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Fangio's Ferrari 290 MM should top $28 million at auction

Of all the legendary pilots that have driven for the Scuderia over the years, few carry the kind of clout that did one Juan Manuel Fangio. A five-time world champion from another era, Fangio won a couple dozen grands prix and a fair few sports car races as well, driving for the likes of Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and of course Ferrari. What you see here is the car that Enzo's outfit built especially for Fangio. And now it's going up for auction, where it's anticipated – with good cause – to fetch big bucks. This 1956 Ferrari 290 MM – chassis number 0626 – was designed for Fangio to drive in the Mille Miglia. It would be the last time he would compete in the event, before being scrapped the following year. Victory in the thousand-mile race once again eluded the legendary Argentinian with a fourth-place finish, achieved single-handedly. But that wasn't the end of the story for 0626. It would go on to be raced by Phil Hill at the Nurburgring, by Alfonso de Portago at the Rouen Grand Prix, by Wolfgang von Trips at the start of his career with Ferrari, and won the Buenos Aires 1000 KM in 1957. Victories like those helped Ferrari clinch the manufacturer's title in both 1956 and '57, campaigns in which the 290 MM played an integral part. One (and arguably the best) of only four examples made, 0626 was never crashed during its decorated career. After its retirement from the Scuderia, it made its way through the hands of numerous collectors and racers on both sides of the Atlantic. It spent 34 years in the Mas du Clos collection of Pierre Bardinon before being acquired by its current owner, who in turn is now putting it up for auction. It will feature as part of RM Sotheby's upcoming Drive by Disruption sale in New York on December 10, where it is expected to sell for over $28 million. That would make it the most valuable car ever handled by the venerated auction house, outshining the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider it sold at Monterey in 2013 for $27.5 million. Of course it's not the only lot consigned for the Manhattan event. It'll be joined by a spectacular blue 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial that's expected to fetch around $6 million, as well as a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato (~$16m) and a Lamborghini Concept S (~$3m), to name just a few highlights on the horizon.

F1 teams to test titanium skid plates to reignite spark in series

The 2014 Formula One season opened with one overwhelming complaint - the cars didn't sound right. It sapped the excitement, despite the fact that this season has seen a number of truly thrilling races (Bahrain, Spain and Montreal all come to mind). Attempts have been made to restore some of the audible thrill of the cars, although efforts have remained unsuccessful.
If F1 can't fix the sound of the cars, then other methods need to be considered to restore its self-perceived lack of excitement. One of those involves fitting titanium skid plates to the cars in a bid to reintroduce the sparks that were so prevalent in the sport's past.
Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari conducted initial experiments with the new skid plates during early practice sessions for the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg had the plates fitted to different locations of their cars, in a bid to see which created the most dramatic sparks. Considering the photos the tests, though, neither Mercedes' nor Ferrari's setup really seemed successful, which is why you're seeing Johnny Herbert and his 1989 Benneton B188 up top.

Ferrari F12 TdF debuts at Finali Mondiali event at Mugello

It's been almost a month since Ferrari revealed the new F12 TdF. But outside of a select cadre of customers, nobody has gotten to see it until this weekend at the Mugello circuit in Italy. The TdF is the more extreme version of the F12 Berlinetta – similar to how the 599 GTO was an upgraded 599 GTB Fiorano, or the 458 Speciale an upgraded 458 Italia. It benefits from a more potent version of the Berlinetta's 6.3-liter V12 producing 769 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. It also features a rear-wheel steering system, 87 percent more downforce, and 240 pounds less weight to motivate. The result is a 0-62 time of 2.9 seconds, a top speed of over 211 miles per hour, and a Fiorano lap time of 1:21. A trio of TdFs hit the track this weekend at Mugello – one of several circuits owned by Ferrari in Italy – located in the Tuscan countryside and frequent venue for motorcycle and DTM races. It also played host this weekend to the Finali Mondiali – the company's year-end racing spectacle where the winners of the various Ferrari Challenge series duke it out for top honors, where private owners (as part of the Corse Clienti program) are invited to drive their racing and XX track machinery, and where Ferrari often unveils something new. In addition to the F12 TdF's debut, this year saw the presentation of the 488 GTE and GT3 racers as well. Both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were on hand to show off what the TdF could do in front of the cheering crowds. With only 799 examples to be built (and all of them rumored to have already been sold), this may present the closest opportunity you'll get to see the new F12 TdF up close.