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Octane Drives $12 Million Ferrari 250 TR |
$12 Million Ferrari Breaks Auction World Record |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
Jalopnik 
05/18/09
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05/18/09
You suck and I hate you.
Respectfully,
All of us unlucky bastards
05/18/09
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+ Watch video
+ Watch video
05/18/09
A once-over is more than enough to appreciate a car such as this, but that isn't what makes it art. Sure, we could discuss the fender flares and different paint jobs ad nauseum, but what really makes it exceptional is its mechanical advances and storied history. Sitting motionless, it is artistic, but there is much more needed to fully appreciate its merits as art. You have to hear the shriek of the V-12 at redline, see it ripping around a track with a driver gone mad, feel it vibrating like it's going to shake itself apart, hear the squeal of the brakes frantically trying to scrub off speed. This car should make you see the world in sepia, steeped in automotive glory.
And that, my friends, is the only way to truly appreciate that this car is worth every penny of $12 million. The tragedy will be if it is cloistered away in a climate-controlled garage to be drooled over for five minutes a year - that would be akin to buying the Mona Lisa and hanging it in your teenager's bedroom. Is it artistic? Sure. Is it art? Not unless you allow it to reach the full potential of its purpose.
05/18/09
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Something doesn't become art over time, art is conceived as art, art is the expression of your inner feelings.
This is conceived as a car, a beautiful one, it is conceived for being driven, used.
Is it worth the money? I don't know, for the person who bought it, it clearly was.
Did he buy it because he loves art? Surely not, he likes cars, exclusive cars that have a lot of caché. Will it be a good investment? Maybe.
05/18/09
Suckers!
05/18/09
05/18/09
RM Auctions and Sotheby's are feeling pretty good after selling a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR for € 9,020,000, or nearly 83 million Chinese yuan. The car sold at the third annual Legends and Passions event, which Ray Wert was expressly banned from.
We now talk about how historical this car is, but we know you aren't listening because you are trying to hide that tent from your coworkers.
This Ferrari produced 300 hp from it's 2953 cc SOHC Type 128 LM V-12 with 6 Weber carbs mounted on it. The power was pushed through a 4-speed manny tranny. Driving was kept exciting with an unequal A-air front suspension and live-axle, semi-elliptical leaf spring rear suspension. Proving that Ferrari drivers don't slow down for anyone, drum brakes are used all around.
We then talk about a bunch of history, which is interesting, but even computers have an inner dragon.
05/18/09
05/18/09
This is art, pure and simple. And unlike a Monet painting, this piece of art is performance art: that is, it can be fired up to really overload the senses of the viewer. The shriek of it's V12 at full wail; combined with the scent of unburned hydrocarbons can cause many middle-aged men to cream their Dockers. Not so the chubby chick with the parasol.
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How much of that money went into writing the press release?