Scuderia Ferrari chose to unveil its new car for the 2009 F1 season before anyone else, so while other teams were assuredly tweaking their designs up until the last minute, Ferrari’s was already out on the track. And now it seems there are some problems with the F60’s design.

For starters, the exhausts are being reported as illegal. While the other cars revealed so far have inboard exhaust pipes, the Ferrari’s protrude from the bodywork in contravention of new aerodynamic regulations. On top of that, Ferrari seems to be having trouble with its new jumbo front wing, which could explain why, with Fiorano snowed in, the team opted to run test laps at its own Mugello track instead of Algarve in Portugal where the rest of the teams are testing, presumably to be closer to the factory. An organization as large and streamlined as Ferrari should have no trouble fixing these problems before the start of the season, which hasn’t even kicked off yet. Looks like this is going to be another one of those seasons.

 

Wow. After seeing a few of this year’s Formula One cars unveiled already, we really didn’t think that the cars could get much uglier. We were wrong. Enter Renault with its latest R29, decked out in yellow and orange. And white. And red. And blue. Throw in some green and we’d be back at the Benetton team that preceded it.

Of course, it could hardly matter less what the car looks like, so long as it keeps the pace with its field-leading rivals. And in the last half of this past season, Renault showed that it could. But with all the new regulations in place, it’s a whole new ballgame, and who’s to know if the French team – returning to the grid with Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, Jr. – will be able to ride back up the field to the championship-contending potential it demonstrated just a few years ago with back-to-back titles. We’ll just have to wait and see.

What happens when you coop up a bunch of racers at a snow-capped ski resort for a few days? Well you can bet they’ll be racing each other down the slopes. It’s just in their blood. But snow or no snow, eventually they’re going to find a way to race something motorized. And that’s exactly what happened this past weekend in Madonna di Campiglio in the Italian Alps, where every winter Marlboro’s two premier racing teams – Ferrari in Formula One and Ducati in MotoGP – meet to kick back before the racing season kicks off.

Apparently tired of swooshing down the slopes or hitting on Tamara Ecclestone in the lodge – the Formula One chief stopped by with his model daughter for a cup of hot cocoa – a handful of Ferrari drivers and Ducati riders went karting…on the ice and snow. With Ferrari test driver Marc Gene off to work testing the new F60 and Kimi Raikkonen out with tonsil trouble (shame, because he’s the one with the most ice racing experience), test driver Luca Badoer, Felipe Massa and his brother Eduardo lined up against Ducati riders Casey Stoner, Nick Hayden and test rider Vittoriano Guareschi. Felipe, who organizes the occasional karting event in his native Brazil, was in the lead until his knee-scraping counterpart Casey Stoner passed him on the penultimate lap and beat him to the finish line. Hayden took the final step on the podium ahead of Badoer, Guareschi and Eduardo Massa, proving that, on ice at least, racing prowess on two wheels is worth at least as much as four.

Toyota has announced that they will be selling a new pure electric vehicle in the U.S. by 2012. We’re guessing that it could be a production version of the FT-EV concept that Toyota showed at the Detroit Auto Show. Based on the iQ urban runabout sold overseas, the diminutive city car could meet some of Toyota’s stated goals pretty easily. Toyota’s national alternative-fuel vehicle manager, Bill Reinert, said the company is “looking for a 50-mile range right now,” even when features like the defroster, heater, windshield wipers and stability control are in operation.

The car is expected to be powered by lithium-ion batteries. Reinert wants a charge time of about six hours using a conventional 110-volt household outlet or about two hours using a 220-volt outlet. Toyota still hasn’t decided whether or not the car will be available for purchase or if it will be lease only. Where and for how much they’ll be sold hasn’t been ironed out yet either, but we’ll be sure to fill in some of the details as they are issued.

On the market in its current form essentially unchanged for twelve years running, the Saab 9-5 is an aging beast, but the Swedish automaker is hard at work on its replacement. These spy shots of a heavily camouflaged test mule were snapped on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain.

It’s hard to tell much from the photos of the heavily disguised development vehicle, but it is expected to carry the same sort of notchback profile as the current version. Styling is suggested to carry over the “Born From Jets” theme more emphatically than the current model. Either way, it is widely believed that this is the same chassis that underpins the Opel Insignia.

Underneath the hood, we’re expecting the current crop of gasoline and diesel engines to carry over, with the possible addition of the 2.8-liter V6 from fellow General Motors premium brand Cadillac. Sources suggest the new 9-5 could be ready for debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year in September, so stay tuned.

The dual clutch gearbox installed in the Lincoln Concept C and Volvo S60 Concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show is now officially coming to Ford’s lineup. The Getrag-supplied PowerShift gearbox was hinted at on the Fiesta micro-site that Ford recently launched and will be available in the new sub-compact when it launches at the end of the year. Like the DSG units used in a number of Volkswagens, the PowerShift allows full automatic control or clutchless manual shifting. Ford’s first PowerShift is already available in the current European Focus with a 2.0L diesel engine. That unit is a wet-clutch system like most of the current VW DSG boxes. The new unit set to debut in the Fiesta is a dry-clutch system that’s both lighter and more efficient. The 6-speed PowerShift weighs 30 lbs less than the 4-speed automatic currently offered in the U.S.-market Focus and should deliver 9-percent better fuel economy.

The original Shelby Cobra has spawned many imitators. Aside from the plethora of Cobra kit-cars on the market, and Shelby’s own “continuation” cars, the Dodge Viper owes its origins to the Cobra, as do the Shelby Series 1 and Ford’s 2004 Shelby Cobra and 2005 Shelby GR-1 show cars, to say nothing of all the Shelby and Cobra Mustangs that have followed. The Cobra Venom V8 concept, designed by Jamie Martin and theoretically powered by a 524-hp supercharged Ford V8, certainly holds its place among this esteemed company… if only it actually existed.

Well, we can pretend. That’s what computer animation is for, after all. So we’ve enclosed a video of the Cobra Venom V8 in “action” after the jump. Trust us, you want to watch this one.

 

Very popular in its segment, the 2008 Acura TL is also the most popular Acura out there. It is an economically priced luxury sedan that has it above its European competitors in value, reliability and standard features. Returning to the Acura stable this year is the TL-S, a hopped up, high performance version with a 285hp 3.8L V6 engine sitting on a road-tuned suspension and big brakes. The TL received some styling and performance refreshing this year and is as good-looking as ever.

The exterior design of the TL is accentuated by the bold angular grille, whose lines continue on down the sides of the vehicle in clean, sharp lines. The headlights address the same lines as they flare up and back. The interior is clean and functional with logical placement of all gauges and controls. Tastefully elegant upholstery treatments contrast with a utilitarian Bauhaus feeling. A three-spoke steering wheel is a control center in itself with buttons for audio, navigation and phone inset.

Many owners purchase Acura TL accessories to individualize their sedans. Add the distinctive touch of wood grain or carbon fiber to the console and steering wheel. Imagine the difference a wing spoiler, nose mask or a moonroof visor would make to the outside of your 2008 TL. Nothing adds more style to a car that the look of 17 or 18-inch chrome wheels.

While many people are impressed with the performance of their TL, many more appreciate what Acura puts into the TL for the sake of safety. The Acura TL installs dual-stage dual-threshold airbags for the driver and front passenger, side and curtain airbags, and child-proof door locks. With as much effort Acura puts into building a performance-oriented luxury sedan, there is no reason for them to skimp on safety.

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