Hammering down for $13.2 million, this 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France was among the top sellers at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction this past weekend. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

Today’s headlines: 

+   A Ramseier-bodied 1924 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A owned by Jim Patterson was awarded Best in Show at this past weekend’s 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. More at Hemmings Daily. 

+   Sales of Dodge brand vehicles in the U.S. have slipped nearly 16 percent to so far this year to 295,000 units, largely due to the discontinuation of the Avenger sedan, replaced by the Chrysler 200. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   Toyota has temporarily halted operations around the Chinese port of Tianjin, where huge explosions last week killed more than 100 people. More at Reuters. 

+   CEO Charles Podowski of Dearborn-based The Auto Club Group, which includes AAA of Michigan, will retire, replaced by Joseph Richardson Jr.from the Farmers Insurance Group. More at Crain’s Detroit Business. 

+   Two startup teams have been unsuccessful in satisfying the FIA’s selection process to enter Formula 1 in 2016 and 2017, Autosport has reported. More at Yahoo! Sport UK.  

+   Johnson Controls is planning the construction of a $200 million automotive battery plant in Shenyang in northeastern China, its third battery factory in the country. More at Automotive Business Review. 

+   Three collector vehicles were stolen in the Detroit area during the Woodward Dream Cruise weekend, including a 1971 Camaro owned by John Schnatter of the Papa John’s pizza chain. More at The Detroit News.

+   According to U.S. census data, between 2003 and 2013 the number of licensed drivers over age 65 rose by 8.2 million, a 29 percent increase. More at The Washington Post. 

+   The Verizon IndyCar series will not return to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in 2016, series officials have announced. More at NBC Sports. 

+   Top sellers at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction included a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM at $17.6 million 1998 McLaren F1 LM-Spec at $13.75 million, and a 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight at $13.2 million. More at Autoblog. 

Read the previous Executive Briefing from August 14 here. 

Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s. 

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