The options are:

Model Year Ferrari Genuine Accessories available Fitted price (from) *

Pre-2008: Handling, Exhaust and Aesthetic kits £17,213

Post-2008: Handling, Performance, Exhaust and Aesthetic kits £19,703

* Final price will depend on specific kits required and model year of car. All prices are excluding VAT.

To demonstrate the enhancements offered by this exciting addition to the Ferrari Genuine Accessories range, the attached video and images of a 599 GTB Fiorano fitted with the HGTE package should convince existing owners to consider upgrading their cars to this new specification. The video and images are available free of copyright for editorial use only.

The full specification of each kit is detailed below:

1) Handling, includes:

* Lower suspension (10mm)
* New magnetorheologically controlled suspension calibration for the Manettino SPORT and RACE configurations
* More rigid suspension springs (front + 17%, rear + 15%)
* More rigid rear anti-roll bars (diameter increased to 25mm)
* HGTE specific tyres with improved compound (8% more grip)
* 3-piece modular rims with reduced weight (forged spokes) and special new design

2) Performance (only available for post-2008 cars, from engine no. 122779), includes:

* New exhausts silencers with two-tone finish tailpipes
* Enhanced F1 gearshift actuation, with response times reduced to 85ms
* New accelerator logic with modified mapping for improved throttle response

N.B. The Performance kit cannot be installed on cars with manual gearboxes.

3) Exhaust, includes:

* New exhausts silencers with two-tone finish tailpipes

The Exhaust kit is designed for:

* vehicles that cannot receive the software updates listed in the Performance kit since the engine was produced before assembly number 122779 (pre-2008)
* all cars with manual gearboxes
* clients who are only interested in modifying the styling and sound of their own cars

N.B. The Exhaust kit is included in the Performance kit, for cars post-2008.

4) Aesthetic, includes:

* New design front grille with a special chromatic treatment
* Burnished finish to Prancing Horse symbols on the front grill and rear boot lid

Presenting the concept of an uncompromisingly sporting two-seater to be seen for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show (17–27 September 2009), MINI is unveiling an unusually attractive vision of how the model family may well develop in future. The source of inspiration is once again the fundamental motive so characteristic of every MINI: driving pleasure. The MINI Coupé Concept therefore represents the ideal of a car destined in every respect to offer a thrilling experience and make every journey a truly unique thrill.

The MINI Coupé Concept brings together a wide range of features for a truly sporting and ambitious style of motoring. Limited to two seats and following a philosophy of consistent lightweight construction, the car clearly meets all the requirements made of a particularly active and dynamic coupé. Compact dimensions, perfect axle load distribution and a low centre of gravity offer ideal conditions for enhancing the agility typical of MINI to a level never seen before.

Through its design alone, the MINI Coupé Concept brings out all the thrill of individual mobility and the focus on pure driving pleasure. Powerful proportions and dynamic design language evoke a sense of desire and strong appeal, the MINI Coupé Concept offering a particularly undiluted expression of the brand through its sporting and unconventional stance on the road.

The MINI Coupé Concept: an invitation to enjoy spontaneous mobility.

With the growing model portfolio, the popularity of the MINI brand has also grown consistently in recent years. The MINI has moved beyond the restraints of urban mobility, opening up additional options and winning over new target groups. And MINI allows you to enjoy spontaneous mobility, sporting and agile handling and unmistakable style on virtually every occasion.

The current models in the range already meet the most varied demands. As individual characters in their own right, the MINI, MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible all offer a unique rendition of the driving experience so typical of the brand. And now the MINI Coupé Concept brings out driving pleasure in its most concentrated form, extreme lightweight technology making this two-seater particularly agile and unusually efficient. At the same time the low roofline, the precisely defined spoiler edge at the rear and other aerodynamic features enhance the car’s performance to an even higher standard. So that in its design and in the use of high-performance drivetrain technology, the MINI Coupé Concept offers ideal conditions as a compact sports car in the premium segment.

The price of the Rapide will start from $199,950 in the US which features an impressive level of standard specification including: Bang & Olufsen Beosound audio system tailored specifically for Rapide, heated memory seats, dual cast brakes and Adaptive Damping System.

The Rapide is Aston Martin’s first production four-door sports car encapsulating the practicality of a car with extra doors and fusing it with the trademark sports car dynamics synonymous with modern Aston Martins.

Customer deliveries will commence in spring 2010, and it will be the first sports car to be hand-built at the Aston Martin Rapide Plant (AMRP) in Graz, Austria. The new 17,000 m2 building has been designed to reflect the quality levels established in Gaydon since 2003 permitting the fusion of modern technology, advanced manufacturing processes and handbuilt craftsmanship. Each Rapide will take approximately 220 man hours to build and will benefit from timeless craft skills just like the existing range: DBS, DB9, V12 and V8 Vantage do at Gaydon.

It is anticipated that +- 2,000 Rapides will be built in the first year attracting a high proportion of new customers to the brand. Core to this trend is the mix of huge attention to detail throughout the car, ample accommodation for up to four adults and the spacious trunk while maintaining Rapide’s elegant beauty and sports car profile.

The Rapide is on sale now available to order from the Aston Martin dealership network across North America.

 Grâce au DUAL-S, vous pouvez recevoir à partir du satellite ASTRA, les chaînes disponibles en numérique, notamment celles de CANAL+ LE BOUQUET, de CANALSAT, ainsi que toutes les chaînes en HD pour lesquelles vous avez souscrit un abonnement.

Les principales caract̩ristiques techniques du DUAL-S: РR̩solution 1080 X 1920 Р1 sortie HDMI vid̩o et audio (Dolby Digital 5.1) Р1 sortie audio num̩rique RCA (Dolby Digital 5.1)

De plus, prochainement, le décodeur DUAL-S permettra d’enregistrer, notamment en Haute Définition, tous les programmes diffusés en HD sur un disque dur externe certifié CANAL+/CANALSAT :

- dans une qualité d’image incomparable,

- avec une grande simplicité d’utilisation,

- tout en regardant un autre programme simultanément,

- en contrôlant le direct.

Pour profiter de ces avantages, il vous suffit de relier votre décodeur DUAL-S à ce disque dur externe certifié CANAL+/CANALSAT via un câble USB. A noter : Seule l’utilisation de ce disque dur externe certifié CANAL+/CANALSAT vous permet d’enregistrer un programme et d’en regarder un autre simultanément.

 Tous ces nouveaux programmes TV seront disponibles en Haute Définition pour les clients équipés du décodeur Neuf TV HD, sous réserve d’éligibilité à la haute définition.

Ce label (HDReady) définit, entre autre choses, la connectique car, pour recevoir cette fameuse télévision, il va falloir des boîtiers spéciaux, hors récepteurs satellites, qui sont dotés d’une prise numérique. Le téléviseur doit en être équipé, et il doit accepter les protections, car les émissions haute définition, et surtout les films, vont être protégés contre la copie.

La télévision haute définition n’est pas seulement synonyme d’image plus nette : de nombreuses émissions TVHD offrent un son Dolby Digital à six canaux (5.1) pour une expérience sonore enveloppante à la hauteur de la qualité visuelle.

 A suivre…