Last October 27, 2006 at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy, the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Eos and a host of other stunning automobiles emerged victorious at the XIV L’Automobile più Bella del Mondo or The World’s Most Beautiful Automobile” competition for 2006. The international jury led by Bruno Alfieri, the Italian journalist and editor who created the awards back in 1993, chose the best looking cars in various categories such as city cars and compact cars, mid-size hatchback, limousine, coupe, spider, station wagon, concept cars and many more.

After examination of the various new models introduced in 2006, the jury proclaimed the winners in their respective categories. However, upon a closer look on the list of winners, one can see that Japanese and American cars are conspicuously absent from the list. Europe does offer some of the most stunning of automobiles, but do they have the monopoly when it comes to aesthetics? We don’t think so. Still, the list offers a veritable showdown of some of the most beautiful cars ever to grace the road.

City cars and compact cars: Mini Cooper

Mid-size hatchback cars: Volvo C30

Mid-size sedans: Volvo S80

Limousine: Bentley Continental GTC

Coupé: Mercedes CL

Coupé-cabriolet: Volkswagen Eos

Spider: Alfa Romeo Spider

Sportscars: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Station wagon: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

MPV: Citroën C4 Picasso

Crossover: Audi Q7

Specials: Studiotorino RK Coupé

Concept Cars: Renault Twingo Concept

Read the rest of this entry »

This year’s Geneva Auto Show certainly didn’t lack super cool cars that have that peculiar tendency to make car aficionados slobber. With the über-cool Saab Aero-X concept, the Solstice-inspired 2007 Opel GT, the award-winning Alfa Romeo Spider and many other fast, exotic and expensive cars, the auto show is simply a car enthusiast’s dreamland. As if that wasn’t enough, Ferrari unveiled its latest stunner, touted as the most powerful V12-engined production car of all time – the 599 GTB Fiorano.

How powerful? Think 5,999cc 12-cylinder engine (akin to the Ferrari Enzo) generates 620 horsepower at 7600rpm with acceleration pegged at 62mph in 3.7 seconds. The Fiorano, the replacement for the 575M Maranello, is the coming-together of the most innovative and advanced technologies and engineering solutions from Ferrari. The Fiorano will come with the F1-Trac from Ferrari, designed to improve road-holding, safety and stability. Another cool thing about the Fiorano is its magnetoheological suspension, which applies an electronically controlled magnetic field to adjust the dampers.

Ferrari says that the new Fiorano is designed with several objectives in mind: to surpass the intense driving pleasure of such renowned models as the F40, to guarantee stunning performance courtesy of its highly innovative content and technology transfers from the F1 single-seaters, and to deliver superior standards of roominess, comfort, ergonomics and safety. This mid-front engined two-seater coupe is set to make a new benchmark in performance and design. Other cool features include Ipod integration, Xenon headlights, LED taillights, and an anti-theft device integrated into the key.

As Ferrari took the wraps off its latest baby, the 599 GTB Fiorano definitely had more than its share of oohs and aahs. The car, designed by the renowned Pininfarina group, undoubtedly has that pin-up star good looks with its strikingly sculptured body, stunning proportions, and aggressive elegant lines. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano name sums up what this car is all about. 599 is the displacement of the V12 engine divided by 10; GTB comes from Gran Turismo Berlinetta, in honor of Ferrari’s famous Berlinettas, including the Fiorano’s predecessor, the Maranello; and Fiorano, from the racing circuit that Ferrari uses to polish the performance of its cars.

For those who can afford this car (US$250,000), the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is offered with a vast choice of personalization options covering four areas: Racing and Track, Exteriors and Colors, Interiors and Materials, and Equipment and Travel. Aside from the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, other drool-worthy cars on display at the Ferrari exhibit in Geneva include the F2005 single-seater, F430 and F430 Spider, and a 612 Scaglietti.

Have you always been amazed by how Ferrari drivers in Formula One races would drive and maneuver on the race track? Well, be amazed no longer for you might just learn their techniques when you enroll in the Ferrari Driving School. And you won’t even have to go to Italy to learn so much, because on May this year, the Ferrari driving school is coming to North America. And where exactly in North America? At the Mt. Tremblant race track in Quebec, Canada.

The Mt. Tremblant Ferrari Driving School would be the first Ferrari-backed driving school outside Italy. Its opening in May is expected to take some pressure off the original school in Italy, which have been accepting a lot of enrollees for 13 years now. On the part of the driving school participants from the U.S., they won’t have to fly all the way to Italy just to learn how to drive their vehicles properly. And while traveling all the way to Quebec, Canada may not be their definition of a short trip, at least they won’t have to travel off to another continent.

Here’s a hitch, though: the Ferrari Driving School is not for everybody! Yes, you’ve read that right. And what are the requirements for you to be able to enroll at the driving school? First, you must be a Ferrari owner, or at least a “serious prospect” for the company. Then, you must be willing to spend $8,200 for the training, and that won’t include your plane ticket to and fro Mt. Tremblant. If you can’t satisfy the two requirements, too sad for you because you won’t be able to enroll at the driving school.

The Ferrari Driving School in Mt. Tremblant, Quebec, Canada will begin having 2½ day driving classes beginning May this year, which will run up until the month of October. The driving course would be divided into 20% of class theories and 80% hands-on driving. Participants would be able to drive 1 of 12 factory-owned Ferrari F430 coupes at the open track of Mt. Tremblant for the entire duration of the course. For registration and more information, you may visit the Ferrari Driving School’s website