2002 Ferrari 360 Spider Convertible 2-door 3.6l on 2040-cars

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Celebrating the Ferrari F40 and the man who raced it

The Ferrari F40 has become one of the iconic cars of the last 50 years. It presaged the supercars of the future with its extensive use of carbon fiber and turbocharged engine, but it was also old school with no traction control, stability control or even anti-lock supervision to save the driver if they got in over their head. In its latest video, XCar Films takes a look at the F40 through the lens of a man in the UK who specializes in keeping them on the road and occasionally races these quintessential sports cars.
John Pogson has spent his entire life surrounded by engines. His father was a transport manager for a trucking company and he used to accompany him out on repairs. When he was old enough, John started repairing vehicles at a Lancia dealer, and from there, he started working for Ferrari. Eventually, he saved up enough money to open his own, independent Italian car garage. His new business proved successful, and Pogson's customers started asking him to race their Ferraris, including the F40 - something he did with great success. How could you say no to that opportunity?
While Italian cars are his specialty, Pogson also has a soft spot for all performance cars. The video shows him driving his AC Cobra with a claimed 600 horsepower and doing some smoky donuts in it. Scroll down to learn more about the F40 from one of the people that knows it best.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta auction raises $1.5M for Hurricane Sandy relief

Ferrari has managed to raise $1.5 million for victims of Hurricane Sandy during an auction in Austin, Texas for the very first F12 Berlinetta in the US. The funds will go to the American Red Cross and be earmarked for Hurricane Sandy relief. Ferrari started bidding on the F12 at $315,888, but the most powerful production model from the company fetched $1.125 million by the time the gavel fell through bids sourced both in person and over the phone. The company also managed to raise a further $345,000 in in-kind donations before the auction began, and donors gave an additional $50,000 during the event itself.
Ferrari debuted the F12 Berlinetta at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and the company is set to deliver its first model to a US customer in the second quarter of 2013. The automaker reminds its fans that it is still possible to donate to the Hurricane Sandy relief fund by visiting a special Ferrari section of the American Red Cross page. You can take a closer look at the full press release below for more information.

Montezemolo steps down, Marchionne steps up as chairman of Ferrari

If the history of an automaker is divided up by the mandate of its leadership, then this is surely the end of an era for Ferrari. After repeatedly locking horns with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne over a variety of issues, longtime Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has announced his resignation.
Montezemolo has a long history with both Fiat and Ferrari. He started his career at the former before moving over to the latter in 1973 (only a few years Fiat took over half of Ferrari), starting out as Enzo Ferrari's assistant. He was appointed head of the Scuderia the following year, driving the team to success and subsequently taking over all of the Fiat group's racing activities. After the Prancing Horse marque struggled in the wake of its founder's death in 1988, Montezemolo was appointed to take it over in '91 and has been at the helm ever since.
Following Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli's passing in 2003, both Montezemolo and Marchionne were named to the Fiat board. A year later, after the passing of Gianni's younger brother Umberto, Montezemolo was named chairman of the Fiat Group (to be succeeded six years later by Agnelli heir John Elkann) and Marchionne its chief executive.