Ferrari's Already Sold Out SA Aperta Roadster Stops by Paris Show

The 'greener' California HELE wasn't the only new car on display at Ferrari's Paris Show stand. The 670-horsepower SA Aperta, which we reported on last week, also made its debut. All 80 examples of the limited edition, open-top 599s have been spoken for well before the car made its way to Paris.

Co-designed with Ferrari Centro Stile to celebrate 80 years of Italian design firm Pininfarina, the car was built partly as homage to Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, the son and grandson respectively of company founder Battista Farina (latter Battista Pininfarina).

Like the Bugatti Veyron roadster, the SA Aperta features an emergency soft top [read: umbrella] and the same structural rigidity of the hardtop without adding any additional weight

Pricing is irrelevant as you can't buy one, at least not new. There is, however, an online configurator, which doesn't make any sense but anyways...

By Tristan Hankins

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Paris Show: Ferrari California HELE gets Stop- Start Tech, Emits 23% Less CO2

Visitors to the 2010 Paris Motor Show may have noticed a rather innocuous looking, black-topped Ferrari California on display at the automaker's stand. This is the Ferrari California HELE, which stands for High Emotion Low Emissions. Think of it as a Ferrari for the environmentally conscious.

Featuring a host of technological jiggery including intelligent fan and fuel pump control, adaptive gear shift and "electronically controlled variable displacement"...air conditioning, the California HELE is said to reduce CO₂ emissions by 23% over its non-HELE sibling.

That's 270 g / km down from 299 g /km. The California HELE also features a stop / start system that can restart the car's engine in an impressive sounding 230 milliseconds.

Ferrari is also introducing some new two-tone finishes - no doubt for the 599 GTO wannabes - and water-resistant leather for its California range. There's no word on pricing or launch dates, or in what markets the California HELE will be sold. No doubt buyers will pay a premium over the non-HELE base model.

By Tristan Hankins

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Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Announces Pay-By-Height Pricing and Merry-Go-Around with Never Before Seen Prototypes

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has announced that it will be opening to the public for a short Inaugural Period, beginning at 7pm on October 27th, 2010. This period, which will no doubt be used to sort out any kinks, will continue up to the park's official, Grand Opening in November.

Unlike most parks, which sell tickets based on age, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi's tickets will be sold according to height. Guests under 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) will pay AED 165 (US$45), while guests over 1.5 metres will pay AED 225 (US$61).

Visitors to the park can also upgrade to an AED 375 (US$102) premium ticket that gives them priority access to all rides and attractions, access to an exclusive lounge area and other benefits.

Claus Frimand, General Manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, is feeling confident:

"We are on schedule to open the park with a wide selection of rides and attractions. We have managed to turn one of the world's most exclusive brands into an extraordinary experience which families and fans will come back for time and time again."

The park has also announced a new attraction: a Ferrari-fied merry-go-round called Carousel. The attraction will feature four design studies never before seen outside of Maranello, created by design students under the banner of, "Ferrari: new concepts for the myth". These cars will feature moving brake pedals / accelerators and working horns.

This "Disneyland for Ferrari Fans" is the world's largest indoor theme park, with a surface area of 200,000m² (2.15 million sq. ft.) and many rides including what is claimed to be the world's fastest roller-coaster, the 240km/h [149mph] Formula Rossa.

By Tristan Hankins

Hasselblad H4D Ferrari is Another Cynical Marketing Excercise

Why can't carmakers stick to building cars? You don't see Dyson and Prada making a limited edition vacuum cleaner or Apple and Westinghouse producing an iPad integrated refrigerator (so far).

And yet, here we are. Swedish camera company Hasselblad (famous for its camera's use on the Apollo moon missions) and Italian supercar maker Ferrari have collaborated on a limited edition model of the Hasselblad H4D camera.

The Ferrari limited edition is nothing more than a standard Hasselblad H4D camera painted "rosso fuoco" red and with the Ferrari shield applied.

More thought seems to have been put into the box which features a glass top and separate compartments for the camera and lens / accessories.

Hasselblad will build just 499 units of its H4D Ferrari, possibly as a nod to the Ferrari 430 16M Scuderia Spider which was built in the same numbers. Hasselblad has promised to release more details in October, which we await with baited breath.

By Tristan Hankins