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1960 Ferrari 250 GT sells for over $8 million in record-setting RM auction weekend

Although the vast majority of eyeballs were tuned to the madness at Barrett-Jackson this past weekend, that televised car auction wasn't the only high-dollar game in Arizona. RM Auctions brought its usual gaggle of exotic wares to the desert, and the car that came out on top sold for much more than Barrett-Jackson's highest sale, the Batmobile.
Coming out on top at RM last weekend was Lot 164, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta 'Competizione' that sold for a massive $8,140,000 - the buyer could've nearly bought two Barris Batmobiles for that chunk of change. Lot 122, a 1967 Shelby 427 'Semi-Competition' Cobra, stood at $2,007,500 in second place, just in front of Lot 145, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, which sold for $1,842,500.
After all said and done, RM reported $36.4 million in sales. That's a record for RM in Arizona, even though the total number of lots for 2013 was reduced significantly. Eight machines cracked the million-dollar mark, and you can see all of them in the press release right down below or peruse all of the auction results here. But first, be sure to scroll through our high-res image gallery of live photos above.

Ferrari dominated classic car auctions in 2014

If it seems to you that the prices being paid for top collector classics at auction keep ratcheting up, you're right. In fact in the US alone, some $1.3 billion were spent on collector cars this past year – a $100 million increase over 2013's tally. And much of that was made up of Ferraris. In fact vintage Prancing Horses accounted for nine out of the ten most expensive cars sold at auction in 2014 – and their prices went up by some 43 percent. The headline of the year, of course, was the 250 GTO which Bonhams sold in Monterey for over $38 million, setting a new world record. But impressive as that was, the GTO wasn't the only eight-figure Ferrari auctioned off this year. On the same week, RM sold a 265 GTB/C Speciale for $26.4 million. Bonhams sold a 375-Plus for $18.4 million at Goodwood, Gooding got $15 million for a 250 GT California Spider, RM raked in $11.5 million for a 250 LM and another $10 million for Steve McQueen's 275 GTB/4. The rest of the list was populated by another 250 California, another 275 and a 250 Mille Miglia, each of which sold for around $8 million apiece. That's the list reported by Ferrari itself, but while the top prices listed on Sports Car Market differ slightly, any way you slice it, the top ten slots are still taken by Maranello's finest. (Hagerty, for its part, reported a slightly different list a few days ago, with eight of the top slots taken by Ferraris and two by Ford GT40s.) Oh, and in case you're wondering, the tenth car on the list was not a Mercedes – the only marque that has traded places with Ferrari for the top place any year since the turn of the millennium. No, this year, the list was rounded out by the pristine white McLaren F1 that Gooding sold for $10.75 million at Pebble Beach this year, slotting in just above the McQueen 275. News Source: Ferrari, Sports Car MarketImage Credit: Ferrari Ferrari Auctions Classics record

Ferrari F12 races Air Malta A320 jet

Air Malta recently worked up a little stunt that pitted an Airbus A320 against a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta in a drag race to raise funds for charity. It's easy to forget just how quick something the size of a jetliner can be, but watching the video below shows us just where the big passenger aircraft stands when it comes to sprinting down a runway. We won't spoil the clip for you, you'll just have to check out the showdown below.
Air Malta says it raised over 178,820 euro with the stunt, which is around $230,000. That's despite the fact that intermittent rain showers kept crowds away. Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton even stopped by to say "Hi" to the crowds. He wasn't piloting the F12, however. Check out the video below for yourself.