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2015 Japanese Grand Prix is a little Mercedes, a lot of zen

Just one week on from the issues in Singapore Mercedes-AMG Petronas appeared to have solved its clamp problems and everything else. Daniil Kvyat at Infiniti Red Bull Racing took the two Free Practice scalps on Friday, but when it came time for qualifying the front of the grid looked really familiar: Mercedes' Nico Rosberg took his second pole position of the season, Lewis Hamilton next to him in second. Kvyat had a hand in that, too, the Russian getting into a big accident in Q3 when he put two wheels on the grass heading into the hairpin and veered into the tire wall so hard that he flipped. That ended qualifying before a number of drivers had a chance to improve their times, Hamilton among them. That's how Valtteri Bottas got in third for Willliams ahead of Sebastian Vettel fourth for Ferrari. Felipe Massa had the second Williams in fifth, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo lined up sixth for Infiniti Red Bull Racing, a team we're going to have to enjoy watching for the rest of the season since it might not exist come 2016. Romain Grosjean gave Lotus some good news by getting into eighth, the team so strapped for cash that it couldn't get into its hospitality area, so it held press conferences outside and ate at Bernie Ecclestone's Paddock Club. Sergio Perez took ninth for Sahara Force India, and Kvyat slotted into tenth after not setting a time. The Russsian's race would begin from the pit lane once his mechanics rebuilt his car. It wouldn't be a Formula One start lately without someone at the front having clutch problems. This time it was pole man Rosberg, whose power unit got too hot and put him a few horsepower down on Hamilton through Turns 1 and 2. That's half of how Hamilton took the lead from the lights going out, and the Brit kept it throughout the race. Rosberg, however, said his race was lost when Hamilton pushed him wide through Turn 2, a move Hamilton defended. Rosberg finished almost 19 seconds behind his teammate, a gap that probably isn't fully explained by that opening incident. Hamilton's race was so uneventful that we almost never saw him on camera – that is, we saw him so much less than we usually see him when he's out in front and unpressured that Nikki Lauda said he'd ask Ecclestone why the cameras avoided him. The conspiracy theory holds that FOM was punishing Mercedes for not supplying Red Bull with engines next year.

Incredible $12 million Ferrari collection up for auction

Ferraris come up for auction all the time, but in Scottsdale next month Gooding & Company will be auctioning off an entire collection of Maranello's finest projected to fetch around $12 million. The collection belongs to one Tony Shooshani, described as "a widely published and renowned Ferrari collector." He's the proprietor of a 599XX Evo, a LaFerrari, and one of only six Pininfarina Sergio roadsters made. They'll remain in his collection, along with his prized 288 GTO and his thoroughbred Arabian stallion named Enzo. But he's liquidating some other notables from his garage, giving other collectors a chance to bring them home instead. This includes a trio of supercars. There's an Enzo tipped to fetch between $2.4 and 2.8 million, an F50 ($2.5-2.9m), and an F40 ($1.3-1.6m). The more classically inclined may be more enticed by the 1960s-era 250 GT Lusso ($2.2-2.5m), 250 GT Series II Cabriolet ($2-2.3m), and Dino 206 GT ($700-800k), and there's a pair of 80s models as well in a 512 BBi ($400-475k) and 328 GTS ($125-150k). The Berlinetta Boxer was Ferrari's first mid-engined twelve-cylinder supercar, and the 512 BBi was the ultimate incarnation thereof. It was never officially sold in the United States, but some still made it over here. This particular example was once owned by racing legend AJ Foyt. Those pre-sale estimates place the value of the collection altogether at $10.3 million on the low side, and as high as $13.5 million. That's a whole lot of cash, but there's a whole lot of machinery here – in both quantity and quality. So if you've had a good six or seven figures burning a hole in your proverbial pocket and have been looking for the right place to invest it, this could be your chance. Related Video: Gooding & Company is Thrilled to Announce The Tony Shooshani Collection to be Auctioned at the Scottsdale Auctions Headlining the historic collection, a trio of rare Ferrari supercars from an astute collector – the 1990 Ferrari F40, the 1995 Ferrari F50 and the 2003 Ferrari Enzo SANTA MONICA, Calif. (November 30, 2015) – Gooding & Company, the auction house acclaimed for selling the world's most significant and valuable collector cars, is pleased to announce an outstanding array of Ferraris at its annual two-day Scottsdale Auctions on January 29 and 30, 2016.

Ferrari LaFerrari is so nice, we say it twice [w/poll]

Forget about the F70, the F150 and the F150th Italia - this is the Ferrari LaFerrari. Earlier this morning we got our first official look at the successor to the Enzo throne, but now we bring you live shots of the LaFerrari straight from the Geneva Motor Show floor.
There is nothing about this car that isn't impressive - from its 949-horsepower hybrid powertrain returning breakneck acceleration to the aggressively curvaceous body creating a new evolution of design for the storied automaker. The best part of the LaFerrari's design is that there is no single focal point, but one of the more interesting elements of the car is its canopy-like cover protecting the occupants. Every detail of the car has been perfectly sculpted into the carbon fiber body creating an appearance that is probably only outdone by the car's overall performance, which Ferrari promises will include a top speed more than 217 miles per hour and a 0-62 mph time of under three seconds. Ferrari says the LaFerrari will be its fastest street car ever.
While it's hard to make criticisms about of the LaFerrari, there will undoubtedly be many regarding the car's name, but with a design and performance numbers like this, we're sure this car could've been called the Ferrari LaBradoodle and all 499 examples of the hybrid supercar would've been snatched up just the same. After checking out the details posted in a press release below, let us know if you think the Ferrari LaFerrari is a worthy successor to past Maranello supercars like the F40, F50 and Enzo.