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Celebrating the Ferrari F40 and the man who raced it

The Ferrari F40 has become one of the iconic cars of the last 50 years. It presaged the supercars of the future with its extensive use of carbon fiber and turbocharged engine, but it was also old school with no traction control, stability control or even anti-lock supervision to save the driver if they got in over their head. In its latest video, XCar Films takes a look at the F40 through the lens of a man in the UK who specializes in keeping them on the road and occasionally races these quintessential sports cars.
John Pogson has spent his entire life surrounded by engines. His father was a transport manager for a trucking company and he used to accompany him out on repairs. When he was old enough, John started repairing vehicles at a Lancia dealer, and from there, he started working for Ferrari. Eventually, he saved up enough money to open his own, independent Italian car garage. His new business proved successful, and Pogson's customers started asking him to race their Ferraris, including the F40 - something he did with great success. How could you say no to that opportunity?
While Italian cars are his specialty, Pogson also has a soft spot for all performance cars. The video shows him driving his AC Cobra with a claimed 600 horsepower and doing some smoky donuts in it. Scroll down to learn more about the F40 from one of the people that knows it best.

Race Recap: 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix a thrilling wet mess

Three Free Practice sessions left us thinking Lewis Hamilton looked good to claim another victory for Mercedes AMG Petronas and close up the Driver's World Championship race, but the first qualifying session for the 2014 Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix threw out that script. A fuel leak in Q3 set Hamilton's car aflame and he never set a time. His chassis damaged beyond repair, the team built him a new one and he started from pit lane. That same session also claimed Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen, when a bad call about whether to go out again dropped him down to 17th and out for the day.
Without a real challenge, that put Hamilton's teammate-slash-nemesis Nico Rosberg on pole in the other Mercedes, followed by a resurgent Sebastian Vettel in the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Valtteri Bottas in the first Williams and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull. Fernando Alonso waved the scarlet in fifth for Ferrari but figured he could be in third place by the end of the first lap. Felipe Massa put the second Williams in sixth, followed by Jenson Button in the first McLaren, Jean-Eric Vergne getting up to eighth for Toro Rosso, Nico Hülkenberg in ninth for Force India and Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren.
When rain poured on the 4.381-kilometer Hungaroring before the race, every script up and down the field got rewritten, and they would continue come in for revision almost every one of the 70 laps.

Ferrari reveals pair of tailor-made specials in Shanghai

For most people, buying a new Ferrari - heck, even a used one - would be a special occasion all on its own, not to mention a rare privilege. But to make the experience all the more special, the Prancing Horse marque offers its Tailor-Made personalization program. The service just reached the Asia-Pacific region for the first time with the new Tailor-Made Centre in Shanghai, and to mark its inauguration, Ferrari has revealed two new special editions - both based on V12 GTs and inspired by horses - specifically for the Chinese market.
First up is the F12 Berlinetta Polo Edition pictured above. The special F12 is distinguished by a white and blue theme, the exterior decked out in Bianco Italia Opaco (read: fancy white) with navy blue offset racing stripes, and the interior carrying an inverse take on the same featuring dark blue leather upholstering with white stitching, stripes and trim.
Those looking for more traction and versatility might be more intrigued by the FF Dressage Edition. The four-seat, four-wheel special gets a piano black exterior and a reddish saddle brown leather interior with grid-pattern stitching (pictured inset at right).