The four-seater FF has been facelifted and reworked in its second generation, and now bears a new name – GTC4Lusso.

The Ferrari GTC4Lusso is essentially a facelifted, retuned and reworked-on-the-inside FF– the only four-seater supercar from Maranello. The new name is in line with Ferrari’s latest trend of borrowing monikers from its glorious past, as seen with the 488GTB and the F12 TDF.

The GTC4Lusso gets several improvements over the FF. It is now more aerodynamic, with Ferrari claiming that its drag coefficient is “substantially lower” than that of its predecessor's. The aerodynamic improvements include a new front grille with integrated air intakes, new air vents on the rear wing, a new rear diffuser and a roof-mounted spoiler.

Though the engine in the GTC4Lusso is the same one that powered the FF, it has been tuned to produce an extra 29bhp, bumping the power output to 680bhp, reached at 8,000rpm. Peak torque of 71kgm is produced at 5,750rpm, but as much as 80 percent of it is available from as early as 1,750rpm. The engine will be mated to the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The extra power allows the GTC4Lusso to reach 100kph from a standstill in 3.4 seconds – that is 0.3 seconds faster than what the FF managed; top speed is unchanged at 335kph.

The GTC4Lusso retains the four-wheel-drive layout of the FF, but it also gets rear-wheel steering. The new and improved system has been christened 4RM-S. It has Ferrari’s Slip Slide Control setup integrated within it, and works in conjunction with the car’s electronic differential and dampers to improve handling and control.

The GTC4Lusso's cabin has also received several upgrades. It gets a new infotainment system developed by Delphi that has Apple CarPlay and a 10.25-inch screen. It gets Ferrari’s dual cockpit display, with the addition of a G-force meter in the instrument cluster. The steering wheel is smaller than that on the FF, and features more ergonomic controls. It also receives a recess in the centre console designed specifically to hold the key.

The GTC4Lusso will officially make its debut at the Geneva motor show, which is when we expect the carmaker to reveal information on the price.

Courtesy : Autocar

Force India protege Jehan Daruvala picked up his third victory in the 2016 Toyota Racing Series, going from fourth to first in a four-way battle on the restart to steal the win at Taupo.

The 16-year old Mumbaikar headed M2 teammates Lando Norris and Guan Yu Zhou.

Devlin DeFrancesco’s eighth place in Race 1 gave him reverse-grid pole position for Sunday's first race, but the Canadian's bid was over almost instantaneously – as he dropped behind Brendon Leitch off the line and subsequently slipped to the back of the field.

As Leitch took over out front, Daruvala settled into second, but was deposed by Ferrari junior Zhou on lap three.

By that point, Leitch was firmly in the lead with a three second advantage, but four laps later, the race was neutralised with a safety car for Rodrigo Baptista spinning off and coming to a halt.

The race got back underway with six laps remaining and Daruvala, running in fourth place behind Norris, subsequently sneaked past the trio ahead to take a surprise lead.

The Indian then proceeded to pull away from his chasers and was handed the win when a red flag soon after ended the race prematurely.

Courtesy :  Autocar

The open-top hatchback will arrive by April 2016 and will be sold as a CBU; Clubman to be launched later in the year.

In our November issue, we broke to you the news about the arrival in India of two new Minis, namely the New Clubman and the Mini Convertible. The carmaker has now confirmed the news with an official announcement.

The Convertible, as the name suggests, is the drop-top version of the classic hatchback that’s already on sale in India. It will be the only convertible version here amidst its competition, namely the Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes-Benz A-class, BMW 1-series and the Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione. It is set to arrive on our shores by April 2016 as a Completely Built Unit (CBU).

The Clubman is the biggest ‘Mini’ ever. The estate from the small car marque is unmistakably Mini in its styling, however, comes with the practicality of five proper seats and loads of storage space. It will be launched in its second-generation avatar and will be launched in India after the Mini Convertible. Internationally, the car is available with 1.5- and 2.0-litre petrol engines. However, the engine options on the India-bound car remain unknown.

Courtesy : Autocar