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1962 Ferrari 250 GTO auctioned for a record $48 million

As anticipated, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO chassis number 3413 made some serious money at the RM Sotheby's auction at Pebble Beach. As the hammer came down at $48.2 million, the Ferrari became the most valuable car ever sold at auction; it made the Goldeneye Aston Martin DB5 look like a used DB7 in comparison. Last night, racing legend Derek Bell drove the Ferrari onstage, and bidding was opened at a breathtaking $35 million. Three bidders were involved in the sale, and the complete sum including fees came to $48,405,000. The auction house knew it was going to be expensive, having estimated the car at more than $45 million in June. It handsomely topped an earlier Ferrari 250 GTO record of $38 million. The Ferrari, the third one out of a 36-car production run and complete with significant racing history, has a numbers-matching powertrain and a Scaglietti-built Series II body. It has been with its previous owner since 2000, and the last time it was sold it commanded $7 million. The $40-million bump in value is simply incredible, Ferrari 250 GTO or not. And all this time the car hasn't just sat, appreciating; it has been seen in numerous classic events, in actual use. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction View 10 Photos Image Credit: RM Sotheby's Ferrari Auctions Performance Pebble Beach ferrari 250 gto 1962 ferrari 250 gto ferrari auction

Race Recap: 2014 Singapore Grand Prix is back-to-front

To paraphrase Guy Fawkes, 'Remember, remember the twenty-first of September.' That's the day the 2014 Formula One Championship took another big turn - and at one of the year's least interesting races, traditionally - putting Lewis Hamilton back at the top of the standings. Not only that, it did so by borrowing the template from the British Grand Prix this year: put Hamilton in front, retire Nico Rosberg.
It was close until then, though, Hamilton lining up on pole for Mercedes AMG Petronas just seven thousandths of a second ahead of Rosberg. Daniel Ricciardo, the year's greatest opportunist, took third ahead of his teammate Sebastian Vettel in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing, followed by Fernando Alonso in fifth for Ferrari. The Williams' looked like they'd be in trouble on Friday, but as usual they dredged up some pace on Saturday, Felipe Massa taking sixth ahead of Kimi Räikkönen in the second Ferrari, the second Williams of Valtteri Bottas in eighth. Kevin Magnussen saved a little bit of face for McLaren in ninth, and Daniil Kvyat did another solid job to line up tenth in his Toro Rosso.
Before it even started, the race wouldn't look the same.

Romania's Forza Rossa to join 2016 F1 grid

Bazac's Maranello ties have prompted speculation that Forza Rossa could be as closely affiliated with Ferrari as Hass. Formula One may be in a bit of a crisis at the moment, with two of its smaller teams collapsing into bankruptcy, but there may yet be light at the end of the proverbial tunnel as two new teams are gearing up to take their place. One of those teams is Forza Rossa, and while we haven't much anything about the Romanian entry in in recent months, a new report from Pitpass indicates that plans are well under way – if not without their complications. Forza Rossa is being backed by a number of Romanian parties, including veteran race strategist Colin Kolles (who was most recently involved in the Caterham buyout) and Ion Bazac, former government minister and Ferrari's Romanian importer (pictured above next to Giancarlo Fisichella). Interestingly, the latter's ties to Maranello have prompted speculation that the team could be at least as closely affiliated with Ferrari as Haas (the American team being started by industrial machinery magnate and NASCAR team owner Gene Haas). A third Romanian individual – former soccer player Constantin Cojocar – turns out to have been the one who bought Caterham Sports Ltd, the company which designed and built the cars for the Caterham F1 Team until its recent collapse. The plan was to supply chassis and components to both Caterham and Forza Rossa, but Cojocar evidently had trouble paying the bills and keeping the lights on. Caterham's bankruptcy, however, could present a golden opportunity for Forza Rossa to scoop up the assets of both the team and the manufacturer at a good price, building the new team on the burnt foundations of the old one – even if it has already been granted the go-ahead by the FIA to form its own entry. That, however, won't happen until 2016 at the earliest, whittling down the grid in the meantime from 22 cars to 18. According to the arrangement between the FIA, Formula One Management and the teams, that threshold would oblige at least the leading teams to make up the lost places on the grid by fielding a third car each – something they couldn't prepare in time for US Grand Prix this past weekend, but which could be put into action for next season.