New Ferrari F450 - More Details Emerge

A few more crumbs of knowledge on the upcoming Ferrari F450 have emerged. Actually, more than a few, as our esteemed colleagues at Autocar have uncovered lots of details on the upgrading that the F450 will feature over the current F430.

According to Autocar, Ferrari will be employing a host of technologies derived from its Formula One and GT racing divisions. These will include a 7-speed, double-clutch trans-axle transmission, a next-generation version of traction control from the Scuderia, a software program that corrects under-steer, and radiators placed just before the front wheels.

The F450 will also be made of lightweight aluminum that will improve handling over the more rigid F430 while keeping weight, and hence emissions, down.

Ferrari may still be fine-tuning the styling on the model and is working with legendary coach-builder Pininfarina to match design with aerodynamic requirements.

The 450 will debut only as a hardtop. Leaving some room in the market for the California model to find its customers. An F450 Spider is scheduled to arrive some 18 months after the launch of the coupe, expected sometime early in 2010.

The F450 will likely make its public debut at the Los Angeles auto show in December. A hybrid version may also be featured, but Ferrari is holding off on introducing its latest patented technologies on the F450, such as Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), fearing that its customer-base is not yet ready to see eco-friendly Ferraris.

Still, they want to be first to have a road car with that kind of technology to beat the competition to the punch. But for the time being, Ferrari believe they can meet emissions standards over the next several years by use of direct-injection engines, weight reduction and other such technologies that don't involve its recent patents.