8 auto italia
NEWS
Two new Fiat 500 models – the Star and Rockstar – have slotted in at the top of
the range. Both feature chrome details, alloy wheels and a fixed glass roof.
A new metallic Powder Pink colour is one of 10 colours offered for the 500 Star.
Inside is new ‘Matelassé’ upholstery, while the dashboard breaks with 500 tradition
by not matching the body colour, but switching to matt white or matt Bordeaux.
The 500 Rockstar borrows its bumpers and side sills from the 500 Sport, and
can be ordered in new Portofino Green matt paint. The cabin features pinstripe
fabric seats with leather side panels and two new dashboard colours (matt dark
green or matt grey).
The Star and Rockstar are available in both hatchback and cabriolet guises,
priced from £15,395 to £19,665. Meanwhile, all Fiat 500s from Lounge trim
upwards now come with a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android
Auto as standard.NEW 500 ‘STARS’ FERRARI SCOOPS INTERNATIONAL
ENGINE AWARD FOR FOURTH TIME
Ferrari’s 3.9-litre V8 twin-turbo engine has retained the
International Engine of the Year Award for the fourth
consecutive year – the first time this has ever
happened. This was in addition to taking the ‘Above
650PS’ and ‘Best Performance Engine’ awards.The Ferrari Museum in Maranello is launching two new exhibitions. The first
celebrates 90 years of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team, the second the
marque’s hypercars.
Cars featured in the ‘90 Years’ exhibition span the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider (the
very first car to sport the Prancing Horse logo, at Le Mans in 1932) to the SF71H,
Vettel and Räikkönen’s F1 steer in 2018. In between are highlights such as the Ferrari
500 F2 in which Alberto Ascari won two world titles in 1952/1953, the Ferrari D
that Juan Manuel Fangio drove the fourth of five world titles, Mike Hawthorn’s Dino
246 F1 and the 156 F1 of John Surtees.
Also on show are the 1975 312 T of Niki Lauda, the 312 T4 in which Jody
Scheckter took the Drivers’ title in 1979, the F2004 in which Michael Schumacher
took his final World Champion title in 2004 and Kimi Räikkönen’s title-winning F2007.
Closed wheel racing is also celebrated with a 166 MM and a 275 P.
Meanwhile ‘Hypercars’ tells the story of Ferrari’s milestone range-toppers,
including the 1984 GTO, 1987 F40, 1995 F50, 2002 Enzo, 2013 LaFerrari and LaFerrari
Aperta, plus the recent P80/C one-off. Both exhibitions run until May 2020.
FERRARI CELEBRATES ‘90 YEARS’ AND ‘HYPERCARS’
Tuning firm Novitec has revealed a new wide-body
‘N-Largo’ version of Ferrari’s 812 Superfast. The
carbon bodykit adds 14cm to the 812’s width,
while aerodynamic enhancements include
bargeboards beside the front and rear
wheelarches. Larger Vossen forged wheels (21in
front, 22in rear) fill the wider arches.
Other enhancements include revised suspension
with a front-lift system and an upgrade for the V
engine to 840hp. Novitec claims a 0-62mph time of
2.8 seconds and a top speed of 214mph. The cockpit
can also be tailored to the owner's preference.NOVITEC ENLARGES 812
The Spanish ‘Guardia Civil’ traffic department has
ordered 97 Alfa Romeo Stelvios to patrol its road
network. Replacing the force’s existing Alfa Romeo 159
Q4s, the Stelvios are all 2.0 Turbo 200hp Q
automatics, suitably adapted for police use with LED
roof lights and a folding message panel.STELVIO POLICES SPANISH ROADS