Pretend for a moment that you received a holiday stocking stuffed with large-denomination currency. If you?re at a loss regarding how to invest your windfall in something both significant and satisfying, our counsel is to buy Corvette. Not just any Corvette but one or both of the two automobiles on sale with direct ties to the upcoming C8 mid-engine Corvette.
Selection one is a 2013 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider. The careful reader will notice this is not a Corvette. But considering this very car was used for benchmarking by the Corvette engineering team, this is a highly significant Ferrari.
This 458 Italia will roll across the block at Manheim?s Detroit auction house in Carleton, Michigan, on December 28.  This rosso example of fine Italian craftsmanship will be sold to the highest bidder in Manheim?s lane 21, just after a 2017 GMC Acadia and immediately before a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze, as part of General Motors? year-end consignment of 781 vehicles.
A GM confidant confirmed that this Ferrari was indeed one of several sports cars studied over the years to prepare for coming Corvettes. Another source reported that the rear diffuser was damaged in shipping, necessitating its replacement.
Views of the car on the Manheim website suggest that it?s now in pristine condition with 3883 miles on the odometer, half a tank of fuel, and an original MSRP of $330,831. The list of optional equipment includes Daytona-style seats, sports exhaust, the essential Scuderia Ferrari fender shield...