Yes, even Ferrari is talking about the environment at this year's Detroit show. The Italian company showed an F430 Spider covered in "Bio Fuel" decals and stated their commitment to using E85 ethanol fuel.
The ultimate goal is to cut emissions by forty percent by 2012. The company stresses that they will make this happen without compromising performance. On the F430 Spider, the fuel system and the engine control unit are modified to handle the ethanol fuel. With these changes, the Ferrari gains 10 hp along with a four percent boost in torque. On top of that, CO2 emissions fall by five percent when ethanol fuel is used. We see this as the first step - a baby step - for the company and we expect more changes in the future including the use of lighter weight components, direct injection, and possibly smaller displacement engines supplemented by turbochargers.
Ferrari also took some time in the Motor City to announce 2007 sales figures. Worldwide sales were around 6400 units while dealers in the Americas peddled 1851 cars. Not surprisingly, California took the top spot in sales by state at twenty-seven percent of the year's total.