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The V10 from Schumacher's and Barrichello's Ferrari F2002 is for sale

Between November 22 and December 2, 2019, RM Sotheby's is holding an online-only auction of Formula 1 memorabilia. It heavily focuses on the early '80s, early '90s, and early '00s and includes a wide variety of items from toy models to race-used car parts. One of the key drivers during this period was Michael Schumacher, and the number of related collectibles reflects that. One of the golden eggs of the auction is a Ferrari F2002 Tipo 051/B/C V10 Engine from 2002.  The Ferrari F2002 is a legendary racecar with a stellar record on the track. In 2002, with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello driving, the F2002 won 15 of 17 races, including nine one-two finishes. Ferrari and Schumacher claimed the Constructors’ Title and Driver's Championship with ease, and the force behind those victories was the Tipo 051/B/C V10.  The Paolo Martinelli-designed engine is a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter that is rated at 835 horsepower at a mind-bending 17,800 rpm. Sotheby's points out the engine was not as high-powered as some of its competitors, but the lightweight design and placement allowed the car to flourish. As of this writing on the auction's opening day, the top bid is at $2,000, but Sotheby's is expecting it to bring $50,000 to $70,000. Interestingly enough, that's well below Ferrari's $90,000 direct price. Yes, Ferrari is offering this engine, too, and it's available for pre-order. So that leaves a decision: save money and go through a third party or buy straight from the source. 

BMW, Ferrari, VW cars use tungsten mined by terrorists

Bloomberg Markets is reporting that BMW, Volkswagen and Ferrari have been using tungsten ore sourced from Columbia's FARC rebel terrorists. The extensive story focuses on Columbia's illegal mining trade and calls into question the provenance of the rare ore that is used not only in crankshaft parts production, but is also found in the world's computing and telecommunications industry for use in screens.
The ore is mined by the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army), and exported to Pennsylvania, where it is refined. The refined ore is then sent over to Austria, where a company called Plansee turns it into a finished product. Now, it's important to note that we aren't talking about the world's supply of tungsten here. In 2012, Plansee's American refinery purchased 93.2 metric tons of tungsten, valued at $1.8 million. That's peanuts, with the entire Colombian tungsten mining industry producing just one percent of the world's supplies.
That doesn't make indirectly supporting FARC any more acceptable, though. BMW, VW and Ferrari are all committed to not accepting mineral supplies from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also in the grips of a guerrilla insurrection funded, in part, by illegal mining. The same commitment would figure to extend to Colombian mining, but as BMW points out, it's difficult for a multi-national manufacturer to know where every item in its supply chain comes from. A company spokesperson says as much, telling Bloomberg, "These few grams out of the billions of tons of raw materials passing through the BMW supply chain are of no practical relevance."

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider tops Gooding's Saturday auction at $15.18 million

During the weekend's automotive smorgasbord in Pebble Beach, Ferrari has played a huge roll. Twenty examples of the ultra-rare 250 TR, better known as the Testa Rossa, were prominently on display at the Concours d'Elegance, and the Prancing Horses have been top sellers at many of the auctions. You can chalk up one more on that list with a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider with a scarce, optional hardtop included going for $15.18 million at Gooding & Company's sale on Saturday night. Ferris Bueller would find it so choice.
In all, the auction house brought in about $60.4 million during the night, and 17 of the cars on the block sold for over $1 million. None of the other cars on Saturday managed quite the stratospheric highs of the California, though. A 1955 Aston Martin DB3S was the second-highest seller at $5.5 million. The next four top vehicles were all Ferraris with final prices ranging between $2.09 million and $2.365 million. Clearly, investors are in love with the Prancing Horse these days.
Check out our gallery, and scroll down to read the auction house's announcement of its top Saturday results.