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Future Ferraris could be based off single, modular platform

Thanks to its imminent initial public offering, Ferrari sits at the precipice of being an independent sports-car maker for the first time in decades. With Sergio Marchionne still at the helm, expect the famous brand to push even harder to grow sales around the world. According to an investigation of the company's future by Automobile, the next-generation of Ferraris could ride on a shared, modular platform and embrace turbocharging even more. Modular underpinnings, like Volkswagen's MQB or Volvo's SPA, are hugely popular in the industry because they let automakers cut development time and share more parts among models. According to Automobile, Ferrari is prepping an aluminum space frame that could support front- and mid-engine models. The design would also allow electronics, suspension parts, and powertrains to be shared among the Prancing Horse's vehicles. The first Ferrari using this platform could be the next-gen California, which is predicted to launch around 2017. The more aggressively styled hardtop convertible could also have an entry-level version with a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6, possibly shared with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Contrary to previous rumors, Automobile reports that the Dino might not be getting this engine, but instead could pack a bespoke, 600-horsepower V6 behind the driver. The coupe would carry a price tag of around $200,000. Also, look for Ferraro to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2017 with a car Automobile refers to as the LaFerrarina, because it would use the LaFerrari's platform for a grand-touring model. Related Video:

Seven-figure cars highlight day one of RM's Monterey auction

RM Auctions is one of several houses holding auctions during the Monterey weekend, and Friday night's festivities got quite pricey. Seven-figure vehicles were not at all uncommon during the first day of the two-day event, with the 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider, seen above, crossing the block for $9,075,000.
Other big earners included a pair of rare Ferraris, a 1950 166 MM Barchetta and a 1955 750 Monza Spider, which took $3,080,000 and $4,070,000, respectively. Outside of the red Italians, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special captured $7,480,000 while a stunning, color-appropriate 1955 Jaguar D-Type took $3,850,000. We've got images of these vehicles, and a few other stunning examples of last night's auction, in the gallery above.
Thought it seems impossible, tonight's auction is expected to see even more high-dollar action. The winner of the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours, a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster is expected to command over $10 million. Also crossing the block will be a car we reported on a few weeks back - a supremely rare 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder. One of only 10 in the world, it's expected to take anywhere from $14 to $17 million when it hits the stage tonight.

This rare vintage Ferrari is not like the others

This particular Ferrari profiled by Petrolicious is attached to many of the vital names we've come to associate with the brand, like Dino, Scaglietti, Ascari, and Formula 1. What it doesn't have is the kind of engine we've come to associate with Maranello: at the front of that delicious bodywork is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 172 horsepower. The car is a 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series II Scaglietti-bodied spider, its engine derived from the 2.0-liter engine used in the Ferrari 500 race car that Alberto Ascari used to win the F1 World Championship in 1952 and 1953. We can only wonder if any of today's cars will provide the same joy at being a barn find as this one did for its affable owner, retired US Navy Admiral Robert Phillips. He discovered it in the back of a dealership in 1960 - it had been sitting unused in Ohio and California for years - and almost walked away from it. He only bought it when he realized it had a four-pot engine. He paid two-thirds of his yearly salary at the time for it, the handsome sum of $2,225. In today's money that's about $18,000. Phillips says there are only three left with the original engines, so odds are that his car's value is exponentially more than the inflation-adjusted purchase price. One of them is going on the block with RM Auctions next month which looks a lot like this one, and they've listed it as "Price on Request." Phillips is our kind of owner, though - one who believes his car is meant to be driven, and who wants to pass it on to another driver when the time comes. His vehicle has quite the history, too, making its way to the Americas thanks to a call from the president of Venezuela to Enzo Ferrari. Check out the video for its beautiful story. Related Video: