1985 Ferrari 308 Gtsi Quattrovalvole 5 Speed Red And Tan All Records 16,000 Mile on 2040-cars

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Race recap: 2016 Australian F1 Grand Prix a rowdy start to season

The three brief Formula 1 tests ahead of the current season belied how much had gone on since the last race in November: Infiniti subbed out for Tag Heuer, Renault is back, the all new Haas F1 team, a revamped Manor, three brand new drivers and two returning drivers, a raft of regulation changes among the newly tilled soil. The four engine manufacturers spent a combined 67 tokens among the 138 in the kitty, Renault using just seven of their 32. The only conclusive proof to come from the annual intermission was the otherworldly capability of Mercedes-AMG Petronas. The Silver Arrows didn't even try the super- and ultra-soft tires, focusing on reliability instead of speed. The result? They ran more than 19 race distances, obliterating the lap totals of every other team. There are certainly a few people who enjoyed the complicated new rolling-elimination qualifying format fast-tracked to approval just a few weeks ago. They were wildly outnumbered by those who thought it was awful, including the same team heads who voted for it. We'd probably have to go back to the debacle at the 2005 Indianapolis Grand Prix for an equivalent fiasco when Michelin pulled its teams over safety fears, leaving six cars out of 20 to qualify. In Australia, within 24 hours of the conclusion of qualifying, the new format had itself been eliminated. Nevertheless, qualifying also taught us what didn't happen over the winter: any other team progressing enough to outduel Mercedes. After admitting that he dropped off after winning the championship last year, then getting questioned in the press for some dubious off-season activities, Lewis Hamilton proved he can still turn it on when he wants to. The Brit smoked the Albert Park track in 1:23.837, more than three-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg in second place. Ferrari did make strides during the off-season, but only enough to keep the same gap it had to Mercedes last year: Sebastian Vettel lined up third, a half-second behind Rosberg, teammate Kimi Raikkonen another four-tenths back in fourth place. Max Verstappen said Toro Rosso is the best of the rest, the Dutchman taking fifth place in front of Felipe Massa for Williams in sixth and Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz in sixth. Daniel Ricciardo – who wasn't smiling after qualifying – kept Red Bull and its new "Tag Heuer" engines in the conversation with eighth on the grid.

Ferrari Lusso ownership will add some time to your morning commute

If you've ever driven a vintage vehicle on a regular basis, you know the process from getting from point A to point B is a bit more convoluted than simply hopping in and going. There are rituals to observe, checklists to run through and processes to address before ever touching the ignition. Neglect any one of a number of small tasks and you're likely to find yourself on the side of the road. James Chen, the owner of Axis Wheels, knows all about that. You see, he owns a gorgeous Ferrari Lusso, and coaxing the V12 under the hood to life requires a certain amount of procedure.
Once it's rolling, of course, all that premeditation seems entirely worth the effort. Chen does his best to keep the machine out of traffic, but refuses to keep the coupe sealed away in a museum, so he gets up early and takes to the canyon roads around LA before anyone else is awake. Atta boy.
Check out the latest video from Petrolicious below.

This '61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB could be yours for eight figures

The 250 GT SWB Berlinetta ranks among the most desirable of Ferraris, and this one has been under the same ownership for the last 47 years. Now it's coming up for auction. Chassis No. 2917GT served as the Prancing Horse marque's centerpiece at the 1961 Paris Motor Show, where it was displayed in light blue. Its first owner, however, only owned black cars, so he had it repainted. It changed hands a few times over the years, and was repainted in classic red somewhere along the way. That's the color it remains today. Its current owner is described as a well-regarded collector living in the Brittany region of France and has reportedly taken exceptional care of it, driving it regularly and bringing in the best mechanics to service it. But after nearly half a century in his care, he's letting it go. Artcurial will be handling its sale during the Le Mans Classic on July 9. We're waiting on word regarding how much the auction house expects it to sell for, but the records at Sports Car Market have similar examples selling in the past couple of years for upwards of $10 million. Given the apparent condition of this particular specimen, we don't doubt that it'll fetch top dollar. THE EX-PARIS MOTOR SHOW 1961 FERRARI 250 GT SWB BERLINETTA IN SAME OWNERSHIP FOR 47 YEARS – LE MANS CLASSIC, SALE 9 JULY 2016 – Paris – Artcurial Motorcars has raised its international profile in recent years by offering some of the world's rarest and most valuable cars at auction. The top ten most expensive cars ever to sell at auction include two cars from each of Artcurial Motorcars' last two Retromobile sales: the ex-Bardinon 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti that sold on 5 February 2016 for 32.1Mˆ / 35.7M$ – a world record price (in ˆ and GBP) for a car sold at auction – and the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider from the Baillon Collection that fetched ˆ16.3M / 18.5M on 6 February 2015. Artcurial Motorcars is also known for consigning important cars that are new to the market, a key feature of the star car in the next sale at Le Mans Classic on 9 July. The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta #2917GT has been in the hands of the present owner some 47 years, and has had just five owners from new. This remarkable car was displayed new at the 1961 Paris Motor Show, presented in a light blue Azzuro.