2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

2011 for a private test session at Florida's Daytona International Speedway, the 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am will be back in action on 26 and 27 July, after making its track debut at home in Fiorano, completing nearly 50 test laps. Based on Ferrari's European GT3 racecar and co-developed with Michelotto Automobili. MARANELLO, Italy — Ferrari will take the still-evolving Grand Am racing version of its 458 Italia to the Daytona International Speedway early next week, as the Italian automaker continues to develop the 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am ahead of its anticipated entry next year in the 2012 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

“We are pleased with the performance of the 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am,” commented Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Corse Clienti. “Especially when one considers the fact that, after its shakedown in Fiorano, this is its first real test. It has definitely passed the exam and over two days, we completed around 90 laps with any particular reliability problems. Hard to judge its speed, given that we were the only car on track and had no reference point for the times. However, at the moment, this is not a main concern as our primary interest is in evaluating the behavior of the 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am in the light of the various modifications made to it, to conform to the series regulations."

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

The Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale owned Ferrari F458 Italia was built specifically for Rolex Sports Car Series competition and completed 174 trouble-free laps at competitive speeds during a two-day session at Daytona International Speedway. "Today was a tremendous improvement over yesterday," said Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale team principal Ronnie Vogel. "We've got good feelings about the 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am, and the drivers were very comfortable out there. We had a great time, and now we're really looking forward to the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona."

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

"We're planning to run two cars in the Rolex 24, and hoping to take delivery of the second car very soon," Vogel said. "We're also working on our driver lineups for the Rolex 24 and next season, and that's being ironed out now."

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

The 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am is built to match the American regulations and is therefore different to the European car, especially in that it develops 500 horsepower and has less efficient aerodynamics than the GT version. It is also fitted with a 48 mm restrictor and maximum revs are 8000. Significant modifications have been made to the braking system, as the car has neither ABS nor traction control.

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

The 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am is fitted with tyres from Continental, the sole supplier to the series, featuring a very hard compound, again to conform with the series regulations. On its shakedown today, it completed a good number of trouble-free laps, 45 to be precise in the hands of Maurizio Mediani and Jaime Melo, as they took turns at the wheel.

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

Daytona recalls many memories of past Ferrari victories in the famous 24 Hour race, the company having close links with this important event. In fact, Ferrari has taken part in 47 of these endurance races, winning five of them outright as well as taking 15 class wins.

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am

2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am is a highly innovative cars and sporty, therefore, has a lot of people who can not wait to see the appearance of the Ferrari 458 Italian Grand Am anymore. With a design that has been designed with advanced concepts, will make the 2012 Ferrari Sport Cars 458 Italia Grand Am became more interesting and cool.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

Aston Martin will unveil one of the most eagerly anticipated convertibles of the year when the V8 Vantage Roadster. 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster SPORT SHIFT designed with new specifications that include Convertible body style, 14 CT / 21 HW fuel economy. 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster embodies the qualities that are integral to Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

The rationale behind the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S was to push the boundaries of the already acclaimed V8 Vantage with the highest levels of driver involvement possible. Aston Martin engineers set about enhancing nearly every dynamic element of the car to create a highly distinctive driving experience. The Aston Martin Vantage range comes of age with the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage S characterised by a host of new driver-focussed features all designed to push the honed dynamics of the standard Vantage to a new benchmark level.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage are a series of hand built sports cars from the British manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston Martin has previously used the “Vantage” name on high performance variants of their existing GT models. “The Vantage S epitomizes every attribute of the V8 Vantage and pushes the driver experience beyond what we have offered before”, says Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, “It combines dynamic exhilaration with all the charming finesse, beauty and practicality already associated with the Vantage range”.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

"With every new model we continue to evolve and enhance our VH architecture," said Aston Martin Product Development Director, Ian Minards. "The engineering team at Gaydon looked at every single performance attribute of the V8 Vantage, from engine and transmission to suspension, steering, brakes and tires and considered what was required to make this car deserving of the coveted 'S' badge. The result is a pure driver-focused package that, in both the coupe and Roadster form, exploits and emphasizes the sporting nature of the iconic Vantage."

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

Power for the 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster comes from a 4.7L V8, which has been re-engineered to deliver 430 bhp (436 PS / 321 kW) at 7300 rpm and torque of 490 Nm (361 lb.ft) at 5000 rpm. The engine is mated to a new round-up developed 7-speed Sportshift II transmission specifically designed for the Vantage S with seven short ratio gears. Aston Martin says that the transmission is twenty percent quicker than its Sportshift. The 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster also benefits from its own sound with a new exhaust muffler, quickened steering rack ratio of 15:1 compared to 17:1 on the standard car and a larger diameter front brake disc with new six-piston front brake calipers, new dynamic stability control (DSC) system and bespoke Bridgestone tires.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

The power and torque delivery on the 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster is delivered at the most frequently used mid range engine speeds which creates tractable and effortless acceleration. Most demand for power and torque is in the mid-range which on the 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster is where the greatest torque is delivered at 5000 rpm. As with all Aston Martins, the 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster benefits from near perfect weight balance of 49:51 front to rear owing to the placement of the gearbox on the transaxle contributing to the excellent dynamics. The 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster has an automatically retracting fabric hood which can be operated up to 20 mph (30 km/h). The S variant features a unique exhaust muffler specifically tuned to aurally define its sporting intent. A revised map opens the bypass valves earlier in the rev range at 3500 rpm and even earlier in 'Sport' mode producing more crackle on the overrun.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

The 2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster weighs 3726 lbs, 66 lbs (30 kg) lighter than the standard Vantage owing to weight optimization of the new Sportshift II transmission and use of carbon fiber. Air cooled, rather than oil cooled, the Sportshift II system takes advantage through the deletion of the oil pump and associated ancillaries saving 53 lbs (24 kg) over the conventional six speed Sportshift system.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

The optional carbon fibre and Kevlar® composite seats cosset the driver providing support during spirited driving while remaining comfortable on long journeys. Saving 17 kg per car, the seats which are manufactured by a supplier to the motorsport and aviation industries are hand-trimmed by craftsmen and women at the Gaydon production facility.

2012 Aston Martin Sport Cars V8 Vantage S Roadster

Both the Vantage S coupe and Roadster are hand built at Aston Martin's global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire alongside the V8 Vantage and V12 Vantage. Each Aston Martin V8 Vantage S takes in excess of 185 man-hours to build including 50 man-hours to paint and 70 man-hours to hand trim the interior. Each car undergoes meticulous attention to detail in not only the build phase but quality control and handover processes too.