Ferrari Testarossa: 3875 Miles With Complete Very Rare 6 Piece Luggage Set on 2040-cars

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UK collector pays $800k for license plate '25 O'

You can't get a vanity license plate in the UK, but Brits have proven their willingness time and time again to part with huge amounts of cash in order to get a particularly desirable number to put on the front and back of their high-priced machinery. This time, a Ferrari collector paid over $800,000 for the license plate "25 O." The princely sum of GBP518,000 – equivalent to over $814k at today's rates – was paid by John Collins, owner of classic car broker Talacrest. Collins reportedly intends to put it on his Ferrari 250 GT SWB. What's more is that he had just paid another GBP130,320 ($205k) for the license plate "250 L" that he plans to put on his 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, the long-wheelbase touring version of the same vehicle. The winning bids were placed at an auction held by the UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – the 150th such auction held by the government office, marking its 25th anniversary. The "25 O" plate broke the event's previous record of GBP357,000 ($560k), paid in March 2009 for plate number "1 D." In 2008 noted tuner Afzal Kahn bought the license plate "F1" for GBP440,000, which is less than what Collins paid for "25 O" but different exchange rates worked that out to $870k at the time. Kahn was said to have turned down a $9 million offer for that plate last year. DVLA PERSONALISED REGISTRATIONS SETS A NEW BRITISH RECORD AS 25 O SELLS FOR GBP500,000 DVLA Personalised Registrations has set a new British record for a personalised registration sold by the Agency after 25 O was bought for more than GBP500,000. Incredibly, John Collins, who, as owner of Talacrest, is regarded as one of the world's leading collectors and dealers of classic Ferraris, bought 25 O for GBP518,000 less than three hours after successfully buying 250 L for a staggering GBP130,320. Both sums include fees and take the total amount paid by the businessman to GBP648,320. Both are among the 1,600 registrations being auctioned by the Agency as part of its 25th Anniversary three-day auction – and also 150th live sale – currently being held at The Vale Resort near Cardiff. Both registrations will be placed on two of the world's most exclusive cars; 250 L will head onto a rare 1964 Ferrari Lusso, while 25 O will sit on the Ferrari 250 SWB once owned by the rock singer Eric Clapton.

Ferrari SUV in the works, finally?

There are some things that Ferrari just won't do. Pink cars. Electric vehicles. SUVs. Well, about that last one... There's long been talk about Ferrari taking the leap and producing a utility vehicle to rival the likes of the Porsche Cayenne (but, like, for way more money). Lamborghini has already gotten the hint with the upcoming Urus. Now, Car says that it can confirm that Ferrari is, in fact, working on a crossover, and the project is codenamed F16X. The British magazine even has its own artist rendering of the rumored ute, though if that's what the thing actually ends up looking like, we'll eat our hat. Car's sources in Maranello say that the vehicle will be built alongside the next-gen GTC4 Lusso (current model pictured above) with aluminum architecture, that it'll be a high-riding soft-roader, and will feature rear suicide doors with no B-pillar (picture a big opening to the rear seats). It will have all-wheel drive, building on Ferrari's experience with the FF and GTC4 Lusso. Under the hood will be a gasoline V8, possibly with a hybrid powertrain option. The Ferrari F16X won't be cheap, of course, and is expected to fetch about $342,000 at today's exchange rates. We're assuming that doesn't account for the cost of inflation between now and 2021, when the CUV is expected to launch. And don't be surprised if Ferrari does everything it can to avoid using the words "crossover" or "SUV" in reference to the F16X. Related Video:

Ferrari 458 Speciale Spider will make Paris debut

The news out of Ferrari is coming nearly as fast as its wonderful sports cars, as of late, with CEO Luca di Montezemolo stepping down and a special model for America upcoming. Now, it's looking increasingly likely that the 458 Speciale Spider is making its world debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show in early October, confirming earlier rumors.
Di Montezemolo had already confirmed that the Prancing Horse would unveil a new car in Paris, but exactly which model it would be had been a mystery. However, an unnamed Ferrari insider has recently confirmed to 4WheelNews that it would be the droptop Speciale.
As the name suggests, the special model takes the sonorous 4.5-liter V8 engine from the 458 Speciale with 597 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque and drops it into the convertible hardtop from the Spider. According to the source, the special Ferrari is also getting new wheels, stripes and seats, but the folding top might mean losing the coupe's transparent engine cover.