Ferrari races ahead

By any standards, 2007 was a successful year for Ferrari, with wins in Formula 1 and the American Le Mans series, topped off by its best ever sales performance — 6,400 cars delivered, up 14 percent from the previous year.



Despite the rapid sales growth, Ferrari is confident it can retain the air of exclusivity that it is at the heart of its attraction, since many of the new customers are in emerging markets. The mature Europe and U.S. markets grew by only 8 percent, compared to 50 percent in the Far East.



Symbolizing the mystique and exclusivity of the brand, a powder blue F430 Scuderia was elevated above other cars and show attendees in a black walled showcase. Flanked by models, and bathed in rich, cool light, it makes an arresting sight.



The F430 is the company’s most popular model by far, representing 75 percent of North American sales. “This car is the ultimate in terms of performance, sporting character and technology,” said Amedeo Felisa, general manager of Ferrari sPa.



He highlighted two facts to substantiate that claim: the engine’s specific power rating of 118 horsepower/liter, and the car’s power to weight ratio of 2.4 kg/horsepower (5.3 lbs). But the significance of those figures goes beyond the sportiness they suggest. “These are two elements on which we are working at Ferrari in terms of our cars’ emissions and performance."



Felisa emphasized that securing improvements in those figures will deliver both reduced fuel consumption and improved performance and drivability. Ferrari has committed to a 40 percent cut in the consumption and emissions of its cars by 2012 and must “make changes to every component” to achieve this ambitions target, he Felisa. “[Yet] we cannot lose sportiness or performance.”



As part of this program, Ferrari experimentally modified an F430 Spider to run on E85 biofuel. This required changes to the fuel system and engine management system. The result is a true flex-fuel solution, capable of running on any mix of regular gasoline and E85. Encouragingly for sports car fans, the result was a cut of 5 percent in emissions, accompanied by gain of 10 horsepower.



Ferrari points out that it already has experience with biofuels, given that Formula 1 fuel is 5.75 percent ethanol, and that all of Ferrari’s current models can run on a mix of up to 10 percent ethanol without modification. However, there’s no news on if or when a production car capable of running on E85 might be released.