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Early Ferrari F40 prototype destroyed in roadside fire

The people behind Tax the Rich have made a name for themselves by doing the sort of things with six and seven-figure supercars that Ken Block does with rally-prepped Subarus and Fords. The group's last video, released just over a year ago, features a rare prototype Ferrari F40. According to Ferrari Chat and IVG.it, another car from that collection is no more, having been reduced to a thin, black crisp. It's a terrible thing to see cars end up in such a state, especially one with such a storied history. It's unclear how the fire started, but old Italian supercars don't exactly have the best reputation for reliability. Hell, even some new Ferraris have had issues with catching fire. This particular F40 is believed to be the sixth prototype ever built by Maranello, going on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1987. According to Motor 1, the car was converted to GT spec in 1991 and raced continually over its life. While some rare supercars have been brought back from the brink and fully restored, it's hard to imagine there is any way to salvage what's left. A Facebook video from Patrich Poggi shows a broken, sullen husk, parked on the side of the road and covered in fire retardant. If you didn't already know, it would be difficult to tell what sort of car you'd be looking at. At least this F40 spent its life on the road and on the track rather than sitting in the back of a garage in someone's collection. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: IVG.it via Motor 1, Ferrari ChatImage Credit: Patrich Poggi Ferrari Coupe Supercars

Ex-Ferrari chairman sounds off on IPO

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo preferred to put exclusivity over profits when he ran the company, and the lower volume still meant huge amounts of cash for the business. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has since taken over Ferrari, but that hasn't stopped di Montezemolo from voicing his opinions. "I hope that the clients will remain more important than the analyst or the investor or the financial markets," di Montezemolo said prior to his induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported. The former chairman argued that once on the stock exchange, a company would need to maximize profits quarter after quarter to keep investors happy. Conversely, di Montezemolo said Ferrari's years of success came from an "exclusivity in terms of number of cars, exclusivity in terms of how you deal with the clients." When di Montezemolo left Ferrari last year, he and Marchionne were scuffling about the future of the brand, including the health of the Formula 1 program. With the change in leadership, the company has reversed course in some ways. Where volume was previously kept around 7,000 units annually, the carmaker has set a new goal of closer to 10,000. The paperwork was filed for the IPO, and Marchionne thinks the company could be worth over $11 billion. The actual shares are rumored to go on sale in October. Related Video:

First Ferrari 458 Speciale A sells for $900k in Beverly Hills

The prospect of buying a new Ferrari convertible is by no means an affordable one, but prices can vary greatly. The California T, for example, sells for under $200k. The 458 Spider fetches over $250k. The new F60 America is said to have sold out at around ten times that much. But what about the 458 Speciale A?
We may have yet to receive official pricing, but one customer has paid a whopping $900,000 for the privilege of owning the very first one. Ferrari 458 Speciale A #1/499 was auctioned off at Beverly Hills City Hall on the occasion of Ferrari's 60th anniversary in America. The event, where the F60 America was also unveiled, was held in the presence of Fiat chairman John Elkann, Fiat CEO and Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa and vice-chairman Piero Ferrari.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit the American chapter of Daybreak, an Italian charity that has worked for the past 25 years to cure rare genetic diseases. The high bid tops that which recently won the first Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat - another extreme eight-cylinder performance machine from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles - although the Challenger itself sells for far less than any Ferrari does.