A Brief History of Ferrari Supercars, From the 288 GTO to the F80

Most terms in the automotive world have fixed definitions: a spark plug, a station wagon, etc.

A few, however, are a bit more slippery. At the tail end of the last millennium, the fastest, most powerful road cars went by a magnificent superlative: supercar. Here in the 21st Century, though, that name apparently seems banal; the term has found itself spread far and wide to describe any road car of a certain type of design and level of performance, no matter where in the lineup it lies, Nowadays, we call most machines at the top of the charts a hypercar.

But at the end of the day, the supercars of the 20th Century and the hypercars of today are the same thing: the tip of the spear for a car company, their greatest achievement of the era. The difference in names is an arbitrary decision, but by the standards of their respective decades, they mean the same thing.

For the purposes of this story, we’ll use the newer term where appropriate, to put the performance of those earlier models in a modern context. The LaFerrari, for example, is probably Ferrari’s first hypercar, unless you think the Enzo was, but the 288 GTO is not a hypercar, and it may not have even been a supercar but merely a sports car. What the 288 GTO, Enzo, LaFerrari, F40, F50, and F80 all have in common, though, is that they were and are Ferrari’s range-toppers. This is their history.

CaPQ pushes back on Quebec nationalism at Bromont event

CaPQ pushes back on Quebec nationalism at Bromont eventBy William Crooks Local Journalism Initiative The Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ) held a regional event titled “Staying Canadian” on Oct. 19 at the CNCB Velodrome in Bromont. The event, attended by approximately 25 people, was part of the party’s ongoing efforts to engage with residents of the Eastern Townships. Colin Standish, CaPQ co-leader, spoke on critical political issues and outlined his vision for Quebec’s future within Canada during an interview conducted shortly after the event. Standish emphasized the growing political tensions in Quebec, particularly concerning recent provincial legislation. “Bill 21, Bill 40, and Bill 96 really restructure our society and country in illegitimate ways,” he stated, criticizing both the provincial and federal governments for their roles. Standish argued that the federal government has not only stood by but actively “assisted the province of Quebec in dismantling the Canadian Constitution and the Charter.” Standish highlighted the potential for further constitutional crises, noting that these laws are likely to be contested in the Supreme Court in the coming years. He expressed concern about a possible Parti Québécois (PQ) government and a federal Conservative government lacking strong Quebec representation. “We’re heading into very dangerous waters,” he warned, stressing that these forces could lead to renewed debates on Quebec’s sovereignty. The event in Bromont featured various speakers, including Standish’s co-leader Myrtis Fossey and former Equality Party leader Keith Henderson. They discussed the possibility of an 11th province if Quebec’s sovereignty movement gains traction. Standish explained that, similar to past referendums, communities within Quebec might vote to remain part of Canada. “There’s a legal, legitimate, constitutional way to actually have these debates,” he said, advocating for a federal referendum to determine which areas of Quebec would choose to stay Canadian.

Louis Burton has had to abandon the Vendee Globe

Louis Burton has had to abandon the Vendee Globe

At around midday UTC Wednesday 4 December, Louis Burton (BUREAU VALLÉE) informed the Vendée Globe race management that he had to abandon the race.

He is heading towards Cape Town, which he should reach in around 36 hours.

While sailing in 16th place ahead of a depression, in brisk but manageable conditions, Burton suffered a sudden damage to a mechanical element of the rigging.

This meant he could no longer manoeuvre his boat. For 10 hours after that the skipper of Bureau Vallée searched for a solution to repair it. But his efforts have proven to be in vain.

After a careful analysis of the situation, even with the determination that characterises the skipper who finished third on the 2020-21 race, Burton has had to abandon the race.

After having repaired serious cracks in his boat alone at sea a fortnight ago this second major damage has substantially affected the integrity of his boat at a time when the weather conditions in the Southern Ocean are extremely demanding.

This decision was difficult to make but it is as a sailor who has two round the world races under his belt including that third place in the last Vendée Globe and fifteen years of experience on the IMOCA circuit and fifteen transatlantic races to his credit that Burton leaves the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe.

Both Ultim 3 foiling trimarans aborte their Jules Verne Trophy record attempts

Both Ultim 3 foiling trimarans aborte their Jules Verne Trophy record attempts

The Ultim 3 foiling trimarans of Thomas Coville’s Sodebo and Francois Gabart’s SVR-Lazartigue have both aborted their Jules Verne Trophy record attempts.

The two Ultim foiling trimarans which had set off on the 29/30 November 2024, on a Jules Verne Trophy around the world non-stop record attempt, are both returning to France after suffering damage on Tuesday 3 December.

Francois Gabart’s SVR-Lazartigue reported that the trimaran’s starboard foil was damaged with an ‘OANI’, or an unidentified animal or object, around 500 miles from the Azores.

Thomas Coville’s Sodebo also aborted their attempt on Tuesday 3 December, following damage to the  solenoid valve of the central hydraulic control  block.

Their trimaran is currently en route to the team Sodebo base in Lorient for repairs.

Chef Boyardee Statue in Omaha, Nebraska

Chef Boyardee Statue in Omaha, NebraskaOutside an otherwise nondescript office building for ConAgra Brands stands a life-size bronze statue of Ettore Boiardi, who Anglicized his name as Chef Hector Boyardee when he began selling his packaged spaghetti sauce and dinners. He sold Chef Boyardee Foods to American Home Products in 1946, and AHP's successor International Home Foods was bought in 2000 by food giant ConAgra, which started in Nebraska and whose headquarters were in Omaha at the time. This statue, by Omaha sculptor John Lajba, was erected in 2011 and was originally sited elsewhere in downtown Omaha. In 2017 it was moved to its current location outside the entrance to ConAgra's Charles M. "Mike" Harper Product Development Center. The statue has a seemingly identical twin, unveiled in 2013 outside the ConAgra plant in Milton, Pennsylvania, which has been producing Chef Boyardee products since 1938.

French start Jules Verne Trophy quest

French start Jules Verne Trophy quest With its crew of five men and one woman, the SVR-Lazartigue Trimaran, skippered by François Gabart, began its attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy this Saturday, the record for a crewed round-the-world trip, non-stop and without assistance. Read more on Sail-World

SailGP team rules

With the privately owned teams cherry picking talent from the established, it is clear that the SailGP team rules have been amended since Season 4. Initially with SailGP there was a strong attempt to have a strong nationalistic look to the League, with only one team being permitted per country, and to carry that nations flag. With the emergence and expansion of the League that stance is no longer viable with new privately funded national teams entering and trying to come up to speed against teams who have been sailing for several seasons. The situation is complicated by the fact that the SailGP schedule permits only limited practice time in the League serviced F50s - a very difficult situation for a new team trying to catch up. So to help close the gap between the teams, and make improve competition between all teams the nationality rules have been eased, allowing experienced sailors with the "wrong" passport to be brought into the team. Likewise it also allows established teams to bring in "Top Gun" crew who again may have the "wrong" passport, in an effort to improve team performance.