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Ferrari, Maseratis trashed in Chinese off-road adventure

Ready to cringe? A group of Chinese motorists drove the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in a fleet of Italian cars, fording streams and hopping rocky terrain as they went. Well, they attempted to drive it, anyway. Only five of the cars managed to survive the truly unnecessary ordeal. The trip was reportedly the idea of a wealthy Chinese businessman named Ni Haishan. Haishan was driving the red Ferrari F12, with his employees following in what appear to be 10 Maserati Ghibli sedans. The Maseratis were gifts to his employees, which makes the loss of six of them along the way only slightly easier to stomach. Even the cars that made it to the finish line in Lhasa, Tibet, arrived with some serious damage. The unsurprising fallout included several wheels and tires on the Ferrari, including one wheel that took the studs it was attached to with it. As you can see above, the "highway" route was not exactly suited to these particular cars. There is some precedent for a car from Maranello driving to Lhasa, however. In 2005, Ferrari sent two 612 Scagliettis on a tour of China called "Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles" with various journalists at the wheel. That journey started and ended in Shanghai and took the cars all over the vast country, including two crossings of the Gobi Desert, along the Great Wall, and on some of Marco Polo's route. Of course, it also involved a lot of planning, a huge support team, and at least a modicum of common sense. All of this was supposedly Haishan's way of showing the world that business is good for him and that customers should trust their money with him. We might conclude otherwise based on the results. If you absolutely have to run this road in something Italian and expensive, may we suggest a Maserati Levante next time? Related Video: Image Credit: news.163.com Auto News Ferrari Maserati Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan ferrari f12 berlinetta maserati ghibli

Incredible French barn finds could fetch over $18M [w/video]

We all dream about taking a drive and discovering the mythical barn find of a vintage Shelby Cobra or Porsche Speedster hidden way under a sheet, totally forgotten. An upcoming auction from Artcurial in France on February 6 proves that these treasure troves still really do exist, and this might be one of the ultimate barn finds ever. Decaying away on a French estate, there was a collection of about 100 dirt-covered cars that had been undisturbed for decades, according to The Telegraph. They included all of the great European marques, like Bugatti, Porsche, Maserati, Ferrari and many more. Most of the vehicles were underneath a shed but generally exposed to the elements; however, two very special sports cars were hidden away in a garage (pictured above). In there was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider with covered headlights. It was one of just 37 made and thought to be lost. Beside the Ferrari was a 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sport Frua. The collection belonged to Roger Baillon, a French transport magnate, according to Artcurial. He amassed this wonderful collection, but when his business fell on hard times in the '70s, Baillon sold part of the group off. These were the ones he kept, but they eventually went forgotten. Artcurial thinks that only 60 of the cars are actually in salable condition, and they cross the block during the Retromobile Salon in February. The auctioneers believe the Ferrari could sell for as much as 12 million euros (14.74 million) and the Maserati for 1.2 million euros ($1.5 million). Check out the gallery to glimpse the breadth of classics in this collection. Be sure to scroll down for a must-watch, gut-wrenching, patina-laden video showing off the collection and for Artcurial's press release about the sale. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. ??PRESS RELEASE 05.12.2014 BREAKING NEWS: ARTCURIAL DISCOVERS A FORGOTTEN TREASURE IN FRANCE - SALE FRIDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2015 - ?1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider • Chassis 2935 • Ex Alain Delon • Baillon Collection Estimate : 9 500 000 – 12 000 000 ˆ 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sport Frua • Chassis 2140 • Baillon Collection Estimate : 800 0000 – 1 200 000 ˆ Paris – The Collectors' Car Department at Artcurial has discovered 60 collectors' automobiles, all major marques dating from the early days of the motor car through to the 1970s.

Proof that the Maserati-powered Lazareth LM847 quad actually works

The craziest thing about the Lazareth LM847 isn't the 4.7-liter V8 engine sourced from Maserati. It's not the four-wheeled motorcycle design. It's not even the fact that its axles are hinged to allow the machine to lean into corners. No, the craziest thing is that the LM847 actually works. See for yourself in the video up above. Granted, the rider isn't pushing the LM847 very hard. In fact, he may as well be riding a scooter. It's got 470 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque, which means it really should be quite fast in a straight line. But considering the 880-pound weight, awkward-looking riding position, single-speed transmission, and the massive amount of torque wrenching the bike to its side when the engine is revved, we don't blame the rider for taking it easy. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Lazareth Auto-Moto via YouTube, Asphalt & Rubber Maserati Automakers Motorcycle Special and Limited Editions Videos lazareth quad