News Cars Update : Ferrari Recalls 2,600 Cars Worldwide Due To Faulty Airbags: Yes, It's Takata In Your Prancing Horse

Luxury car manufacturer Ferrari has issued a recall order for eight new models of its vehicles with price tags of $200,000 to over $1.4 million each due to the Takata airbags that are installed in them.

However, the recall order for the Ferrari vehicles is not due to the controversial defect of Takata airbags that are potentially fatal, which has resulted in a nationwide recall order of 34 million vehicles. The defective airbags can explode upon inflation, sending metal shrapnel into the cabin. This is a good thing for the car owners, as previous reports revealed that it could take months before the replacement airbag systems for cars suffering from such a defect can be provided.

The recall order issued by Ferrari is due to the improper installation of the Takata airbags, as they were installed in the vehicles at a wrong angle.

The wrongly installed airbags were discovered by Ferrari while tests were being done on the steering column of the 458 Italia, according to documents that were uploaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Italian luxury car maker, which is a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, discovered that the leather skin that covers the module of the airbag systems were improperly glued, along with the cushions of the airbags being installed in a wrong angle.

The improper installation will cause the airbags to be deployed with a rotated orientation, which could result in injury for the passenger's vehicles.

"The issue is a possible production defect in a component inside the air bags," said Krista Florin, a spokeswoman for Ferrari. The company has now issued the recall order for the affected vehicles so that the airbag systems can be replaced, she added. The replacements will be done at no cost to the customer.

No injuries or deaths have resulted from the issue covered by the recall order, Ferrari stated in the documents that it filed with the NHTSA.

Worldwide, the recall order affects 2,600 Ferrari vehicles, according to Florin, with the vehicles that have the defective Takata airbags being the 458 Italia, the 458 Speciale, the 458 Speciale A, the 458 Spider, the FF, the California T, the F12 Berlinetta and even the $1.4 million LaFerrari.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, July 19, 2015

News Sports Car Update : Eco Mustang’s Is Ready To Go Now

While purists probably cringe at the thought of a four-cylinder aluminum engine in Ford’s classic Mustang, this coupe strikes the delicate balance between performance and fuel economy.

It is an exhilarating car to drive that performs quite admirably. It is indeed, a horse of a different color and it certainly holds its own.

This 310-horsepower coupe (10 horsepower more than its V-6 model) cruises with speed to spare, only without the throaty exhaust sound of its V-6 and V-8 predecessors. The 6-speed manual transmission is a thrill to drive and gets the Ecoboost engine to 60 mph in second gear.

Drivers of other inline four-cylinder engines may need to get used to the potential for oversteering when popping this rear-wheel-drive bad boy into second gear and punching the accelerator.

The gas mileage is 22 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway, for an average of 26 mpg. The fuel cost savings versus the V-6 (17/28) and V-8 (15/25) is probably negated by the need for premium gasoline. But hey, it has Eco in its name so it’s good for the environment.

The Mustang’s newly revamped front and rear suspension coupled with the electronic stability control keeps this coupe calm even in evasive maneuvers. There’s also selectable-effort electric power-assisted steering, which takes some of the tension off its race car steering. Torque is transferred to its optionally equipped sleek 19-inch black-painted aluminum wheels.

The Mustang’s ebony colored Recaro seats are beautiful and comfortable. They’re generally worth the $1,595 up-charge, but it should be noted that they are fully manually adjusted and you’ll be missing out on the usually included heated and cooled seats. The back seats are comfy too, however not many passengers will enjoy climbing into the rear row of this four seater.


The gauge layout is simple, with classic rounded readouts for oil pressure, speed, RPMs and Ecoboost PSI. The GPS, like the rest seen in the Ford lineup so far, has an easy-to-use touchscreen that also controls the booming 390-watt Shaker Pro Audio System with a subwoofer in the trunk.

The test car sports a gorgeous deep green guard metallic paint job which is like a chameleon, looking black at some times and green at others. The front grille is black on black with Mustang ornament. It is equipped with pony projection, which casts a Mustang logo on the ground beneath the mirrors on the doors. The corners of the car are anchored with HID headlamps, and LED fog and tail lamps. Those features coupled with a dual bright-tipped exhaust enhances the distinguished look of this sports car.

The bottom line is that this Mustang delivers a great sports coupe experience with a little less giddy up.

Ford Mustang 2.3L i4 Coupe with Ecoboost
MSRP: $29,300
As Tested: $38,585
MPG: 22 city, 31 highway

Posted by Unknown Saturday, July 04, 2015