It goes without saying that almost everyone knows what a Ferrari is. It’s red, it’s fast and it’s certainly a luxury not everyone can have. Every kid, boys and girls, wants to grow up to own a Ferrari. Many man work and toil just to save up enough money to get them a decent Ferrari. But how it all did started?

The founder for Ferrari is Enzo Ferrari. Born on the 18th February 1898 in Modena, Italy, Ezno did not have a very formal education because he was not particularly interested in his studies. He was very determined in racing cars. He took up racing when he was 19 but did not have huge success.

He then left the tracks and secured a job at Alfa Romeo. He took the job as a car racer with them and found bigger success than he did previously. After racing for Alfa Romeo for more or less 20 years, he left the company to set up his own company, the Auto-Avio Construzini to subsequently build his own racing cars under his own name, Ferrari. The rest as they say is history.

The Enzo Ferrari was the Ferrari that was named exactly after its owner. This Ferrari was built in the year 2003 and it was built using some of the Formula 1 technologies. These technologies include F1-style carbon-ceramic brake discs, carbon-fiber body, and sequential shift transmission. To build a car with the best performance, the designers of this Enzo Ferrari also went as far as to use banned Formula 1 technology which is the active and integrated aerodynamics.

The Enzo Ferrari has the largest engine as compared with the other Ferraris. Despite that fact, the Enzio Ferrari was made with inspirations from the racing tracks. With this reason, the frame of Enzio Ferrari was made out of carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb panels.

This frame will then form a rigid tub for the Enzo Ferrari. In the middle of the frame is where the new large engine F140 is at. The all new F140 is actually a twelve cylinder engine
. This particularly large engine is attached to the alloy sub-frame at two points. The purpose of this design is to prevent the vibrations from escaping into the passenger compartment.

As mentioned about the inspirations from the Formula 1, this Enzo Ferrari uses an electro hydraulic system that automatically activates the clutch and the gear changes. This is actually a semi-automatic gearbox and it helps the driver of the Enzo Ferrari to change their gears in 150 milliseconds. The driver may also achieve gear changes in 90 milliseconds if he is driving the Enzo Ferrari in sport mode.

The uniqueness of this Enzo Ferrari also lies with the embedded electronic system that they used on the sport car. These embedded electronic systems are included to ensure the comfort of the driver while driving the Enzo Ferrari. The designers included a central computer that can synchronize the engine, the suspension, and the transmissions. Inside the Enzo Ferrari, the designers also included the aerodynamic subsystem to optimize the performance and also the wellbeing of the driver.

Like the founder of the Ferrari, the Enzo Ferrari is truly a unique car of its own. There are those that are similar but they can never compete with the quality and the performance of the Enzo Ferrari. It is no wonder why people still want to own a Ferrari to this day.

For years Lamborghini has shocked and awed us with its unique design and we have been nothing less then amazed by each supercar that they have turned out over the last 30 years. Their cars are more then exotic – but they are full of power that many of us can only dream about. The Countach, Diablo, and Murcielago are just a few that we can name. That is why we are excited and happy to welcome the 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo.

The 2008 Gallardo is more traditional then the past models that they have released. It is built with the traditional doors and cockpit. It is available in three different types; the Spyder convertible, standard coupe, and the lightweight performance edition Superleggera.

The Superleggera has a more aggressive suspension tuning and weight reduction that is close to 150 pounds. This makes it much less livable then the other two designs. But on the positive side this model increases the performance and handling for the Gallardo. The Sypder has an added 250 pounds of weight made up of structural reinforcement.

The Sant’Agata factory has already started production on the successor for the coupe to improve upon the Gallardo LP560-4. They Spyder will not be changed and the Superleggera will be sold for this one year only. When it comes to the coupe we think it might be best to wait till 2009 and focus on getting your hands on the Leggera model.

In the fairly lonely farm country that surrounds Lamborghini headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, it can be a challenge on some hot summer days to invent the drama and beauty of Italy. Then again, hand us a 542-horsepower rear-wheel-drive Gallardo painted in 1970s-style smackdown Ithaca Green with a big white-and-gold stripe down the middle, and we could make beauty and drama happen in a damned landfill.

Get information on the new Lamborghini Gallardo in the Motor Trend new car buyer’s guide. With detailed info on car pricing, safety ratings, specs, car pictures, and dealer rebates, you’ll have all you need to make a decision on whether to purchase the new Lamborghini Spyder or LP560-4.

Lamborghini Gallardo 2009 2010 Reviews

Whats New: A midlife freshening brings bits borrowed from Audi R8, including the rear suspension and possibly direct injection for a power boost to around 550 hp. Joining the lineup in late 2007 was the Superleggera, which weighs less due to a carbon-fiber engine bay cover, center tunnel cover, mirrors, rear diffuser, and door panels.

In 1967 Valentino Balboni was hired as a Lamborghini test driver. We’ve mentioned him in the pages of Road & Track on more than one occasion. Our Design Director Richard Baron remembers him clearly as the young Italian who managed to drive a Countach while sitting on its open door sill. Valentino has given thrill rides to many of us over the years. He’s the classic Italian who does everything with flair and, in this case, tire smoke. We all love tire smoke, and he’s a master.

That Lamborghini would honor him with a special edition of the Gallardo, the most successful Lamborghini of all time, is no surprise. Nor is the fact that they built this 250 limited edition model as a rear-wheel-drive drift-car special. (This not only saves weight, but allows for the ultimate power slides and tire smoke.)

The 550-2 identifies the mid-mounted V-10 making roughly 550 horsepower; the 2, the fact that the car is rear drive. Don’t let the numbers fool you, the engine is the same as that in the 560-4. The last 560-4 we tested weighed in at 3595 lb. and losing the front-drive portion of the Gallardo’s all-wheel-drive system shaves roughly 550 lb. off the car. To handle the change in balance, custom springs, dampers, roll-bars and tires are incorporated. A limited slip differential and revised stability control system help keep the rear-wheel-drive Lambo on the road even in novice hands. But turn it off and in the hands of a skilled driver like Balboni, the 550-2 is promised to make him smile. The Corsa ESP mode is also set to permit greater drift angles for those who want to have fun, but with a bit of moderation.

One can’t help but wonder if there are any connections to the Audi R8 GT (also rear-drive.) Although the limited run of 250 cars is small, the Lamborghini can be ordered with optional carbon ceramic brakes and e-gear transmission. The list price of $219,800 is only slightly higher than the last 560-4 we tested and, for those with the skill of Balboni, likely very worth the fun.