “The Future of Ferrari,” watch below, and do yourself a favour, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

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Newsletter 23: FERRARI ICONS: PININFARINA

By Dee Munro2021-06-28Comments Off

The launch of the Ferrari 812 Superfast marks the end of the era of Ferraris designed by Pininfarina.
Pininfarina is a design house, founded in Turin in 1930.
They first did coachbuilding work for Ferrari in 1951 and continued to design almost every Ferrari, well into the 21st century.
Ferrari made use of other coachbuilders in the 1950s and 1960s, but by the 1970s, Pininfarina was responsible for every Ferrari road car except for the 308 GT4, which was penned by Bertone.
Eight years ago, however, Ferrari established its own in-house design studio, Centro Stile Ferrari. Centro Stile Ferrari worked in conjunction with Pininfarina for the first few years, however, the La Ferrari, launched during that period, was an entirely in-house Ferrari design.
The California, 458, and FF both featured Pininfarina styling, and as a consequence, were adorned with the Pininfarina badges. Their successors, the California T, 488, and GTC4 Lusso, however, do not have Pininfarina badges, even though the California T was launched with the tagline, “Penned by the Ferrari Styling Centre in collaboration with Pininfarina.”
This was not the case with the GTC4 Lusso or 488, as they were completely designed in-house.
That left the F12 Berlinetta as the only Ferrari on sale, at the time, designed by Pininfarina.

Of course, all of Ferrari’s current line-up features Pininfarina influence, since all of its cars are heavily updated versions of models originally styled by the Turin design house. Still, this is a significant moment in the historic story of the world’s most revered auto manufacturer.

Indian automaker Mahindra, bought Pininfarina back in 2015. Since then, Pininfarina has focused on designing interiors for self-driving cars and innovating electrified powertrains, while continuing to do commissioned one-off cars.

Together, Ferrari and Pininfarina created some of the most beautiful cars of all time. Ferrari will surely continue to do good work, and it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for Pininfarina, but we really hope this isn’t the end of the road for the famed partnership.

Year: 2021

2000 GTV

Scent of a Woman (1992)

The Rock (1996)

Bad Boys II (2003)

GoldenEye (1995)

Against All Odds (1984)

The Gumball Rally (1986)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988) and Miami Vice (1984-1998)

JODY SCHECKTER

IAN SCHECKTER

THOMAS SCHECKTER

JAKI SCHECKTER

Former South African Formula Ford and US Barber Dodge Pro Series champion,Jaki has joined the Ferris Cars team.

CURRENT FERRARI LINEUP

What can we expect from Ferrari in the short to medium future?

Former South African Formula Ford and US Barber Dodge Pro Series champion,
Jaki has joined the Ferris Cars team.