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FUN TIME!
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Scuderia SW hosts The Motorsports Gathering at Gainey Ranch as well as drives, track days and dinners. The non-car club, car club... SSW. No drama! No meetings! No egos! Just fun with cars!
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No Drama! Just Fun with Cars!
The Exotic Car Club for Enthusiasts, by Enthusiasts
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I made a trip to what has to be the main event of the P.P.E. series.... the annual polo event. As expected, there was lots of Posing, Parking and Eating. At the end of the day it was great people watching.... but I would still rather have a day at the track.
Hamilton took his 3rd F1 championship in Austin and I've got all the details for you. I've also got the latest on the new McLaren 570S, and its a cracker.
Maranello is home to Ferrari. It also home to some incredible shops. I've got a story on one of the best.
Don't forget to sign up for our upcoming events.
Until next time...
Ciao...
Dino
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FOC/AZ Schedule
November 2015
- 11/7 Motorsports Gathering (Ford GT & Gathering Founders)
- 11/10 Dinner at Spiga
- 11/14 Payson Drive and lunch at Girardo's
- 11/21 Southside C&C (Not affiliated w/the Gathering)
For more information send me an email.
JOIN THE FOC!
Follow the FOC on Facebook to keep up with the latest goings on.
FOC Facebook
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Driver's Club Track Events
There's a great new group in town for those who like to get their tires scrubbed at the track... The Driver's Club! They are planning a private track, just south of town. In the meantime, they are hosting some non-stress, non-competitivetrack events at the Wild Horse Pass facility (formerly known as Firebird)
11/14/15
These events are limited in attendance, so get involved early! You are guaranteed to have the most fun in your car that you can have...... with your cloths on!
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Dinner at Spiga
Join the FCA and Scuderia SW for a casual dinner and car chatter at Spiga Cucina Italiana
EVENT: Dinner
Where: Spiga
When: 11/10/15
Time: 6-9pm
REGISTER HERE
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Payson Drive w/Lunch at Gerardo's
Our Payson drive w/lunch at Gerardo's is always a favorite. Great roads, great cars, good friends and the culinary red carpet from Gerardo makes for a great day. Click on the link below to sign up
REGISTER
Event: Payson Drive
When: 11/14/15
Where: Meet at 9:30 at Starbucks in Fountain Hills.
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Formula 1
US GP Preview
Ferrari takes engine penalties in US
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will take 10-place grid penalties for Sunday's United States Grand Prix after their Ferrari Formula 1 team chose to introduce an updated power unit.
It is understood Ferrari always planned to introduce a new engine for Austin as it will allow the Scuderia fresh engines for the remaining four races while working on development for its 2016 power unit as it bids to catch rival Mercedes.
As Vettel and Raikkonen have both used up their allocation of four engines this season, following an update at Monza last month, they will incur a penalty for taking the fifth.
"We will have the hit of 10 places penalty for a new engine at this event, but it has always been the plan," said Vettel.
"It's not a big secret, no surprise for us.
"The story is that this was always the plan for us to have the strongest engine available at every single point of the season.
"I think our engine guys have done a massive job, so this should not be understood as a downside. If anything this is very positive."
The decision over whether or not to take the new engine was complicated by the fact Vettel is still mathematically in with a chance of winning this year's drivers' championship.
The German is second in the standings, behind championship leader
Lewis Hamilton, but is 66 points adrift with a maximum of 100 remaining.
But Vettel said the priority is improving the power unit, rather than focusing on his slim title chance.
"If you look at just this race isolated, it's not great news, but you have to look at the whole project, the whole season, and it was always the plan to have a fresh engine here until the end of the season," he added.
"The priority was always to have maximum power at every single race.
"That has been our plan and I think it worked very well so far.
"Obviously we have to take the hit here but we should take the positive which is that we were able to make big steps, rather than just [look at] the penalty."
Lewis Hamilton wins F1 world championship with US GP victory
Lewis Hamilton claimed his third Formula One world championship with victory in a thrilling United States Grand Prix in Austin.
The 30-year-old became the first British driver to win back to back titles and also the first to win 10 or more races in successive seasons.
Hamilton's German team-mate
Nico Rosberg, who started on pole, finished second after making a costly late mistake while leading.
Ferrari's
Sebastian Vettel took third place a mere 0.5 of a second behind. Hamilton had needed to beat Vettel by nine points and Rosberg by two to take the crown, but for much of the race it looked as if he would have to wait at least until Mexico next weekend.
Hamilton had forced pole-sitter Rosberg wide at the first turn of the first lap, nipping through to take the lead, but the Red Bulls of
Daniel Ricciardo and Dany
Kvyat put the pressure on him.
Ricciardo moved through at one point and built an eight-second lead, but he could not hold off the power of the Mercedes cars. Rosberg reclaimed the lead for a while, but Hamilton forced him into an error eight laps from the end, as the German ran wide and lost pace, allowing the defending champion to hold on until the end.
Although there was standing water on the track, the rain, which blighted much of the race weekend, stayed away, meaning unpredictable conditions and some hastily rejigged race tactics. There were also some spectacular collisions, notably Kvyat skidding over some artificial turf and skewing off into the opposite barrier wall, but emerging unharmed.
Manor Marussia's Alex
Rossi was another driver delighted with his race - despite three incidents necessitating safety cars, both virtual and real, the American emerged unscathed at his home race.
KEY MOMENTS
Lap 1/56 - Hamilton pushes Rosberg wide and takes the lead on the opening corner - the cars touched but neither was damaged.
Lap 16/56 - Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo overtakes Lewis Hamilton to take the lead - Hamilton pits soon after.
Lap 27/56 - With the Red Bulls struggling for grip. Nico Rosberg takes charge of the race.
Lap 43/56 - The safety car comes out after Daniel Kvyat puts his car into the wall.
Lap 49/56 - Mistake by Rosberg as he veers wide and Hamilton nips through into the lead.
Lap 56/56 - Lewis Hamilton is world champion!
STANDINGS
1. Lewis Hamilton..........327
2. Sebastian Vettel.........251
3. Nico Rosberg.............247
4. Kimi Raikonnen..........123
5. V. Botas......................111
Team Standings
1. Mercedes...............574
2. Ferrari....................374
3. Williams..................220
4. Red Bull..................150
5. Force India..............102
F! Has the Best Grid Girls!
NEXT RACE
United States GP
10/22-25
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Supercar Review
McLaren 570S - low-down on Woking's fastest Sports Series model
McLaren has confirmed the pricing for its new 570S Coupe - it starts at $220,000, $25,250 more than the Woking supercar maker's entry level car, the 540C. The new mid-engine, rear-wheel drive supercar is aimed squarely at the likes of Porsche's 911 and Mercedes' AMG GT, and marks the first model in McLaren's Sports Series tier.
While the 570S is smaller than existing McLaren models, it still features a version of McLaren's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 - albeit heavily revised - and commands class-leading power-to-weight. The Woking firm also promises that the 570S is the easiest car to use day-to-day it's ever produced.
McLaren has released full technical details of the new sports car, including facts and figures on its engine, transmission and chassis. With the second lowest price of any McLaren and performance figures to humble rivals from Porsche and Mercedes-AMG, the 570S could be one of the most exciting cars of 2015.
The 570S features McLaren's familiar 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, revised for its new
application. Here it produces 562bhp at 7400rpm - 79bhp less than the same power unit in the 650S - and 443lb ft of torque between 5000-6500rpm, or a 57lb ft drop. Power is sent through McLaren's seven-speed SSG 'seamless shift gearbox'.
30 per cent of the 570S' V8 is new, confirming that it's far more than just a detuned 650S powerplant. It even receives its own engine code, M838TE, with E standing for 'Evolution'.
Performance, 0-62 time and top speed
Don't be fooled by the Sport Series's entry-level nametag, because the tier's fastest supercar will sprint from 0-62mph in just 3.2sec (a figure that matches the legendary McLaren F1), and it it'll keep on accelerating on to 204mph.
That's also just two-tenths and 3mph shy of the 650S, revealing a very narrow performance gap between the Sports Series and Super Series cars. The cheapest car in McLaren's Sport Series line-up, the
540C, isn't isn't exactly a slouch either - it reaches 62mph in 3.5sec and tops out at 199mph.
Where the 650S does monster the Sports Series cars is in in-gear acceleration. It takes the 570S 9.5sec to reach 124mph, but the more savage rolling acceleration of the 650S ensures it would have passed the same number 1.1sec earlier. This should help 650S owners justify their car's greater price tag.
The 570S achieves 25.5 mpg on the EU combined cycle, and produces 258g/km of CO2. The newfound economy ensures it avoids 'Gas Guzzler Tax' in the North American market - significant, given the car's sales potential in the US.
Chassis
McLaren claims the 570S features 'class-leading power-to-weight', with a headline figure of 428bhp-per-ton. The car tips the scales at 1313kg, some 112kg lighter than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS and significant 257kg less than the Mercedes-AMG GT S.
The lack of mass owes much to the use of McLaren's MonoCell II carbon-tub, a development of those used in existing McLarens and tipping the scales at less than 80kg bare. The use of aluminium body panels mimics the philosophy of the 650S and contributes to the 570S' featherweight form.
Aerodynamics
At first glance, the 570S is very much a McLaren product and undoubtedly borrows its overall shape from the 650S, albeit it with tauter, more rounded proportions (and it's 18mm shorter in length).
Up front, aero-blades channel cold air through the lower leading edge of bodywork, while the 570S's shorter bonnet forces air up and around the front wheelarches.
The car's dihedral doors feature a 'floating' door tendon to hide the door's opening button, and also divide airflow into the side intakes and beneath
buttresses.
These buttresses direct air across the 570S' rear deck, helping to evacuate heat from the engine bay as well as adding 8 kilos of downforce. At the back, twin exhaust tips emerge from the body, and sit either side of a new rear diffuser.
Suspension
The Sports Series gets new suspension, comprising independent adaptive dampers with front and rear anti-roll bars and dual wishbones. McLaren assures us this setup differs from the 650S to give the 570S a distinct character.
Drivers can cycle through three handling settings - Normal, Sport and Track - with the latter two stiffening ride and speeding up damper responses to cater for circuit driving.
Wheels and brakes
Shod in sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres of 225 and 285mm widths (front and rear), the 570S sits on lightweight 19- and 20-inch forged alloy wheels.
Behind these are standard fit carbon ceramic brakes. McLaren has begun to master the art of carbon brakes on its road cars. The 650S is already a substantial improvement on the old 12C's dead-feeling pedal, enough for Features Editor Henry Catchpole to describe the latest stoppers as having 'superb, feelsome progression' in
evo 196. Expect more of the same on the lighter 570S.
Interior and practicality
McLaren promises that the 570S's cabin has been designed with more 'day-to-day usability and space' than any of its other road cars.
Leather upholstered sports seats - optional racing seats are available - are accompanied by a leather-trimmed steering wheel and dash. The 570S can even swallow as much as 150 litres of luggage in its front bay.
McLaren's latest TFT digital instrument cluster comes part of a full infotainment system. This works with a 7-inch IRIS touchscreen with integrated climate control functionality, Bluetooth connectivity and DAB digital radio.
While many features appear similar to the 650S - namely the steering wheel and vents - a 'floating' centre console serves as a distinctive new addition.
Of course, much of the interior's trimmings can be customised to each customer's demands, with options for Alcantara, nappa leather and carbon trim all available. 'By McLaren' offers bespoke options - many of which are similar to those found on the new 675LT - while McLaren's Audio Plus eight-speaker sound system or Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker system can be specified as options.
Price
McLaren has confirmed that the 670S is priced from $220,000. That's some $74,750 less than the faster 650S, which seems like a good deal given the limited performance deficit. That sum would make it around $50,000 more than a Mercedes-AMG GT S, and just $1500 more than the similarly-brisk Porsche 911 Turbo S, which currently sells for $215,120.
Order books for the 570S are open now, with first deliveries starting before the close of 2015.
Rivals
Porsche's 911 immediately stands out as a key rival for the 570S, having long been the benchmark for this class. Even in
Carrera GTS spec however, power output significantly lags behind the McLaren at 424bhp - the naturally aspirated Porsche can only manage 302bhp/ton, though admittedly, a forthcoming turbocharged replacement should narrow that gap.
Currently, the Porsche best suited to challenge McLaren's new supercar is the
911 Turbo S, which produces 552bhp from its twin-turbo flat-six. This car can't quite match the visceral thrills of some of its rivals (or Porsche's own 911 GT3), but point-to-point, it'll be a serious threat to McLaren's Super Series model.
The AMG is a talented car though, and managed to edge ahead of the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS when we drove the cars back-to-back in 2014
, thanks to its confidence inspiring chassis that offers 'faithful, predictable and highly adjustable poise as you edge closer to the car's limits.'
Anther rival to consider is undoubtedly the
2015 Audi R8. We're some way off driving that (first deliveries aren't due until late 2015), but we expect it to be a serious contender.
Prices for the most powerful V10 Plus R8 are more closely aligned with the McLaren, starting from $207,500. The Audi also flaunts more power than the 570S too, with its atmospheric unit producing 602bhp, but unsurprisingly the McLaren's turbocharged unit ensures straight-line speed is near identical - the R8 matches the 570S's 0 to 62mph sprint time and beats its top speed by 1mph.
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THE INCREDIBLE WORKSHOPS OF MARANELLO'S MASTER CRAFTSMEN
Every day, a tiny city in the north of Italy is shaken by the noise of freshly-tested vehicles straight from the factory: Ferrari's. The majority of the people from Maranello live with the spirit of the most famous car manufacturer in the world.
You can sense it in every corner, and I don't just mean the test cars with prova plates, cruising around the area from dusk 'til dawn. Ubiquitous stickers and flags in places like restaurants, hairdressers, hotels and even butchers tell you that you are in the Ferrari capitol of the world. It's easy to understand why locals are so proud of this.
This very unique world, however, covers more than the city itself. In a radius of about 15 miles around town, you can find dozens of shops specializing in restoring and servicing the vehicles created in this "holy" area (Maserati, DeTomaso, Lamborghini). Among many such places, few are real pinnacles for automobiles aficionados.
Many of the people that work in those shops are ex-Ferrari workers from the golden age. Some of them even remember the times when Enzo himself was walking around the factory. Their knowledge and experience in Ferrari is priceless. That is why collector's cars from all over the globe are sent here for proper treatment.
One of my favourite places that I visit each time I come to Maranello is Scuderia Toni, a family business. This tiny and modest shop is located by the main road of the city, in the villa right across from the Ferrari factory. It's always full of great classics. A whole spectrum of models can be found here. There are always some Dinos around, 275 GTB/4 or 330 GTC waiting for a service. Apart from old-timer classics, cars like 288 GTO and F40 are no exceptions. The mechanics work on the whole range of Ferrari models, racing cars too. This workshop is well known for tuning engines like no other. And they know cars!
Founder Toni Franco used to work in the Ferrari racing department back in the '50s. With this kind of heritage, you don't need to prove your knowledge. The workshop seems tiny but it gives a family feeling to it.
Truth is that you can find a lot of professional workshops like this all over the world, but there are small details that make a difference and make you want to come back. The Italian spirit is what it's all about, I think. It's easy to spot it too: small espresso cups next to Ferrari gearboxes, tools and car parts all over the place, and workers hustling around. This place may look like it's in chaos, but Italians are very well "blended in" and understand this way of work like no one else. It works perfectly for them and their products.
At 12 o'clock, the streets of Maranello around the factory reminds me of rush hour at New York's Grand Central. Tons of Ferrari workers are going to the local bars for a sip of their favorite espresso coffee. This itself is a sight to behold. I have been to many car manufacturers, but this experience is unique.
Signore Franco Barchelli is the owner of Carrozzeria Autosport, located just 16 miles north of Maranello in Bastiglia. This ex-Ferrari worker started his business back in 1976. His great workshop is filled with top-of-the-range automobiles from the period. Walls are fully covered with the pictures and thankful letters from his highly satisfied customers from all over the globe.
Apart from servicing classics, the shop is responsible for full restorations as well. Bodywork is what they are known for. Not only because of the quality, but also technique. Cars are literally reborn over here. If some panel has to be replaced they use a sheet metal, hammer and make it from the scratch-simple as that. They are very gifted workers and have been trained for years to achieve such a level of craftsmanship. They know how to turn simple pieces of metal into recognizable "petrolhead" shapes.
The main working hall is the best part of the shop itself. Here, the most important and rare cars are found, like a Lamborghini Miura P400S, 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS, and a Maserati A6GT designed by Pietro Frua-all parked, waiting for their turn to be retouched or serviced at some point.
The noblest place in the area, in my opinion, is the workshop of Egido Brandoli. It's not just any workshop. Located just 6 miles south from Modena, it represents quality unlike anywhere else. Before opening his own business, Egido Brandoli worked as a metal craftsman for Carrozzeria Scaglietti (Ferrari's body supplier) back in the mid '60s. Obviously, his skills are beyond any comparison-it's the highest level of craftsmanship imaginable.
Amazingly, when leaving the company in the '80s, Ferrari allowed him to take the original bucks for older models along with him (Dino, 250 SWB, and 275 GTB/4). After 30 years, along with his son Roberto, they are now busy making some of the most significant body panels for Ferrari cars in the world.
The finished pieces are some of the most genuine elements you can find today not only because they are made on original Ferrari bucks but also because they are made by the same man who worked on those cars back in the day.
Carrozeria Brandoli is not a large workshop, but it's very cozy and full of amazing goods. The facility is packed with hundreds of templates and patterns up to the roof, a true automotive tailor. Apart from other workshops around Maranello, here you won't find many cars in here parked by the wall, because workers are fully dedicated building body panels. That, itself, is a unique sight. Seeing Egido Brandoli working on the metal panels brings you to appreciate without question the talent involved in making bodywork.
That said, make sure you do your homework before visiting Maranello. We all know it's famous for Ferrari, but there is much more to it. Try to feel the spirit of the place, and have a chat with the locals. Behind every car there is a story-a great Italian story, in this case. Feel it!
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That's our newsletter for the week. We will be putting these together several times per month. Expect events like these, as well as socials.
I hope to see you at an event soon...
Ciao...
Dino
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