2010 Ferrari 458 Italia on 2040-cars

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Bonhams auction at Quail Lodge led by 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Competizione

It doesn't take too much knowledge of the classic car market to figure out that, when it comes to values, Ferrari leads the pack. Bonhams 2015 Quail Lodge Auction did absolutely nothing to buck that trend with four of the five top sellers bearing the Prancing Horse. While none came near the auction house's sale of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for $38.115 million last year, there were still beauties in the bunch. The leader among these thoroughbreds was a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Competizione Alloy Berlinetta (pictured above) that went for $8.525 million, including the buyer's premium. It was one of just seven vehicles made to this specification and raced extensively when new, scoring a win in competition at Watkins Glen. A classic 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider brought $2.64 million, and a somewhat more modern 1985 288 GTO had the hammer drop at $2.365 million. The final Prancing Horse in the top five was a 1951 212 Inter Cabriolet with a body by Vignale for $2.2 million. It scored second-in-class at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Overturning the Ferrari trend, a 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America rounded out the top five with a sale price of $1,952,500. While these are the most expensive vehicles to cross the block, you can check Bonhams' website for the results on all 111 lots. It's a wonderful array of largely European sports cars that are all in top shape.

Ferrari recalling 85 LaFerraris under two separate campaigns [UPDATE]

Of the recalls we see on a regular basis, million-dollar exotic supercars don't often pop up. But that's exactly what we have on our hands today as Ferrari North America and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued a pair of recalls for all 85 examples of the flagship LaFerrari hybrid hypercar in the United States. The first of the recall campaigns revolves around the headrests, which "may not absorb the required amount of energy" and therefore fail to comply with the federal safety requirements. The issue involves the larger L32 seat supplied by Lear, fitted as standard for the passenger and optional for the driver's seat. Addressing the issue will require dealers to replace the headrests. The second recall involves the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, which – in the event of a puncture – will display the wrong message. Instead of telling the driver not to proceed on the punctured tire, as apparently required under federal regulations, the system would (as currently programmed) tell the driver to keep driving, but not above 50 miles per hour. Ferrari dealers will need to update the software to fix the problem. These recalls do not represent the first time Ferrari has called in the hybrid hypercar over a potential safety issue. This past March, owners were offered the opportunity to have the fuel tanks replaced. However, unlike these latest campaigns that are being handled in coordination with the NHTSA, Ferrari insisted that the previous fuel tank issue did not constitute a recall. UPDATE: Ferrari North America confirms that no accidents or injuries have been reported to have resulted from either of these issues, which will be addressed in other markets as well - including Canada, where a further 11 units are affected. In order to fix the seat issue, "a small insert will be added to the back of the (large size only) seat headrest." Rectifying both issues "will take approximately an hour of service." Related Video: RECALL Subject : Headrest Impact Energy Absorbtion/FMVSS 202a Report Receipt Date: MAY 22, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V305000 Component(s): SEATS Potential Number of Units Affected: 85 Manufacturer: Ferrari North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Ferrari North America, Inc. (FNA) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 LaFerrari vehicles manufactured May 15, 2014, to March 4, 2015. The affected vehicles have L32 seats as standard equipment for the passenger seat and as optional equipment for the driver seat.

LaFerrari design secrets explored at Ferrari museum

For every finished vehicle design we see, there are probably hundreds of drawings and models that have long since been discarded. Housed in its own room inside the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the LaFerrari has a unique exhibit that shows off some of the car's design evolution, and Autocar caught up with Ferrari design director Flavio Manzoni for an even deeper look at what went into creating this hybrid supercar.
In addition to the final product, the LaFerrari exhibit also reveals some of the designs that didn't make the cut - two of which made it to the full-size scale model phase, though. The display shows off five different designs (three from Ferrari and two from Pininfarina) that were in the running to become the final LaFerrari.
The interview with Manzoni even adds in some juicy bits of info, including news that one of the potential LaFerrari designs has been locked away and could resurface as a special, one-off model. Manzoni gets in a couple of good quotes while voicing his opposition of the current retro design language currently being used by some automakers, as well. Check it all out in the video below.