Bonnet Ornaments

Forget Rolls Royce and Bentley, Fiat have the right idea!

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was born in Bologna, Italy and is the youngest son of Massimo Cordero dei Marchesi di Montezemolo and Clotilde Neri. Montezemolo joined the auto manufacturing conglomerate FIAT S.p.A., headquartered in Torino, Italy, and in 1973 was moved to Ferrari, where he became Enzo Ferrari's assistant and in 1974 became the manager of the Scuderia. During his involvement with the team, Ferrari won the Formula One World Championship with Niki Lauda in 1975 and 1977. In 1976 Montezemolo was promoted to become head of all FIAT racing activities, and in 1977 he advanced to become a senior manager of FIAT.

In November 1991, FIAT Chairman Gianni Agnelli appointed Montezemolo president of Ferrari, which had been struggling since Enzo Ferrari's death. Montezemolo made it his personal goal to win the Formula One World Constructors' Championship once again. Montezemolo quickly made changes at the Italian team, signing up Niki Lauda as consultant and promoting Claudio Lombardi to team manager role.

Under Cordero di Montezemolo and executive director Jean Todt, the Ferrari Formula One team won the World Drivers Championship in 2000, the first time since 1979. The previous year, 1999, they had won the constructors' championship for the first time since 1983.

On 10th September 2014, Montezemolo resigned as Ferrari's President, this is the press statement.

10 SEPTEMBER 2014

Luca di Montezemolo - This is the end of an era

“I leave after 23 unforgettable years”

Maranello, 10th September 2014 – “Ferrari will have an important role to play within the FCA Group in the upcoming flotation on Wall Street. This will open up a new and different phase which I feel should be spearheaded by the CEO of the Group. This is the end of an era and so I have decided to leave my position as Chairman after almost 23 marvellous and unforgettable years in addition to those spent at Enzo Ferrari’s side in the 1970s.

My thanks, first and foremost, to the exceptional Ferrari women and men from the factory, the offices, the race tracks and the markets across the world. They were the real architects of the company’s spectacular growth, its many unforgettable victories and its transformation into one of the world’s strongest brands.

A warm farewell and my thanks also to all of our technical and commercial partners, our dealers across the globe and, most particularly, the clients and collectors whose passion I so wholeheartedly share. But my thoughts go also to our fans who have always supported us with great enthusiasm especially through the Scuderia’s most difficult moments. Ferrari is the most wonderful company in the world. It has been a great privilege and honour to have been its leader. I devoted all of my enthusiasm and commitment to it over the years. Together with my family, it was, and continues to be, the most important thing in my life.

I wish the shareholders, particularly Piero Ferrari who has always been by my side, and everyone in the Company the many more years of success that Ferrari deserves.”

K.Brook

I would like to point out that this "Blog" is strictly dedicated to the amazing cars of this world although on occasions I like to turn your attention to the fairer s*x, the beautiful ladies of this world and why not, cars and girls are intrinsically linked? From an early age you grow up thinking that the more you modify your car the closer your get to a girl's bedroom, KW coil-overs and a set of OZ's is enough to convince yourself that you are Enrique Iglesias for a night? No need to know the female anatomy a well executed handbrake turn or a "Max-Power" doughnut in Halfords car park with your girl in the passenger seat and you can chuck the book of Kuma Sutra straight in the bin?

 

I digress, the reason for this post is that a very good friend of mine (Mr. P.Barnsley) sent me an e-mail today reminding me of his favourite poster pin-up girl, the lovely Kelly Brook. When we were at University together (1997-2001) the main pin-up posters in the first year were Kelly Brook or Jenny McCarthy straight from the centre pages of "Loaded". Jenny McCarthy and Kelly Brook are both stunning however Kelly Brook has that extra special appeal being a Kent lass.

 

 

No.1 Pin-Up Girl (1997)

 

8.

MY SHORT UNIQUE ALIBI

Answer (7): LAMBORGHINI VENENO ROADSTER 

 

Christian Koenigsegg

 

 

Christian Erland Harald von Koenigsegg was born in Stockholm, Sweden on July 2^nd 1972 and is the founder of Sweden’s only Hyper car manufacturer, Koenigsegg Automotive AB.

Christian’s dream of creating a unique car manufacturer began when he was 5 years old and watched the Norwegian animated film Flåklypa Grand Prix. In the movie a local bicycle repairman makes his own racing car which was the catalyst for the young Koenigsegg to dream about creating the perfect sports car himself.

 

In 1994, at the age of just 22, the dream came true for Christian when he launched the Koenigsegg car company and set about creating what he believed to be the ultimate car.

Koenigsegg Automotive has grown considerably since 1994, producing some astonishing vehicles such as the CCX, Agera and the sublime Koenigsegg “One”, a car with a power to weight ratio of 1:1. The facilities that produces these cars has also grown with the company now having a full R&D department with state-of-the-art equipment to call upon.

Christian Koenigsegg like Horacio Pagani is another example of how one persons passion and desire for cars can compete against the well-established car manufacturers that we all know today.

 



Ferrari F80 - Astonishing

Yes, we must engineer more green technologies, they are a must for society but that does not mean we all have to be driven around in a "G*ogle" car! I like Google, I like their search engines and I have high hopes that they will be a major part of the new space race, however please leave car design and manufacture to the establishment!

 

Normally I would insert the theoretical numbers for BHP, 0-60, etc however I am going to set Ferrari the benchmark, as follows.

 

Max Velocity: 300+mph

BHP: 1500

0-60: under 2 seconds

MPG: 100 (CC)

Weight (kerb): under 1000kg