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Final Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta sells for $10 million

All Ferraris are expensive, but some are more expensive than others. The Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta is the current king of the mountain, with just 209 examples built, at least so far. A few weeks ago, the Italian automaker announced it would be building one last example, putting the total production number at 210. The car went up for auction this past weekend, and, with a final sale price of about $10 million, the car more than doubled the initial estimates of $3.5 million to $4.7 million. What's a few more million if it's all going to charity? The LaFerrari Aperta is basically the open-top version of the standard LaFerrari. The 210th example was built to celebrate Ferrari's 70th anniversary as an automaker. We're not sure that the owner of the 209th model will be too happy that their car is slightly less special, but we're sure they can drown their sorrows with a screaming V12. The 210th model will wear a special livery that's basically a few white stripes over classic Ferrari-red paint. $10 million is a lot of dough for a car that hasn't actually been built yet. Technically, the winning builder bought the rights to the 210th car, not the car itself. According to Autoweek, all proceeds from the auction will benefit Save the Children, an organization that helps disadvantaged children around the world. The LaFerrari Aperta just beat out this gorgeous 1 959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider by Scaglietti that sold for $9.5 million. Related Video: News Source: RM Sotheby's Green Ferrari Auctions Convertible Supercars ferrari laferrari ferrari laferrari aperta

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.

FCA is setting a five-year strategy: Here's how the last one played out

We're slightly more than four years removed from Sergio Marchionne last five-year plan for FCA, a tell-all where the Italian-American automaker divulged its plans for the 2014 through 2018 model years. It was a grand affair, where Sergio told FCA investors that all was right in Auburn Hills, Alfa Romeo and Maserati were making comebacks, and the fifth-gen Dodge Viper received a mid-cycle refresh. You can read every last one of those past predictions right here. We're on our way to Europe to see Sergio's sequel, coming out Friday straight from FCA's Italian headquarters. (Bloomberg reports a plan to expand Jeep and Ram globally, combine Alfa Romeo and Maserati into a single division for an eventual spinoff, and downsizing Fiat and Chrysler. Also, EVs.) But before we arrive in Italy and find out exactly what Marchionne has planned for 2019 through 2023 as his last act as CEO, let's take a minute to tally up the results of his last term based on the same scoresheet we used in 2014. Now, we're only five months into 2018, so much of this — including vehicles like the Ram HD and Jeep Grand Wagoneer — could still debut this year. For those, we'll mark things TBD. We're not going to draw any conclusions or make any objectionable remarks. We're simply going to let the stats speak for themselves.