MOST PEOPLE WOULD consider it a crime to splatter a Ferrari with paint. Unless it’s being photographed by Fabian Oefner. The Italian automaker graciously allowed the Swiss photographer to blast several hues of UV paint all over a brand new Ferrari California T, and damned if the car doesn’t look better for it.

A Ferrari always looks fast. There’s just something about the stance and the lines. The neon streaks that Oefner blew onto the car accentuate the roadster’s carefully crafted lines. The result is stunning, and the car looks as if it’s racing out of the darkness.

“When you think of a Ferrari you think about beautiful design, but you also think about speed, and I wanted to find a way to visualize both these things,” Oefner says.

The shoot took place last August at Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Oefner and his team rolled a black T in a wind tunnel, waited until the wind speed hit 105 mph, and let the paint fly. Oefner used 30 gallons of red, yellow and blue UV paint and close to 40 UV lights. The car was largely obscured under the lights, and only took shape as the paint flowed over its sleek body.

To project the paint, Oefner developed a DIY hack created from small garden pumps hooked up to garden hoses lined with small holes. The pumps forced the paint through the tiny apertures, sending small, bright streams of color over the car. Some hoses were rigged to a scaffolding to really coat the entire vehicle. The filming happened with two different cameras over a period of three days. Oefner used a Phantom to get the slow-motion shots and a Arri Alexa for the rest because that camera played nicely with the UV lights.

Clean up was a bear, though. After each shot, Oefner’s team would spend up to an hour wiping the car down so they could turn it around and spray it with another color or cover another part of it.

This isn’t the first time Oefner has focused on cars in his work. A couple of years ago he took individual photos of model car parts, then pieced them together in Photoshop to make it appear as if the vehicles were exploding. He likes working with cars but always tries to add an element of art or science as a final flourish. Oefner also likes the subject because he’s a car geek with a special affection for the fast ones. “There’s that boyish fascination that I still really have,” he says.

Since late last year, we've known parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles[NYSE: FCAU] is planning to take Ferrari public on the New York Stock Exchange.

But just like the storied Italian supercars the company is famous for, available shares of the stock will be limited.

Piero Ferrari will his retain the ten-percent personal stake in the company his father Enzo founded, and 80 percent will be distributed among existing FCA shareholders. The remaining ten percent will be open for trading, and CEO Sergio Marchionne is counting on a big debut for Ferrari, recently telling reporters the value of the shares will reach "at least" 11 billion dollars.

The news comes at an important juncture for FCA. Though it has so far found no suitors, the company has been openly courting corporate mergers, which isn't often seen as a sign of strength. But its ambitious moves, which include an eight-model lineup from long-struggling Alfa Romeo, have so far met with positive feedback from the market. Its stock is up 33 percent so far this year.

An exact date for Ferrari's appearance on the exchange hasn't yet been determined, but it should come before the end of the year. Stay tuned for updates.

Undoubted highlight of Hexagon’s collection at Salon Privé is its 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Shooting Brake, entered in the Post-War Coachwork concours class.

Commissioned by Luigi Chinetti (Coco), Jr it features coachwork by Panther Westwinds. Built at a cost of approximately four new Daytonas, this particular 365 GTB/4 was the 805th off the line. A standard Berlinetta, it was finished in Rosso Dino with a Nero leather interior. When completed, it was shipped to the United States and received by Chinetti Motors in the US.

The idea to turn it into a shooting brake came about in the early ‘70s, when real estate developer Bob Gittleman strolled into Chinetti Motors asking for something a bit different — and Coco was only too happy to oblige. With the drawings completed, Coco decided on Panther Westwinds in Surrey, England, and two years later the car was shipped to the UK.

Panther Westwinds modified the Daytona into a striking shooting brake. Unlike traditional shooting brakes, this Daytona estate avoided a traditional rear tailgate by using gullwing-style rear side windows for access to cargo.

The interior was also substantially new, with the instruments mounted centrally in the opulent wooden trimmed dashboard. Even the cargo load floor featured wooden decking.

Delivered to Gittleman in Florida in 1975, it remained in his possession until 1980. The car passed through various hands, including those of Texan car collector and race team owner John Mecum, and was then acquired by New Jersey Ferrari collector Bill Kontes in 1988. A decade later it was with a different owner in France.

In 2000 it was displayed at the Concours d’Elegance at Paleis Het Loo in Holland and a year later it appeared at the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Showing fewer than 4,000 miles on its odometer and in concours throughout, this one-of-a-kind custom Ferrari is spectacular and unique in virtually every way.

Hexagon Classics acquired the car in 2014 and set about a comprehensive restoration, employing the very same artisan who built the car while working at Panther in period. It has also benefited from a bare metal repaint and mechanical restoration by an official Ferrari service agent – and is in concours condition. It is for sale through Hexagon Classics.

A year after Ferrari parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] first announced that the storied Italian sports car manufacturer and race team would be spun off and its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the initial public offering is finally complete and the shares ready to start trading.

Ferrari’s shares, which are listed under the apt ticker symbol RACE, start trading later today, with FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne set to ring the opening bell together with founder Enzo Ferrari’s son Piero and FCA chairman and Agnelli heir John Elkann.

Just like Ferrari’s cars, the company’s shares offered via the IPO were oversubscribed. This allowed Ferrari to price its shares at $52 apiece, the top end of an expected price range. With 17.18 million shares offered, representing about 9 percent of the company, Ferrari’s listing brought in approximately $893 million for FCA. It means Ferrari has a market capitalization of about $9.8 billion, and when you include some debts that Ferrari will take on from FCA you’re looking at an enterprise value of approximately $12 billion.

The remaining 91 percent of Ferrari has been passed over to existing FCA shareholders, primarily the Agnelli family-controlled Exor which gets around 25 percent and Piero Ferrari retaining his own 10 percent stake. Such a structure will ensure that control of Ferrari won't change much.

With money raised from spinning off Ferrari, FCA will be able to refinance a multi-billion-dollar investment program that will see numerous new models introduce across the automaker’s brands, primarily Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Maserati. As previously reported, these brands have much greater potential for increased returns to investors than Ferrari.

Hankering for a change of venue? Hungry for a diet of fine Italian cuisine? Like to work for one of the world’s most prestigious carmakers? You’re in luck because Ferrari is recruiting. But before throwing your graduation cap into this big-time ring, bone up with this quiz, which we understand is given to prospective hires by the Maranello-based automaker. And no fair peeking prematurely at the answers.

Comment on one of the below:

A) What are the advantages and disadvantages of gasoline direct injection versus port fuel injection?

B) What are the advantages and disadvantages of a dry-sump versus wet-sump lubrication system?

Select the one correct answer for the following:

1. What oil-pump architecture is most common?

a. rotary
b. centrifugal
c. vane
d. membrane

2. Where are blow-by gases directed?

a. intake manifold
b. exhaust manifold
c. atmosphere
d. crankcase

3. What is a typical mean piston speed for a racing engine?

a. 10 meters/second
b. 20 m/s
c. 40 m/s
d. no limit

4. What function does a secondary air system serve?

a. cool the exhaust stream
b. regulate the lambda sensor
c. increase the catalyst light-off time
d. decrease the catalyst light-off time

5. Which of the following spins at the highest rpm?

a. alternator
b. crankshaft
c. power-steering pump
d. air-conditioning compressor

6. Which treatment or coating is used to reduce friction in critical engine parts?

a. metal smoothing
b. hardening
c. diamond-like carbon
d. anodizing

7. What affect does increasing air tumble have on combustion?

a. decreases flame dissipation in a combustion kernel
b. increases flame dissipation in a combustion kernel
c. decreases combustion chamber temperature
d. increases combustion chamber temperature

8. Peak power in a gasoline engine occurs near what lambda value?

a. 0.8
b. 0.9
c. 1.0
d. 1.1

9. Which of the following would increase the likelihood of detonation?

a. advanced spark timing
b. additional EGR
c. reduced compression ratio
d. increased tumble and swirl

10. Which of the following light-duty vehicle exhaust constituents are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency?

a. carbon monoxide
b. carbon dioxide
c. nitrous oxides
d. formaldehyde

Ferrari came to the 2016 Paris Motor Show with four special cars, each styled in a way reminiscent of famous drivers of its cars. There was the Stirling Moss F12 Berlinetta, the Michael Schumacher 488 GTB, the David Piper 488 Spider and the Steve McQueen California T. But according to a recent lawsuit by McQueen’s son, Ferrari used the late actor’s name to advertise and sell the car without the family’s knowledge or consent.

The cars marked Ferrari’s 70th anniversary, which the company celebrated by making 350 special-edition vehicles to sell. Ferrari offered 70 different liveries across five cars honoring famous people who drove its cars, with one of those being McQueen. McQueen, who starred in the 1968 movie Bullitt, had a brown 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso given to him by his wife. Ferrari brought the California T to Paris in that same brown.

Less than two years later, Steve McQueen’s son, Chadwick McQueen, filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles over the car. Court documents show that Chadwick McQueen and the bank acting as a trustee for Steve McQueen’s testamentary trust filed on July 30 of this year, and The Hollywood Reporter published the news and the full complaint soon after.

Chadwick McQueen, who the lawsuit said is the co-owner of Steve McQueen’s trademark rights, alleges that Ferrari used his father’s name on the car and in advertising it without telling or getting consent from the family.

Online records show that there is no counter from Ferrari yet, in which the company would accept or deny the claims against it. Since there is no counter, Jalopnik has asked Ferrari for comment on the lawsuit and will update this story if we hear back.

The lawsuit alleges that Chadwick McQueen “personally visited Ferrari” in 2011 to talk about working together on a potential McQueen car, so long as he and the family would have approval rights and involvement in the project. When “The McQueen” version of the California T came out and the family learned of it in 2017, the lawsuit said, they were “shocked” to find out Ferrari started marketing the car “without [the family’s] notice or authorization.”

The lawsuit has images of ads and Facebook posts from Ferrari that directly mention Steve McQueen, and said Ferrari changed the name of the car to “The Actor” after representatives for the plaintiffs contacted Ferrari about it. But, the lawsuit alleges and has a screenshot of, Ferrari continued to reference Steve McQueen on its webpage for the car.

In the lawsuit, Chadwick McQueen and the bank acting as a trustee asked the judge to stop Ferrari from using Steve McQueen’s name and likeness in regards to the car, for the “destruction” of all prior marketing on the car relating to Steve McQueen, for all of the profits earned by Ferrari in relation to the Steve McQueen-themed California T, and for damages relating to the alleged trademark violation.

The Hollywood Reporter has the full complaint here.

While much of the automotive world was focused on finding chips for their cars, Ferrari was looking to STMicroelectronics, a Franco-Italian chipmaker, for its new CEO.

The company announced on Wednesday that it would appoint Benedetto Vigna, leader of STMicroelectronics’ biggest division, as its latest chief executive, following the retirement of Louis Camilleri in December.

“His deep understanding of the technologies driving much of the change in our industry, and his proven innovation, business-building and leadership skills, will further strengthen Ferrari and its unique story of passion and performance, in the exciting era ahead,” said John Elkann, Ferrari chairman, in a statement.

Vigna will start on September 1 and his appointment is seen by some as a sign that Ferrari is serious about continuing on as an automotive technology leader, rather than as a luxury brand. Rumors suggested that the company might be looking towards the world of premium consumer goods for its new CEO.

The incoming CEO, though, holds a degree in subnuclear physics and was part of the team that pioneered three-axis gyroscopes that allow phone screens to switch from landscape to portrait mode as you hold them. It is also a technology that is increasingly being used in the automotive world for advanced driver aids.

Although Ferrari has been slow to commit to electrification, the technology has begun to find its way into more of the company’s products. Along with the SF90, the company has a V6 hybrid drivetrain on its way and Elkann has promised an EV by 2025.

“It’s a special honor to be joining Ferrari as its CEO and I do so with an equal sense of excitement and responsibility,” said Vigna. “Excitement at the great opportunities that are there to be captured. And with a profound sense of responsibility towards the extraordinary achievements and capabilities of the men and women of Ferrari, to all the company’s stakeholders and to everyone around the world for whom Ferrari is such a unique passion.”

Ferrari is a little late to the party reporting its 2021 sales on the second day of February but the Italian supercar manufacturer has reasons to celebrate. The brand registered double-digit growth compared to 2020, but more importantly, it set its best-ever year in terms of global sales and deliveries.

With 11,155 cars shipped to customers around the world, last year beat 2020 by 22.3 percent. It was also 10.1 percent better than 2019, which was the first year in Ferrari’s history in which the automaker delivered more than 10,000 cars (10,131 sales). The marque’s 2021 sales and financial report confirms 2021 set the new record for highest annual sales of Ferrari, a benchmark the company would probably want to beat again this year.

“Our record 2021 financial results demonstrate once more the strength of our business model,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna commented. “We carefully managed an impressive order intake in line with our strategy to pursue controlled growth and preserve brand exclusivity. We recorded double-digit growth across all main financial indicators exceeding our guidance.”

The EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), remained Ferrari’s largest market last year with a total of 5,492 deliveries, a 14-percent increase over 2020. The Americas came second with 2,831 Ferraris sold, 22 percent more than the prior year. Meanwhile, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan saw the biggest jump in demand of 97 percent to 899 units but it is still the smallest market for the supercar brand in terms of sales volume.

​​​​​​​A deeper look into Ferrari’s 2021 sales report reveals the V8-powered models of the brand saw a 34.6-percent increase in demand, while the V12 supercars were down 16.1 percent. Ferrari explains the main reason for this is the reduced volume of the 812 Superfast, which was phased out during the calendar year.

The unprecedented challenges faced by the auto industry in 2021 led to an unprecedented financial result for most OEMs from Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. This is the first and possibly the most surprising conclusion from a detailed study of the financial reports from 19 car manufacturers around the world. Fewer cars were sold than before the pandemic, but profits still increased.

According to the financial statements from Aston Martin, BMW Group, Daimler, Ferrari, Ford, Geely Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Group, Isuzu, Mazda, Renault-Nissan, Stellantis, Subaru, Suzuki, Tata Group, Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen Group, the revenue totaled $1.89 trillion. That's an increase of 13 percent compared to 2020, but down by 6 percent compared to 2019. Interestingly, total units sold did not follow the same pattern.
In 2021, these companies sold 69.54 million vehicles, which was 2 percent more than in 2020, and 14 percent less than in 2019. This means that automakers increased prices or reduced discounts during the year. This bizarre trend of units sold versus profit is partly explained by the lack of new cars available due to the chip shortage. Fewer cars available combined with higher demand following COVID lockdowns have driven up prices.

Indeed, the average revenue per unit sold in 2021 was $27,270, up by 11 percent from 2020 and 10 percent from 2019.

Focus On The Most Profitable Segments

Further down in the financial statements, operating profits revealed another interesting fact. Despite the pandemic's impact on global economies and subsequent supply chain issues affecting the auto industry, these 19 OEMs earned more money than in 2020 and 2019. The profits generated from the operations of the companies (total revenue minus production costs and selling/administrative expenses) amounted to $143.97 billion in 2021.

In other words, for every $100 worth of sales, these companies managed to keep $7.60 in profit.
By contrast, in 2020 that figure was only $3.60 for every $100 in sales. That likely reflects the height of the pandemic in 2020, as in 2019, the operating profit was $5.10 per $100. The increase looks also impressive when comparing the total operating profits to the total number of cars sold.

As such, looking at it from a perspective of earnings per vehicle sold, it dropped from $1,270 /car in 2019 to $892 in 2020, then skyrocketed to $2,069 last year.

Focusing on SUVs and EVs helped these OEMs to offset big losses coming from other internal combustion vehicles such as sedans. As the supply of semiconductors dwindled, they took what was available and pumped it into the most profitable vehicle lineups, keeping those assembly lines running as other less profitable models withered away.

Ferrari Is The Cash Cow Of The IndustryAmong all the brands, Ferrari continues to be the most profitable automaker by far. Its operating margin increased from 21.4 percent in 2020 to 25.5 percent last year. Based on the figures, The company earned an astounding $106,078 per unit sold in 2021. In a very distant second place was Tesla, earning $6,693 per vehicle.