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Michael Schumacher's 2001 F1 car sells for $7.5m, nearly twice its estimate

Sotheby's auctioned one of Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 race cars this week, and it went for an impressive $7.5 million. When the auction house announced the car would be offered, it was estimating that it would go for around $4 million, making this a major success. The company also claims it's the most expensive modern era F1 car sold, though Sotheby's doesn't say what constitutes as "modern." It did sell for about twice what the last Schumacher F1 car sold through Sotheby's went for. That car was from the 2004 season and sold for just under $3.2 million. This particular car, an F2001 that, not surprisingly, was used during the 2001 F1 championship. It won two of the three races it participated in, and helped Schumacher win one of his 7 championships. It's in racing condition, and Ferrari will help with storage and transport for the car. The car's sale isn't just about a rich person getting a fancy collectable or toy though. Sotheby's notes that an undetermined portion of the proceeds will go to Michael Schumacher's charity, Keep Fighting. Among the charity's causes are road safety and head safety. The latter isn't surprising considering Schumacher's unfortunate skiing accident in 2013 that left him with a traumatic brain injury. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2001 Ferrari F2001 Image Credit: Sotheby's Celebrities Motorsports Ferrari Auctions Car Buying Racing Vehicles Performance michael schumacher RM Sotheby's sothebys

Ferrari 812 GTS is the droptop 812 Superfast we only dreamed of before

Ferrari just officially revealed the convertible version of the 812 Superfast, and it’s called the 812 GTS. Not Spider, or Aperta or anything in between, just GTS. Frankly, itÂ’s likely going to be even more enjoyable than the regular 812 Superfast on account of its open-air configuration. Ferrari alluded to the sound being downright glorious on a couple of occasions already. “The result is a full-bodied V12 sound in the cabin in all kinds of driving but which is particularly appreciable when the roof is open,” Ferrari says. “The electric rear screen, which acts as a wind-stop, makes the car truly usable with the top down, while, with the top up, it [the rear screen] can be left open to allow occupants to continue to luxuriate in the naturally-aspirated V12Â’s unique soundtrack.” Yeah, we sure would love to “luxuriate” in the noises that 6.5-liter V12 is making. Power isnÂ’t changed between the GTS and Superfast, so itÂ’s still making the same 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque. The 8,900 rpm redline is the real draw here, and we canÂ’t even begin to imagine how epic it sounds with the top down. Ferrari claims this amount of power makes the GTS the “most powerful production spider on the market.” Fantastico. As you stare at the car, itÂ’s pretty easy to tell what Ferrari did to turn this into a “convertible.” The roof is a power-operated hardtop, and there isnÂ’t a whole lot to it. That big panel behind your head with the twin flying buttresses opens up to allow the roof to sit under it all, leaving passengers with a relatively small opening above their heads. Still, thatÂ’s plenty of opening to let the wind mess up your hair and the exhaust note to more easily reach your ears. Ferrari says it had to redesign the rear of the car to make this work. From the windshield forward, itÂ’s basically an 812 Superfast, though. The buttresses set it apart from the Superfast the most, as the coupe just has a long, sloping glass rear. Ferrari also changed the rear diffuser design in order to compensate for the loss of downforce from the elimination of the rear wheel arch bypass duct.  The last major mechanical change Ferrari made for the GTS comes via the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in the form of shorter ratios. What does all this mean for the performance? The 812 GTS will get to 62 mph in under 3 seconds and all the way to 124 mph in only 8.3 seconds. Its top speed is also exactly the same as the Superfast at 211 mph.

Ferrari testing 458 Challenge Evoluzione at Mugello

Ferrari makes road cars, it makes racecars, and it makes road cars into racecars. The 458 Challenge falls into the latter category, transforming the 458 Italia into the basis for Maranello's one-make spec racing series. It replaced the F430 Challenge in 2011, which in turn followed the 360 Challenge, F355 Challenge and 348 Challenge that started it all in the mid-90s.
Now the Prancing Horse marque is set to move the game forward again with the revised 458 Challenge Evoluzione. Seen here undergoing testing at what could be any tree-lined circuit but is likely Mugello (which Ferrari just happens to own in addition to the Fiorano test track at the factory), the 458 Challenge Evoluzione takes a step further with a new aerodynamics package.
Other changes will likely be nominal, and Ferrari will probably offer existing customer racers the option of upgrading to stay at the front of the pack instead of replacing their $300k racers entirely. One way or another, Ferrari is set to unveil the 458 Challenge Evoluzione, also at Mugello, after the conclusion this year's Finali Mondiali, the event that ties up the end of Ferrari Challenge series from around the world next week.