Beyond hybrid technology going mainstream in high volume passenger cars, talk is spilling over into the arena of high performance cars. With recent ventures such as Gumpert’s Apollo Hybrid Nürburgring racer, an assortment of specialty manufacturers and even motorsports granddaddy, Formula One, talking about it, the latest admission comes from Ferrari’s President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo in an interview with German mag Welt am Sonntag by stating the world famous sports car maker will have a hybrid powered vehicle ready for the market around 2015.

In parallel with the research and development going on with Formula One’s Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS), which is an brake energy regeneration system, the work being done will influence the development of a new Ferrari that uses an alternative energy source.

Despite a probable backlash from Ferrari purists, this isn’t the first time Ferrari has looked towards greener pastures. In the beginning of 2008 Ferrari debuted the E85 powered F430 Spider Bio Fuel Concept in Detroit with the announcement that their goal is to reduce emissions by 40% by 2012.

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Sports car manufacturer Ferrari intends to cut its vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half and is working on developing hybrid vehicles, the company president said Saturday.”We want to reduce our CO2 emissions by 40 percent between now and 2012,” said Luca Cordero di Montezemolo told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, in an interview to be published Sunday.

But he insisted that any future hybrid Ferrari would still be “fundamentally a Ferrari.”

“We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1,” he said, referring to Ferrari’s Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS), which is designed to draw extra power from the brakes.

Such a vehicle would be ready to go on the market around 2015.

Asked about the likelihood of fans of the powerful red sports cars buying a Ferrari with a hybrid or electric engine, the boss of the famous racing machines answered: “Yes, of course. It’s the best sports car in the world. It’s still fundamentally a Ferrari.”

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New approaches to high performance are key to keeping Ferrari at the zenith of autodom, lest it fall down the nostalgia hole that’s seen Jaguar nearly suffocate on its own pillowy upholstery. The case for a V6 would be partly the banal issues of emissions and consumption, and a six might also offer weight and packaging advantages, though the rumors of a turbocharged mill add plumbing, weight, and complexity back into the mix. Additionally, anyone who’s ever given the boot to a turbocharged engine can attest that forced induction’s ability to make small engines flex big muscles, it can also lead to big-league fuel swilling, poking holes in the idea that a turbo V6 might save a lot of fuel over the direct-injected V8. Like any automaker, Ferrari is certainly looking at all sorts of “what if” ideas that will never reach production to find the right solution for the myriad technical challenges facing any automaker, let alone an exotic manufacturer. One thing’s certain: a turbo V6 with Ferrari emblazoned along the cam covers would shriek with a proper Italian accent, and you have to respect any company that violently spits on the ground when the terms “SUV” or “Four-Door” are whispered.

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Several months ahead of its scheduled debut at this fall’s Paris auto salon, production of the new Ferrari California has already begun at the Ferrari factory in Maranello. The news comes after previous speculation suggested that the California might have to be assembled off-site – potentially at sister-company Maserati’s nearby facility in Modena – because the existing Ferrari assembly lines were already at full capacity. However, having now unveiled its newly-retooled manufacturing facility under the Formula Uomo program, the company has apparently increased production capacity to accommodate the assembly of the California, thus securing its legitimacy in the eyes of enthusiasts and potential customers alike

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Is it wrong to mess with perfection? We don’t know if we would dare to change even a single nut or bolt on the F430 Scuderia if we happened to have one in the garage, but Novitec Rosso seems to have no problem with it. Granted, they have plenty of experience laying their hands on the F430; in addition to their standard version, they’ve also built RACE, TuNero, and Evoluzione variations. For the Scuderia they’ve added their twin-supercharger package good for 717 horsepower and a top speed of just over 215 mph. Considering the standard F430 Scuderia can lap Ferrari’s Fiorano test track faster than the Enzo, we’d imagine this car would be insanely quick.

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The Prancing Horse is recalling 366 of its 612 Scagliettis for a defect in their F1 transmissions. A faulty sensor causes the internal components to overheat, resulting in transmission failure. Though Ferraris, like all Italian-made supercars, are known for their somewhat temperamental and occasionally fire-prone nature, recalls for major assembly malfunctions are less frequent occurrences.

A faulty clutch sensor inside the transmission is responsible for the problem, which according to Ferrarai results in unmonitored heat build-up that then causes the clutch assembly itself to malfunction, making shifting very difficult. Only 366 of the cars sold between 2005 and 2007 and equipped with the F1 transmission are affected.

The 612 Scagliettis is Ferrari’s luxury cruiser, a big GT with ample room and power for trans-continental cruising. In fact, with just minor suspension adjustments to allow for the rough road surfaces, Ferrari took two Scagliettis across India in its Magic India Discovery Drive. The tour spanned over 7,000 miles throughout the subcontinent visiting 57 cities and taking 70 days to complete. The cars were driven by a complement of 70 journalists over 13 stages.

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A Mattel insider and Autoblog fan has tipped us off that a 1:18 scale Hot Wheels Ferrari California will be available in “late 2008.” With the official unveiling of the Ferrari California supposedly planned for the Paris Motor Show in October, we might be able to take one for a, uh, small test drive before the car is even unveiled.

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A new world record for the most expensive car sold was set on Sunday May 18th, when RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, managed to auction a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder for a mind blowing $10,976,000 or €7,040,000 (exchange rates on May 19, 2008). The winning bidder was UK radio DJ, Chris Evans. Last year’s record was set by a 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM that went down for $9.3 million

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This one’s a little hard to explain, as it’s not often you see a Ferrari F430 with a removable hardtop. As the source surmises, it could be a mule for the next F430, but it looks for all intent and purposes like a standard F430… just with a removable hardtop. On the other hand, Ferrari could actually be developing a hat for the F430 Spider in response to owner requests for it. That’s not very likely either, because Ferrari owners know what they’re getting, and if they’re concerned the sun will singe their balding heads, then they get the coupe version. Finally, this could be a single, rogue Ferrari owner who has spent some money to make his F430 more unique than the next. Being that the car was spotted in Ferrari’s hometown of Maranello and it’s wearing manufacturer license plates, that scenario’s unlikely, as well. We’re stumped, but it’s pretty clear this car, whatever it is, comes with the full sanction of Ferrari itself. What is the Prancing Horse up to here?

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Like other modern Ferraris, this one is fabricated from aluminum to keep mass under control. The 460 hp 4.3L V8 is the first from Maranello to use direct injection while following the racing tradition of using a flat-plane crankshaft. This car of firsts also debuts the production application of a dual clutch gearbox from Ferrari. The 7-speed unit is mounted in a rear transaxle configuration and should provide smoother shifting and even better performance than the existing hydraulically-actuated units that Ferrari currently uses. Acceleration to 60 mph should come in under 4.0 seconds.

The California is also Ferrari’s first retractable hardtop convertible. From the shape of the hood scoop and headlights to the sweep of the rear fenders and vents behind the front wheels this car obviously draws on the heritage of the original 1960s 250 GT California. At the same time, it’s blended with modern Ferrari design elements drawn from the current F430 and 599.

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