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Even Ferrari swept up in latest Takata recall expansion

The scope of Takata's deadly airbag problems continues to widen. Eight manufacturers announced recalls Friday that affect more than 12 million vehicles, according to documents filed with federal regulators. The automakers include Honda, which is recalling 4.5 million units, Fiat Chrysler with 4.3 million, Toyota with 1.65 million, and Subaru, which is recalling almost 400,000. Some of these cars include the Saab 9-2x and Pontiac Vibe that Toyota and Subaru made for General Motors. Mazda will recall 730,000 vehicles and Nissan has 400,000 affected units. The smallest numbers were posted by Mitsubishi, with 38,000 Lancers manufactured from 2006 to 2007, and as a noteworthy high-end manufacturer, Ferrari is calling back 2,800 vehicles. These are all US-market cars. Beyond America, the Japanese Transport Ministry has announced seven million additional vehicles will be recalled, which means 19.6 million vehicles across the globe are affected by recalls announced. The defects have been traced to an insufficiently manufactured airbag inflator, which lacks a drying agent that would prevent the inflators from deteriorating over time. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags, which have become unstable and are prone to exploding and showering vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal shrapnel. A private equity firm, KKR & Co., has been named in a possible buyout of the struggling Takata. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Honda Mazda Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Subaru Toyota Saab Safety

Colani's land speed record Ferrari for sale

Everyone knows that Ferraris are designed to go fast, but their performance is measured by a number of different metrics. This particular example, however, was designed with one goal in mind, and that was top speed. And now it's up for sale. The one-of-a-kind creation was the work of Professor Luigi Colani. The car started life as a Testarossa, but was extensively modified and entirely rebodied in order to pursue a high-speed run at the Bonneville Salt Flats. That meant an aerodynamically optimized body designed by Colani to dramatic and wind-cheating effect, and substantially reworked mechanicals as well. The flat-twelve engine was fitted by German firm Lotec with a pair of turbochargers to drive output beyond 750 horsepower. The 1989 Ferrari Testa D'Oro Colani - so named, we gather, for its gold cam cover - was clocked at 218 miles per hour back in 1991, winning its class at Bonneville and far outstripping the 201-mph top speed quoted by Ferrari for the F40 that was all the rage at the time. The vehicle has now been put up for sale by Purosangue Maranello, where (as you can see from the images in the gallery above) it sits alongside another one-off Ferrari: the four-door Pinin concept of 1980 (to say nothing of the Minardi F1 racer in the other corner). If it's a completely unique Prancing Horse you're after, Purosangue (Italian for "pure blood" or "thoroughbred") seems to be the place to look. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sells for record $39.8 million

This might not come as a shock, but ultra-rare vintage cars are only going to get more expensive as time rolls on, particularly if there's a prancing horse on the car's nose. For example, in 2011, a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold for $16.39 million. In February 2012, a 1964 250 GTO sold for nearly $32 million. Later that year, a 1962 250 GTO sold for $35 million. It was the most expensive car ever sold, making last year's 275 GTB/4 NART Spider and its $27.5-million auction price seem like a drop in the platinum-lined bucket. Now, there's been another high-dollar Ferrari sale.
An unrestored, 1957 250 Testa Rossa was reportedly sold for over $39 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold in the United Kingdom. Just for perspective, $39 million is about 28 LaFerraris or roughly 128 F12 Berlinettas. It's not the most expensive car ever sold, but it still represents a huge sum of money for a classic car. Part of the reason for chassis number 0704 - the car pictured above is 0714, which sold for a mere $12.2 million in 2009 - being sold for so much is down to its excellent provenance.
It made its race debut at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, although it failed to finish. Phil Hill and Peter Collins racked up wins with this exact car in Buenos Aires and Sebring, according to the folks at Hemmings. Combining race wins by a former Formula One World Champion with an unrestored example of an extremely rare car (one of just 34 250 Testa Rossas ever built) makes its monumental sale price almost seem reasonable.