Ferrari 250 GTO becomes most expensive car ever auctioned

Bonhams sells Ferrari 250 GTO for nearly £23million, breaking last year's record for the most expensive car at auction

This 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta is now officially the most valuable car ever sold at auction, racking up a final bid equal to £22,843,633 at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge Auction yesterday.

As the Monterey Car Week continues apace, the historic two-seat coupe briefly stole the limelight in California, with bidders from around the world competing in person and via telephone link for one of the 39 original factory-manufactured GTOs.

In breaking the record the Ferrari surpassed another Bonhams lot, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R F1 Racer, which became the most expensive auctioned car last year when it sold for approximately £18million at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“It’s been a genuine privilege to represent this outstanding car and we are absolutely delighted with today’s results,” said Bonhams chairman Robert Brooks. “We’ve always maintained that we would exceed the current world record and that the car would bring between $30-$40-million and today the GTO did just that.”

Sold by the British auction house as part of the Maranello Rosso Collection of iconic Ferrari models, the 250 GTO accounted for over half the ten-strong range’s combined value of £39.5million. We’ll keep you posted on any other big sales as the Quail Lodge Auction enters its second and final day later this afternoon.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

Ferrari 458 Speciale A revealed in Paris

597bhp Ferrari 458 Speciale A (Speciale Spider) makes its Paris Motor Show debut

Ferrari has completed the 458 supercar range with a Spider version of the lightweight 458 Speciale called the Speciale A, on display at the Paris Motor Show 2014. The A stands for Aperta – Italian for ‘open’ – and the badge will only be worn by 499 cars, making the Speciale A as rare as the LaFerrari hybrid flagship.

Mechanically, the 458 Speciale A is identical to the 458 Speciale. The 4.5-litre V8 develops 597bhp, up from 562bhp in the 458 Spider, and drives the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that’s even faster through the ratios than a standard 458’s transmission.

Weight-saving measures from the Speciale, like forged wheels and a new exhaust system, mean the Speciale A weighs in at 1,340kg when without fuel or fluids – a 1,445kg kerbweight. That’s 50kg more than the hard-top 458 Speciale, due to the folding roof mechanism and stiffening measures – but 90kg lighter than a regular 458 Spider. Also carried over to the cabrio are aerodynamic features from the 458 Speciale, like the revised front apron with active flaps, and taller rear diffuser.

Ferrari claims the Speciale A will sprint from 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds – four-tenths quicker than a 458 Spider – and lap the Fiorano test circuit in Italy faster than the legendary Enzo, in one minute 23.5 seconds. The top speed is unquoted, but sure to be in excess of 200mph. Meanwhile, the roof takes 14 seconds to fold into a covered recess in front of the mid-mounted engine.

As these official pictures show, the 458 Speciale A is available with a unique design of racing livery with Pagani-style blue-tinted carbon fibre highlights. These finishes have not been seen on the hard-top 458; neither have the new Alcantara seats.

Official pricing for the Ferrari 458 Speciale A has yet to be announced, but it’s guaranteed to be the most expensive 458 yet, likely to cost around £220,000. That’s unlikely to put off canny investors, however, who’ll view the Speciale A as a future classic. With Ferrari reportedly eyeing a switch to twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 power for the 458’s successor, this open-top Speciale could go down in history as the last-ever naturally aspirated V8-powered Ferrari road car.

Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/

2015 New Ferrari F60 America. Ferrari is celebrating 60 years in the USA birthday

Limited edition open-top F12 marks 60 years of Ferrari business in America – and the Ferrari F60 America is already sold out

Ferrari has commemorated 60 years of selling cars in the USA with a striking open-top version of the Ferrari F12, fittingly named the F60 America. Strictly limited to just 10 units exclusively offered to American collectors, the F60 is predictably sold out already, despite its $2.5m (£1.5m) price tag.

Far from simply chopping the roof and pillars from an F12 Berlinetta, the F60 America has seen some interesting re-engineering. Take the front and rear aprons – their appearance has been tweaked from the heavily aero-focused F12, with the front grille now aping the California T’s, and the rear diffuser sprouting new central vanes.

The classic round taillights now bulge out of the aluminium bodywork, whereas the F12’s sit flush in the car’s rump. There are also new side vents, diamond-cut wheels, and a new bonnet which no longer forces airflow down through an aperture in the car’s front wings.

Carbon-fibre-trimmed roll hoops sit atop the rear deck, peering down into Ferrari’s most outlandish interior yet. It’s a two-tone arrangement that swathes the driver’s side in eye-searing red leather and trim, while the passenger has a black bucket seat and surroundings.

The wild look is supposed to hint at the F60’s racing heritage – like the livery and limited production number, the two-tone upholstery is inspired by 1960’s North American Racing Team Ferraris. Lightweight carbon features throughout the two-seat cockpit, while the chairs themselves feature inset American flag logos.

The America is powered by the standard F12’s 6.3-litre V12 and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which deals out 730bhp to the rear wheels. The acceleration figure remains a pulverising 3.1 seconds from 0-62mph but there’s no word on the outright top speed. Ferrari has at least advised that the supplied fabric roof, which must be erected manually, is only guaranteed to cling onto the F60 up to speeds of 75mph.

The F60 America will be unveiled in Beverley Hills on 11 October 2014, and makes history as the first new Ferrari in 23 years not unveiled under the stewardship of enigmatic ex-chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/