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$1.3B worth of classic cars were auctioned in 2014

The collector auto market in the US just continues to expand with the values of vehicles seemingly only growing in the past years, especially if they have a prancing horse on the hood. This year was no different. According to data compiled by classic car insurance agency Hagerty, there were about $1.3 billion worth of vintage rides auctioned in North America in 2014, up just slightly from $1.2 billion crossing the block in 2013. If you want an idea of just how big a role the Monterey Car Week plays in the North American collector hobby, Hagerty's stats illustrate it perfectly. The company recorded $430 million in auction sales during the week – about a third of the entire market for the year. The event also hosted the biggest seller of 2014 when the hammer fell on a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO (pictured above) for $38.115 million at Bonhams. In fact, vintage Ferraris in general were among the top buys in the classic auto world in 2014. Eight of the ten most expensive vehicles sold at auction were Prancing Horses (the other two were Ford GT40s). Also, the insurance company's price index for these Italian stallions showed a 43-percent gain in value for the year. The market for another Italian supercar is exploding, as well. The Lamborghini Countach showed a staggering 175-percent growth in auction value in 2014. According to Hagerty, the average price when they crossed the block was $736,599. Judging by Hagerty's numbers, there were still some places to look for those hoping to spend a bit less money. The Aston Martin Lagonda showed a strong gain in value with a 32-percent increase in auction price, but they still averaged $47,078. In addition, the company's index for '50s American cars showed only one-percent growth for these classics. These huge leaps in collector car value might be winding down, according to Hagerty. It predicts growth in the market to slow to an estimated five percent gain in 2015. Maybe a few of these classics might actually become a bit more affordable to fans without such deep pockets sometime in the future. Featured Gallery Bonhams Maranello Rosso Collection: Monterey 2014 View 21 Photos News Source: HagertyImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Aston Martin Ferrari Lamborghini Auctions Car Buying Performance Classics aston martin lagonda ferrari 250 gto Lamborghini Countach collector cars 1962 ferrari 250 gto auto auction

Lamborghini Hurac?n configurator is ready for your Italian fantasies

The Lamborghini Huracán might be one of the most anticipated cars to come out of Sant'Agata since the launch of its predecessor, the Gallardo. While we're stuck waiting to drive the V10-powered, all-wheel-drive Huracán, we can at least play around with the all-new configurator, which has just gone live.
Now, in terms of other online builders, the Huracán's is rather light. Tweakable features are limited to exterior and interior colors, wheel designs, caliper colors and a few other smaller items. There are also no prices listed, although this is hardly unusual for exotic configurators (Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce all leave pricing info off their configurators).
Despite being rather low on stuff to do, designing one's personalized Lamborghini will always remain a pleasant means of whiling away a slow day at work. Hop over to Lamborghini's website and have a look.

Here's Italian patriotism in the form of Lambos, Ducatis, and jets

We're proud 'Muricans here at Autoblog, but we can't deny that other countries can be pretty darn cool, too. A perfect example comes to us from Lamborghini... and Ducati and the Italian Air Force. Apparently the trio came together to celebrate Italy building fast things. The event happened at Rivolto Air Base, where Lambo and Ducati demonstrated the speed and agility of their machines on the runways, and the Italian National Aerobatics Team did the same in the skies while recreating the Italian flag. Lucky for us, they got video of the event, which is above for your viewing pleasure. Now someone needs to start organizing an American version of this, with the Blue Angels, Corvettes, GTs, and Vipers. The Stars and Stripes might be a little tougher to skywrite, though. Related Video: Image Credit: Lamborghini Auto News Lamborghini Military Supercars Videos Ducati jet