Wednesday 9th May 2012

Ferrari recalls V8 engines...

...but only a very small number are affected

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So is the bloke who discovered the fact the calibrations were out on the milling machine that makes crankshafts for Ferrari's 4.5-litre V8 engine a hero for discovering the fact or now wearing concrete socks for bringing shame to the name? Who knows but the fact remains that a very small number of Ferrari Californias and 458 Italias are being recalled for a minor warranty repair.

Tyre smoke? Or something more ominous?

OK, not that minor. The engines need a new crankshaft, a two- to three-day job down at your local (official, natch) Ferrari emporium.

Ferrari is quick to point out that it discovered the fault internally and only 206 engines out of a total 13,000 or so produced so far were assembled with the miscalibrated crank. Of these apparently six 458s and 10 Californias are here in the UK and their owners will shortly be receiving letters 'inviting' them to come and have their crankshaft replaced at Ferrari's cost. There have been no reported failures yet but Ferrari admits that under extreme use there is a risk of engine seizure so it's taking no chances.

[Mermaid]

Shows how reliable a Ferrari is.

In the yesteryears no one would have been surprised if an engine blew up