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1960 Ferrari 250 GT sells for over $8 million in record-setting RM auction weekend

Although the vast majority of eyeballs were tuned to the madness at Barrett-Jackson this past weekend, that televised car auction wasn't the only high-dollar game in Arizona. RM Auctions brought its usual gaggle of exotic wares to the desert, and the car that came out on top sold for much more than Barrett-Jackson's highest sale, the Batmobile.
Coming out on top at RM last weekend was Lot 164, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta 'Competizione' that sold for a massive $8,140,000 - the buyer could've nearly bought two Barris Batmobiles for that chunk of change. Lot 122, a 1967 Shelby 427 'Semi-Competition' Cobra, stood at $2,007,500 in second place, just in front of Lot 145, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, which sold for $1,842,500.
After all said and done, RM reported $36.4 million in sales. That's a record for RM in Arizona, even though the total number of lots for 2013 was reduced significantly. Eight machines cracked the million-dollar mark, and you can see all of them in the press release right down below or peruse all of the auction results here. But first, be sure to scroll through our high-res image gallery of live photos above.

Ferrari 812 Spider leaks online, F8 Tributo Spider on the way

Social media has no intention of going quietly into the weekend, with Facebook user "Cavallino Ramparte" leaking images of the Ferrari 812 Spider. Earlier reports said Ferrari had invited VIP owners to two preview events in early September, one for the open-top 812, one for the F8 Tributo Spider. This 812 pic appears to have been taken at the respective gathering, Ferrari Chat forum members posting that the Italian automaker showed both near the beginning of the week. Official pictures are rumored to come on Monday, but as far as we can tell at the moment, the 812 barely changes. The narrow opening over the driver's head is bounded by a thick header between the A-pillars on one side, and two buttresses behind the headrests on the other, akin to the racy buttresses from the SP1 and SP2 Monza limited-editions. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We're not sure how the roof mechanism works. Mining Ferrari Chat again, one member posted that the rear fascia has been redesigned and the trunk aperture is larger. Trunk space seemed to be the same as on the standard 812 Superfast, minus the missing rear shelf. Another poster who was at the event wrote, "The spider weighs 3527 lbs dry weight. vs 3362 for coupe," and on acceleration times for 0 to 124 miles per hour wrote, "I think it was 8.3s for the spider, whereas coupe is quoted at 7.9s." No one mentioned power changes, not that the 6.5-liter V12 with 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet needs any. According to a third poster, the F8 Tributo employs the same convertible template as the 488 Spider, with longer louvers over the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that can be optioned in carbon fiber. Since Ferrari's been dancing this kind of V8 two-step since the 458 Italia, we don't expect any surprises design-wise. Whispers online say we'll be able to peruse all angles on Monday, when Ferrari's expected to release high-res press shots.

Sebastian Vettel to leave Infiniti Red Bull at end of 2014

Things are going to look very different in the Formula 1 paddock come 2015. Official word came down from Infiniti Red Bull Racing that Sebastian Vettel, who won four driver's titles while with the energy-infused fizzy drink and marketing company, will be leaving the team after the 2014 season comes to an end. Taking Vettel's well-worn seat at Red Bull will be Daniil Kvyat, who will join Daniel Ricciardo for 2015. Feel free to read that official announcement below.
While no official announcement has yet been made, rumors swirl that Sebastian Vettel will drive for Ferrari in 2015, taking the place of Fernando Alonso, who many believe will end up at McLaren, which itself is in line for a major driver and team shakeup next year as it switches to Honda power. It's not clear where the rest of the current crop of F1 drivers will land, but as this first blockbuster domino falls into place, expect the rest to fall in line in the coming weeks and months.