Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel W/ Led's- 20 Inch Forged Painted Wheels- High Power on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Would you pay $2 million for a Ferrari F50? [w/video]

The F50 may not have been the finest of Ferrari's flagship supercars, but it remains a collector's commodity just the same – and its value keeps rising. F50s are already trading hands at upwards of $1 million apiece – and this year, at least one is expected to fetch upwards of $2.5 million. Ferrari launched the F50 in 1995 as the successor to the legendary F40 that came before. It eschewed the twin-turbo V8 that powered the 288 GTO and F40 for a naturally aspirated V12, setting the stage for the Enzo and LaFerrari that followed in the series. That high-revving 4.7-liter engine, according to Ferrari, was derived from the unit used in the actual F1 car from 1989 (known as the F1-89, naturally). This engine served as a stressed member of the chassis, mounted behind a carbon-fiber tub. With its removable hardtop, the F50 remains the only model in Maranello's flagship series (excluding the Enzo-based Maserati MC12) that offered an open cockpit. It was all very F1-like, but was barely any faster (if at all) than its iconic predecessor. Only 349 F50s were made, each carrying a half-million-dollar price tag. That would be a good $750k in today's money. Still, it is part of a highly collectible series. Only 349 were made, each carrying a half-million-dollar price tag that seemed astronomic at the time in the mid-'90s. That'd be about $750k in today's money, but it's still a far cry from what they're trading at these days. Last year alone, RM Sotheby's sold two F50s at auction: one in May at Villa d'Este for just under $1.4 million, and another at Pebble Beach (as part of the Pinnacle Portfolio) for nearly $2m. This compared to just a few years ago when they were selling for six figures, not seven, prior to 2013. At this early point in the year, two major auction houses have already announced consignments of F50s. RM has one (pictured above) on the docket that's estimated to sell for a good $1.5m. It's sure to be one of the top sellers in a couple of weeks at its sale in Paris during the Salon Retromobile (where Artcurial has another Ferrari for sale at over $30m). Gooding & Company has one lined up as part of the Tony Shooshani Collection. That example (depicted in the video below) was displayed at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show and was owned by Jacques Swaters (of Ecurie Francorchamps fame). It has only 1,100 miles on the odometer and is expected to fetch between $2.5m and $2.9m, which would set a new record for the model.

Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari 512M and more immortalized as Lego sets

Lego has announced a slew of new Speed Champions sets, the ones based on actual licensed cars, for 2022. The latest batch includes a smorgasbord of supercars, from beloved classics like the Lamborghini Countach to yet-to-be-released promises like the long-awaited Mercedes-AMG One. There are seven cars in total, released in five sets.  Our favorite is probably the 262-piece Lamborghini Countach, based on a later LP500 variant. Not only does it tick the box of a childhood dream machine, but the angular shape of the real-life Countach lends itself well to being recreated in Lego bricks. Also, it's modeled in white rather than the typical red. Lego Speed Champions Ferrari 512M 1 View 6 Photos We also really dig the Ferrari 512M. It marked the last of Ferrari's V12 endurance racers, and even though it was soundly spanked by the Porsche 917, the cars are undeniably beautiful. The 291-piece Lego set does a great job of capturing its brutal wedge silhouette in brick form. Lego Speed Champions Lotus Evija 1 View 5 Photos Rounding out the single-car sets is the 247-piece Lotus Evija. The electric Lotus has a bit of a generic supercar look about it, but that's not entirely the fault of the Lego kit. Its dramatic vents can't really be replicated with the limited "resolution" of the Lego bricks. Its rear, with unique taillight-encircled air tunnels, is a bit more distinctive. Lego Speed Champions Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR & Vantage GT3 1 View 7 Photos In addition to the single car sets, there are two larger sets of two cars each. One is a 592-piece Aston Martin-themed pack that includes the Valkyrie AMR Pro and Vantage GT3. Again, it's a bit difficult to sculpt the cars' curvaceous lines out of straight-edged bricks, but the effort is admirable. The Valkyrie is probably the more successful of the two, as the Vantage would resemble a Corvette or Viper if it didn't have stickers to clarify the details. Lego Speed Champions Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance & Project One 01 View 9 Photos Last but not least is a twofer comprised of 564 bricks to build the Mercedes-AMG One and seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton's W12 racer. In Lego's official product description the driver is not mentioned by name, but the number 44 gives it away. The model of the One indeed looks like a sharp supercar, but the blocky pieces don't exactly replicate the lines we've seen on camouflaged test mules.

What new F12 has Ferrari got in store for Frankfurt?

Ferrari is widely expected to be preparing a new version of the F12 Berlinetta to unveil at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Assuming the anticipation doesn't prove futile, the question at this point is what that new variant will look like. At present, we're looking at two possibilities. One prospect would see the Prancing Horse marque present an updated version of the F12 to replace the existing model – much like the 488 GTB is replacing the 458 Italia, the California T replaced the previous California, or (perhaps more poignantly) the 575M supplanted the 550 Maranello. Ferrari has, after all, undertaken a pattern of updating its core models half-way through their eight-year life-cycles. The F12 was introduced in 2012, so a refresh for 2016 would be right on schedule. The other possibility, as Autocar asserts (and as we reported last month), would be to introduce a more potent model to slot in above (and alongside) the current F12. That would follow the pattern established by its predecessor, which yielded the hardcore 599 GTO to slot in above the 599 GTB Fiorano. Those latter three letters would be a more likely choice for the performance-focused F12 than the Speciale name that Autocar proposes and which was already used on the ultimate version of the naturally aspirated 458. Either way, we'll likely be looking at more power and less weight. The F12's 6.3-liter V12 currently produces 730 horsepower, and speculation has placed the new version's output anywhere between 760 and 800 hp. In any event, output will likely be enough to steal bragging rights away from the Lamborghini Aventador SV and its 740 horses. Just what form the revised engine will take remains a big question mark, but don't expect it to go turbo like the aforementioned 488 GTB and California T. Ferrari is anticipated to keep forced induction for its eight-cylinder models, and go with a hybrid boost for the twelves. The enhanced F12, then, could adopt an electrically boosted V12 like the one found in LaFerrari, or it could continue on unassisted for another four years until the model line is replaced entirely. One way or another, we're less than two months until showtime, so we'll find out soon enough.