Ferrari celebrates 70 years of F1, road and sports car history at Fiorano

Ferrari marked its 70th anniversary this weekend at its Fiorano test track in Maranello, Italy, with a huge gathering machines from Formula 1 to endurance racing entries. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were also present as the marque celebrated its F1 legends from past and present, with a Concours competition and auction as well.

This was the ninth leg of the celebration's European tour, part of a larger worldwide tour which will reach more than 60 countries across the world. South Korea, the UK (at Silverstone on September 23-24), Australia, and Japan are the next legs on the tour with different events planned to mark 70 years of Ferrari.

A total of 500 Ferraris were driven from Milan to Enzo Ferrari's birthplace in Modena, and then to Maranello for this event on Saturday (Sept. 9).

The party began as a squadron of Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons with the prancing horse emblazoned on their sides flew over the Fiorano complex, and Sotheby's began auctioning £57 million worth of Ferraris, a record take for a single-make auction.

This haul included a camouflage-painted 458 (sold for £227,200), a 1994 333SP prototype (£2.3 million) and a 250 GT LWB California Spider from 1959 which sold for nearly £6.5 million.

Present at the auction were Jean Todt, Chase Carey, Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene, among others.

The auction's highlight was the sale of a limited edition LaFerrari Aperta which made more than £7.5 million for Save The Children as the last LaFerrari ever produced.

At one point, Marchionne himself sat at the phones to help drive a bidding war, won by an anonymous bidder who had only seen a digital version of the car.

On Saturday Night, Vettel and Raikkonen presented an emotional tribute to Michael Schumacher which ended with the words '#KeepFightingMichael' on a big screen and a demonstration of its F1 cars.

Fireworks which blazed the number 70, followed, to cap off a spectacular stage show which laid out the history of Ferrari in theatrical fashion.

120 Ferraris were parked on the Fiorano Test Track on Sunday, including Nigel Mansell's 1990 641 and Chris Amon's 1969 Tasman Series-winning Dino 246.

The 1956 250 GT Berlinetta, the 250 California and 1952 Mille-Miglia class-winning 225S were also present in that exhibition.

The event also included a Concours  d'Elegance competition: the Best of Show in the racing and road car categories was awarded to the 1953 340 MM Spider Vignale and the 1986 Testarossa Spider.

A crowd of Tifosi was huddled outside the gates of Fiorano over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the array of cars. Ferrari's 70th Anniversary has inspired fans from around the world - not just those who own the sought-after machines - to share their memories and experiences of the manufacturer's history of success in motorsport and style on the road.