Traditionally track-day specials are spartan, minimalistic machines predominantly built on the British Isles. Ferrari showed little respect for that tradition by turning the Enzo supercar in a circuit racer. Mercedes Benz followed suit late last year with a 'cup' version of the SLR McLaren. Both cars were not built to competition regulations, so they could not be used in major events.
Ferrari's 1.5 million Euro FXX was launched in 2005 to be not just a toy for the very rich but also as a development platform. The lessons learned by the first two years of campaigning the cars were applied to form the FXX Evoluzione. Launched late in 2007, the 'Evoluzione' sported a more powerful engine, a faster gearbox and a more efficient paddle-shift gearbox. The existing cars were upgraded and prepared for the 2008 season. We caught up with one of the program's outings earlier this year and captured this colourful gallery.
In 2007 Mercedes Benz called in the help of motor sport specialists RML to turn the beefy SLR '722' into a circuit monster for the highly exclusive SLR.Club. The result was a ferocious sounding and aggressive looking SLR '722' GT. The outings of the 680 bhp racing car have not been as public as the FXX program, so it is hard to say if the 21 prospected cars have been built. We shot the 722 GT at its Essen launch in 2007 and during the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Just as winter has arrived across the Northern hemisphere both Audi and MINI bring back a hint of summer with two brand new convertibles. From the Germany luxury manufacturer comes the S5 Cabriolet. It is not simply a drop-top version of the S5 Coupe as it features the new direct injection, twin-turbo V6 engine that was debuted earlier this year in the closely related S4. MINI completed the roll-out of the second generation of the 'new MINI' with an open version. Topping the line-up is this Cooper S Convertible. Like the Audi, it uses a direct injection turbocharged engine. The new four cylinder engine produces a hefty 172 bhp from a displacement of just 1.6 litre.
With most major manufacturers absent in Essen the specialist tuners could take center stage. The most powerful car present was the 9ff GT9-R. Powered by a 1120 bhp engine, it promises to accelerate to 300 km/h in under 16 seconds and it does not stop accelerating until it reaches an incredible 'V-max' of 414 km/h. Brabus also grabbed headlines by revealing the first tuned electric car. Their interpretation of the Tesla Roadster boasts a sound system that can imitate an internal combustion engines to provide the soundtrack to match the Tesla's performance.
To conclude today's update we would like to highlight three somewhat unusual racing cars. First up is one of only very few straight-six engined Ferraris ever built; the 121 LM. Built as a Works racer for the 1955 season, this specific example was raced by some of the great drivers of the era like Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby. After a lengthy ownership by an avid French historic racer, it will be auctioned later this month at the Bonhams Gstaad Auction. Not nearly as well known is this Attila Mk3 Chevrolet. It was designed and constructed by former Lotus designer Val Dare-Bryan and raced with some success in period. In recent years the rare racer resurfaced and has since been raced extensively. The March GTP racers of the early 1980s were nick-named 'lobster-claw' for their striking appearance. So most fittingly this 83G Chevrolet was liveried in 'Red Lobster' colours.