The world record for a car sold at auction tumbled as predicted on the weekend when this 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa fetched 9,020,000 Euro (more than USD$12 million) at the “Ferrari Leggenda e Passione†in Maranello, Italy. Beautiful, rare (only 22 similar models were made) and with a rich and successful race history that began with a debut in the Buenos Aires 1000km in 1958, the 250 TR chassis no. 0714TR was snapped up by an anonymous phone bidder.
Ferrari no. 0714TR is considered one of the most competitive racing Ferraris ever built, having won 10 races in North and South America between 1958 and 1961. It boasts a 300 bhp, 2,953 cc single overhead cam degrees V-12 engine, six Weber 38 DCN carburettors and a four-speed manual gearbox.
On a clear August night, Darryl Virostko got in his black Toyota Tundra and drove to Monterey’s Beacon House drug rehabilitation center. The big wave surfing icon from the Westside of Santa Cruz, known to surfers worldwide simply as “Flea,” made the trip in a daze.
When nurses admitted him, Virostko’s blood alcohol content registered at 0.28 on the breathalyzer. A BAC of 0.30 and above is usually enough to put a person in a coma, if not flat out kill him.
It had been a week since family members and a group of his closest friends, including childhood surfing heroes Richard Schmidt and Joey Thomas, held an intervention for Virostko at Santa Cruz High. Initially he was upset, but Virostko knew the partying had gotten to be too much. Not even the three-time Maverick’s Surf Contest champion could handle such an intense ride for this long.
“It got to a point where I needed it,” said Virostko, adding he’s now eight months sober…Â Details