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Ferrari 288 GTO to be auctioned by Mecum in Monterey

If you're a rather affluent person attending the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this year, you may want to set aside some spending money. Mecum is offering this gorgeous Ferrari 288 GTO at its Monterey auction. For those that don't know about the 288 GTO, it is one of Ferrari's greatest supercars, frequently compared with its successor, the F40. The car was originally developed for the fast and dangerous Group B rally racing class and featured a twin-turbocharged 2.8 liter V8 making 400 horsepower. Not only that, but the steel tube-frame chassis was draped in cutting-edge carbon fiber and Kevlar body panels. This particular model has just over 11,000 kilometers on the clock. If anyone of us at our office had it, that number would be multiplied a few times over. And it would likely be a reasonably comfortable driver, since this one has the option package that added air conditioning, a stereo and power windows. The stereo might be a tad superfluous considering the likely sonorous powertrain in this machine. The car also carries certification from Ferrari's in-house certifier and restorer, Ferrari Classiche. All this could be yours provided you have the cash to back up your bids. Mecum is expecting the 288 GTO to bring between two and three million dollars. This falls in line with Hagerty Insurance's average valuation of $2,350,000. That sum is a significant jump from five years ago when Hemmings estimated a good model going for about $650,000. Related Video:

Ferrari 488 GTO would be fastest V8 car ever from Maranello

It should surprise absolutely no one to learn that Ferrari may be cooking up an even hotter variant of the 488 GTB. If a report from Autocar is true, the new car will resurrect the hallowed GTO moniker and pack more than 700 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged mid-mounted V8. It would be the successor to the wild and wonderful Ferrari 458 Speciale, the swan song for the naturally aspirated V8 in Maranello. This will be the fourth time Ferrari has used the name GTO. The first was in the 1960s on the 250 GTO and then again in the 1980s on the 288 GTO. Most recently, a more track-oriented variant of the 599 GTB was released as the 599 GTO. Each of these cars eschewed most pretense of comfort and civility in the pursuit of power and performance. While they didn't carry the GTO moniker, the 430 Scuderia and the 458 Speciale were designed with a similar philosophy. Since the standard 488 GTB already makes 661 horsepower, it doesn't seem like a stretch to up the boost and strengthen the internals to move the needle past 700. Ferrari can't let the new 710-horsepower McLaren 720S have all of the fun. The 488 GTO should use lighter components and lose some interior trim and sound deadening to drop weight. Autocar believes the new model will dip below 3,000 pounds, absolutely svelte for a car this size. The car should have better aero, a revised suspension, and higher performance wheels and tires. For non-Ferrari comparison, think Porsche 911 GT3. We've seen some s py shots of a new Ferrari recently, but at the time we thought this might be the rumored Dino. It's unclear if that's still the case, but either way, look for something big from Ferrari sometime later this year. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ferrari will increase production by 30% to 9,000 cars per year

After years of keeping production purposefully limited to guarantee exclusivity under the reins of Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari is looking to seriously ramp up its numbers in the near future. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicates the iconic, Italian supercar maker intends to boost volume by 30 percent to reach around 9,000 vehicles annually by 2019, according to CNBC. Because Ferrari is already doing quite well financially, the extra sales would likely offer a serious boost to profits in the early years after its $10-billion initial public offering. Ferrari's filing also mentions growing demand in emerging markets and a larger "spending capacity" among wealthy buyers as reasons for growing the volume, according to CNBC. However, the company's execs intend to watch how the strategy works and ensure that the brand keeps an air of exclusivity. Sergio Marchionne initially promised to keep annual volume around 7,000 supercars last year. However after taking over as the Prancing Horse's chairman, he reportedly started considering pushing the numbers closer to 10,000. With Marchionne potentially becoming Ferrari CEO as well, the company's future is largely in his hands now. Under Marchioness plan, Ferrari plans to launch a new model each year through 2018. The Prancing Horse is reportedly developing a modular, aluminum space frame to underpin most of its future vehicles. The first to get it might be the next-gen California in 2017. Related Video: