Ferrari riding high?
Despite economic conditions not conducive to sales of high-end, high-cost supercars Ferrari is claiming exceptional results in on this year's figures. Sales of cars are down - by around 8 percent - but the Italian firm sees that as a positive result, citing the 'exceptional' 2008 figures this year's data is compared to and also the downward economic turn being experienced worldwide. With the introduction of the F430-replacing 458 Italia at the Frankfurt Show next week sales should remain strong throughout 2010.
Ferrari is growing elsewhere too. Its 29 Ferrari stores worldwide have seen swelling revenues of 22.7% overall on the first six months of 2008. The brand couldn't be stronger either, a poll commissioned by the MPH featuring Top Gear Live show putting Ferrari's prancing horse at the top of a list of iconic car badges. Nearly half of the survey's respondents declared Ferrari's Cavallino Rampante (Prancing Horse) as the most iconic performance car badge in the world. And with more Ferrari stores opening throughout 2010 more people can have that badge on everything from a mug to a t-shirt to spread the word.
Or perhaps on a Fiat? Ferrari and Fiat are expected to reveal the 695 Tributo Ferrari in Frankfurt next week. Based on the Abarth Fiat 500 the engineers have tweaked the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine to over 180bhp and added paddle-shifters to the six-speed gearbox. Finished in Scuderia Red and featuring some serious-looking Brembo brakes, the hot Fiat is unlikely to actually wear Ferrari badges, instead sticking with Abarth's Scorpion. It's not known whether the Ferrari-Fiat collaboration will make production or not, but we can't think of anything better as a run-around for when the F40 or Enzo is in being serviced.
