One of the most spectacular cars on display at last year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was this Abarth 1500 Bertone Biposto. Built in 1952 using a bespoke Abarth chassis with Fiat mechanicals, it sports a Franco Scaglione penned body. The futuristic design features many cues that were later found on the legendary Alfa Romeo based B.A.T. show cars that were launched in the following years. So for all intents and purposes, this unique Abarth could be considered the B.A.T. 1. The car itself was acquired by Packard, who were desperate for inspiration, and eventually ended up in the hands of a journalist. Not seen in public for many decades it was auctioned in 2003 and at Pebble finally made its post-restoration debut. Here it was received the 'Gran Turismo Award', so we may soon be able to go for virtual a spin in it ourselves. Our photographers captured the striking Abarth 1500 Bertone Biposto both during the Tour and the Concours d'Elegance.
One of Carlo Abarth's early associates was one Ferdinand Porsche and the company he founded have today launched the latest addition to their line-up; the Panamera Turbo S. As the name suggests, this is a faster version of the, already very potent, Turbo model. The 4.8 litre V8 engine has been tweaked to produce a staggering 550 bhp and a maximum of 800 Nm of torque using the 'overboost' function. The boost in power is mainly due to revised turbochargers with lighter turbines. The Turbo S will be available from June this year and in Germany costs a hefty 167,076 euro.

At this weekend's season opening Australian Grand Prix quite a few questions were answered. The answer to the most important question, 'which is the fastest car?', is unequivocally the Red Bull Racing RB7. Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel drove his example to an easy victory after dominating qualifying. This despite running the final two days of the weekend without the KERS system that adds 80 bhp of power for 6.7 seconds every lap. An evolution of the RB6 and the RB5 before that, the new RB7 has once again been designed by the brilliant Adrian Newey. The rivaling teams certainly have their work cut for them if they want to get ahead of the latest Red Bull.
In 1939 and 1940 Alfa Romeo built a total of eight competition cars based on the 6C 2500 SS road car. Internally known as the Tipo 256, they competed in a wide variety of road races with open and closed bodies. Unfortunately none of the original Spiders have survived in their original configuration. At least one still exists but stamped with a new chassis number and fitted with a more luxurious body. This Pinin Farina Spider was most likely sold in 1942 as a brand new car to its unsuspecting first owner. The original identity was only discovered many decades later when a second chassis number was found on the frame rails. We captured this lovely 6C 2500 SS at Villa d'Este in 2008.
Not to be mistaken for one of the original eight, this 6C 2500 SS Corsa Spider is nevertheless a very impressive copy of the competition version. Taken over ten years to complete, it was built using an original 6C 2500 chassis and engine, complemented by numerous period bits. The result is a near perfect copy of the original Corsa Spider. Until recently this 6C 2500 was a regular competitor in the Monterey Historic Races.

One of the most impressive machines at last week's Goodwood Motorsport Launch was the unique Fiat Mephistopheles. Not spitting flames and no longer painted black, it was, however, not quite the terrifying sight that had earned the massive machine its demonic nick-name. Built by Ernest Eldridge and his trusted mechanic John Ames in 1923, it was a mix of a lengthened 1908 Fiat Grand Prix car chassis and a 21.7 litre engine designed for WWI bombers. With well over 300 bhp on tap, the car was probably even more terrifying to drive than it looked. With the very brave Eldridge at the wheel and the even braver Ames as passenger, the behemoth Fiat briefly held the world land speed record. It also proved surprisingly fast around 'speed bowls' like Brooklands and Montlhery. Owned since 1961 by Fiat, Mephistopheles is maintained to full running order and we hope to see the leviathan in action during the Goodwood Festival of Speed later in the year.
Ahead of the first Britcar race of the season, this weekend at Silverstone, Mazda UK have released their all-new challenger: the MX-5 GT. Based on the popular road going model, it has been extensively lightened with such drastic measures as acid-dipping the entire body. The brightly liveried machine weighs in at just 850 kg (1874 lbs) and features a 275 bhp engine. That's enough to propel the Japanese roadster to accelerate to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3 seconds.
At the upcoming Top Marques show in Monaco, Italian specialist manufacturer SpadaVettureSport will launch a second model. Responsible for the design is once again Ercole Spada of Zagato fame. For now just a sketch of the Roadster has been released. We will keep a close eye on developments and update the page once more information becomes available.

Following two spectacular concept cars, Porsche have now opened the books for the production version of the 918 Spyder supercar. Like the earlier show cars, the new road car will feature a hybrid drivetrain that consists of a mid-mounted V8 and two electric motors bolted to the front axle. The combined peak output of three is well over 700 bhp. Although just rough sketches have been released, the styling looks similar to that of the original 918 Spyder Concept that starred at Geneva last year. Porsche promise lightning quick performance combined with very green consumption and emission figures. Priced at a hefty 645,000 Euro, the first 918 Spyder is expected to be delivered in the summer of 2013.
Meanwhile Porsche continue their hybrid racing program with a version 2.0 of their 997 GT3 R Hybrid that nearly won the Nurburgring 24 Hours race last year. Unlike the batteries used for the 918 Spyder, the GT3 R Hybrid features a flywheel fitted next to the driver to store the energy for the electric motors. Among the changes compared to last year are more powerful electric motors and a considerable drop in weight.
To feature hybrid engined cars more accurately, we have tweaked our spec table. This can now hold more than one engine. Both the 997 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 and 918 Spyder articles sport the new spec table.
Altogether more conventional is the BAC Mono announced late last week. Built by Briggs Automotive Company, the minimalistic sports car features a carbon-fibre monocoque and a highly tuned Cosworth four cylinder engine. Weighing in at just over half a ton, the compact machine can accelerate to 100 mph in less than seven seconds. Although mostly intended as a track-day tool, the BAC Mono is actually road legal.

Last Thursday Lord March kicked off the 2011 season with the annual Goodwood Motorsport Launch. The event serves as a warm-up for the upcoming Festival of Speed (July 1st - 3rd) and Revival meeting (September 16th - 18th). A selection of cars expected to star at the two events lined up in front of Goodwood House and before they took to the hill, Lord March revealed the plans for 2011.
The Festival of Speed will have �Racing Revolutions � Quantum leaps that shaped motor sport� as theme and will also celebrate the 100 years of the Indy 500 and the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type. With a dedicated race, the E-Type's 1961 launch will also be marked at the Revival. Argentinian racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio would have turned 100 this year and his spectacular career will also take centre stage at the Revival.
Making its public debut at the Goodwood Motorsport Launch was the Aston Martin AMR-One, which was driven up the hill once by Darren Turner. McLaren was present with a production prototype of the upcoming MP4/12C and the F1 that set the world top speed record for production road cars in 1998. The historic cars in attendance ranged from the ferocious Benz 'Blitzen' and Fiat 'Mephistopheles' to the delicate Delage 2LCV and the beautifully preserved 'barn-find' Jaguar E-Type Lightweight.
Our photographers ventured out to a very chilly Goodwood. Their best work has made it into an exclusive 120-shot gallery that illustrates a preview of the Goodwood events.

One of the world's greatest races, the Indy 500, celebrates its centenary this year. Today we join the party with a look at one of the event's most successful machines; the McLaren M16. It debuted in 1971 and its final evolutions were raced well into the 1980s. In the hands of Team Penske and the McLaren works team the M16 took three wins at Indy and it also formed the basis for the double F1 World Championship winning M23.
In its original guise, the M16 was nothing short of revolutionary. It brought wings and 'wedge' design to the brickyard. McLaren would have to wait until 1972 when this very M16B was driven to the British manufacturer's first victory by Team Penske's Mark Donohue. Two years later the M16 was victorious again in M16C/D specification and driven by Johnny Rutherford. Some years ago we captured 'JR' reunited with the car that brought him the first of his three Indy victories. He can be seen driving his victorious chassis in this 12-shot gallery. The final version of the hugely successful Gordon Cuppock design was the M16E, which featured tweaks by a very young John Barnard. It did not win first time out but would bring McLaren's final and Rutherford's second win in 1976. McLaren would return with an all new car but it would not enjoy the success of the M16.

Although it has been nearly two months, we have finally found a slot to feature three of the cars that starred at this year's Retromobile in Paris. One of our absolute favourites was the Lola Mk6 GT displayed on the Hall & Hall stand. Of the three examples built, this was the only one not used by Ford for the GT40 development program. Instead it was acquired by John Mecom, who replaced the Ford engine with a Chevrolet V8. In this guise it was raced with considerable success by Augie Pabst in North America. In recent years it was on display in the now defunct Rosso Bianco Collection. The current owner had the car meticulously restored to the ever striking Mecom livery. The Mk6 GT Chevrolet should make a very potent weapon for the Goodwood Revival Whitsun Trophy against the GT40s and T70s. Also on display at Hall & Hall was this Cooper T81 Maserati. This V12-engined Formula 1 machine was raced for the better part of two seasons by Swedish privateer Joakim Bonnier. Shortly after its final outing, it was acquired by Tom Wheatcroft for his Donnington Grand Prix Collection. Like many of the cars in this impressive collection T81 has been beautifully preserved.
Across the isle, fellow British broker Fiskens displayed this 'barn-find' Squire Ranelagh Tourer. It was the first time in over thirty year that this very rare 1930s sports car was seen in public. It was offered from the former owner's estate and despite its derelict condition it found a new caretaker very quickly. We are very much looking forward to see the Squire returned to its former glory.
At this weekend's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Duesenberg was one of the featured marques and that was very much reflected in the results; the 'Concours de Sport' and 'Concours d'Elegance' best in show awards were won by the Duesenberg SJ 'Mormon Meteor' Special and Duesenberg SJ Rollston Torpedo Sedan respectively. Coincidentally both cars are former best of show winners at Pebble as well.

Shortly after McLaren announced the production version, testing has begun with the MP4-12C GT3. The car is under development by McLaren GT, which is a joint-venture of McLaren Automotive and racing team CRS Racing. The new competition car shares its basic structure with the road car but with changes made to electronics and aerodynamics to comply with the regulations and further improve the performance. The GT3 racer is expected to make its competition debut later in the year and it will become available to customers in 2012. Our good friend John Brooks was at the car's Silverstone debut and sent over this 12-shot gallery of the MP4-12C GT3 on track and in the pits. His blog, DoubleDeClutch.com, is packed with interesting insights and fabulous images from over three decades of sports car racing; highly recommended.
On Saturday, the Sebring 12 Hours will kick off the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) as well as the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). The 2009 and 2010 ALMS prototype champions, Highcroft Racing, will field this HPD ARX-01e. This the fifth development of the original Acura ARX-01 that debuted back in 2007 and actually started life as a Courage design. Built to LMP1 specifications, the ARX-01e will face off against the likes of Audi and Peugeot.
Four months after revealing the drop-top version at the Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW have released the 650i Coupe. Mechanically the two cars are identical, so the fixed-head 6-series comes equipped with the sophisticated, turbocharged V8 engine and 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Last week we featured this Lamborghini Miura SV Prototipo, which was headed for auction at Gooding's Amelia Island sale. After a fierce bidding war, it sold for a staggering $1.7 million; a new world record for a Miura. While researching the car we also came across this Miura P400 Prototipo. This is one of the first five Miura pre-production prototypes constructed and it was sold to the current owner directly from the factory back in 1967. Some of you may be more familiar with this particular car because of its presence in the Playstation game Gran Turismo 5.

This weekend the 2011 edition of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will be held in the North Eastern tip of Florida. Supporting the main event are two sales by North America's leading auctioneers Gooding & Co and RM Auctions. Gooding is kicking off proceedings tomorrow evening at the Amelia Island Plantation with an 87-lot sale. One of the highlights is this Lamborghini Miura SV Prototipo. This special car served as both the development prototype and the 1971 Geneva show car. In recent it was meticulously restored and is considered by experts one of the best Miuras in existence. We captured the Prototipo at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it was invited in the first ever all-Lamborghini class.
RM Auctions will also offer a very rare prototype: the only surviving Oldsmobile Limited Prototype. It was built two years before the model was officially introduced in 1910. The car does incorporate all the features that make the Limited so very impressive, including the massive 42-inch wheels. Another star will be one of three Ferrari 340 Mexico Berlinettas, which is expected to change hands for well into the seven figures. What makes this example particularly attractive is the fact that it has been in the same collection for over three decades and has not made any appearances in the major events for many years.
On Sunday all attention will turn to the lawn adjacent to the local Ritz-Carlton hotel. Featured marques this year are Duesenberg, Allard and Kurtis, and American racing legend Bobby Rahal is the honourary chairman. Two of the cars that are expected to star are this spectacular Duesenberg SJ 'Mormon Meteor' Special and the 1965 Indy 500 winning Lotus 38 Ford.

Rounding off our coverage of the 81st Geneva Motor Show, we today take a look at ten more cars revealed at the Swiss event.
One of the most evocative debuts was the Ferrari FF. It broke new ground both from an engineering and design perspective; the FF is the first all-wheel drive Ferrari and also sports a shooting-brake design. The drivetrain is particularly interesting as it uses a conventional transaxle, driven from the rear of the engine and a separate electronic clutch mounted on the front of the engine to power the front wheels on demand. Thanks to its unique design, the FF is also one of the most practical Ferraris ever built.
Audi provided a preview of a further expansion of the line-up with the A3 Concept. Based on the current RS3, this 408 bhp machine features a 'notchback' rear end. Subaru and Toyota looked ahead to the rear-wheel drive sports car the two companies are developing together. The Subaru BOXER Sports Car Architecture Concept focused on the mechanical merits whereas Toyota FT-86 II Concept focused on the exterior design.
Recently revived Italian design-house Touring Superleggera debuted the Gumpert Tornante. Sharing many components with the Apollo, the new Grand Tourer features a much more elegant design. Compatriots Italdesign / Giugiaro celebrated their absorption into the Volkswagen Group with the very stylish Go and Tex concepts. If this is a look ahead at a future production-car design language, VW fans have something to look forward to.

While Italian manufacturers and design houses as usual took centre stage at the Geneva Motor Show, their German rivals were particularly well represented this year. One of the most striking debuts was this Wiesmann Spyder, which, for now, is still a design concept. With no windshield or doors, it is certainly the most extreme car ever constructed by the small sports car manufacturer. Power comes from the BMW M3 sourced V8 engine. Both Artega and Irmscher launched fully electric versions of their sports cars. The Artega SE sports two electric motors, good for a combined output of 380 bhp. The Irmscher iSelectra's single motor, on the other hand, is good for 235 bhp and a staggering peak torque of 800 Nm.
Leading tuners ABT Sportsline and Brabus were also on hand in Geneva. The former revealed the R8 GT S, which features a host of visual and performance tweaks. The 700 Biturbo launched by Brabus is a further development of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. As the name suggests, it sports a twin-turbo engine that is good for 700 hp (690 bhp).
Swedish manufacturer Saab celebrated the first anniversary of its new-found independence with the aptly named PhoeniX Concept. Styled by Jason Castriota of Pininfarina fame, the exterior of the two-door sports car is very aerodynamically efficient. Underneath the futuristic body an equally efficient drivetrain is fitted consisting of a petrol engine to drive the front wheels and a hybrid-electric system to power the rear axle, using energy generated under breaking.
Also rising from its ashes in Geneva was the Italian DeTomaso company. Under new ownership and with a well thought out plan, DeTomaso plans to roll out 3 new models and aims at a production run of 8,000 examples in total. At Geneva the first model, the Deauville was unveiled. The Pininfarina penned body panels cloth a sophisticated spaceframe chassis that is constructed by laser-soldering together extruded aluminium profiles.

At this week's Geneva Motor Show there were literally two many highlights to mention. In our continuing coverage of the 'Salon', we have today taken a look at two of our favourite machines that broke cover in Geneva.
First up is the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept, which serves as a preview of a small sports car that will become available in 2012. Built in collaboration with Dallara, the compact machine features a carbon-fibre monocoque. This helps keep the weight down to an impressive 850 kg. Combined with a 200+ bhp engine and dual-clutch gearbox, the top of the range model should be able to rival the best cars in this segment like the various Lotus models and the Porsche Boxster. Before the 4C will hit the market some modifications to the KTM X-Bow derived chassis are still required.
As you may have read, we were impressed with the Koenigsegg ski-box but failed to mention that the Agera R it was fitted to was also brand new. Together with the 'standard' Agera, it replaces the C8 line-up and uses a revised engine and suspension as well as a new gearbox. In its most powerful trim, the bespoke supercharged V8 produces a staggering 1115 bhp and 1200 Nm of torque. This is transferred to the rear wheels through a seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox. The Agera R on display in Geneva is the 83rd Koenigsegg production car built.
Peugeot took the wraps off the 908 HYbrid4 Le Mans racer. It differs from the new-for-2011 908 in that it is equipped with a hybrid system. It will most likely make its on-track debut during the official Le Mans test in April. There it will face-off against the Aston Martin AMR-One that was officially announced this week. This is the first all-new racing car built by Aston Martin Racing. Clothed in a striking body, it features a turbocharged straight-six petrol engine that produces at least 540 bhp. It will be very interesting to see how the AMR-One fares in the diesel-dominated LMP1 class now that new regulations have come into effect.

The Swiss city of Geneva is once again the focal point of the automotive industry. As always the annual motor show attracted an eclectic mix of main-stream and specialist manufacturers. Main themes of the 81st edition were green machines and the general recovery of the industry.
Porsche had an impressive display that featured a replica of the very first working hybrid, originally launched in 1900, as well the latest hybrid Panamera. Peugeot announced plans to run a hybrid version of their new 908 at the official Le Mans test in April.
Naturally, much of our attention was grabbed by the latest batch of sports cars and this year we were certainly not disappointed as the likes of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Pagani all launched brand new and very exciting cars. We were particularly taken by the revived Morgan Threewheeler, which should be an absolute hoot to drive.
The few marks left by the crisis were most visible in the layout of the show, which saw various manufacturers take up a space alongside their new owners. More than in recent years, there was room for exuberance, highlighted by the bespoke Koenigsegg skis and ski-box.
Our photographers were on the Geneva show-floor for the better part of two days. Their joint efforts have resulted in a detailed report and an exclusive 330-shot gallery.