2011 Ferrari 458 Italia. on 2040-cars

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Ferrari 250 GT California could be your day off for $8 million

Vintage Ferraris consistently top the list of the most expensive cars ever sold. In private treaty sales, the 250 GTO is king, but even at public auctions, it's the horses that prance the highest. After the Mercedes W196 grand prix racer that set the world record this past July at nearly $30 million, the list of eight-figure sales is populated almost entirely by Ferraris: a 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder for $27.5 million, the pair of '57 Testa Rossas that sold separately a few years ago for $17 and $13 million apiece, the 250 LM recently went for over $14 million and the 250 GT SWB California Spider that sold in 2008 for $11 million.
Now RM Auctions has another California - this time a long-wheelbase model - on consignment for its upcoming sales in Arizona, where it is expected to fetch between $7 and $9 million. The 11th of only 50 made, chassis number 1055 GT features matching numbers, in red over black with those highly-coveted covered headlamps from the factory. It was delivered new in 1958 to Texas and was owned by some prominent Ferrari collectors and historians across the United States.
It underwent a comprehensive restoration in 1994 before taking the top prize in its class at the Cavallino Classic and has made the rounds of numerous other concours. It's spent the last few years in northern Europe and is now being put up for auction. "It is so choice," as our childhood friend Ferris would say. "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up." Check it out in the gallery of achingly gorgeous photos above and the details in the auction listing below.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel crashes in F1 preseason testing

MONTMELO, Spain — Sebastian Vettel crashed into a tire barrier in Formula One preseason testing on Wednesday, damaging his Ferrari but not sustaining any injuries. Vettel lost control on Turn 3 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, going through the gravel and hitting the wall. Ferrari said Vettel was "off due to a mechanical problem." It said the car was sent back to the garage "for all the needed checks." The Italian team did not specify what problem led to Vettel's crash in the morning session of the second of four days of testing. The crash prompted a red flag, and Vettel's Ferrari had to be towed back to the garage. McLaren driver Carlos Sainz was leading Wednesday's session with a time of 1 minute, 17.144 seconds, the fastest so far after six days of testing. Vettel had the second fastest time of the day, followed by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes rival Valtteri Bottas. Also Wednesday, McLaren said two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will be the team's ambassador and continue to advise its drivers and engineers, as well as "drive at selected tests to support the development" of the team's cars for 2020. Alonso, who was at the Barcelona track on Tuesday, will drive for McLaren in this year's Indy 500. Renault said Russian driver Sergey Sirotkin, who raced for Williams last season, will be the team's reserve driver in 2019. Testing will continue through Friday at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, home to the Spanish Grand Prix. The season-opening Australian Grand Prix is on March 17. More AP racing Motorsports Ferrari Racing Vehicles F1 Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari looking to become even more exclusive

While most automakers are clawing and scratching for every possible sale, it sounds like Ferrari is content in losing a few potential customers in the name of better exclusivity and higher profits. Autocar reports that Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo recently stated that the Italian automaker hopes to sell fewer than 7,000 units globally in 2013 compared to last year's tally of 7,318.
As a part of this plan, Ferrari will be slowing its production lines and trying to create a balanced market for its cars in the US, the Middle East, Europe and China - the latter two being the automaker's biggest markets. Montezemolo also said that Ferrari would not be expanding its model lineup with SUVs, sedans or small cars.