Last week, from Tuesday April 22 to Saturday April 27, around 250 historic racing cars traversed some of France's finest roads, competing in the 22nd annual Tour Auto retrospective. The ever spectacular event started in Le Grand Palais in Paris and after passing through Orleans, Vichy, Albi and Limoges finished in La Rochelle on the French Atlantic coast. Among the many significant cars entered were a host of Ferraris, Cobras, Porsches and Aston Martins, while the drivers including former F1 racers Olivier Panis, Erik Comas and Jacques Laffite as well as 1999 Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack. They were all faced with the same challenging route that combined public road sections with timed special stages and circuit races. Serving as a backdrop to the route were some of France's most breathtaking buildings and landscapes, which this year included the Chateau de Chambord and the Central Massif mountain range.
Our photographers followed the Tour Auto from start to finish; a first for us. The result of a week of very long days is this stage-by-stage report and an action-packed 260-shot gallery.

Today, Audi is a familiar face in DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft). This was certainly not the case when the German manufacturer entered the series back in 1990 with the V8 Quattro DTM. This was the company's first foray into circuit racing in Europe after two highly successful seasons in the United States with the 200 Quattro Trans-Am and the 90 Quattro IMSA GTO silhouette racers. By comparison, the near stock V8 DTM was a relatively straightforward machine but it did feature Audi's new V8 engine and the trademark quattro all-wheel drive system. Much larger than its rivals, the Audi V8 Quattro DTM nevertheless managed to dominate, winning the DTM title two years running with drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck and Frank Biela. The other manufacturers successfully pressed the organisers to raise the minimum weight for the Audi. This prompted Audi to redevelop the car and engine for the 1992 season with a flat-plane crankshaft. When the 1992 Audi was deemed illegal, the manufacturer quit DTM on the spot.
We captured both the original and the final specification of the V8 Quattro DTM in respectively a 6-shot and 18-shot gallery.

The Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari is named after, and located in and around the house Enzo Ferrari was born in back in 1898. Having opened its doors in 2012, the museum nevertheless looks beyond the achievements of just one man and his company, and instead pays tribute to all the manufacturers and coach builders that were based in the Modena area. In addition to the permanent displays, which very vividly depict the history of the automotive industry in Modena, the museum also hosts temporary displays focusing on a specific theme. During our visit this was the rivalry between local manufacturers Maserati and Ferrari. Accordingly, just over a dozen historic road and racing cars from these iconic companies were lovingly displayed in the purpose-built section of the museum. All this and much more can be explored in our detailed report, which is illustrated by a 80-shot gallery.
Among the phenomenal machines on display was this spectacular Maserati 350S V12. Little known today, this type served as an interim model built in anticipation of the upcoming 450S. Two were constructed with six-cylinder engines in 1956 and a third was readied with a free-revving V12 ahead of the 1957 season. None of these were particularly successful as they lacked proper development. Our feature car is believed to be the V12-engined car, which was sold to South America with a more common straight six. In recent years, it was completely restored to its original configuration, complete with the very rare V12. We captured the car both at the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari and during the 2011 Goodwood Revival. The result is this 12-shot gallery.

On Saturday, the Auto China in Shanghai kicked off with the official press day. Now truly a global event, the show attracted all major manufacturers. Among the most interesting new cars on display was the Lamborghini Aventador LP720-4. Developed to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary, it will be built in a limited number of just 100 examples and boasts a 20 hp increase over the 'standard' Aventador. Fellow Italian manufacturer, Maserati, took the wraps off the all-new Ghibli. More technical details were also announced, including the performance figures of the range topping Ghibli S. It is powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine that is closely related to the new Quattroporte's V8 and produces just over 400 hp. A 275 hp diesel engine will also be available, which is powerful enough to enable the Ghibli to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 6.3 seconds. Compared to the Quattroporte, the compact Ghibli has a wheelbase that is a full 20 cm shorter.
Among the many concept cars on display were the Acura SUV-X, Honda Concept M, the Nissan Friend Me, the Buick Riviera and the Volkswagen CrossBlue.

For the 1970 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari followed Porsche's example and developed a special long tail or Coda Lunga version of the 512 S sports racer. This design reduced drag and added 15 km/h to the car's top speed down the Le Mans' long straights. Unfortunately, this did not prove sufficient to match the considerably lighter Porsches. After Le Mans, Ferrari introduced the heavily modified 512 M for which no long tail was developed. All but three of the 512s were upgraded to 'M' specifications. Among the three that got away is our feature car, which was raced at Le Mans and also later starred in the Le Mans movie. It has survived with both the conventional and long tail bodies. In recent years, it was campaigned with the former but the current custodian liked the Coda Lunga better and re-installed that body. We captured, what is the only 512 S in long tail configuration in existence today, in full detail at the recent Imola Classic where it was driven in great verve. The result is this 18-shot gallery.
Tomorrow, the Auto China show in Shanghai will kick off with a press preview day. One of the cars on display will be the Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA. Based on the recently introduced A-Class, this compact SUV concept car probably offers a first look at the upcoming GLA production model. The Concept GLA is powered by a 2-litre turbocharged engine good for 208 bhp, which is transferred to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

In the late 1970s Lancia returned to circuit racing for the first time in over two decades, having focused their competition effort on rallying in the meantime. Pulling out all the stops, Lancia Corse with the help of Abarth created the Beta Montecarlo Turbo. This Group 5 silhouette racer was loosely based on the mid-engined Beta road car and was powered by a diminutive, turbo-charged four. This qualified the car for the under two-litre class, which the Montecarlo Turbo promptly dominated between 1979 and 1981. Thanks to its low weight, the compact machine was also able to race nose to tail with the much larger engined Porsche 935s, taking several outright victories. Today we have taken a closer look at this menacing machine with a detailed history, illustrated by an 18-shot gallery of two different examples.
Bugatti was recently stripped of their top speed record for production road cars because it required the limiter to be removed, which the Guinness Book of Records considers a modification. The VW subsidiary bounced back by setting a new record for open cars with the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse WRC. Not to be confused with a rally racer, this is short for the World Record Car. At VW's Ehra-Lessien test track, Chinese racer Anthony Liu reached a speed of 408.83 km/h or 254.04 mph. Bugatti will build eight more examples of the Grand Sport Vitesse WRC, priced at a modest 1.99 million Euro.
Following the awe-inspiring 508bhp S60 Polestar Concept shown in LA last year, Volvo and tuning company Polestar have now released the production version of the S60 Polestar. It is powered by a 344 bhp version of the T6 engine and boasts a tweaked chassis for improved handling. Because of the Aussies' love for high performance saloons, the S60 Polestar will for now only be available in Australia. If there is sufficient demand, it could be made available to other markets.

Peugeot have released the first images of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak due to be campaigned in the famous 'race to the clouds' by World Rally-ace Sebastien Loeb on June 30th. The wild machine follows in the footsteps of the legendary Peugeot 405 T16 Pikes Peak which was driven to back-to-back Pikes Peak victories in 1988 and 1989 by Ari Vatanen and Bobby Unser respectively. Although no further technical details have been released, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak is believed to be powered by a mid-mounted V6 engine. As soon as more details will come available, we will, of course, let you know.
Another new racer under development is the Aston Martin Rapide S Hydrogen. Due to line-up in the upcoming Nurburgring 24 Hours, it will be the first hydrogen-powered machine to compete in an international race. The four-door racer features a purpose-developed twin-turbo V12. Sadly, Aston Martin have not yet released any performance figures of the Rapide S Hydrogen.
The latest addition to the ever growing list of Shanghai releases is the MG CS Concept. The 'urban SUV' should point the way to the next model in the line-up of the company, which is a subsidiary of the Chinese SAIC Motor Group.

This Wednesday afternoon the doors of the Messe Essen opened for the 25th annual Techno Classica. Filling all twelve halls of the exhibition centre to the brim, the World Classic Car Show once again attracted hundreds of exhibitors including major manufacturers, suppliers, clubs, classic car dealers and many small vendors of, for example, books, second hand parts and other accessories. Among some of the highlights on display were such rarities as a Bizzarrini Europa 1900 GT, Goliath GP700 Sport and Benz Prinz Heinrich but also fine line-ups of all seven generations of the Golf GTI and four Audi V8s. In search of these highlights, our reporters went for a good hike through the Messe Essen and have returned with this concise report, illustrated by a 200-shot gallery. The Techno Classica is still open to the public until Sunday.
The British Silverstone circuit is the host this weekend of a super endurance weekend, hosting back-to-back races for the WEC and ELMS. Making its competition debut in the latter is the Alpine A450 entered by the Signatech-Alpine team. The Nismo-engined and strikingly liveried machine is still a re-badged Oreca 03 LMP2 racer but Renault/Alpine is adamant that a bespoke Le Mans Prototype is indeed in the works.
Compatriots Citroen could expand the DS range with the Wild Rubis, which will be unveiled to the public at the upcoming Auto China in Shanghai. The compact SUV shares many cues with its sister cars, including the abundance of chrome trim.

This weekend, our (historic) racing season kicked off with the second annual Imola Classic. Held at the fantastic, undulating Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari and organised by Peter Auto Racing, the event attracted a mix of familiar grids like the Sixties' Endurance and Classic Endurance Racing but also the new-for-us Challenge Formule Storiche. Among the many great machines on track were such fabulous rarities like a Ferrari 512 S Coda Lunga and Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo, which were both driven with great verve. It was also great to see that the Trofeo Nastro Rosso grid attracted a representative field for the first time in some years. We spent the action-packed, two-day meeting track-side at this classic circuit and have returned with a class-by-class report and a 210-shot gallery, which includes the odd flying cars, off-track excursions, flames and lovely scenic back-drops.
Ahead of the official launch at Shanghai's Auto China in a fortnight, Maserati have kindly released the first details and images of the all-new Ghibli. Aimed squarely at the BMW 5-Series and intended to bring Maserati closer to the 50,000 per year production goal, the executive saloon will be powered by a petrol or diesel twin-turbo V6. Both engines are mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox while the 'Q4' all-wheel drive system will be available as an option. Judging from these three images, the Ghibli certainly looks the part and could certainly become an evocative alternative for the German machinery that now dominates this market.

For a company steeped in racing tradition, it is hard to imagine that this Esprit X180R is the last Lotus to win a major championship, now over 20 years ago. Based on the then recently introduced Esprit SE, it was prepared specifically for use in the United States. Following a successful debut in the 1990 World Challenge season, with four wins, including a pair of one-two finishes, it was further developed in the X180R featured today. This was driven to the 1992 IMSA Supercar championship by Doc Bundy. We captured the car last year in a 12-shot gallery during a rare appearance in England when it was demonstrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with Bundy behind the wheel. He was still very familiar with the car as he still regularly races it in historic events back in the United States.
While we were in Italy, the previously announced Detroit Electric SP:01 was revealed to the world in all its glory. Filling the void left by the Tesla Roadster, in more ways than one, it will be produced in a limited run of just 999 examples. Thanks to a 201 bhp electric motor, it can accelerate to 100 km/h in well under four seconds and has a top speed of 249 km/h. The SP:01 will make its debut at the Auto China in Shanghai. Here it will be joined by the BMW Concept X4, which is a near production ready of the upcoming X4.
Renault, meanwhile, unveiled the Twin'Z Concept at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano. This all-electric machine was jointly penned by Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker and British designer Ross Lovegrove.

Sixty years ago, Ferrari launched the first production car powered by the three-litre version of the Colombo V12 engine. Known as the 250 MM, this Ferrari would form the basis for the legendary 250 GT series. It was available with Vignale Spyder bodywork and as the visually even more pleasing Pinin Farina Berlinetta featured today. Used by Ferrari's customers, the 250 MM faced strong competition, not in the least by the larger engined Ferrari works cars, so ultimately it was not very successful. The 250 MM is nevertheless highly regarded today and the 4 examples pictured in our 30-shot gallery are all part of prominent collections.
This update is actually presented to you just a stone's throw away from Enzo Ferrari's house of birth in Modena. The reason for this is a visit to the new Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari and this weekend's Imola Classic at the nearby Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Among the many exciting cars due to take to the track are a very rare Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo and also no fewer than three Sauber C5s. Introduced in 1976, this remains the most successful of the early racing cars produced by Peter Sauber. It was driven to the Interserie and Swiss Championships, and also retired twice from the class at Le Mans with mechanical failure. Our detailed feature also includes three different chassis, although we are not entirely certain if it is these three that will be in action this weekend.
You can, of course, read about this and much more in our upcoming report of the Imola Classic.

Today, Porsche revealed the first details of the second generation Panamera, which will be launched later in the month at the Auto China in Shanghai. Clearly an evolution of the original, the revised Panamera does boast numerous detail changes to the exterior, including new LED headlights. Under the restyled body panels the modifications continue. Now known as the Panamera S E-Hybrid, the 'green' model has plug-in capabilities for the first time and the power of the electric motor has doubled. This has cut the 0-100 km/h time by .5 seconds and increased the top speed to 270 km/h. On the electric motor alone, the E-Hybrid can reach a speed of 135 km/h.
This may not sit well with the enthusiasts but the roaring, naturally aspirated V8 will be replaced by a twin turbo V6 in several models, including the Panamera 4S. The all-new engine is more powerful but is also 18% more efficient than the big V8 it replaces.
The final major revision is the addition of the Executive version. Available for the Turbo and 4S, it features a 15 cm longer wheelbase and more comfortable air suspension.

In a desperate attempt to bridge the gap with the dominant German racing teams, Delahaye created a V12 racer in the second half of the 1930s. Apart from a victory at Montlhery, this 145 Grand Prix failed miserably. Two of these racers were later entrusted to Chapron, who created this very elegant Coupe body. Still boasting the competition underpinnings, the two cars were true wolves in sheep's clothing. Both these machines are accounted for and are today on display in the Mullin Automotive Museum. We captured the two Delahaye 145 Chapron Coupes at Pebble Beach and Villa d'Este.
A much more common Delahaye was the 135, which was produced for over a decade. One of the least known of the many coach-builders that worked on this model was Langenthal from Switzerland. Judging from this Delahaye 135 MS that is a real shame. The car started life as a convertible but upon the request of the original owner, it was first equipped with a hardtop and later with a fixed roof. As a coupe, the Langenthal Delahaye 135 MS was displayed at Pebble Beach last year.
Last Thursday, the Seoul Motor Show kicked off. Among the stars on display was the Hyundai HND-9. This striking two-door coupe boasts a 370 hp engine and an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Compatriot Kia was also on hand with the equally interesting CUB concept car.
Shelby American provide some final snippets from New York in the form of the ludicrously powerful, 1200 hp 1000 S/C and the 575 hp Raptor.