It's a fact that Nürburgring lap times have become something of a standard when it comes to comparing sports cars’ performance. Car & Driver magazine decided that it was impractical to conduct its annual Lightning Lap event in Germany as they had 20 cars to test, so its editors chose the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) as the U.S. equivalent of the ‘Ring.

While the 4.1-mile long track is one-third of the Nordschleife, it features more than 30 turns and elevation changes and, according to C&D, it makes for a demanding venue in which to test each car to its limits.

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Since time immemorial, word was that the only true sports car you could drive day-in, day-out, was the Porsche 911. Then the Audi R8 came along and joined its posher VW Group stable-mate, while Nissan introduced the GT-R, but that’s about it.

What about the Italians? Well, they’re a hoot to drive flat out on an autobahn, marvelous to look at, spine-tingling when you floor the throttle at the exit of a bend and apply opposite lock, for sure.

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We'll admit that, low-slung supercars with slots instead of normal rear windows and gearboxes that sometimes have a mind of their own aren't the easiest vehicles to parallel park.

Nevertheless, we think that this Ferrari driver had more than enough space to complete the parking maneuver if not with a single move, a couple at the most.

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Two if Italy's finest and newest supercars, the Pagani Huayra and the Ferrari F12berlinetta, came together at the Autodromo di Modena racetrack for a day of testing and high-speed chases, courtesy of Germany's SportAuto magazine.

The Huayra makes do with a mid-mounted 6.0-litre bi-turbocharged V12 engine sourced from Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, rated at 720hp (730PS) and 1,000Nm (737 lb-ft) for 0-100km/h (62mph) acceleration time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 360km/h (224mph).

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As the name suggests, Houston-based SeriousHP is a tuning firm with a knack for improving engine performance, and this is exactly the case with one of its latest offerings, a new Turbo Kit for the Ferrari 360 Modena.

Produced from 1999 through 2005, the stock version of Maranello's mid-engined supercar comes equipped with a naturally-aspirated 3.6-liter V8 pushing out 400hp (405PS).

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Celebrity hunting is what paparazzi do for a living. Sadly, it can also result in them perishing according to a report from TMZ, which was later confirmed by CBS Los Angeles.

The report said that a photographer was killed in Los Angeles while he was trying to snap pictures of Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari 458 Italia.

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In November 2011, we scooped a Ferrari California prototype with larger wheels and two triangular air intakes on its hood doing the rounds at the company’s test track in Italy.

At the time, we figured it could be a hotter version that would be introduced with the model’s 2012 update. While the California was indeed updated in key areas, there was no hotter variant in sight at its Geneva Motor Show debut.

Then, last summer, another “baby Ferrari” mule was caught, this time on film. The inlets were absent but the hood was visibly positioned higher and, more importantly, the distinctive hissing of turbochargers betrayed that there was something unusual hiding underneath.

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For its second project after the Maserati Quattroporte that was released earlier this summer, German sports car tuner CDC Performance has worked over the most affordable Ferrari model, the California hardtop roadster.

Beginning with the engine, CDC Performance introduces a supercharger system complete with intercooling, and a custom made exhaust system fitted with a valve to control the V8's noise levels, bumping output from 483hp (490PS) to 594hp (602PS), and torque from 505Nm (372 lb-ft) to 600Nm (443 lb-ft).

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When does a simple fender bender turn into an incident worthy of writing a post about? Well, duh, when it concerns a hot Italian supercar, of course.

While filming a dark colored Ferrari California driving with its top down on the busy streets of Cannes in the French Riviera, YouTube user Superlennyo was able to capture a white, older generation Renault Clio hatchback backing up, but not slowing down, until it scrapped the bumper of the Italian hardtop convertible.

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If there's one thing we never get tired of, it is watching exotic supercars in action, no matter how old they are.

The 458 Italia has long replaced the Ferrari F430, which was built from 2004 through 2009, but Maranello's previous offering in the segment remains an extremely fast car even by today's best standards.

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We all get excited once in a while, perhaps some more than others, but what you're about to see and…hear for yourself in this mobile phone footage is something beyond verbal explanation.

Nevertheless, we will try to give a basic outline. From what we can tell, a woman driving with her friend in a Renault Twingo, quite possibly in Spain judging by their accents (if we are wrong, tell us in the comments), spot a red Ferrari F430 Spider coming from behind.

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Sitting behind the wheel of a special Ferrari doesn't necessarily mean that you are actually going to be treated like royalty.

Case in point, Ferrari's exclusive FXX program that kicked off in 2005. For a paltry $1.8 million, 29 handpicked special clients could enter the program, which included a track-only racer based on the Enzo that's powered by a 6.2-litre V12 producing 848Hp (860PS) at 9,500rpm in Evoluzione trim.

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What started out as cool two wins over a presumably stock Nissan GT-R and a Speedart BTR 600 Porsche 911 Turbo (997) in a straight-line race from a rolling start for the Ferrari 458 Italia driver (see the videos here), quickly turned sour once he faced a couple of older, but evidently, heavily modified BMWs.

After being defeated by a late 1980s – early 1990s BMW M5 fitted with a turbocharged engine producing more than a 1,000 horsepower, the owner of the Italian supercar tried his luck against another tuned bimmer, this time, a supposedly tamer, late 1980s 3-Series Coupe E30.

Oh, how wrong he was…

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It's not every day that you see the all-conquering Nissan GT-R lose a speed race, even if said model happens to come from Maranello.

The Swedes at the M5Board forums recorded the race between the Godzilla and the Ferrari 458 Italia from a rolling start.

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