Ferrari the name brings to your mind red devils from Maranello – the
Mecca for every real Ferrarista in the world. But how about the
longest Ferrari in the world which is actually a limo, confused…?
It’s a creation of limo boss Dan Cowley; who also owns the astonishing
‘Terminator’, the ten wheeled Hummer (Europe’s longest stretch Hummer)
and a former McLaren carbon fiber expert Chris Wright. It’s made from
a Ferrari 360 Modena chopped in half and stretched by 9.5ft with a
section of hand-built carbon fiber. The duo decided to challenge the
opinion of American limo builders that a stretch Ferrari was
impossible to build because traditional conversions use steel beams,
which would make it too heavy.
After consulting Ferrari engineers and drawing up detailed plans for a
hi-tech carbon fiber conversion, a suitable donor car was found. The
car was a black ‘04 model 360 Modena with an F1 paddle gear box,
which had covered 30,000 miles. It was then delicately cut in half
and for over the next eight months the carbon panels were designed
and built.
And now, the 20 feet long car, which only seats eight person, is all
set to enter the Guinness Book Of World Records for the two records-
The fastest Limousine and the Longest Ferrari.
With a top speed of nearly 170 mph, the 3.6 liter V8 engine
accelerates the car from 0 to 60 mph in less than six seconds. The
passengers climb-in through hydraulically powered 9ft long gull-wing
doors to sit into the carbon fiber racing seats equipped with full
five-point harnesses.
Alike the original, the V8 engine is visible through the rear glass
window. Just for some extra safety, surplus crash protection bars and
carbon roll over hoops have been installed. The brakes and gear box
are all typical but the suspension has been upgraded to survive with
the added weight and to automatically raise the body while tackling
speed bumps.
To put in some luxury, a 10-inch flat screen monitor which relays
images from cameras mounted on the outside of the vehicle is attached
between each pair of seats. A six speaker surround sound system and
slimline DVD have also been built in.
Although average won’t be a criteria here for it’s a luxury oriented
drive, yet to please the odds the car gives an average of 15mpg on
the motorway, which is credible considering the weight. The
incarnation will debut in the Limousine & Chauffeur Show 2007 at
the Birmingham NEC commencing the 16th of September.
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