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$8.8m '58 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider highlights RM's Arizona auction

All manner of vehicles change hands at the annual auction extravaganza in Arizona, but never has one sold for as much as the Ferrari you see here. The car in question is an (obviously) eminently desirable 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, one of only 50 ever made and purring onto the stage in flawless red over black livery with matching numbers of the coveted covered headlights straight from the factory.
When we reported on the car's consignment in anticipation of this weekend's sale, it was expected to bring in between $7 and 9 million - and it's done just that, coming in near the top of its valuation with a winning bid of $8.8 million. That makes for a lot of zeros, but while it set a new record for the Arizona auctions, it hardly makes it the most expensive in the world. That honor still belongs to the Mercedes-Benz W196 that sold last summer for nearly $30 million. Nor is it the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction, an honor which still belongs to the 250 Testa Rossa that sold for over $16 million in 2011. Heck, it's not even the most expensive 250 California ever sold, coming in behind the SWB example that sold for nearly $11 million in 2008. All of which only goes to show just how insane the collector classic car market has grown in recent years.
The California was undeniably the highlight of RM's two-day sale, but was joined by several other seven-dollar lots, including a 1961 Porsche 718 ($2.75 million), a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso ($2.44 million), a Duesenberg Model J convertible ($2.2 million) and several other million-dollar Ferraris, Mercedes and a '35 Hispano-Suiza. A 1961 Chaparral 1 failed to reach its reserve price despite a high bid of $1.75 million, neither did a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera 6 at $1.18 million or a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 at $2.85 million. RM Auctions did, however, manage to sell 85 percent of those lots consigned to bring in a massive two-day total of $45.56 million in sales, details of which you can read in the press release below.

The first $2.5M Ferrari F60 America arrives in Palm Beach

There's a rather happy-looking individual in Palm Beach today. And well he should be. After all, he just took delivery of the very first Ferrari F60 America. Can't remember the F60 America? We can hardly blame you, seeing as how it has been well over a year since Ferrari first unveiled it in Beverly Hills back in October 2014. It's not the successor to the F40 and F50 as the name might suggest – that role having already been taken by the Enzo and LaFerrari – but rather a special take on the F12 Berlinetta. It features a unique roadster bodystyle, an evocative (if not downright retro) blue and white NART livery, and the 6.3-liter V12 in 730-horsepower spec that would later appear in the F12 TdF. It's a worthy successor, in short, to previous front-engined V12 roadsters from Maranello, like the 550 Barchetta, 575 Superamerica, and 599 SA Aperta. The Prancing Horse marque set out to build only ten examples, each destined for these shores, in celebration of Ferrari's 60 years in the US market. Despite the shocking $2.5 million sticker price, all of them were spoken for before it was even unveiled. The first was finally delivered on Monday to its eagerly awaiting owner during the 25th annual Palm Beach Cavallino Classic, in front of some of the country's top Ferrari collectors and aficionados. The first F60 America consigned Palm Beach, 25th January – The first F60 America was delivered this weekend to the delight of a discerning crowd of Ferrari collectors and enthusiasts during the 25th annual Palm Beach Cavallino Classic. This strictly limited-edition car, which was produced to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari in America, is the first of just ten to be delivered nationwide. The car pays homage to American clients' great passion for both the V12 engine and open-top driving. The F60 America's bodywork adopts the classic North American Racing Team livery, and the special Ferrari 60th Anniversary Prancing Horse badge on the wheelarches appears on the tunnel in the cockpit. This beautiful example in Blu Nart livery – Bianco Italia looked instantly at home under the azure Florida sky. Featured Gallery Ferrari F60 America: First Delivery News Source: Ferrari Ferrari Car Buying Convertible Supercars ferrari f60 america

Ferrari boss Montezemolo expects big changes from FIA

You'd think that with former Ferrari principal Jean Todt running the FIA, the relationship between the motorsport governing body and the team he once called home would be a solid one. But his former boss expects more from the organization that overseas Formula One.
In a recent interview (excerpts from which you can read below), Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo pointed to some perceived inconsistencies in rulings made by FIA officials this season and called for "strong changes." Among those controversies was a drive-through penalty handed to Felipe Massa at the season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend, his last for the Scuderia. Massa was reprimanded for cutting across the white line that marks the exit from the pit lane, the penalty for which dropped him from fourth place in the race to seventh, and cost Ferrari its second place in the final standings for the constructors' championship - and with it a good $10 million in prize money. Montezemolo characterized the penalty as "disproportionate and unjust".
The Ferrari chief also pointed to penalties handed to Mercedes as either too harsh or not harsh enough, calling for greater consistency in FIA rulings and implying that more permanent race stewards be appointed instead of alternating race to race.