B 4 - The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y July 31, 2002 B U T WHEELS · OAKVILLE Engine is heart of new 575M Maranello The arrival of the Ferrari 575M Maranello hails a whole new level of achievement for Ferrari's hugely suc cessful V12 front-engined sports berlinetta concept. It represents a further leap forward in the development of the 550 Maranello, a car generally considered to be one of the marque's most popular models ever. As with all Ferraris, the heart of the new car is the engine. In this case, the 575 is the abbreviation of its effective displacement, which has been increased to around 5,750 cc. The 'M' Maranello not only links the new model to its predecessor, the 550 Maranello, it also stands for 'modificata' (Italian for modified), meaning that all round performance has been improved, particularly by the introduction of the company's legendary Ferrari FI gearchange in a road-going Ferrari V12 for the first time. The styling of the 575M Maranello was entrusted to Ferrari's long-time cre ative partner Pininfarina. The balanced lines and sober design that made the 550 Maranello an "instant classic" when it first appeared, have been left largely untouched. The modifications made to the origi nal forms are subtle and are designed to meet specific technical requirements. The 575M Maranello's new V12 engine was designed to increase both power and torque right across the rev range, for even sportier power delivery, quicker response times in all conditions and improved driving pleasure. The result was an increase in maximum power to 515 hp at 7,250 rpm, and in maximum torque to 435 lb/ft. The new car boasts a perfect weight distribution of 50 per cent over both front and rear axles with the driver on board. This occurs as a result of the rear transaxle layout, with the gearbox in unit with the limited-slip differential and situated in the same casing as the beveltype final drive. This is a six-speed gearbox with new multi-cone synchronizers. In fact, syn chronization has been completely reviewed and improved to guarantee quicker gearshifts during more assertive driving. In addition to manual shifting, the new 575M Maranello's transmission also has the FI gearchange, developed directly from the marque's experience on the Formula 1 tracks. The driver has two main manual shift modes - Sport or ComfortRegular - to choose from, using a button on the con sole, and these are both integrated with similar corresponding suspension damp ing management and electronic traction control settings. One major improvement in the 575M Maranello's handling has been accom plished by introducing the new high per formance adaptive damping system, based on four proportioning valve shock absorbers and six sensors which inde pendently read body and suspension The latest in the Maranello line o f Ferrari super grand tourers, the 575M, enhances the 550M, already considered a classic. movements and instantly relay the infor mation to the CPU. Thanks to the speedy response of the Mannesmann proportioning valve shock absorbers (80 ms compared to 180 ms for traditional shocks), the system can "read" the type of road surface the car is travelling over (uneven, smooth, dirt) and instantly adapt the suspension for improved in-car comfort. The 575M Maranello also boasts a sensor that enables the driver to check tire pressures in normal day-to-day driv- ing, courtesy of a dial on the console. While still remaining faithful to the original 550 Maranello concept of in-car comfort and quality of life on board, the interior of the 575M Maranello has been completely redesigned to give it a more sporting, functional ambiance. The main dials are now contained in one single group in the driver's direct line of sight with the large metal-ringed rev counter taking pride of place in the centre. The console directly in front of the driver hosts the ancillary indicators, Gimmicks. No Giveaways. Lowest prices of the year!0 Jay Lockwood, Owner £ t including the clock and tire pressure gauge. In keeping with Ferrari practice, the 575M Maranello can be personalized to taste. Thanks to the wide range of options available from the Carrozzeria Scaglietti program, owners can now extensively modify the style, kit and functionality of their car to suit their own preferences.and an efficient satel lite navigation system. The flexibility of the Carrozzeria Scaglietti program means that Ferrari can noW create customized colours from a sample sup plied by the client. Every last upholstery detail in the cabin can also be dyed to suit individual require ments using a linedrawing o f the interior as a guide. P e r s o n a liz e d stitching, featuring contrasting colours, different thicknesses and stitch sizes, is also possible. e must the 2002s - 2003s are arriving soon Nissan expands truck plant Nissan will expand its new assembly plant in Canton, Miss., in order to increase its North American manu facturing capaci tyNissan will invest $500 mil lion to add 1 million-square feet to the 2.5 mil lion-square foot plant, currently under construc tion. This new investment will increase the plant's annual production capac ity from 250,000 vehicles to 400,000 vehicles and add approxi mately 1,300 new jobs to the plant's workforce. The expansion in Canton will accommodate the additional pro duction of Nissan Altima, which will continue to be built at Nissan's plant in Smyrna, Tenn. In Canton, Nissan will build full-size pick up trucks, full-size sport utility vehi cles for the Nissan and Infiniti lines, and the next genera tion Nissan Quest minivan. Production of the first vehicle is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2003; production of the Altima is planned to begin in Canton in the spring of 2004. AUGUST 3 AUGUST 5 All vehicles windshield priced for your No Charge 7yr/l 15,000km per year Powertrain Warranty OSED p urchase fin a n c in g NO PAYMENTS FOR 90 DAYS* O N S E LE C TE D M O D E L S A _ convenience. Browse over the weekend and V I come in Tuesday to make your best deal. ANNOUNCED! 13,000 Cash Savings' on selected m odels. ISOver THE TIME TO BUY! LOWEST PRICES OF THE SEASON! the kilometres on your current lease? We can help! In-stock vehicles only GOLD K e y -- 175 W y e c ro ft R oad # O akville 9 0 5 .8 4 5 .6 6 5 3 (b e tw e e n Kerr & D orval) FIVE STAR Q EW ^ Oakville's 2000 · 2001 Five Star Certified Dealership ^