Although I missed most auctions at this year's Monterey/Pebble Beach event I did find a few minutes to drop in on RM's two-night affair. A little flag waving, you might say, as RM Auctions is owned and operated by fellow Canadians and tends to feature fine cars in an elegant atmosphere. It was getting plenty of attention because of a 1958 Ferrari 412S Sports Racing Car that was estimated to sell at up to $7,000,000. The final price of $5,610,000 fell short, though not because of any lack of history. The car or its engine had been raced by an all-star cast of international drivers including Mike Hawthorn, Olivier Gendebien, luigi Musso, Alfonso de Portago, Phil Hill and Ritchie Ginther. (Hill, by the way, was one of the judges at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours.) The 412S engine was a V-12, front-mounted, with six twin-choke Weber 42 DCN carburetors, producing 447 hp at 8500 rpm. This unique Ferrari was worth $20,000 when new... but that was when you could buy a loaf of Wonder Bread for 25-cents.