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Ferrari planning special Schumacher tribute to mark injured racer's 45th birthday

Michael Schumacher may have completed his Formula One career with Mercedes-Benz, but the German racer will forever be associated with the Scuderia Ferrari, where he spent the better part of a decade winning just about everything. And as the seven-time World Champion continues to fight for his life following a skiing accident, the Tifosi are in the midst of organizing to pay tribute to one of their greatest heroes as his 45th birthday approaches.
According to the Scuderia's Facebook page, it's calling on Scuderia Ferrari Clubs from across Europe to show up at the Grenoble Hospital where Schumacher is being treated for a "silent and respectful" event to honor the injured champion, whose birthday is tomorrow. There's also a tribute being run on the Scuderia's website passing along the team's thoughts as Schumacher tries to recover from his injury.
The latest reports on Schumacher indicate that his condition continues to be stable, but he remains in a medically induced coma. News of the circumstances surrounding his ski mishap continue to trickle out, with the latest report from The Mirror heartbreakingly suggesting that Schumacher was actually attempting to help a friend's daughter who had fallen herself when he had his own tumble.

Luca doesn't believe in electric cars, but Ferrari will build more hybrids

Confirming what we'd long suspected, the hybrid powertrain in the Ferrari LaFerrari was not a one-time thing. "I don't believe in the electric cars, but I strongly believe in hybrids," Ferrari boss Luca Cordero di Montezemolo tells Bloomberg. It's unclear when we'll see another hybrid Ferrari, though, as the automaker's current lineup is quite fresh - the oldest model is the California, which was updated for the 2013 model year - but make no mistake, there are more electrified cars coming from Maranello. "The answer is yes," Montezemolo told Bloomberg when asked about hybrids, although he was quick to add "without exceeding." It's that last part that is key for enthusiasts of the gas engine.
Ferrari's move towards hybrid powertrains reflects a pair of trends in both the political and motorsports spheres. Politically, automakers, even exotics, are being pushed to produce cars with cleaner emissions, or in many cases, no emissions at all. Look no further than the Range Rover Hybrid, which was just announced. Formula One's push towards hybridization and smaller engines is also informing decisions at Ferrari, with the LaFerrari already using hybrid tech already inspired by the sport.
Still, it's reassuring to know that while Ferrari is pushing forward with future technologies, that the gas engine won't go the way of the manual transmission in Maranello - at least in the near term.

Ferrari 250 GTO heading to The Quail with no reserve

It's not every day that a Ferrari 250 GTO changes hands. It is, after all, one of the most highly coveted cars ever made, and there were only 39 of them built in the first place. So when one goes up for sale, it tends to fetch millions. Tens of millions, actually, and the prices keep escalating.
Throughout most of the 1980s they were trading hands for six figures. In 1989 one sold for $10 million. A few months later, $13 million. Prices fluctuated in the 90s, but by 2012, one sold for a whopping $35 million, eclipsed the following year at $52 million. Nobody knows what the next one will sell for, but we're about to find out.
That's because Bonhams has got one consigned for its upcoming auction at the Quail Lodge during Monterey weekend next month. And it's offering it without reserve, meaning that it could sell for the opening bid (however unlikely), it could break the previous record or it could land anywhere in between or beyond.