Ferrari are going to be using their traffic lights system which gave them heaps of troubles during their 2008 season. After having some severe issues which could have contributed to Massa’s loss of the championship, they switched to the traditional lollipop system for the last 3 races. After investigation and some fixing of some bugs, the traffic lights are coming back.

Hopefully for the Ferrari pit team, they’ll avoid their 100 metre sprint down the pit lane this next season. Having said that, I’m semi-hoping that we’ll see a repeat of the amusing scenes of the team trying to get in on the track racing action themselves.

Ferrari are going to launch their new F1 car for the forthcoming season on 12 January, the earliest of all the constructors. Toyota and Mclaren will follow on the 15 and 16 January.

New 2009 regulations are in effect and are expected to be visible on the new cars. These will be aerodynamic modifications. Slick tyres are also going to be permitted for the new season.

Mercedes SLR Speedster special

Chances are, you won’t see many of these… This limited edition model with only 75 being made available to current SLR owners will blow your socks off, and quite possibly your hair. Production for this one will start in June through till December, and will get you from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

You might think that this is primarily a track car, with the ergonomic elegance and the lack of windscreen, however the interior is lavish. For the racers though, the brakes are particularly good and the aerodynamics ensure that handling is decent.

It will be interesting to see a review when someone gets their hands on one, as this is an intriguing car specimen!

BMW Z4 with metal roof down

BMW have announced that their new Z4 due out in May will have a metal folding roof, as opposed to its soft-top or coupe form that it’s currently in. Obviously this will add a bit of weight, and with the added extra length and size of the 2009 BMW Z4, it might hinder the handling.

Either way, it looks like its a worthy addition for the sun seekers out there ready to tool up for the summer! Let’s hope we’ll get some decent weather first eh?

Ford Focus RS Official Shot

After seeing a concept of this new Focus hot hatch in the summer, Ford have released an official photo of the new Focus RS. It looks as you’d imagine on hearing the name, and has a top speed of around 155mph, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, using the engine’s 300bhp.

With a revolutionary new suspension system included, the Ford Focus RS should cost less than £25k but we’ll have to wait until nearer the spring to find out, when it’s released on general sale.