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New Ferrari high-performance coupe for 2006

The upcoming replacement for the Ferrari 575M Maranello -- designated the 600 Imola (for the famed Italian racetrack) -- is undergoing extensive engineering and preproduction testing. The new Ferrari is slated to arrive in 2006.

The high-performance two-seater coupe will share a 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine with the recently released Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, mounted in front and driving the rear wheels. In the Imola, the engine is expected to develop about 600 horsepower. Sources in Europe say the new car is longer and wider, with a larger cabin and more cargo space.

The 600 Imola will feature aluminum body panels on a lightweight space-frame chassis and will borrow liberally from the architecture of the 612 Scaglietti. Designed by Pininfarina, the Imola will add an open Barchetta (convertible) variant in 2007-08.

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