Recently, a mansion made splashy headlines the world over for its record-breaking purchase. And while you might think the draw would be the $55 million that architect and developer Aldo Stark of Prestige Design Homes earned from its sale, it’s actually the abode’s opulent Ferrari-themed design that dropped jaws. Casa Maranello, as it’s so eloquently named, is not only an ode to lavish living, but to the Italian supercar maker whose identity ripples through the DNA of the 2.5- acre lakefront campus like the crimson flags flown by Ferraristi the world over.

The Prancing Horse obsession starts as soon as you pass the gates and walk by an expansive fountain at the home’s entrance. Floating on the pool-like water, a defiant horse rears on its hind legs—a life-size Ferrari logo fully manifested in bronze. Walk through the imposing front double doors to the grand salon and you’ll see a replica of one of the planet’s most valuable cars centerstage. There in the room’s pole position, a reduced scale Ferrari 250 Testarossa reminds all who enter the abode where its name was born (the Italian city being, of course, the home of Ferrari).

From that vantage, you can also catch a view of Casa Maranello’s focal point: the 12-car garage, outfitted in photos with a lust-worthy suite of gleaming Ferraris—and a lone Rolls-Royce Phantom. Unfortunately, none of these vehicles are included in the sale, but that’s OK. The glass-walled garage allows the proud owner to park his own collection for stunned onlookers to enjoy from the comforts of the living room, viewed behind glass like an adult-size Hot Wheels collection.

While Italy plays prime muse, its Douglas Elliman agency states the home was “inspired by European artistry and precision.” And that inspiration emanates not just from Italy but also Switzerland—specifically the iconic “Goldfinger Route,” aka the Swiss Alps’ Furka Pass through which Sean Connery escapes the titular Goldfinger’s goons in his Aston Martin DB5. Located in what is humbly dubbed “Billionaire’s Row” in the prestigious Stone Creek Ranch development of Delray Beach, Florida, Casa Maranello is clearly built with one focus in mind: revelry. But beyond the ample hosting capabilities of the 21,725-squarefoot mansion lies a profound ability to relax, recharge, and meditate.

Despite its hefty price tag, Casa Maranello seems not to have been imagined as a first home, but rather more of a Miami party pad. Small hints to its festive purpose abound: the 20-person Brazilian onyx dining table in the dining room, crystal chandelier-festooned high-ceilings, and a marble-lined 30-foot-long cocktail lounge dubbed the Maranello Bar all seem to suggest Casa Maranello might be more of an afters-at-mine destination for one of Magic City’s sports superstars. Perhaps the perfect pad for Tua Tagovailoa or Bam Adebayo to call home.

Should any of your new friends want to sleep over, the halfdozen bedroom suites, including a pair of primary suites, supply five-star resort levels of comfort. Each boasts walk-in closets and en-suite spa level bathrooms. For your other playmates, you can offer four well-appointed guest suites which still ensure both lavish style and privacy in case anyone should need it.

Of course there are plenty of distractions outdoors should you want to keep the party going the next day—centered around the 95-foot pool plucked directly from an Aman Resort. Most of the verdant campus looks out onto the glimmering lake, all landscaped for decadent daytime soirées. Drinks can be served from the pool cabana’s bar, which also comes equipped with a full kitchen and bathroom. Or guests can elevate the rest and recovery to the next level by indulging in the home’s insane Bulgari-inspired spa. The five-diamond wellness oasis boasts its own indoor pool, as well as a Himalayan salt room, sauna, and steam room.

If action is more your bag, Casa Maranello also entertains with its own basketball court that doubles for pickleball. There’s even a putting green and its own private soccer field. Because what would a $55-million Ferrari-dedicated mansion be without its own pitch? One amusing detail reported is that Casa Maranello was not merely paid for via cash or loan, but was partly swapped for a nearby $26 million 18,000-square-foot mansion. Like trading baseball cards, but for the G800 crowd.

This article originally appeared in Maxim’s September/October 2025 issue.

Extensive spa services, rooftop bars and Michelin-star dining are all signs of a stellar hotel, but The Joseph in Nashville is offering a truly next-level amenity that’s sure to turbocharge your stay: 200 miles of road-tripping in an Italian supercar.

The Marriott-owned hotel’s new Luxury Auto Escape package puts its guests behind the wheel of either the Ferrari 488 or Lamborghini Huracan EVO for a two-night stay. As gearheads know, those are some serious rides with sub-three-second 60 mph times and 200 mph-plus top speeds. The Prancing Horse was deemed “Supercar of the Year” by Top Gear in 2015 and Motor Trend‘s “Best Driver’s Car” in 2017, thanks to a phenomenal twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 that puts down 661 horsepower. Meanwhile, the Raging Bull, powered by a 5.2-liter V10, also won Motor Trend‘s “Best Driver’s Car” title in 2020.

The Joseph’s package practically ensures its guests will get the most out of the vehicles by including a curated driving itinerary. The route visits the storied Natchez Trace Parkway, a national park site that follows a historic route trekked by early settlers, Victorian downtown Franklin, and the peaceful rural community of Leiper’s Fork. Also included is a Taste of Italy starring Burrata cheese, Sicilian tapenade and focaccia bread that greets travelers upon arrival, breakfast for two, and nightly valet parking.

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The Joseph’s Luxury Auto Escape is one of several packages offered by Marriott as a part of its Iconic Drives series, which also includes luxury automobile loans at The Ritz-Carlton locations in Maui, Amelia Island and Portland, as well as the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix. The choice in vehicle varies from a Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette to a Range Rover Sport, depending on location.

For The Joseph’s Nashville Luxury Auto Escape, tap here to learn more or book—prices start at around $1,500 per night.

As the new flagship production Ferrari, the 849 Testarossa is automatically one of the most desirable roadgoing vehicles money can buy. But by resurrecting the classic “red head” nameplate, the Maranello marque is also making an instant-classic case for their latest four-wheeled feat of performance engineering.

While Testa Rossa was first used in 1956 to describe the red cam covers on the Ferrari 500 TR’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder—a tradition that carried over to the 3.0-liter V12 cam covers in the succeeding 250 Testa Rossa—the two-word phrase most commonly conjures images of the bedroom poster icon that stunned the world when it debuted with an avant-garde, wedge-shaped design in 1984.

“The Ferrari Testarossa was a very important model for Ferrari,” Andrea Modena, Head of Ferrari Classiche, the Italian marque’s exclusive department handling official certification, restoration and maintenance of its heritage cars, previously told Maxim.

“The car was of course known for its dramatic styling and the now signature strakes leading to the intakes, but it also featured several important technical innovations, such as the four valves per cylinder, the first time for a twelve-cylinder Ferrari road car. Of course the car subsequently became especially famous as it was included in several important movies and shows”—such as Miami Vice—“especially in the United States, which truly cemented its legacy.”

Much of the Testarossa’s appeal was in its stylized design, one that’s clearly channeled in the 849 Testarossa, particularly by the wedge-shaped front end. At the same time, the OG Testarossa’s side strakes are nowhere to be found, and the bridge-like horizontal fascia connecting the headlights is more aligned with that of the Ferrari 12Cilindri and F80.

Generally, “the vertical and transverse lines generate an unprecedented visual scheme, inspired by aeronautics and the Sports Prototypes of the 1970s,” Ferrari explains, pointing to the dual tails, which have their roots in the low-volume 512 S sports prototype from 1970. Additionally, the sculpted upper surface of the door boasts a “three-dimensionality never before achieved on a standard production car,” Ferrari claims. Those tails, which are integrated with the active wing, compose a patented piece of aerodynamic kit.

The Ferrari 849 Testarossa generates approximately 915 pounds of total downforce at 155 mph. This downforce is achieved through several active aerodynamic elements, including an active rear spoiler. The car’s design and optimized airflow channels contribute to improved cooling.

Aside from the limited-production F80 hypercar, this is the most powerful Ferrari ever. The powertrain is derived from the preceding SF90 Stradale—the first hybrid Prancing Horse. However, the V8 gets a redesigned block, cylinder heads and larger turbochargers featuring low-friction bearings, as Road & Track points out. These upgrades have led to a significant jump in combustion-born output to 819 horsepower and 621 pound-feet of torque. Three electric motors—one for each of the front wheels and a third between the V8 and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission—contribute another 216 hp, bringing total horse count to 1,035.

Ferrari claims a 0-62 mph of 2.2 seconds, which exceeds the performance of the SF90 Stradale and its more extreme XX variant, while the top speed pushes past 205 mph. Those figures may suffer slightly in the open-air variant, the 849 Testarossa Spider. Weighing 200 pounds more, the convertible features a retractable hard top that can be operated in just 14 seconds at speeds of up to 28 mph.

Inside both is a new steering wheel featuring mechanical buttons, including the iconic engine start button. That analog feature is paired with a decidedly modern advanced Human-Machine Interface (HMI) system and extensive ADAS features, like Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Detection. The interior design aims to optimize space and improve ergonomics, e.g. by reducing the width of the bottom of the door panel and adjacent areas, space is more available for the rear bench and the passenger-side glove box. The seats are available in two versions: comfort, with a sculptural treatment of the upholstery and styling that matches the geometry of the cockpit, and a carbon-fiber racing seat.

For those who crave even more from the most powerful production Ferrari, the optional Assetto Fiorano package is available on both the coupe and the Spider. This track-focused trim sheds about 66 pounds through extensive use of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials, including new carbon fiber wheels and seats. Aerodynamic performance is also ramped up with larger flicks and an additional pair of vortex generators, while stiffer, single-rate Multimatic shock absorbers improve body control and handling on the limit.

Pricing will be announced when deliveries of the Ferrari 849 Testarossa begin in mid-2026, followed by the arrival of the convertible Spider a few months later.

Another year, another fabulous Monterey Car Week in the books. As usual, the 10-day automotive circus of the most valuable, exclusive and rarest vehicles on Earth did not disappoint, highlighting a treasure chest of pre-war vintage unicorns, seven-figure hypercars, futuristic concepts, and track day super weapons. Taking the weekend’s top prize was Lee and Penny Anderson’s 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Nieuport-Astra Torpedo, which claimed the highly coveted “Best of Show” at the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.  

For the Andersons—renowned collectors, philanthropists, and patrons of timeless design—the win reflects their lifelong dedication to excellence, heritage, and artistry. “This Hispano-Suiza ticks every possible box,” Concours d’Elegance chairman Sandra Button said of her winner. “The underpinnings are technically advanced. The body is meticulously hand-crafted, light, and lovely. It was, notably, commissioned by aperitif scion André Dubonnet, and he raced it in both the Targa Florio and the Coppa Florio.”

While Sunday’s famed Concours d’Elegance on the grounds of the Pebble Beach golf course is the most famous of the week’s events, Friday’s The Quail, a Motorsport Gathering in Monterey has quickly grown into the event to attend, as many of the greatest marques unveil their latest masterpieces there—such as Bugatti, Lamborghini, Hennessey, Lexus and more. Once again, Maxim contributing photographer Robert Kerian hit the lawn of The Quail’s 22nd edition to capture these automotive gems. As the exceptional lensman that shot spectacular images of the Bugatti Tourbillon for Maxim, we knew we could trust Kerian to get only the best. 

Bugatti Brouillard

A mesmerizing one-of-one hypercar, the Bugatti Brouillard is the inaugural creation of Bugatti’s ultra-exclusive Programme Solitaire, named after Ettore Bugatti’s favorite horse. Beneath its bespoke coupe body lies the celebrated W16 quad-turbo engine, delivering around 1,600 horsepower, while its cabin dazzles with tartan fabrics, green-tinted carbon accents, embroidered horse motifs, and a miniature horse sculpture embedded in the gear lever. Owned by an anonymous passionate collector.

1996 Ferrari F50 GT1

Art Zafiropoulo’s 1996 Ferrari F50 GT1—a single factory-built prototype with a 750-hp V12, carbon-fiber monocoque, and race-grade aerodynamics—won Best of Show at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. Its striking raw-carbon body, black Speedline wheels, and pure racing pedigree earned it induction into the Rolex Circle of Champions, i.e. Monterey Car Week’s Best of Show winners. Zafiropoulo received a specially engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36—underscoring the car’s significance as one of Maranello’s rarest, most extreme creations.

Lamborghini Fenomeno

A thunderous hybrid masterpiece, the Lamborghini Fenomeno is one of just 29 ever built. Its naturally aspirated V12 and triple-electric-motor system conjure just under 1,080 hp that rocket the exotic to 62 mph in a staggering 2.4 seconds on the way to a top speed beyond 217 mph. With ultra-exclusive production and jaw-dropping presence, this “phenomenon” lives up to its name, captivating collectors and redefining Lamborghini’s V12 legacy.

Hennessey Venom F5 LF

Hennessey unveiled the one-off Venom F5 Revolution LF, a bespoke hypercar commissioned by American entrepreneurial collector Louis Florey. Cloaked in Cocoa Brown–tinted carbon fiber with River Sand Metallic accents, the American underdog we’ve covered extensively packs an astonishing 2,031-hp twin-turbo V8 paired with a gated six-speed manual into his new tire shredder. Built on a new Evolution-enhanced carbon monocoque, its analog cockpit—with horology-grade switches and a bolt-action parking lever—epitomizes visceral craftsmanship and driving purity.

Gunther Werks Project F-26

A ferocious reinterpretation of Porsche’s Slantnose legacy, the Gunther Werks Project F-26 stunned onlookers at The Quail in August 2025. Only 26 bespoke examples will be built, each packing a Rothsport-Racing-tuned, air-cooled twin-turbo 4.0-liter flat-six delivering 1,000 hp and 750 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual. Anchored by carbon fiber bodywork, adaptive dampers, and fighter-jet styling cues, it balances raw analog engagement with aggressive performance—cementing its status as the modern analog poster child.

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM

A breathtaking custom commission, the Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM premiered at The Quail during Monterey Car Week 2025. This homage to the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR features new carbon-fiber bodywork with a roof-mounted intake, split rear wing, and central driving position. Powered by a naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V12 with a 12,100 rpm redline that sends over 690 hp through a six-speed manual, all five units are commissioned by a single private client, with deliveries beginning in 2026.

Pagani Zonda Arrivederci

An emotional farewell to a legendary lineage: the aptly named Pagani Zonda Arrivederci—chassis No. 140 and the final factory-built Zonda—made its poignant Monterey debut at The Quail in August 2024. Commissioned by U.S. collector Kris Singh, this one-off features exposed silver carbon fiber bodywork with red and blue racing stripes, candy-red leather interior, and bespoke six-spoke wheels. A fitting swan song that embodies the artistry and engineering soul of the Zonda era.

SSC Tuatara Striker

The SSC Tuatara Striker made a striking track-ready statement. This high-downforce variant of the Tuatara, delivered by HK Motorcars, features a twin-turbo V8—which can crank out up to 1,750 hp on E85—mated to a robotized seven-speed manual. Aggressive aerodynamic enhancements generate roughly 1,100 pounds of downforce at 160 mph, blending ferocious performance with sculptural precision. It commands attention with fighter-jet poise that redefines hypercar track craft.

1966 Porsche 906 Spider Vasek Polak racer

A restored jewel of 1960s motorsport, the 1966 Porsche 906 Spyder (chassis No. 906-136) graced The Quail in 2025. Once transformed into a stripped-down Spyder by small-weight wizard Alwin Springer for Vasek Polak’s team, it dominated the SCCA BSR class in 1970 with invention and speed. Painstakingly returned to that racing form, it carries Polak’s original livery alongside a magnesium-cased engine and Bosch slide-valve injection, embodying both heritage and ingenuity.

Lexus Sport Concept

Lexus’s engimatic Sport Concept is a sleek, emotionally charged two-door coupe that reimagines the brand’s future sports car aesthetic. With wide hips, a low-slung roof, and an active rear wing, it channels a potent blend of emotional design and performance cues. Lexus remains tight-lipped on technical specs, though whispers suggest a front-engine layout—perhaps a twin-turbo V8 with a rear transaxle—that hints at serious track capability.

See More Standout Cars From The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering:

Follow our Deputy Editor on Instagram at @nickstecher  and @boozeoftheday, and photographer Robert Kerian at @robertkerian.

Just two years after the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO fetched $51.7 million to become the most valuable production car ever sold at auction, another one of just 36 examples is poised to break the record again on the auction block.

The 250 GTO—“GTO” acronym stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, or Grand Touring Homologated in Italian—was purpose-built with Ferrari’s famed 3.0-liter Colombo V12 to “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” and thereby play into Enzo Ferrari’s entrepreneurial ethos of dealing road cars to fund race car development. And win it did, achieving a hat trick of victorious seasons for the factory Scuderia Ferrari team from 1962 to 1964 in the FIA’s International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The first-place finishes occurred at elite endurance races like the Tour de France (in 1963 and 1964), 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 1962 and 1963) and the Nürburgring 1,000 km (in 1963 and 1964).

This particular model is the only example of 36 total 250 GTOs finished in “Bianco Speciale” white from the factory—the much more common red coat was worn by the aforementioned record setter. Rumor has it that an almost scandalous exception was made for its original buyer, British race team owner John Coombs. “It was a huge deviation from Ferrari’s strict color conventions—one that required quiet internal approval. It is widely believed that Alfredo Reali, Ferrari’s discreet liaison for bespoke and sensitive client requests, played a crucial role in securing this unprecedented exception,” Mecum writes.

According to Hagerty, Coombs, who had made a fortune selling Jaguars, may have even bought the vehicle to prompt the British marque to improve the E-Type’s racing capability. Coombs’ 250 GTO took a class win at the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch and consistently notched podium performances throughout its racing career from 1962 to 1964. It almost always beat competing the Jags and perhaps even spawned the creation of the E-type Lightweight in 1963.

“The 250 GTO was equally at home on the track or on the road and was perhaps the last GT car produced in small series with this characteristic,” Andrea Modena, Head of Ferrari Classiche, previously told Maxim. “Among fans of the Ferrari marque, the 250 GTO rapidly achieved legendary status; it has become one of the icons in Ferrari’s history, and its fame has made it one of the most sought-after cars among collectors.”

If valuations are indicators, then the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO is the most sought-after car among collectors. It’s currently the most expensive vehicle listed in Hagerty’s entire price guide. An example in just “Good” condition comes in at just over $53 million—enough to crack the current sales record for a production vehicle, which, again, was also set by a 250 GTO. An “Excellent” example is worth $60.1 million, and one in show-worthy “Concours” condition clocks in at $72 million.

Needless to say: History will likely be made when sole white 250 GTO sells at Mecum’s Kissimmee, Florida auction in January 2026.

In the rarefied realm where automotive engineering transcends into art, Ferrari has unveiled its latest masterpiece—the 12Cilindri Spider. This open-air embodiment of Maranello’s philosophy transforms the already masterful 12Cilindri coupe into an immersive environment where the boundaries between driver, machine, and road dissolve into an epic experience.

As Jacopo Marcon, Ferrari’s product manager for the 12Cilindri Spider, said at its initial launch, the naturally aspirated V12-powered roadster firmly “goes against today’s trends. With this model, we’re keeping our purist tradition alive, addressing those clients for whom Ferrari means the most.” This philosophy honors the vision of the company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari, who once stated: “The 12-cylinder will always be the original Ferrari car. Just think that [our] 12-cylinder was born in 1946” to power the very first Ferrari-badged car, the 125 S. “So everything else is a derivation of this original model.”

The 12Cilindri project was years in the making, drawing inspiration from Ferrari’s prestigious lineage. “The 12Cilindri Spider is inspired by the legendary GTs of the 1950s and ‘60s,” such as the 250 GT California Spyder, Marcon explains, “driven by gentlemen drivers who demanded not just superlative performance, but also the level of comfort needed to race for 12 or even 24 hours. The philosophy of those cars is embodied in the 12Cilindri Spider.”

Thanks to its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine—an increasing rarity in an era dominated by forced induction and electrification—the 12Cilindri Spider, priced from $510,000, has 830 horsepower boosting it from 0-62 mph in just 2.9 seconds, with a top speed exceeding 211 mph. Marcon calls the new car “the most complete Ferrari GT of all time,” representing the perfect balance between sportscar capabilities and grand touring comfort: “So of course very high performance, but at the same time a car can be used for long drives without being too much stress or without too much fatigue.”

“The fundamental factor is innovation in keeping with tradition,” declares Ferrari powertrain product leader Ruggero Cevola. “And while it’s true that we’re talking about Ferrari’s most iconic engine, [what’s] crucial is that this engine is reinvented for every new 12-cylinder iteration. So the 12Cilindri Spider features a naturally-aspirated V12, but it’s different from the unit powering the 812 Superfast or the Purosangue.”

And more than just a convertible variant of the 12Cilindri coupe, it is a complete reinterpretation. The retractable hardtop—a marvel of precision engineering—disappears in a choreographed sequence, completing its transformation in just 14 seconds at speeds up to 28 mph. When deployed, it maintains the coupe’s distinctive silhouette; stowed, it reveals a cockpit where sunlight plays across hand-stitched leather and brushed-aluminum surfaces. The car’s aluminum space-frame architecture, developed specifically to enhance both closed and open configurations, preserves precise handling characteristics while introducing a new dimension of maneuverability at speed.

It is with the roof retracted that the full sensory experience unfolds. Ferrari’s acoustic engineers crafted a sound profile unique to the 12Cilindri Spider that builds from a sophisticated purr at idle to an operatic apex approaching the 9,500-rpm redline. Unlike synthetic sound enhancement employed by lesser manufacturers trying to make inferior powerplants sound like a V12, this is the “authentic voice of internal combustion,” reaching the driver through carefully calibrated resonance chambers and aerodynamic sound paths.

“What was crucial was the painstaking attention we dedicated to making sure that the client gets what they want from the 12Cilindri Spider in terms of performance,” Cevolani notes. “This meant that we couldn’t think of the car as a set of separate parts, such as its engine and its gearbox, but as a system working in synergy to deliver the thrilling experience we want the client to enjoy…. The engine integrates perfectly with the gearbox to give the driver a sensation of progressive, linear acceleration all the way up to maximum revs.”

The design philosophy behind the 12Cilindri Spider, meanwhile, represents a decisive step into the future while acknowledging Ferrari’s storied past. Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s esteemed Chief Design Officer, shares his vision thusly: “We wanted to create something truly disruptive in terms of design language, something that carries all the chromosomes of the Ferrari marque, but which also looks far into the future. And it wasn’t easy, because we’re dealing with a car with very specific proportions. This is a car we’d usually describe as a grand tourer with a mid-front mounted V12, a long bonnet and a cab pushed all the way back. So it’s almost perched on the rear wheels, a relatively classic architecture if you’d like. So it was very hard to identify the right criteria to apply to this new design.”

Manzoni adds that the 12Cilindri is “not meant as an homage to tradition other than one feature, which is a clear nod to the 365 GTB/4 of 1968”—the gloss-black front strip between the headlamp clusters—”but is rather the product of my intention, and that of the Styling Center, to create something truly futuristic. An object inspired in part by science fiction, and in part by what was probably the most wonderful era in car design, [the] 1970s.” Hence the carbon-fiber buttresses behind the seats, which not only provide rollover protection while channeling air to minimize buffeting, but serve as sculptural elements continuing the body’s firmly drawn lines.

Inside, the 12Cilindri Spider offers a cockpit that is also more than a cut above. The seats, developed specifically for the Spider, feature a structure that provides both support during spirited driving and comfort during grand-touring excursions. The leather, requiring over 13 days of hand-finishing, is designed to respond to environmental conditions, “developing a patina that tells the unique story of each vehicle.” Physical switches machined from solid aluminum are a return to tactile controls in opposition to digital interfaces, which, while useful, are not as pleasing to the touch. Most important of all perhaps is the signature “manettino,” or steering-wheel mounted driving mode selector, which allows one to modify the vehicle’s character, from Comfort to Wet, Sport and Race, without diluting its essential nature.

“Driving the 12Cilindri is a unique and thrilling experience,” says Ferrari development test driver Matteo Caprini, “which instantly answers the question of why Enzo Ferrari chose this architecture for his Berlinettas”—the 2+2 sports-coupe type favored by the legendary marque’s founder, who once declared, “Above all, the gran turismo is for someone who wants to stand out, who demands instant performance that they can’t get from other cars.”

Marcon clarifies the 12Cilindri Spider’s position in Ferrari’s lineup: “In keeping with our philosophy of a different Ferrari for different Ferraristi, and different Ferraris for different moments, the 12Cilindri Spider has been conceived for clients seeking an uncompromising open-air driving experience, but also a car that sets new benchmarks for performance, comfort and technology. This is why this car slots neatly into the center of our range positioning”—with the “touring” vehicles like the Roma and Purosangue to one side, and the “sports cars” such as the 296 GTS and SF90 Stradale on the other—”because it responds perfectly to the needs of both sportscar drivers and track-focused drivers.” (Ferrari reserves the term “supercars” for even more exalted vehicles like the F80).

According to Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna, who spoke at the vehicle’s private unveiling, “The 12Cilindri Spider represents the pinnacle of our engineering and design capabilities, continuing our tradition of creating vehicles that deliver emotional experiences that cannot be quantified by specifications alone.” As Vigna also recently revealed, 40 percent of the marque’s new clients are now under 40 years old, a demographic that clearly desires new technology, but highly values the heritage of the brand—which is, not coincidentally, now (per vehicle) the world’s most profitable automaker.

Ferrari will of course produce the 12Cilindri Spider in strictly limited numbers, with each example representing not merely a stylish mode of transport, but an investment in automotive art; more than 90 percent of all Ferraris ever made are still on the road today. The brand’s Atelier program allows clients to customize their Spider through a collaborative process directly with Ferrari designers, ensuring each example reflects its owner’s personal aesthetic while maintaining the marque’s impeccable aesthetic standards, in line with those of Il Commendatore, Enzo Ferrari himself. Certain overly garish color combinations may even be off limits.

The marque has to be vigilant regarding customization “because we have to defend the values and the identity of the brand,” as Vigna asserted earlier this year. “We will not make a strange [looking] car, for sure.” Which doesn’t mean that all Ferraris have to be red or black—the beguiling launch color for the 12Cilindri Spider was Verde Toscana. One just has to employ good taste and look toward enhancing value, not just attracting attention.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Maxim magazine.

But Ferrari’s most ambitious maritime project yet is definitely the newly announced Hypersail. Generally speaking, the watercraft “aims to establish an outstanding research and development platform focused on offshore sailing. To explore new frontiers in technology and innovation, the project draws upon the expertise of the Ferrari team, which, in close collaboration with specialized nautical experts, is directly involved in the entire cycle of conception, engineering, and testing.”

That platform is a 100-foot flying ocean racing monohull prototype built by performance sailboat-specializing naval architect Guillaume Verdier, who brilliantly used a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils.

As the first of its size to be entirely energy self-sufficient, Hypersail is designed to operate exclusively using renewable energy sources, including solar, wind and kinetic energy. There is no combustion engine on board, and all the power required to run the control and motion systems for the foils, keel and rudder, as well as the full suite of on-board computers and instruments, will be generated autonomously while sailing.

The flight control system also leans on the decades of expertise acquired in the automotive sector. More specifically, it will employ aerodynamic and structural calculation processes to optimize safety and performance while eliminating the need for stopovers, pit stops, and and external support of any kind.

Currently under construction in Italy, the yacht is scheduled to launch in 2026, after which it will undergo its initial sea trials.

In February, a red 1996 F50 sold for $5,532,500 at an RM Sotheby’s event, setting a record for the most expensive sale of the era’s stable-leading Ferrari supercar. But come August, that record may be broken by a Prancing Horse that’s got a triple-threat pedigree: celebrity provenance, rarity (even by F50 standards) and immaculate condition.

The vehicle before you was owned by none other than billionaire fashion icon Ralph Lauren. Though best known as the founder of his eponymous and omnipresent men’s clothing label, Lauren is also a prolific, Jay Leno-level connoisseur of fine automobiles whose garage includes a Ferrari 250 GTO (among the most valuable collector cars ever), multiple McLaren F1s, priceless unicorns like the 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, and a selection of modern hypercars. Estimates vary, but Lauren’s collection is thought to be worth around $600 million.

But if this F50 reaches the full potential of its $6.5-$7.5 million valuation at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2025 auction in August, it won’t be solely because Lauren originally owned and ordered it from the factory—the color weighs in heavily. Of the just 349 F50 examples produced between 1995 and 1997, a vast majority were finished in Ferrari’s trademark Rosso Corsa. This example is one of just 31 that left the factory in “Giallo Modena” yellow, already making it 10 times as rare as any Rosso Corsa counterpart. But then consider the number of America-bound F50s: Only 55 total were made to U.S. specification, and of those, only two were finished in this resplendent yellow hue—this being one, accented with a Nero interior.

The third characteristic contributing to its record-setting potential is the condition. The odometer shows fewer than 5,400 miles, and more importantly, its “Ferrari Classiche” certification was just renewed last year, confirming that all components remain original and very well-preserved.

RM Sotheby’s has more on the car’s full history:

Mr. Lauren retained the F50 until May of 2003, at which point it was made available for sale through Paul Russell & Company with 3,300 miles; it appears to have been sold into the hands of a dealer in Florida.

In the winter of 2003 the car, with 3,400 miles, was acquired via Ferrari of Washington in Sterling, Virginia, by the current owners. Husband and wife who both enjoyed Ferraris, the couple became avid tifosi in their retirement, eventually each racing their own Challenge model and developing quite a competitive instinct! The F50 was one of the centerpieces of the couple’s collection, but they had bought it for the love of it, not to flaunt, and as both valued privacy, it seldom ventured out into the world. Early in their ownership it was taken to a couple of events, including being driven for demonstration laps at Watkins Glen, and used as the poster car for the Burn Prevention Foundation Concours in 2005, as well as display at the Cavallino Classic in 2009. It is believed to have not been shown publicly since that year at the Celebration Exotic Car Festival in Central Florida.

Lauren’s 1995 Ferrari F50 crosses the block on August 15 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2025 event, where it will be seen in public for the first time since 2009.

Danish audio giant Bang & Olufsen has announced the launch of the Beoplay H100 Charles Leclerc Limited Edition, created in collaboration with their Global Brand Ambassador and Ferrari Formula 1 race car driver, Charles Leclerc, who recently dropped a collaboration with luxury watchmaker Richard Mille. The luxe headphones’ design draws inspiration from the tranquil blue hues of Monaco’s coastline, reflecting both Leclerc’s beloved hometown and Bang & Olufsen’s commitment to high-end style and craftsmanship.

According to Bang & Olufsen CEO Kristian Teär, the partnership with Leclerc to reimagine their flagship Beoplay H100 headphones was inspired both by the “serene blue of Monaco’s riviera” as well as Leclerc’s well-known passion for music. The F1 ace is apparently also a self-taught pianist and composer who can be seen tickling ivories in promotional photos for yet another luxury brand collaboration with Chivas Regal that launched in March.

“Bang & Olufsen’s sound clarity has helped me disconnect from the track and reconnect with the music which is a personal passion of mine,” Leclerc said in a statement announcing his headphones collab. “I’m a very creative person by nature and working together on this product has been an exciting journey. Looking at the sea and the movement of the sea, it’s never really the same and that is a huge inspiration to me.”

The luxe, Monégasque aesthetic is evident in the meticulous details of these special edition cans. The headphones feature pearl blasted aluminum, steel blue-toughened glass, and a refined silver-foil CL16 insignia, all carefully chosen to embody a sense of timeless elegance and dynamic audio performance. Beyond its striking design, the Beoplay H100 Charles Leclerc Limited Edition promises immersive sound quality and advanced noise cancellation technology. To further enhance its exclusivity, the production is limited to just 216 numbered units worldwide, with each headphone marked “1 of 216”.

The Beoplay H100 Charles Leclerc Limited Edition ($2,200) is available exclusively at select Bang & Olufsen stores and bang-olufsen.com. 

In 1967, at the height of his reign as the “King of Cool”—the year he filmed both Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair, arguably his two most iconic movies—Steve McQueen bought not one but two Ferrari 275s: an NART Spyder and a GTB/4. In Thomas Crown, McQueen’s love interest Faye Dunaway drives a drop-dead gorgeous, dark red 275 GTS/4 NART (for North American Racing team) Spider, one of the first ever built. While he didn’t drive it in the film, McQueen became so enamored of the car that he ordered one himself, from Chic Vandagriff, at Hollywood Sport Cars.

Priced at around $14,500 (about $135,000 in today’s dollars) it was one of only 10 NART Spiders built, and thus extremely rare; these later became a true holy grail for collectors, and top classic-car auction house RM Sotheby’s sold one for a record-setting $27.5 million in 2013. Unfortunately, McQueen didn’t own the NART Spider for long. As RM Sotheby’s notes, during one of his first outings in the convertible—on what must have been a pretty epic cruise along Southern California’s Pacific Coast Highway—a driver rammed into the back of McQueen’s car. No spare parts were available for the ultra-rare ragtop, and “it took an excruciating amount of time to repair,” Vandagriff’s son Chris recalled. “In the end, he [McQueen] was pretty burned out and sold it soon after.”

Being the King of Cool, this of course didn’t slow him down for long. “Frustrated with the NART being off the road, McQueen quickly bought another 275 from Vandagriff, this time a GTB/4 coupe,” the auction house notes. He immediately ordered that the metallic gold paint be replaced with a custom Chianti Red and took delivery while filming Bullitt; it would go on to be one of the most famous cars he ever owned. Though much less valuable than the NART Spider, RM Sotheby’s auctioned off McQueen’s GTB/4 for $5.4 million at its Monterey sale in 2023.

We’d say the buyer got a pretty good deal. In our view, the only 275 of equal import, in terms of celebrity provenance, would be the 1967 GTB/4 owned by legendary jazz icon Miles Davis. Ironically a subsequent owner of Davis’s car had it converted to an NART Spider in 2002. “I drive a Ferrari—not to be cute, but because I dig it,” Davis, who would go on to own other Ferraris throughout his life, once declared. The music legend’s 275 was last listed for sale by top UK classic car brokers Duncan Hamilton ROFGO and subsequently sold at an undisclosed price. Because late Spider conversions change the condition of the car from original to modified, they can actually impact the value. Then again, Davis’s ownership would certainly have driven the price upward.

Other well-known 275 owners over the years include James Coburn, Peter Sellers, George Harrison, Clint Eastwood and Eric Clapton. Celebrity provenance or no, many experts agree that the 275, with its resemblance to the “holy of holies” Ferrari 250 GTO, is the “best looking of all Ferrari GTs in berlinetta [two door, two-seater closed coupe] form,” RM Sotheby’s says. The 275 was actually designed to replace the 250, being more powerful, better balanced and Ferrari’s first road car with an independent suspension.

The 275 series of front-engine V12-powered grand tourers, including coupes and spiders, was produced by the famed Italian marque between 1964 and 1968 and “marked a significant evolution in Ferrari’s design and engineering approach, introducing advanced features for the time,” Sports Car Digest reports. “The car was designed by Pininfarina, with Sergio Scaglietti’s workshop responsible for crafting its stunning bodywork. Pininfarina’s design blended elegance and aggression, characterized by long flowing lines, a lowslung stance, and distinctive features like the pronounced front grille and muscular rear haunches.” In a September 1967 road test, Road & Track described the NART Spider version as “the most satisfying sports car in the world.”

In the first two years of production, Ferrari also built competition versions for use in the 1965 Grand Touring-class sports-car racing season; the first being the 275 GTB Competizione Speciale, of which only four were made as intended successors to the 250 GTO. With Tipo 213 engines—tuned to 250 LM specification and good for close to 300 horsepower—as well as special ultra-thin alloy bodywork, these were formidable machines to say the least. One of them finished third overall at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, and today, the Competizione models rank amongst the most valuable 275s in existence, with RM Sotheby’s selling one for $26.4 million in 2014.

Legendary British driver Derek Bell MBE, a five-time Le Mans winner who drove alongside McQueen in the star’s 1971 racing flick Le Mans and started racing for Enzo Ferrari’s Formula One team in the late 1960s, acquired a silver 275 GTB/4 at the age of 28. “The 275’s styling was so beautiful, it was the prettiest car Ferrari ever built,” Bell enthuses. “And because of that, it didn’t really matter how well it drove, but with it being aluminum and lightweight, it lived up to expectations [and] handled wonderfully,” he recalls— wistfully. “I wish to God I’d never sold that car,” he sighs. “I could never afford to buy it back now.”