1995 Ferrari F355b Berlinetta Coupe Black Six Speed Coupe 355 on 2040-cars

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Top tier supercars go for top dollar at RM Sotheby's Pinnacle Portfolio auction

Ferraris continue to rake in money during classic car auctions, and the sale of RM Sotheby's Pinnacle Portfolio collection during Monterey Car Week is only further proof of that. The Prancing Horse grabbed four of the top five spots among the 25 vehicles crossing the block. The leader among them was a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM with an extensive racing history that went for $17.6 million, according to the company's unofficial numbers sent to Autoblog. The only vehicle to keep Ferrari from locking out the top five was a 1998 McLaren F1 LM-Specification that went for $13.75 million. It's claim to fame included being the second-to-last road version of these famous supercars built. Plus, the coupe is only one of two with the LM spec package, which included the 680-horsepower racing version of the V12. Showing more modern Ferraris are also appreciating, a 2005 Enzo went for $6.05 million, taking third place. This example was the last one ever made and was originally gifted by the company to Pope John Paul II. However, he had the car sold for charity. Similarly special, fourth went to a 1994 F40 LM racecar for $3.3 million. Finally, a 1967 275 GTB/4 rounded out the top five also at $3.3 million. Amazingly, the vehicles in the Pinnacle Portfolio came from just one person who the company only identified as a "private US-based gentleman collector." Check out the gallery to see all 25 rolling across the block, including a Toyota 2000GT, Porsche 959, and Jaguar XJ220.

Ferrari 458 Scuderia to be unveiled in Frankfurt?

We're heavy on the speculative side with this, but Auto Express is saying that "Rumours of Ferrari 458 Scuderia emerge, with possible debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show." To be clear, that's the possible debut of a car that is still only a rumor, and we're not sure it will be called "Scuderia," either - remember, the track-day 360 was the Challenge Stradale. Admittedly, the rumor of its existence is strong and there is plenty of precedent: Ferrari has introduced some model or variant of its mid-engined V8 sports car at the last three Frankfurt Motor Shows.
Car and Driver went into a great deal of indepth speculation about the coming, track-focused 458 in a piece back in May, and also predicted it would be shown first in Frankfurt. According to C/D we can expect "roughly 600" horsepower and 9,300-rpm redline - up 300 rpm from standard - a faster shifting seven-speed gearbox, a dry weight under 2,900 pounds thanks to "exotic compound materials" and a "slightly stripped interior," less exhaust silencing, uprated carbon-ceramic brakes and active aerodynamics on the rear diffuser.
As far as rumors go this one sounds thoroughly lovely. We hope to see it in made metal in Frankfurt in two months, you can enjoy a detailed gallery of the 563-horsepower Ferrari 458 Challenge above for now.

Jules Bianchi was supposed to replace Raikkonen at Ferrari

Formula One lost one of its budding talents when Jules Bianchi sadly succumbed to his injuries just days ago. But few knew just how promising his future looked prior to the crash that ultimately took his life. Luca di Montezemolo did, though. In a tribute written for Italy's Gazzetto dello Sport, the former Ferrari chairman revealed that Bianchi had been earmarked to eventually replace Kimi Raikkonen. "Jules Bianchi was one of us," wrote Montezemolo. "He was a member of the Ferrari family and was the racing driver we had chosen for the future, once the collaboration with Kimi Raikkonen came to an end." The news may come as something of a surprise, but doesn't come entirely out of left field. Bianchi had been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy development program. He rose up through the ranks of the feeder formulae largely with ART Grand Prix, the team run by Nicholas Todt, son of the former Ferrari chief and FIA president. He served as a test driver for the Scuderia in 2011, and scored his first and only F1 championship points driving a Ferrari-powered Marussia at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix. He stood in for Kimi at Ferrari during a test session at Silverstone (where he was pictured above), but tragically crashed during the Japanese Grand Prix, and finally succumbing over this past weekend to the injuries he sustained in the collision nine months prior. Bianchi "would be the one driving for Ferrari after the experience in GP2 and after some fine performances in F1 and in some tests that had our technicians very impressed," wrote Montezemolo. "A bitter destiny has instead taken him away from us, leaving an indelible mark and a great pain inside us." Bianchi is scheduled to be interred on Tuesday in the French Riviera city of Nice, just down the coast from where he made his mark last year. And, in a touching tribute, the FIA has said it will retire the number 17 from the F1 World Championship. The tragic loss leaves Ferrari searching for another driver to replace Raikkonen. The Finnish driver won the championship for Maranello in 2007, was shown the door in 2010, returned to F1 with Lotus in 2012, but has struggled to find his form again. Last season he finished a lamentable twelfth, but has shown better form this season with a second-place finish in Bahrain to sit fifth in the standings. Now 35 years old, Kimi is one of the older drivers on the grid.