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2016 Singapore Grand Prix Race Recap | Setting the stage for the final rounds

The Singapore Grand Prix always features a safety car. This year the nation-state got caution out of the way early: seconds after the lights went out, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz collided with Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, sending Hulk into the wall minus a wheel and some bodywork. The safety car led the field for three laps, then ducked into the pits so abruptly that a track marshal was still retrieving debris as race leader Nico Rosberg hit the throttle down the front straight. Rosberg avoided the pedestrian on his way to a two-second lead over Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen. On Lap 8 of the 61-lap race Mercedes engineers warned Rosberg and Hamilton about brake management. Rosberg had no trouble until the waning laps of the race, his teammate inadvertently the cause. Raikkonen got ahead of Hamilton on Lap 33 while Hamilton nursed his car. Trying to get Hamilton back in front of the Ferrari, Mercedes pitted Hamilton on Lap 46 and also ordered him to turn his engine up. Ferrari debated for a lap about whether to bring Raikkonen in, finally issuing a last-second order to pit. The Finn emerged behind Hamilton, but executing the trick to get Hamilton back into third gave Ricciardo breathing room in second place. Red Bull brought Ricciardo in on Lap 48 for a set of super soft Pirellis. Returning to the track 25 seconds behind Rosberg, Ricciardo cut from one to four seconds out of that gap on every lap. By Lap 59 the Aussie was little more than a second behind the German. Had the race gone three more laps, Ricciardo might have pulled off the upset. This time Rosberg stayed in front to win his third race in a row and his first victory in Singapore, all in his 200th grand prix. Ricciardo and Hamilton completed the podium; Raikkonen claimed fourth. Sebastian Vettel wrangled an incredible fifth place after starting last; the German set the worst time on the grid when his suspension broke in Q1. Max Verstappen, having lost places at the start due to wheelspin again, recovered for sixth. Fernando Alonso made the most of his McLaren with seventh, ahead of Sergio Perez in the lone remaining Force India, a resurgent Daniil Kvyat in the Toro Rosso, and Kevin Magnussen scoring Renault's second points finish of the season. Hamilton has not had a good time of it since the end of the summer break – engine troubles in Belgium, a botched start in Italy, and zero rhythm in Singapore.

Ferrari to reveal exclusive F12 NART next month in LA

While denying his tenure was coming to an end just prior to his resignation last week, outgoing Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo hinted at two new models to be revealed next month. One we anticipate to be a new version of the 458 - either the new turbocharged M model or the limited-edition Scuderia Spider - to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show on October 2, and the other we knew would be a strictly limited special exclusive to North America. And now we appear to have an idea of what that model will be.
According to Automotive News, we'll likely be looking at a version of the F12 Berlinetta decked out with the blue and white stripes pioneered by the North American Racing Team (NART) and most recently applied to the 458 Speciale. The special model is also likely to get custom bodywork and a revised interior - similar to what Ferrari Special Projects does for individual customers, but produced in a limited run of 10 examples.
All 10 of those are likely to already have been spoken for, with a price tag tipped to exceed $3 million apiece. The model will be revealed on October 12 at a special event in Los Angeles marking 60 years of Ferrari in America which will likely be Montezemolo's last event as chairman before handing over control to Sergio Marchionne and collecting his eight-figure severance package.

Ferrari 250 California record headlines $28.5M Baillon barnfind collection

Barn finds arise from time to time, bearing undiscovered treasures hidden away in some shed for decades before being unearthed and brought to the auction block. But few have ever compared to the Baillon Collection. And now its liquidation is complete, bringing in millions in sales on the back of frenzied bidding. Discovered just months ago, the Baillon Collection comprised some 100 vehicles said to have been rescued from the crusher by one Roger Baillon, a French transport magnate who intended to eventually put the cars on display in a museum. Unfortunately that never came to pass, but when the cars were found in sheds on his estate in rural France, the world took notice. In dire condition and in need of much TLC, 59 of the cars (those worth selling) were consigned to the auctioneers at Artcurial, which just handled their sale during the Retromobile classic car show this weekend in Paris. The highest price was fetched by a rare 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider with the highly desirable covered headlights found in the barn under a pile of old magazines. One of just 37 made, the drop-top Prancing Horse sold to an unnamed international collector for a record $18.5 million – far above initial estimates and, despite its condition, the most ever paid for a 250 GT of any kind. An American collector paid $2.2 million for the 1956 Maserati A6G bodied by Frua, also well above its pre-sale estimate range. A '49 Talbot-Lago T26 bodied by Saoutchik more than doubled even the top of its estimated value at $1.9 million, sold to a European collector. All told, the Baillon Collection brought in a staggering $28.5 million in sales, comprising over half the value of the lots, 89 percent of which Artcurial sold at the Retromobile auction.