Ferrari F450 Mule Caught

There's a Ferrari under there! We've got a good look at it too. Ferrari isn't a company known for leaks but certainly not ones with this much of the car undisguised. Thanks to Brenda Priddy & Company, the replacement for the current F430 has been quite revealingly caught.

Definitely is no small makeover of the current car! Ferrari looks like it's going in for what is arguably the brand's most important model. The transition from 360 to F430 wasn't as huge; they both retained the same chassis and the overall shape wasn't a radical departure.

It looks like Ferrari wants to give the F450 a decidedly more exotic persona then the current F430. I see Enzo in there (espessially along the rear end) along with some Mille Chili Concept and a bit of Lotus Evora thrown in for good measure.  

From the rendering, it looks a bit bland but of course we'll have to wait and see the production vehicle to offer final judgement. Although the renderings does looks pretty close to the mark based off the spyshots found over at AutoExpress.

My favorite of the latest Ferraris has got to be the California. The name, the design - everything! That's the Ferrari I'd pick right now if given the chance. As such, I've got to include just one picture.....

The new F450, as it's name implies, gets a bump up in engine displacement from 4.3 to 4.5 litres and HP increase to 500HP. Mated to the more powerful engine is the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission found in the California.

That should help Ferrari position the car to better compete with Lamborghini's Gallardo. Compete is an interesting word though. Do people really cross shop Ferrari and Lamborghini? I'm inclined to think in this segment people already have prefrences, but I digress.

Rumor has it that the F450 could be the first production Ferrari to employ the Kenetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) used in it's F1 racing car program.

It's an amazing system, converting energy created while braking into extra power. I'm keen to see it implemented on a production car! Ferrari turning to something that will help the car be more efficient? Wow, we really do live in interesting times.

The car will most likely make it's debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Stay tuned! Hopefully there will be some more spy shots of the car as we lead up to the launch.