Ferrari plans to launch a new entry-level car -- the 21st century Dino, if you like -- according to this week's Autocar. The car will be powered by a Maserati-sourced 400bhp 4.2-litre engine, mid-front mounted and driving the rear wheels through a rear axle-mounted transmission.
The engine position is similar to that in Aston Martin's 911-killer, the V8 Vantage. And given the price, the new baby Ferrari looks like being an intriguing competitor.
It'll cost some £85,000 as a coupé, and sources say that it could lift Ferrari sales by some 3,000 to around 8,000. This suggests that Ferrari is the last of the big premium car marques to indulge in brand extension -- something its rivals have been happy to indulge in but which Ferrari has so far eschewed.
The car is dubbed Project California and will be based on the now-canned replacements for Maserati's Spider and Coupé models. Maserati stopped developing the cars just before the company found itself under Alfa Romeo's wing in February.
There's more in the magazine but not the Web site -- yet.