Although the official opening of the 2009 Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA) or Frankfurt Motor Show is still three weeks away, the new releases keep hitting our desks in quick succession. The big news of the weekend was BMW's striking Vision EfficientDynamics. The show car combines styling elements derived from the legendary M1 super car with a high tech and very efficient drive-train. A hybrid system consisting of a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and two electric motors produces 356 bhp and a hefty 800 Nm of torque, which enough to help the car accelerate to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds. The unusual styling has resulted in a drag coefficient figure of just 0.22, making the Vision EfficientDynamics very efficient indeed. Peugeot will also launch a hybrid powered coupe at the IAA. Their RCZ HYbrid4 Concept does look like it may enter mass production soon.
Another major release slated for Frankfurt is that of the Saab 9-5. The styling of the all-new top-of-the-range model of the Swedish manufacturer is inspired by the company's recent concept cars. Now under new ownership Saab will need the 9-5 to be a success to ensure its survival through these difficult times.
Also making their debut in three weeks time are the Audi S5 Sportback and the Seat Leon Cupra R.
Australia's Ford Performance Vehicles have revived the classic 'GS' badge for the new entry-level Falcon GS. Limited to just 250 examples, the new FPV Falcon is powered by a 302 kW or 405 bhp version of the quad-cam 5.4 litre V8 engine. In addition to the sedan model, a GS version of the Falcon Ute will also be available.

Continuing our coverage of the very busy week building up to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, we now take a closer look at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races held at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This year's edition was the 36th and for the second time in the event's history, Porsche was the featured marque. This resulted in hundreds of Porsches filling the paddock and infield of the track. In addition to many 'run of the mill' 356s and 911s there were some very significant Porsches in attendance. Among them was the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans winning 917K, various Daytona and Sebring cars and also the 917K used by Steve McQueen in the legendary motion picture Le Mans.
Needless to say, Porsche was also very well represented on the track with many 917s, 935s and 962s battling it out in their respective races. Fortunately there was enough room left for spectacular racing cars from other manufacturers. These included the original Scarab, the ferocious Ferrari 335 S and the wailing Mazda RX-792P that had not seen in action since it was retired from contemporary racing at the end of 1992. Joining the classic racing cars on track were several of the sport's biggest legends; Sir Stirling Moss piloted a Lola Mk1 while Derek Bell and Gijs van Lennep (seven Le Mans wins between them) were out in 917Ks. Brumos Porsche was also well represented with endurance racing legend Hurley Haywood piloting their Porsche 917/10K and 935, both liveried in the familiar white with red-and-blue stripes.
For as much as the very busy schedule allowed, we were at Laguna Seca to shoot the hundreds of cars that competed in a total of fifteen races. Each of the fifteen groups is featured in our exclusive 200-shot slideshow, which serves to illustrate a brief report.

Celebrating 50 years of the original Mini, the BMW owned company will showcase this MINI Coupe Concept at the upcoming International Auto Show in Frankfurt. Based on the highly acclaimed John Cooper Works version of the latest Cooper S, the new concept car receives the 'Coupe' moniker courtesy of the cut-down roof. A weird mix between the conventional hatchback and convertible models, the new concept apparently captures MINI's sporting appeal. It promises to be lighter and better balanced than the standard models but that hardly makes up for the awkward styling. Whether the MINI Coupe will enter production remains to be seen. The accompanying press release does mention the imminent arrival of a cross-over model, so anything seems to be possible.
A lot more exciting are Porsche's latest offerings, which will also be officially revealed in Frankfurt. Like all of the new generation 997 models, the new 997 GT3 RS is powered by the latest direct injection version of the company's famed flat six. Although not part of the official name, the seats sport the legendary "RS 3.8" badges that were first found on the spartan road versions of the 993 generation 911 almost two decades ago. The 3.8 litre engine produces a staggering 450 bhp. Stripped even further down is the similar 997 GT3 Cup, which is destined to hit the world's racing tracks shortly. The car is eligible for the various one-make 'Cup' events, including the Formula 1 support series, and also a wide variety of national and international GT championships. Over the last years Porsche have built well over 1400 Cup cars, making the German company the most productive racing car manufacturer in the world.

This weekend the Aston Martin Racing team relived one of their greatest triumphs by taking a one-two-three victory in the N�rburgring 1000 km race fifty years after a spirited drive from Sir Stirling Moss brought the British manufacturer their last victory in the German endurance racing classic. A lot has changed since the Aston Martin DBR1 dominated sports car racing. None of the cars that took part in the Classic Endurance Racing support event on Saturday were even built in 1959. Among them was the very rare and highly unusual Howmet TX. Powered by a helicopter derived turbine engine, it made for a unique spectacle. A full feature of the former Le Mans racer will be published in the coming weeks. The CER event was once again dominated by Jean-Marc Luco in his ever impressive Porsche 936.
The feature race on Sunday was not quite as straightforward for the Aston Martin Racing team. They were challenged early in the race by the similar Speedy-Sebah Lola Aston but as the race progressed technical problems and crashes saw all of the opposition falter. With a new car expected next season, Aston Martin may be able to relive an even more important moment in the company's history. Another remarkable result was the second place in the GT2 class for the Spyker team.
We were at the legendary track for three days, which has resulted in a full report and an exclusive 180-shot gallery, which includes the main race, the CER event and the ADAC GT Masters cars.
Ahead of the official launch at next month's Frankfurt motor show, Maserati has revealed the first details of the GranCabrio. Based on the highly acclaimed GranTurismo Coupe, the new drop-top Maserati will feature the longest wheelbase of all convertibles on the market. This makes the passengers in the rear seats "not merely supporting actors, but co-stars of the journey." The GranCabrio will use the same 4.7 litre V8 engine that powers the GranTurismo S.

On Sunday the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach golf course hosted the 59th edition of the annual Concours d'Elegance. Separated in 32 classes, nearly 200 of the finest classic cars and motorcycles graced the lawn in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge. Among them were dedicated classes for the featured marques that included Bentley, Bugatti and Zagato. Traditionally manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Duesenberg and Ferrari receive their own classes. The field was among the finest of recent years, combining unusual, beautiful and highly original machinery. One of the big things this year was the bringing together complete groups of related or identical cars, like all three Bentley Speed Six Team Cars, the four original Bentley Blowers, ten of the legendary Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchettas and the four surviving Ferrari 250 TR59s. Other highlights included the 80th birthday celebration of Sir Stirling Moss, a Porsche racing car class with the 1987 Le Mans winning Porsche 962C and the original 917K that was uses in the movie 'Le Mans', and a beautifully restored Ferrari 375 America Vignale Coupe. There were also several world debuts at 'Pebble' including the all new Bentley Mulsanne, which was revealed ahead of the awards ceremony. At the end of the day this Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Cabriolet was chosen as the 'Best of Show' with universal approval.
Our photographers were on the lawn from dawn 'till dusk to capture all the highlights. Earlier in the week we also chased the participants in the Tour d'Elegance. All this can be found in our exclusive report, which is illustrated by a 70-shot gallery of the Tour and a massive 330-shot gallery of the Concours.

Yesterday the most coveted award in the classic car world - the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 'Best of Show' - was handed out for the 59th time. Usually the honorary judges have a tough time picking the outright winner but this year this Horch 853 stood out. Not because the competition was not very strong but because it combined exceptional elegance with an immaculate condition. The highly exclusive coachwork was originally crafted by Voll & Ruhrbeck in Berlin and is adorned with tasteful chrome touches. The single biggest strip of chrome on the car is 11 feet in length and is part of a line that runs all around the Sport Cabriolet body. Unfortunately relatively little is known about the car's early history as all the Voll & Ruhrbeck records were destroyed during a bombing raid in the War. The exquisite machine did survive as it had left Germany for France before 1940. As a warm-up to our complete coverage of the Concours d'Elegance and the Tour d'Elegance to be published later this week, we have taken a closer look at the Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet with a spectacular 18-shot gallery.
Ahead of the award show the crowds at Pebble were treated to the world debut of the all-new Bentley Mulsanne. Replacing the Arnage, it is the first top-of-the-range Bentley developed under the current ownership. The new Phantom / Maybach rival combines updated styling with a fully redeveloped 6.75 litre twin-turbo V8 engine. Behind the Pebble lodge three more world debuts were lined up. Spyker brought the first prototype of the C8 Aileron Spyder. Similarly styled as the coupe launched earlier this year, the show car features some nice details like the leather suitcase mounted on top of the engine. An all new American manufacturer, Devon Motorworks, also joined the fray with their rather wild, V10-engined GTX. Celebrating the company's centenary, Bugatti was one of the featured marques at Pebble. The French supercar builder has quickly built up a reputation of wasting no opportunities to produce a special version of the Veyron. Here they showed the rather nice Grand Sport Sang Bleu, which has bare carbon fibre panels with a blue hue.

Yesterday the 2009 Monterey Motoring Week officially got under way with the third annual Concours on the Avenue in the lovely town of Carmel by the Sea. Nearly 200 European and American machines lined up on Ocean Avenue for this unique event. A full report of the event will follow in the very near future but today we would like to kick off our Monterey coverage with a closer look at the Ferrari 250 TR Prototipo, which was not surprisingly voted Best in Show by the chief class judges.
Originally built in 1957 this unique machine served as the prototype for the legendary 'pontoon-fendered' 250 TRs that were raced on both sides of the Atlantic. The 'Prototipo' was raced in various guises before Ferrari and Sergio Scaglietti settled on the final shape and specification. Unlike the later cars, this 250 TR features right-hand drive and sports various other unusual touches like the intakes on the nose, the slide-out front windscreen and the American racing stripes. In competition the car was not particularly successful but it nevertheless played a vital role in forming the mold for the 250 TR racers that would go on to win Le Mans four times in five years.
Before taking top honours at Carmel, chassis 0666 had already taken class awards at Pebble Beach twice; in 1988 and after its most recent restoration in 2006. The car is by no means a 'trailer-queen' as the enthusiast owner races it regularly. In fact it will be raced later this week at the Monterey Historics. Fittingly our 18-shot feature gallery showcases the one-off 250 TR Prototipo both on the track and in the streets of Carmel.

This weekend many magnificent cars will cross the block at the various auctions in the Monterey area. One of the highlights is this Siata 208 CS, which will be offered by Bonhams & Butterfields on Friday. It is the second of around sixty examples built between 1952 and 1954. Although not developed specifically for the Fiat 8V engine, all but one were powered by the two-litre V8. Fitted with Siata's aftermarket kits, the power of the Fiat engine was increased considerably before it was fitted in the purpose built tubular chassis.
The Stabilimenti Farina Berlinetta was one of the absolute stars of the 1952 Turin Motorshow. It nevertheless did not make it to the end of the show as it was prepared for the upcoming Mille Miglia road race. Unfortunately the small coupe was forced to retire early but a sister car managed to clinch a highly commendable 11th overall. In recent years the Siata has been fully restored to its Mille Miglia configuration, complete with 542 start number. Certainly one for the 'connoisseurs' the spectacular Siata is expected to change owners for a hefty $1.6 - $1.8 million.
Late last week Porsche revealed the first information and pictures of the heavily revised 997 Turbo. Visually very little has changed; the new version can be distinguished by two small circular lights mounted on the corners of the front bumper. Most of the modifications can be found under the familiar panels. More specifically the rear deck where an all new flat six can be found. For the first time in many years the turbo engine has been reworked and now displaces 3.8 litre and features direct injection. Producing 500 bhp, it is not only more powerful but also more efficient than its predecessors. As always the new Turbo will be available in Coupe and Cabriolet versions. A similarly engined GT2 should follow quickly to answer the recent power hikes from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

From next Tuesday the Monterey Peninsula will once again be the centre of the classic car world. There will be numerous events headlined by the Monterey Historic Races over the weekend and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday. In addition there are several major auction where some absolutely spectacular machines will hopefully change hands. To attend all of these is virtually impossible but we will try our best. To get an impression of what to expect and/or where to go we have compiled a detailed event by event Monterey Motoring Week. We have also highlighted several cars that we will be shown / raced over the week.
Some of the most exciting cars to appear in Monterey will be brought by the auctioneers. The RM Auctions sale will last three full evenings and includes this fabulous Miller V16. The one-off machine first raced at Indy in 1931 and has recently been restored to a fabulous condition. Another V16-engined machine to go across the block is the Auto Union Type D, which we shot earlier this year at its spiritual home Reims. Gooding rounds off the events on Sunday evening and have consigned some spectacular machines like Ettore's personal Bugatti Type 57 C Coupe, the turbine-engined Ghia Gilda and a unique Bohman & Schwartz bodied Duesenberg.
At the Monterey Historic Races some very rare racing cars will hit the track. The Porsche 917 40th anniversary will celebrated in great style and Brian Redman is set to drive the 917 PA Spyder. There will also be numerous Bugattis out to celebrate the French company's 100th birthday like this Type 59 Grand Prix.
At Pebble we will see all three of the highly successful Bentley Speed Six Team Cars that were originally campaigned in the 1929 and 1930 seasons. Some manufacturers will also bring world debuts to Pebble. Among them is Infiniti, which will reveal the M.

A few days ahead of its on-track debut, GM Racing has released the full details of the all new Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2. It replaces the original Corvette C6.R that has been one of the dominant GT1 racers in recent years. In fact it still is, underlined by victories at Le Mans and in the Spa 24 Hours just a few weeks ago.
Especially in the United States, Corvette Racing was only rarely challenged in the GT1 class. Seeking more competition, the team decided to build a brand new racing car to compete in the hotly disputed GT2 class, where it will face the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Spyker.
Whereas the GT1 was derived from the Z06 Corvette, the basis for the C6.R GT2 is formed by the highly acclaimed ZR-1. To comply with the regulations, the supercharger had to be removed from the V8 and the displacement lowered slightly. Breathing through tight restrictors, the 'LS7.R' is still good for 470 bhp, which brings it on par with the competition. A brand new 5.5 liter is in the works for 2010. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. Like the road car, the GT2 racers sports an aggressively composite body. The livery is familiar but has unique touches to distinguish the C6.R GT2 from its predecessor.
The new Corvette racer will debut this weekend at the Mid Ohio round of the American Le Mans Series. The two cars entered will be piloted by Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen, Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin. It will be very interesting to see if the well tested machines can immediately reach the high level of the Porsches and Ferraris.

A few days ago, the SV 9 Competizione was first shown in public. Built by San Francisco based SV Motor Company, the new two-seater coupe combines American brawl with a designer suit. It is based on a C6 Corvette and features a custom carbon fiber body. The bespoke styling is clearly influenced by the Italian Grand Tourers. With its lightweight body and improved engine output, the SV 9 also promises better performance figures compared to the Corvette it is based on. Only 1,000 examples are planned to be produced and with numerous color, trim and wheel options it is unlikely that any two of them will be alike. The 450 bhp SV 9 Competizione will be officially launched at the Concorso Italiano car show, which is part of the packed Monterey Motoring week.
German Porsche tuner RUF have revealed the first pictures of the RT 12 S. Based on the current 911 Turbo, the new RUF features a 685 bhp version of the twin-turbo flat-6 engine. It can be delivered with a choice of two- and four-wheel drive. Like most RUFs, the RT 12 S also sports subtle styling tweaks.
At the recent 'Mustang Week' event organized by the SVT Owners Association Saleen launched their very first product based on the heavily revised 2010 Mustang. Using the V8-engined GT model as a base, the American specialists have created the 435S. As the name suggests the Saleen features a supercharged engine that produces a hefty 435 bhp. The car also boasts modified suspension and restyled exterior.
At a big event yesterday Nissan took the wraps of their very first all-electric vehicle. Dubbed the Leaf, it opens a new 'green' chapter for the Japanese vehicles. Unlike most other 'green' vehicles, the Leaf is exclusively powered by electricity. The batteries stored under the floor are potent enough to give the Nissan a range of over 160 km, which is big enough for the daily commute. The Leaf is set to hit the global streets towards the end of next year.