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What's the smarter investment, Ferrari stock or a Ferrari?

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is gearing up to spin Ferrari off into its own company, and float some of its shares on the stock market. But buying and trading in Ferrari stock could face a rather unlikely competitor from within. As Bloomberg points out, the values held by classic Ferraris keeps going up, and by no small margin. Even something as relatively humble as the 80s-era Testarossa, for example, has nearly doubled in value over the past year alone. Meanwhile the value of some models – particularly those built in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s – have skyrocketed nearly seven-fold since 2006. Just look at the 250 GTO, one of the most coveted of classic Ferraris among collectors: not taking inflation into account, they were worth thousands in the late 60s, were already selling for hundreds of thousands in the 1980s, and by now are trading hands – on the rare occasion when they do trade hands – for tens of millions. One sold in 2004 for $10 million, and another in 2013 for over $50 million. Those kinds of increases can make a vintage Ferrari seem like a sound investment. That might make it difficult for Ferrari's stock to compete. The company hopes investors will view it as a luxury goods manufacturer along the likes of Prada, Hermes, or Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, the stocks of which tend to increase in value at a greater rate than those of most automakers. But even the best of those luxury stocks have merely doubled in value since 2006, compared to the aforementioned seven-fold increase enjoyed by some classic Ferraris over the same period. Add to that the prospect of actually getting to enjoy owning a classic Ferrari – albeit at the risk of damaging it and hindering its value – and the idea of investing in Maranello's products instead of its stock can seem like a much more enticing prospect. Related Video:

Ferrari F150 Enzo successor is Geneva bound [UPDATE]

Ferrari has announced the automaker will debut the company's "most powerful HyperFerrari [sic]" at this year's Geneva Motor Show. The news came courtesy of Instagram, where the Italian automaker posted a familiar-looking rendering with a quick note. Details are still remarkably scarce, though Ferrari says the successor to the Enzo throne will be able to "turn into a corner" as quick as a Formula One car thanks in part to the fact that the road-going machine will feature as much downforce as an F1 competitor. From what we've heard so far, the Enzo replacement will boast over 800 horsepower from the combination of a V12 engine and a HY-KERS system.
We've already heard some interesting tidbits about the new machine, including the fact that each model will come with a driver's seat tailor made for the buyer. Ferrari says we can also expect to see a quicker 0-120 mph sprint than the old Enzo with 40 percent fewer emissions. Stay tuned for live photos from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
UPDATE: After some looking into it, Ferrari does not appear to have an official Instagram account, or at least doesn't list one alongside its other official social accounts. We're of the mind now that what appeared on this Instragram is not officially from the Horse's mouth.

Christian Bale quits Enzo Ferrari biopic over weight gain

Christian Bale has an unusual but rational reason for dropping the role of Enzo Ferrari in the upcoming biopic of that same name, Variety reports. The actor, famous for his role in the Dark Knight trilogy and American Psycho, apparently felt that he couldn't gain the weight necessary to start filming this spring quickly enough without putting his health in danger. As we reported last year, Bale was to play Ferrari during a dark year for the company, when 11 people died during an accident involving one of the company's race cars during the 1957 Mille Miglia, a race in Italy held on public roads. The crash led to the cancelation of the Mille Miglia entirely. The script itself is based on a book written by famous automotive journalist Brock Yates, "Enzo Ferrari, The Man, The Cars, The Races." While the director, Michael Mann, now has to scramble to find a new lead actor, Robert de Niro is reportedly developing a movie in which he will play il Commendatore over a wider span of the man's life. Nonetheless, the idea of two Enzo biopics in the offing should make gearhead movie lovers doubly happy. Related Video: