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Ferrari reports fewer sales, more profit to prove strategy is working

Ferrari's angle of emphasizing exclusivity by limiting deliveries is appearing to bear fruit. The company posted a 7.1-percent increase in revenues to 1.7 billion Euros ($2.2 billion at today's exchange rates) during the first half of 2013. Net profits, meanwhile, saw a jump of 20 percent to 116.2 million Euros ($153.5 million). The Prancing Horse delivered 3,767 cars, which, while an increase of 2.8 percent, represents a rate of growth that's slower than in the first quarter of 2013.
While Ferrari may be actively trying to slow its sales down to below 7,000 in 2013, it's seen increased numbers in the US, Great Britain and Germany, along with double-digit growth in the Middle East and Japan (39 percent and 28 percent, respectively).
The move to limit sales should have a greater impact on the numbers that come in later this year, which we told you about back in May. Ferrari's controversial move has already seen a drop in sales to China, which saw 50 fewer Prancing Horses than this time last year.

Ferrari developing V-twin motorcycle engine?

When we read reports that Ferrari had applied for a patent on a V-twin engine design, our first thought was to check the date: this says the first of October, right... not April? And so here we are, entertaining the notion that Ferrari could be developing a motorcycle engine.
The report comes from Autocar, which claims to have dug up the application to patent the design for an "internal combustion engine having two cylinders, which are arranged in a 'V' configuration." In other words, a motorcycle engine. The application reportedly goes on to describe a balancing shafts to reduce vibration. Our own research did not lead us to find the application in question, so we'll have to take it with a grain of salt for the moment. But supposing it's all on the up and up, and that Ferrari was actually developing a motorcycle engine. Would that be so out of the ordinary?
Well, yes and no. Parent company Fiat, which is taking increased direct control of Ferrari, is undoubtedly looking at rival Volkswagen and its recent acquisition of Ducati (putting it in close proximity to Lamborghini) and would be keen to get in on that action. However tenuous the relationship, Lotus has also recently authorized a motorcycle bearing its name. And of course automakers like BMW and Honda, with which Ferrari has competed on and off the race track, also make motorcycles.

Ferrari F150 Enzo successor is Geneva bound [UPDATE]

Ferrari has announced the automaker will debut the company's "most powerful HyperFerrari [sic]" at this year's Geneva Motor Show. The news came courtesy of Instagram, where the Italian automaker posted a familiar-looking rendering with a quick note. Details are still remarkably scarce, though Ferrari says the successor to the Enzo throne will be able to "turn into a corner" as quick as a Formula One car thanks in part to the fact that the road-going machine will feature as much downforce as an F1 competitor. From what we've heard so far, the Enzo replacement will boast over 800 horsepower from the combination of a V12 engine and a HY-KERS system.
We've already heard some interesting tidbits about the new machine, including the fact that each model will come with a driver's seat tailor made for the buyer. Ferrari says we can also expect to see a quicker 0-120 mph sprint than the old Enzo with 40 percent fewer emissions. Stay tuned for live photos from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
UPDATE: After some looking into it, Ferrari does not appear to have an official Instagram account, or at least doesn't list one alongside its other official social accounts. We're of the mind now that what appeared on this Instragram is not officially from the Horse's mouth.