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1996 Ferrari 456 GT Coupe

[Image: 0918_ferrari.jpg]

I've often told people trying to squeak into a Ferrari that if they can't afford the best example, they really can't afford an edgy one

by Steve Ahlgrim


Not since the 412's demise in 1989 had Ferrari offered a 2+2, and when the 456 GT debuted at the Paris Salon in October 1992, it was obvious that the long-awaited newcomer eclipsed all Maranello's previous four-seat Grand Tourers.

[Image: 250px-1995Ferrari456GT.jpg]

Although new from stem to stern, the 456 GT incorporated elements familiar to generations of Ferrari cognoscenti—front-mounted 4-cam V12, rear transaxle, tubular steel spaceframe chassis, and all-independent suspension—while making an appearance for the first time were electronically-controlled adaptive suspension and a 6-speed gearbox (there was also an optional automatic).

Essentially a detuned version of the engine powering the 550 and 575, the new 5.5-liter V12 unleashed no less than 442 hp. Except for the F40, the 456 was the most powerful road car developed by Ferrari up to that time.

For the 456, Pininfarina worked its magic once more to create a subtly beautiful curvaceous body contrasting with the hard edges of its predecessor. Aerodynamically efficient, the 456 remained stable up to its maximum of around 190 mph, a figure that made it the world's fastest production four-seater passenger car. Acclaimed on its debut, the 456's styling has not dated and is a tribute to Pininfarina's farsightedness in creating one of most successful designs of modern times.

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Supplied new via Maranello Sales in June 1996, this rare manual transmission example has covered only 38,000 miles from new and remains in good condition throughout. The car has been in storage, unused, for the past couple years and thus we recommend a thorough service/checkover be carried out prior to use.

All handbooks are in the correct wallet, including a fully stamped service book. Ferrari 575 wheels and front disc brakes/calipers are the only notified deviations from factory specification.

THE SCM ANALYSIS
This car sold for $66,326 at Bonhams's Goodwood Festival of Speed auction on July 11, 2008.

The 456 was Ferrari's attempt to make a car that was "different from the other cars in all aspects by synthesizing the performance and driving pleasure of a sports car with the comfort and space of a gran turismo." That was a lofty goal and one that could only be achieved by small increments of differences given the fine gran turismo offerings from the competition. Ferrari's ultimate talent is its ability to exploit small increment improvements to make a truly superior car, and in that regard the 456 is a success.

[Image: 456_01.JPG]

The silhouette of the 456 is a masterpiece of Pininfarina design. It is a perfect balance of aggressiveness and elegance. The proportions are large enough to say, "I'm a grown man's car," but compact enough to be sporty. It is a hallmark of highline Ferraris that every centimeter of the interior is covered in plush carpet or rich leather. The 456 ups the bar with a warm interior that's elegant, simple, and uniquely Italian. Complementing the appearance, the interior has all the fully adjustable, electronic, and automatic features you would expect to find on a luxury automobile.

BREAKING TIRES LOOSE LIKE A MUSCLE CAR
Mechanics are the heart of any Ferrari, and in this area the 456 does not disappoint. The V12's nearly 450 horsepower is impressive, but the magic is the 398 ft-lb of torque at the sweet spot of just 4,500 rpm; the 456 can break tires loose like a skinny-tired muscle car. Variable-ratio power steering, three-way adjustable suspension dampening, self-leveling rear ride height, and a speed-activated rear spoiler ensure the handling is up to the performance. In short, the 456 is one heck of a nice car.

Ferraris are a rich man's toy, and nothing demonstrates the principle like a 2+2 Ferrari. Two-plus-twos are the workhorses of the Ferrari marque. They are designed to be a practical daily driver and are often used as such. Regular use translates to higher mileage, more interior wear, more exterior damage, and in general, less care. Rich new car buyers like to drive new, flawless, low-mileage cars, so after a few chips, their 2+2 gives way to a new car.

Slightly less rich people also like flawless low-mileage cars, so the natural buyer for a used 2+2 often avoids those cars with a few road scars in favor of a new something else. This leads to massive deprecation and a chance for a simply well-off enthusiast to own a wonderful car for a fraction of its original selling price. Life couldn't be better, could it?

I've often told people trying to squeak into a Ferrari that if they can't afford the best example of the model they are looking at, then they really can't afford an edgy one. Expensive cars have expensive problems. Just because a car's depreciated 75% doesn't mean the repairs are 75% less. As a car depreciates, the cost of repairs stays the same and the chance of needing repairs goes up. Mike Sheehan's "miracle of depreciation," which makes late-model Ferraris affordable, is of course balanced by the reality of maintenance.

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The 456 drivetrain is solid and reliable, but everything else is the luck of the draw. These cars are piloted by no less than 23 Electronic Control Units, which control starting, stopping, turning, as well as most every other aspect of the car. These sophisticated low-production modules are unusually expensive and often under-engineered for the job. Diagnosis of electrical problems often requires a $20,000 computer that is almost exclusive to Ferrari dealers. Lucky owners get by with reasonable routine maintenance; unlucky owners see five-figure bills.

DON'T COME WHINING TO ME
Bonhams's 456 was not the kind of car you want to buy at auction, unless you've had a chance to find out more than the catalog offers. The catalog states without explanation that the car has been in storage, unused, for the past couple years. Besides the normal concerns of buying a car that has been stagnant in storage, you have to question why it was retired in the first place. This is a car that was designed for regular use. A 456 doesn't get put away for preservation or because it's become tedious to drive. They get put away because of things like the very-expensive-to-fix window problem, where the side windows no longer go up all the way and the owner gets frustrated with wind and water leaks. The catalog warns that the car should be checked over before use. In car talk that means, "Don't whine to me when you get a big bill, I warned you to have it checked out." It's a reasonable bet that the first few miles won't come cheap for the new owner.

This is an interesting car to value. The SCM Platinum database shows 2007 sales of 456 GTs from a low of $52,400 on eBay to an absurd high of $154,000 at a Monterey auction. The Bonhams car being a rare 6-speed 1996 model and an equally rare right-hand-drive model in need of service adds to the confusion. This could be a difficult car to sell on the open market, but on July 11, there were at least two people who wanted it. The result was about what I would have expected for a good left-hand-drive example at a U.S. auction, and it fell in the middle of SCM's price guide range. Given the storage and service issue, I'd call this one well sold.
BMW smoothes out flagship's design
Where the outgoing 7 was startling, even jarring, the incoming one is comforting and elegant


[Image: bmw_seven4PIXbig.jpg]


by JEREMY CATO

DRESDEN, GERMANY — Among gearheads and even casual auto observers, BMW design chief Chris Bangle is a lightning rod. He sparks passionate responses — and not all of them are friendly.

He's been called "reckless," "a failure," the champion of a BMW design language that features "hideous wedges and triangles" and "flame surfacing" that has "led to revolt among BMW drivers and among Internet forums," as one reader recently put it to me.

Oh, yes, the American-born design boss has his detractors. In fact, at one time, more than 14,000 people had signed an online petition to have him fired. BMW has never admitted it, but it is clear that in answer to the critics the company toned down some of the extreme design details in a 2005 reworking of the 7-Series car introduced in 2001.

Bangle weathered that storm and remains reluctant to discuss these matters in much detail. Besides, he has more admirers than critics. For instance, just last year Bangle and his BMW stylists won the prestigious Red Dot award as Design Team of the Year.

This is a big deal. The competition attracts thousands of entries every year, all vying to get the nod for continual design innovation. Former winners of the team award include LG Electronics, adidas, Pininfarina, Nokia, Apple and Siemens.

But the real measure of Bangle is found in sales and profits. It's one thing to sign an online petition, but quite another to sign a cheque on a car designed by Bangle's team.

The fact is, BMW has been making plenty of money even as Bangle and his team have transformed the look of every vehicle in the BMW lineup, while making some enemies along the way.

This decade, BMW has rung up a string of profitable years and, while 2008 looks challenging thanks to global economic issues, it still expects to achieve a return on sales of 4 per cent for 2008 — after earning nearly $5-billion (U.S.) in 2007.

In business, awards like the Red Dot are nice and they are fun to celebrate. But the final scorecard has two columns: sales and profits.

BMW's profits, while under obvious pressure and sagging a bit here as 2008 winds down, remain very real. As for sales, just a few days ago, BMW said it is "well on course" to achieve its goal of selling 1.8 million cars in 2012 — up from 1.5 million last year.

In driving those sales, BMW has particular interest in one key new model — the 2010 7-Series set to go on sale next spring. Its exterior look has certainly been toned down compared with the previous model.

The man who did the exterior design is, in fact, a young protégé of Bangle's, Canadian Karim Habib. This 7 is a more classic look, he says, pointing out that it is the right look for these particular times.

Classic? Or conservative?

Make no mistake, while the outgoing 7 has been a relative sales success with some 350,000 sold worldwide since being unveiled in 2001, it is worth pointing out that the fourth-generation 7, the outgoing car, was outsold last year by the rival Mercedes-Benz S-Class (85,500 units) and Lexus LS (71,760). In 2007, BMW sold fewer than 50,000 of the 7-Series.

This latest 7 will not spark the same visceral explosions as the old one. BMW is returning to simple, sleek lines, eschewing the "tearful" headlights and the over-the-top curves of the lower lid. Most of all, the new design has once and forever tidied up the bulging trunk lid that critics dubbed the "Bangle butt."

Where the outgoing 7 was startling, even jarring, the incoming one is comforting and elegant. This may in some way reflect the exterior designer himself.

Habib, a former world-class fencer whose family emigrated from Lebanon before he caught the eye of Bangle while still attending design school, was recruited into BMW based on sketches for an original take on a violin. Habib has carefully combined some key elements of the German auto maker's 3-Series coupe and the 5-Series sedan in the new 7. Then he's added some original flavour.

Well-heeled, status-conscious but somewhat-conservative buyers might very well fall in love with it. Those are the buyers BMW wants now. Unlike in 2001, this time around BMW does not need the 7 to make a radical break with its past — to create interest beyond BMW's traditional customer base.

What we know is that BMW's most senior management took this redesign very seriously. Six competing design teams submitted potential designs and, in the end, Habib's survived an exhaustive evaluation process that consumed the attention of the entire management board.

The challenge with all BMWs, says Habib, is to create a look that expresses "authenticity and engineering precision," a car that says it is powerful, dynamic and modern using traditional BMW elements of "stance and proportion" — that is, the long nose and short deck, most importantly.

Aside from the exterior, though, the flagship of BMW's line also has some radical innovations under the skin. The auto maker plans to introduce a thermal imaging camera that spots stray pedestrians at night, as well as offering Internet access and four-wheel steering to tighten the turning radius.

Thankfully, BMW has continued to refine its controversial iDrive system, adding extra buttons to make it easier to point and click through various menus on the in-dash display. BMW has now wisely added a button mounted near the armrest for instantly controlling the vehicle's suspension system, climate control, satellite navigation and entertainment systems.

The problem is, iDrive — as well as similar systems offered by Mercedes, Audi, Infiniti and others — is fundamentally flawed.

To operate so many of the car's functions, the driver needs to take his or her attention off the road, fiddling with an array of choices presented on the screen. Thus, it is critical to set all the car's functions before you start driving.

In fairness, BMW keeps working on its iDrive system and it is getting better. What choice did the Bavarian auto maker have?

Keep in mind, the competition for buyers of luxury sedans has never been more intense. Aside from entries by Mercedes and Lexus, Audi is readying a new version of its A8 and there is talk Infiniti is looking at reintroducing a model to replace the former Q7 sedan.

BMW's intent is to ignite new passion for the 7 despite its rivals. What this car won't do is set off a firestorm of protest and derision — the likes of which we saw with the introduction of the last 7.
Volvo profits slump as truck demand falls

by Peter Stiff

Volvo, the world’s second largest truck maker, this morning reported a 37 per cent fall in third-quarter net profit and cut its growth outlook on both sides of the Atlantic in the latest sign that the global economy is heading for recession.

The company, which makes trucks under the Renault, Mack and Volvo brands, said that the economic downturn had been “significantly exacerbated” by the world financial crisis.

It said demand in Europe had declined significantly, that North America and Japan continue to be weak and the economic climate was having an effect in other parts of the world. Total truck orders for the quarter fell 55 per cent to 32,072.

The group, which also makes buses and construction equipment, has lowered its forecast for the truck market this year and now expects Europe to see growth of no more than 5 per cent, compared with 10 per cent, while it believes its North American market will contract by about 10 per cent from its already low level, rather than remain flat.

The Gothenborg-based group, which sold its car division to Ford in 1999, said European customers had adopted a wait-and-see attitude to orders of new vehicles and equipment, and had increasingly opted to cancel existing orders. It said net European orders for the quarter were flat as orders received were cancelled out by orders removed. In response, it will lower output and cut jobs.

The company said yesterday that it would need to slash another 850 jobs at its construction equipment unit in Sweden after cutting 500 staff earlier this year. Last month Volvo's truck business said it would cut 1,400 jobs at its plants in Belgium and Sweden.

The company will also close a factory in Canada because of lower North American demand.

For the three months to September 30, Volvo reported net income of SEK2 billion (£163 million), down from SEK3.1 billion in the same period last year.

It added that profitability had come under pressure because markets had deteriorated so rapidly that it had not been able to reduce its costs at the same pace.

Scania, a smaller truck manufacturer, also gave warning of falling demand today, posting a lower-than-expected rise in third quarter pre-tax profit of SEK2.5 billion, compared with SEK2.4 billion last year, adding that customers in its key European market were becoming more cautious about placing new orders.
(10-24-2008 06:22 AM)saradoc Wrote: [ -> ]BMW smoothes out flagship's design
Where the outgoing 7 was startling, even jarring, the incoming one is comforting and elegant


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If I had a lot of money, I would buy this car for my partner :nod_yes:
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