Ferrari 250 Gt California Spider on 2040-cars

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Ferrari 212 Barchetta highlights RM auction at Villa d'Este

While show-goers sip champagne and basque in the glow of some of the most beautiful classics and most notable concept cars at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, at the Villa Erba just down the shore, collectors bid on some of the most tempting automotive creations. And this year was no exception. Highlighting RM Sotheby's auction this year was a rare classic 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta. The Touring-bodied competition roadster from Ferrari's early days fetched an incredible ˆ6,720,000 – nearly $7.4 million at current exchange rates – to set a new record for that model. According to Sports Car Market, the previous record was held by a 212 Export coupe that sold for $3.2 million early last year. A Barchetta failed to sell for a high bid of $1.97 million in 2008, which just goes to show how far this auction raised the bar for the 212. Though it was by far the top lot of the day, it wasn't the only million-dollar sale of the day. Heck, it wasn't even the only million-dollar Ferrari sold. A quartet of Ferrari supercars – including a 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo – each fetched seven figures, as did a 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso and a 250 GT Cabriolet. So did a Lamborghini Miura, a '73 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 and a '53 Fiat 8V Cabriolet, if you can believe it. Other notable lots included a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d'Este Coupe, a '74 Lancia Stratos and a rare stick-shift Ferrari 599 HGTE. All told, RM Sotheby's racked up nearly $30 million in sales at its first European auction since merging and rebranding, selling 34 out of the 39 lots consigned, but that stunning 250 California Spider did not appear to be among them.

2016 Ferrari 488 Spider First Drive | Pure, uncut spectacle

The majority of the cars that have rolled out of the gates at Maranello can be described as varying degrees of spectacular. Still, until you settle in behind the wheel, you wonder if a real Ferrari can live up to the hype. The first thing I took note of in the Ferrari 488 Spider was the immense and nearly instantaneous acceleration into questionable speeds. It should have been obvious from the start, but the rate that this car builds speeds still managed to surprise me, like the cold wind on a January morning. You've checked the weather on your phone and you know it's going to be cold, but you still wince with that first sharp breeze on your cheek. It's a totally different sensation than something like the Dodge Viper. The Viper requires deliberate effort for everything. Getting in and out is a pain in the ass. The clutch is long and heavy and the pedal box is tiny. The hefty steering requires some strength, especially at low speeds. The shifter wholly mechanical thing that requires a little more motivation than you would expect. It's not easy and it's not trying to be, just so you're not tempted to underestimate it. By comparison, the Ferrari is cake. The doors open wide allowing easy access, made even easier with the retractable hardtop stowed away. The cabin, while completely covered in black leather, is open enough to not feel claustrophobic. The steering is light but doesn't feel loose and the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission can be left in automatic to make things easier. In sport mode, the exhaust is relatively subdued, allowing you to actually enjoy the stereo should you choose to. But goose the gas and a wave of panic and exhilaration momentarily wash away any other thoughts. The 488 Spider packs a mid-mounted 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 making 661 horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque. It's not quite the screamer of past Ferrari V8s, but what it lacks in aural excitement it makes up for in brute force. The old 4.5-liter V8 in the Ferrari 458 was powerful, but most of that power was at the top of the rev range. On the other hand, the 488 feels strong in any gear at any RPM. Boost is limited in lower gears, changing the power band in an effort to dull the turbo lag somer. While there isn't a big kick when boost comes on, it doesn't feel quite like a naturally-aspirated engine either. Once you're in boost, complaints seem to fall by the wayside.

Phony Fauxrrari and Shamborghini replicas seized in Brazil

A shop in the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil has been raided and shut down by police after it was discovered that it was turning out shoddy replica supercars. The Fauxrrari and Shamborghini (we borrowed the latter clever term from the Associated Press) copies themselves look impressively detailed considering that they were reportedly coming out of a father-son operation, but the engineering, underpinnings and powertrains are surely a wee bit shy of what's flowing out of the real factories in Italy. According to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, one replica was powered by the engine from a Chevrolet Omega, which we knew at one time in the U.S. as the Cadillac Catera. Scrolling through the image gallery above, though, we see at least one Ferrari knock-off that appears to have a bright red intake manifold behind the passenger compartment, so who knows? Police reported that the replicas were being offered on unknown social media channels for between $45,000 and $60,000. Needless to say, that's nowhere near the price of a real Ferrari or Lamborghini. And this isn't the first (and likely, not the last) time this has happened, either. According to the AP, the raid was conducted after at least one of the Italian marques tipped off authorities. Eight vehicles in various states of completion were found, along with tools, molds and what looks to be a treasure trove of car parts. It's not clear how many finished vehicles may have rolled out of the shop, or how many may already be in the hands of buyers. The father and son duo who ran the operation have been arrested on industrial property charges.