Porfirio Rubirosa, racer of Ferraris, playboy on a world stage, and gifted with a B25 for his private plane

Digging out his Ferrari 250 gt

In a Ferrari Mondail at Santa Barbara

The son of the Dominican Republic's ambassador to France, he was fluent in 3 languages but conversant in 2 more, raced Ferraris, played polo well, dated the most famous women in the world of which some were royalty, and pulled it all of because he was that damn charming and suave. He even enjoyed the time when he was being chased by the FBI because they thought that he was some sort of a spy for the Dominican dictatorship due to his high-style life and mysteries. According to those FBI files, he was the muse for Ian Fleming to create the James Bond character.

Think Errol Flynn in his prime with aspirations to a global scale of bedding women with million dollar bank accounts, partying with world leaders, and enjoying the life of the rich and famous. He pulled it off in part because the dictator of the Dominican Republic was his first (of 5 marriages) father in law and titled him with "Inspector of Embassies" so he had travel and international access to any country. Diplomatic immunity too.

He schtupted Zsa Zsa Gabor, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Kim Novak, and Eva Perón... but married 5 times and 2 were relative billionaires Barbara Hutton inherited the Woolworth fortune, and Doris Duke "world's richest girl" (you oughta read her bio, stunning life http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Duke )

She was so rich it was said she paid his wife, Danielle Darrieux, $1 million to agree to an uncontested divorce. Because of her great wealth, Duke's marriage to Rubirosa attracted the attention of the U.S. State Department, which cautioned her against using her money to promote political agendas, and they pointed out that in case of her death, a foreign government could gain too much leverage. Thus Rubirosa had to sign a pre-nuptial agreement; during the marriage, though, she gave Rubirosa several million dollars in gifts, including a stable of polo ponies, sports cars, a converted B-25 bomber, and, in the divorce settlement, a 17th-century house in Paris. She had affairs with Gen. Patton and Errol Flynn.

Read more at http://www.observer.com/node/37662 or http://vanguardink.com/2010/06/05/45th-anniversary-of-porfirio-rubirosas-death/

thanks to reader JohnDandy who guessed that this guy was the one to gift Rita Hayworth with the Ghia bodied Cadillac (it was some prince who did that)

Ferrari education 101: This is a 458 Italia, this is what it does (no, I'm not a rated G site for the kids, I'm Just A Car Guy, you've read the title)

Any questions?

Thanks to Mike for the email of this one!

Mansory's Ferrari 458 Italia

Mansory's products are always eye-catching (if not necessarily attractive), whether they be a clear coat carbon Aston Martin named Cyrus or that silly pink Bentley. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. That being said, allow me to introduce you to the Siracusa. Rant and rave in the comments below.

Underneath all the new and revised carbon fiber body panels (now with more louvers!) is a Ferrari 458 Italia. Named after a Sicilian raceway, the Siracusa has received a respiratory performance boost to 590 horsepower / 434 kW and 560 Nm / 413 lb-ft representing gains of + 20 hp and + 20 Nm / 15 lb-ft over the standard model.
Thanks to the bump in power and drop in weight, Mansory claims the car will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and attain a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).
The Siracusa rides on 20- and 21-inch wheels (f/r) sheathed in Michelins, while inside is the same old tuner car song: carbon fiber, leather, and ultra-suede. Also, a new suspension setup lowers the car 20 mm. Next!
 

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VIDEO: New Ferrari FF

With the recently unveiled all-wheel drive FF (as in Ferrari Four), Ferrari has opened a new chapter in its history. And to prove that they’re confident in the modern “breadvan’s” 4x4 capabilities, the Italians have released a series of photos with the FF being driven on snowy roads. Now, a new video has surfaced on Youtube showing the exotic GT as it’s put through its paces on snow once again. While there’s no impressive sideways action involved, this is the clearest footage of the FF yet. Hit the jump to see the video.
We’ll remind you that the FF is replacing the 612 Scaglietti and it’s the first ever all-wheel drive model to be manufactured by Ferrari. Boasting a 6.3-liter V12 engine producing 660HP, the FF is said to complete the 0-to-100 km/h dash in just 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). The FF will make its first official public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

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Credo E-Bone Designer Takes on the Ferrari Enzo

Remember the humorously named yet somewhat plausible Credo E-Bone? It was a design study for a hydrogen powered bus from Hungarian artist Peter Simon, and with a name like "E-Bone", who could forget?
Well, Simon is back, only this time he's taking on something a little more exotic than public transport: he's envisioning the next generation of Ferrari's legendary Enzo. An ambitious task, though one the Hungarian takes on with a plomb.
With more of his trademark organic styling and a design philosophy that both incorporates and rebuffs Ferrari's past and present models, Simon's Enzo is a wonder to behold. From the look of it, Simon's Enzo was hatched, not styled. I can't help but be reminded of the Mitsuoka Orochi: another organically-styled sports car with love it or hate it styling.
A successor to the original Enzo, of which just 400 were produced between 2002 and 2004, has long been rumored though never confirmed by the Italian automaker itself. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit: Peter Simon's Enzo is an interesting response to that brief.

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Ferrari Four put through the paces at Bolocco in the dark

 

 

You can bet dollars to donuts that when Ferrari brings a new car to market, it’s undergone a ridiculously thorough testing regimen. That applies whether it’s developing a coupe, a convertible or even a station wagonshooting brake, as we saw with the release of the new FF.

Especially the FF, as it turns out, as the new four-seater from Maranello represented a number of firsts for Ferrari. It has an all-new engine, incorporating the HELE system for the first time, coupled with a completely new kind of all-wheel drive system, and mounted into a body-style that was previously the exclusive purview of custom coachbuilders.

In short, the Ferrari Four is nothing like they’ve ever made before, and so – as you can see from the video after the jump – thorough testing was required. Which is exactly what was carried out at a number of race tracks, test tracks and proving grounds. In this case, it’s the Centro Sperimentale Bolocco in Italy. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.