2002 Ferrari 575 M Maranello Base Coupe 2-door 5.7l on 2040-cars

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Top tier supercars go for top dollar at RM Sotheby's Pinnacle Portfolio auction

Ferraris continue to rake in money during classic car auctions, and the sale of RM Sotheby's Pinnacle Portfolio collection during Monterey Car Week is only further proof of that. The Prancing Horse grabbed four of the top five spots among the 25 vehicles crossing the block. The leader among them was a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM with an extensive racing history that went for $17.6 million, according to the company's unofficial numbers sent to Autoblog. The only vehicle to keep Ferrari from locking out the top five was a 1998 McLaren F1 LM-Specification that went for $13.75 million. It's claim to fame included being the second-to-last road version of these famous supercars built. Plus, the coupe is only one of two with the LM spec package, which included the 680-horsepower racing version of the V12. Showing more modern Ferraris are also appreciating, a 2005 Enzo went for $6.05 million, taking third place. This example was the last one ever made and was originally gifted by the company to Pope John Paul II. However, he had the car sold for charity. Similarly special, fourth went to a 1994 F40 LM racecar for $3.3 million. Finally, a 1967 275 GTB/4 rounded out the top five also at $3.3 million. Amazingly, the vehicles in the Pinnacle Portfolio came from just one person who the company only identified as a "private US-based gentleman collector." Check out the gallery to see all 25 rolling across the block, including a Toyota 2000GT, Porsche 959, and Jaguar XJ220.

Weekly Recap: Ferrari, Ford and Porsche power up for Geneva

Monday was Groundhog Day. Tuesday, apparently, was Sports Car Day. The Ferrari 488 GTB, the Ford Focus RS and the Porsche Cayman GT4 all debuted within hours of each other ahead of their rollouts at the Geneva Motor Show. Three sporty machines, three vastly different approaches – and a lot of implications for enthusiasts. That's a day worth repeating. It also illustrates the opportunities automakers see in the performance market, which is expected to grow in the coming years. Ford estimates the segment has expanded 14 percent in Europe and surged 70 percent in North America since 2009. The Detroit Auto Show was evidence of this, and performance cars of every stripe debuted, including the Acura NSX, Ford GT, Alfa Romeo 4C Spider and several others. This isn't a fad. Performance cars aren't going away. The question is why? Stricter CAFE standards are looming in the United States, as are tighter emissions regulations in Europe. And no one expects gas prices to remain low in America. None of this matters for sports cars, and automakers are increasingly using them to elevate their images. That's why Dodge rolled out two 707-horsepower Hellcats last year. It's why Ford has decided to resurrect the GT for road and track. It's why in the depths of bankruptcy, General Motors continued work on the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, not to mention the Z06. "Great brands are made one car at a time," Ford of Europe president Jim Farley said at the reveal of the Focus RS. Still, companies make those cars for different reasons. View 5 Photos Mainstream brands like Ford and Dodge want to build cars that get people talking, excite their bases and drive more potential customers into the showroom. They probably don't buy a Focus RS or a Hellcat, but suddenly the regular Focus hatch looks a bit hotter, and that V6 Charger seems to be just a touch more muscular. The halo of performance is alive and well in the eyes of automakers and their customers. "It's one of the most effective catalysts for ingenuity and innovation," said Joe Bakaj, vice president of product development for Ford of Europe. That also leads to a trickle-down effect. Some of the technologies inevitably make their way to other products. It's hard to think the new all-wheel-drive system in the Focus RS that distributes torque front to rear and side to side won't be used in other vehicles. It's different for Ferrari and Porsche.

LaFerrari gets shakedown from Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso is quite cool behind the wheel, as evidenced by an earlier video where he gave a full interview while actively hooning a Ferrari F12 around the Nürburgring. So when you see the Spaniard somber-faced and sweating while hustling a Ferrari LaFerrari around the Scuderia's Fiorano test track, you know the new hypercar is pretty demanding.
Alonso doesn't give commentary on this one (except to the engineers at the end), but he does wrestle the 949-horsepower hybrid around the track. It does look like a handful. Take a look below for the full video.