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1963 Ferrari 250 GTO sells for $70 million

The Ferrari 250 GTO is well-known as one of the most valuable cars on Earth, and quite rare with just 39 examples built. It's a reputation backed by incredible sale prices, one of the most recent being an auction record of $38 million at Bonhams' Monterey auction in 2014. Not all of them cross the auction block, and one reportedly was sold in a private sale for a stunning $70 million, thought to be the highest price ever paid for a car. The price and the sale was confirmed by Fox News after the news outlet talked to a Ferrari historian. It was reportedly sold to American businessman. The duPont Registry reported on the sale a little earlier, having learned of the sale in a forum, and notes that the buyer may have been David MacNeil, CEO of WeatherTech, the company that makes and sells various floor mats and cargo-area covers. MacNeil is a Ferrari collector and driver and may well show and drive the car in vintage races and rallies. Not only does this price exceed the last auction price, it exceeds the last rumored private sale price. Back in 2013, a 250 GTO reportedly sold for $52 million. That particular car shared some of the racing heritage of this new record setter, including a win in the Tour de France, a race that was commemorated in the name of the Ferrari F12 TdF. Related Video:

Ferrari spills more details on the new Roma

The Ferrari Roma saw its grand release just over a month ago in Italy. At the time, Ferrari was rather stingy with details. We were given a few key facts and figures, but there was even more that we were left wondering about. That’s now changed, as Ferrari has provided much more info about its newest two-door GT car. We knew the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 made more power than the Portofino — 611 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque — but now we know what Ferrari did to get there. The Roma features new cam profiles and a new speed sensor, which allowed Ferrari engineers to increase the maximum rpm. To make it emissions-compliant in Europe, Ferrari also had to add a gasoline particulate filter. Ferrari says it worked hard to optimize it, so that the filter doesnÂ’t negatively affect driving enjoyment, and with the amount of power the car makes, it appears to have done a bang-up job. Paired to the engine is a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. ItÂ’s derived from the unit in the SF90 Stradale, but Ferrari made a few modifications to it for Roma use. New for the front-mid-engine coupe is the addition of a reverse gear and longer gear ratios. The SF90 didnÂ’t need a reverse gear, because it uses the electric motor to travel backwards. Ferrari also designed a new clutch module for this transmission and a more powerful ECU thatÂ’s said to make shifts quicker, smoother and more consistent. Ferrari designed a totally new exhaust system for the Roma to give it a unique soundtrack. The geometry is different from the Portofino, and the two real silencers were eliminated. Ferrari says this drastically reduces back-pressure. The bypass valves were also redesigned in an oval shape. A strange detail to share, but Ferrari says this move improves the sound quality, and thatÂ’s of utmost importance for a car with the prancing horse on the front of it. Perhaps you were thinking that this car was just a Portofino with a hardtop. Ferrari says, not so fast. Within the chassis and bodyshell, Ferrari says 70 percent of the components are completely new. ItÂ’s all been redesigned in an effort to reduce weight and use the latest production technologies. Handling should be superb and fun, as Ferrari incorporated its next-gen Side Slip Control 6.0 tech in the Roma. It also has the five-position manettino mode switcher on the steering wheel and the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (can adjust brake pressure on one or more wheels depending on the situation).

Finali Mondiali 2016 was an incredible celebration of all things Ferrari

For the first time ever, Ferrari held its Finali Mondiali event in North America, and we were there to soak it all in. This event is a four-day celebration of everything Ferrari, but the main event is the world final championship for the Ferrari Challenge series drivers, who normally compete in European, American, and Asia Pacific regional series. While they were racing 458 Challenge EVO models, we also saw the debut of the 488 Challenge – which, needless to say, was stunning. There were also demonstrations of past F1 cars, and a running of the incredible FXX Program vehicles, which simply looked (and sounded) amazing. In addition, the last Ferrari LaFerrari built was auctioned off to help victims of the Italian earthquakes, and predictably it raised a lot of money. That's great. In fact, it also set a record at a whopping $7 million – the most for a car from this century, period. Probably didn't hurt things any that it was also a one-off with a special paint job. Enjoy the photos above from our time at this fantastic event at Daytona International Speedway. Related Video: