At a local airfield in Yorkshire, England, barely long enough for the required 'measured mile', the Drayson Racing Technologies managed to shatter the Electric Land Speed Record by a startling 29.7 mph. The car used for this historic run was the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV, which was specifically modified for the task at hand. Powered by four electric motors, good for a combined 600 bhp, it achieved an average top speed of 204.185 mph or 328.604 km/h. We captured the record breaking B12/69EV when it was running at full power during the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In that guise, the four motors produced a combined 856 bhp.
Shortly after the company's inception, McLaren employed the services of Trojan to construct the production cars sold to customers. This arrangement lasted until the end of 1972 when McLaren ended its customer car program. To fill this void, Trojan set about creating the company's own racing car for the 1973 season. Known as the T101, this machine was designed to run in the popular F5000 championships on both sides of the Atlantic. Especially early in its life, the car proved successful, particularly in the hands of future World Champion Jody Scheckter. The Trojan T101 featured today was used among others by John Watson. Buoyed by the promising results in the manufacturer's debut year, the team stepped up to Formula 1 with the Trojan T103 Cosworth. The car boasted a clean-sheet design by Ron Tauranac of Brabham fame but sadly two tenth place finishes were the best results. After eight Grand Prix starts, the funds had run dry and the team withdrew from F1. The only T103 Cosworth raced in period has more recently been restored for historic racing and we captured it last year Monaco and Paul Ricard.
On Sunday, Pikes Peak will once again host the annual race to the skies. The entrants have already had several goes at the hill climb during practice, and today we have added new shots from the mountain to our Mitsubishi MiEV Evolution and Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak galleries.

Today, we round off our coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a detailed feature about the winner of the very hotly contested GTE Pro category; the Porsche 911 RSR. This new-for-2013 GT racer is based on the recently introduced seventh generation or type 991 of the venerable 911. It boasts a longer wheelbase than its predecessors, which, along with several other detail changes, has made the new RSR a more competitive machine. Unlike in previous years when Porsche was represented by customers, the new machine was fielded this year by a factory team; Porsche's first works effort since 1998, when the manufacturer won Le Mans outright for the last time. This was done partly to develop the car but also to prepare for the highly anticipated LMP1 effort due in 2014. If this year's result is anything to go by, Audi and Toyota will have their work cut out next year.
To mark the hard fought class victory of the Porsche 911 RSR, we have taken a closer look at the latest machine from Weissach, illustrated by a 49-shot gallery showing the two works cars in action at Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps.

This weekend, the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrated its 90th anniversary. Unfortunately, the race has gone into history for all the wrong reasons; just 10 minutes after the start, Danish driver Allan Simonsen fatally crashed his Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Following the specific request of his family, Aston Martin Racing continued their effort with the four remaining cars in Simonsen's honour. After a one-hour safety car period, the race also restarted but with a heavy heart.
The remaining 23 hours were also incident packed as the track conditions changed constantly due to intermittent rain showers. Fortunately, no other drivers were seriously injured. At the head of the field, the highly anticipated fight between Audi and Toyota lasted throughout the race and in the other classes the top positions were also hotly disputed right until the finish.
As a warm-up to the main event, there was also a 45-minute race historic race for sports cars that raced at Le Mans in the 1950s through to 1965. Among the stars in the 60-car field were a Ferrari 250 LM, the sole surviving Maserati Tipo 151 and an assortment of Jaguar D-Types.
Our reporters were at the track for the duration of the event from the first action on Wednesday until the winning drivers received their trophies on Sunday. Their combined efforts have resulted in this concise report and this 370-shot gallery filled with all the highs and lows of the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans.

On Wednesday, the 90th annual 24 Hours of Le Mans kicked off with the first practice and qualifying sessions. All four sessions proved more than eventful with a variety of big crashes curtailing all but one of them. Although extensive repairs were required, it does look like all 56 entries will make it to the grid tomorrow afternoon. Starting from pole will be the #2 Audi after a quick lap from Loic Duval set early in the opening qualifying session. In LMP2, the Olivier Pla in one of the Oak Morgans topped the times while both GTE classes were dominated by the Aston Martins. Our photographers were trackside from the first minute and as a teaser for our complete report we have compiled a 190-shot gallery with all the highlights from practice, qualifying and also the first session of the Le Mans Legend race. The action-packed gallery will be completed after the weekend with many more images from the race.
Meanwhile in the Le Mans paddock, two manufacturers released brand new race cars. Nissan showcased the ZEOD RC, which is short for Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car. There is no hiding the experimental machine was designed by Ben Bowlby of DeltaWing fame. And like that unusual machine, the electric ZEOD RC will race at Le Mans in the 'Garage 56' class for innovative cars.
Altogether more conventional but nonetheless very exciting is the SRT Viper GT3-R. As the name suggests, it will be available to customers wanting to run a GT3 specification Viper in one of the many championships around the world for which these cars are eligible. Based on the Viper GTS-R that makes its Le Mans debut this weekend, it is powered by the familiar V10 engine, mated to a paddle operated 6-speed gearbox. The Viper GT3-R is available for an estimated $459,000.

Aston Martin have launched the all-new Vanquish Volante. As the name suggests, this is the drop-top version of the Vanquish that was launched last year. Like its fixed-head counterpart, the new Volante is powered by the latest 'AM11' V12, which is good for 565 bhp. This is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, while the car also boasts carbon-ceramic disc brakes. Thanks to the lightweight aluminium construction, the new Vanquish Volante can accelerate to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 295 km/h. It is expected to arrive at Aston Martin showrooms towards the end of the year.
Before switching to the recently announced Rebellion R-One, the Rebellion team will compete in this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans with the tried and trusted Lola B12/60 Toyota. Based on Lola's original LMP1 coupe design, the car has evolved dramatically during the last few years. In its latest guise, it has proven to be the fastest non-works prototype racer. In 2012 this was awarded with the FIA WEC privateer world championship. During the first sessions of this week's race the Lola B12/60 Toyota proved very competitive again.
Our photographers have arrived at the track and will start with our coverage of the event on Friday with the first galleries of practice and qualifying, so keep an eye on this page.

With the start of the 2013 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans rapidly approaching, we have today taken a very close look at the first post-War winner and the first Ferrari to grab victory in the legendary endurance race. This is, of course, the equally legendary Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta. Introduced at the 1948 Turin Motor Show, the Touring bodied machine was instantly nicknamed Barchetta; Italian for little boat. Although primarily intended as a production model for privateers, the Scuderia Ferrari also raced the two-litre engined machine. In 1949, it was virtually unbeatable as it not only won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it also scored victories in the Mille Miglia and 24 Hours of Spa. Courtesy of our new car layout, we can now present the 166 MM Touring Barchetta in more detail than ever before with the individual history of 15 different examples and an action-packed 127-shot image gallery. Among the chassis featured are both the Le Mans and Mille Miglia winning 0008M and the Spa winning 0010M.
Over the weekend, BMW revealed the first details and images of the all-new 4-Series, which replaces the 3-Series Coupe as a separate model in the German company's range. At the time of the launched the featured 435i Coupe will top the line-up. This is powered by a 300 bhp version of BMW's twin-turbo, six-cylinder petrol engine. All eyes are now on the Motorsport department in anticipation of the high performance M4.
This morning in Australia, Volvo announced its intention to field two Polestar-prepared S60s in next year's V8 Supercar championship. The cars will be run in the hotly contested series by the seasoned Garry Rogers Motorsport team.
British specialists Prodrive, meanwhile, have released more images of the MINI RX, which is intended to compete in rally cross events and the X-Games. Based on the World Rally Car, it is around 10% lighter and 50% more powerful.

Although the Porsche 962C has gone into history as one of the all time great endurance racers, there was still room in the design for improvements. Well known for racing their own modified Porsches, like the Le Mans winning 935 K3, Kremer Racing addressed several of these issues when they created the 962 CK6. This boasted a more sophisticated and much stronger aluminium honeycomb chassis and the CK6 could also be run with a separate rear wing on tracks that required more downforce. The final versions of the CK6 even featured a carbon-fibre composite monocoque chassis. Although they were an improvement over the original design, the Kremer-Porsches still struggled against the much better backed works teams like TWR Jaguar and Sauber-Mercedes. The car nevertheless proved successful, particularly in Japan. As a warm-up to this 24 Hours of Le Mans, we have taken a closer look at this Kremer Porsche, resulting in a 60-shot gallery featuring five different examples.
We have today also added detailed articles on two of the leading LMP2 cars due to take the start in little over a week; the Morgan LMP2 Nissan and the Zytek Z11SN Nissan. Both of these are powered by the 4.5-litre V8 engine developed for endurance racing in partnership by Zytek Motorsport and Nismo. Another similarity is that the chassis of these cars are a direct evolution of designs introduced several years ago. On Saturday, no fewer than five Morgan LMP2s will start the race while three Zytek Z11SNs are entered, including one with backing from the Caterham Formula 1 team.

Already some time under development, Porsche's highly anticipated LMP1 finally broke cover today. It was captured at the first test on the German manufacturer's own Weissach track. Although few technical details have been released, it is well known the car will use a petrol-hybrid drivetrain. The car is also not developed by the Porsche Motorsport department but actually by the company's Research & Development department because its purpose stretches well beyond returning Porsche to top sport in endurance racing. The car is also a rolling test-bed for future technologies and fits in the philosophy of development through racing. Works drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas will extensively test the Porsche LMP1 this year ahead of its competition debut in 2014.
At Tokyo Toy Show, Toyota have released this very funky Camatte57s concept car. According to the Japanese manufacturer, the three-seater is a sporty, open-top family-focused car. The body is constructed from 57 separate, removable parts that can be finished in every colour combination imaginable. Power for the compact Camatte57s comes from a mid-mounted electric motor.
Every year, a handful all-new supercars are announced, of which only very few make into production. Whether that will be the case with the Dutch Vencer Sarthe or the Mexican VUHL 05 only time will tell. The former is a very traditional supercar with sharp lines and a mid-mounted V8 engine. It was first shown to the public at the Top Marques Show in Monaco last month. Due to make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, less is known about the VUHL. Judging from the two teaser pictures released this week, the car will be an open two-seater also with the engine mounted amidships.

This weekend the Le Mans fortnight was kicked off with the official test. Audi dominated, while in the LMP2 class Alpine made its return to Le Mans, exactly forty years after the marque's debut. This has prompted us, in our ongoing coverage of the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, to take a look at that very first Alpine, which raced at Le Mans in 1963. Dubbed the M63, this slippery, Gordini-engined machine was designed to win the Index of Performance and Thermal Efficiency Index. It proved quick straight out of the box, setting the fastest ever time for a one-litre car at Le Mans during test, literally hours after it was completed. The race was not quite such a success and for a variety of reasons none of the three Alpines made it to the finish. All that was forgotten a year later when the subsequent M64 won its class. Our detailed feature includes images of three of the five M63s built.
Another slippery machine that raced at Le Mans during this period was the aptly named Austin Healey Le Mans Sprite. Fitted with an unusually angular body, it finished first in class at Sebring and Le Mans in 1965. Our 14-shot gallery includes pictures of the two cars that scored those class wins.
Roaring around Le Mans a year later was this Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa. Based on the fibreglass and independently sprung 5300 GT America, this probably is the fastest front-engined Bizzarrini ever made. Sadly the competition effort was badly funded with most attention going to the mid-engined P538, while in fact the 5300 GT proved quicker. In more recent years, the ex-Le Mans 5300 GT Corsa emerged from a shed in rather derelict condition. As you can see in our 15-shot gallery, it has since been restored to full running order.
Over the weekend the ambitious Rebellion Racing team announced the new-for-2014 Rebellion R-One Toyota. Due to comply with the heavily revised LMP1 regulations, this impressive looking machine will be developed and build by Oreca.

This weekend the Formula 1 circus visits Montreal and the 'Circuit Gilles Villeneuve', which was named in the driver's honour after his tragic fatal accident in 1982. This was not just because of Quebec roots but also because Gilles Villeneuve scored his maiden Grand Prix victory at the track when it hosted the Canadian Grand Prix for the first time. He took that historic win 35 years ago this year, which is why we have taken a renewed look at the Ferrari 312 T3 he used that day. Built to suit the sophisticated Michelin radial tyres, the 1978 Ferrari was rendered virtually obsolete before it even raced courtesy of the 'ground effect' Lotus 79 Cosworth. Thanks to the Ferrari's superior reliability and hugely powerful engine, and also the skill of drivers Carlos Reutemann and Villeuve, the 312 T3 nevertheless managed to score four victories. We also rank the Ferrari 312 T3 as one of the prettiest F1 cars of its day with simple but efficient lines and a striking red/white livery. You can judge for yourself by exploring our 45-shot gallery, which features images of four different chassis including Gilles Villeneuve's Canadian Grand Prix winning example, which was owned for many year by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.
At the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, Skoda will reveal the most powerful Octavia vRS yet. The Czech machine comes with a choice of the petrol or diesel engine also found in the Volkswagen Golf GTI and GTD respectively. The most powerful of the pair is the 220 hp TSI petrol engine, which gives the hot Octavia a top speed of 248 km/h and a 0 - 100 km/h time of just 6.8 s. The Octavia vRS is available in both Sedan and Combi versions.

During the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz stood out among the leading luxury manufacturers as they produced most of their body-work in-house, at the factory in Sindelfingen. To nevertheless cater to the world's most demanding customers, the Sindelfingen factory also housed the Sonderwagen department where bodies were built to custom order. Most famous among these is the Spezial Roadster built in very small numbers on the 500 K and 540 K chassis. Although the cars shared the Hermann Ahrens penned overall design, no two were alike as can be seen in our 58-shot gallery, featuring six different 540 K-based examples. Among them is the Von Krieger family car, which recently sold for close to $12 million and also a later short-wheelbase version owned by the Krupp family.
Also built to custom order and boasting a Mercedes-Benz engine is the Pagani Zonda. This week, the Italian manufacturer launched yet another, more powerful version of the model introduced well over a decade ago, which certainly is not a bad thing. Dubbed the Revolucion, it is a Zonda R with even more power and tweaks to the aerodynamics. Equipped with a staggering 800 hp version of the AMG/Mercedes V12, the Revoluction comes with an equally baffling price-tag of EUR 2.2 million, which does not include local taxes.
Swedish manufacturer Volvo this week celebrates the 30th anniversary of the sophisticated LCP 2000 experimental cars. A total of four were built with the aim of exploring ways to reduce fuel consumption. They featured a lightweight construction and two unusual, three cylinder engines. One even featured a magnesium alloy block and head, while another was tuned to run on a wide variety of oils. The styling of the LCP 2000 formed the basis for the 480 introduced three years later.

Today we have launched the single biggest change to our car features layout for over a decade; for the first time the content is spread over multiple page instead of squeezed onto one page. This has allowed to run a larger font, which should make reading a lot easier but also to add more content like images, specifications and chassis descriptions. Some examples to changes in action are the existing articles on the McLaren F1 GTR, Porsche 935 K3 and Aston Martin V12 Vantage S. The changes are explained more extensively and can be discussed in this forum thread. We trust you will enjoy the changes, and if you have any questions and/or comments we look forward to hearing from you. To mark the launch of the revised layout and also the start of the month of June, we have taken a closer look at the three-time winning Jaguar D-Type Works Long Nose. Raced by the works team and later by Ecurie Ecosse with factory backing, these low drag versions of the venerable D-Type were perfectly suited to the high speed Le Mans circuit. Eventually 11 examples were built between 1955 and 1956, our detailed feature includes the often colourful history of six individual chassis. Among them are the outright Le Mans winners of 1955 and 1957. The article is illustrated by an action-packed 72-shot gallery, which includes the images published over the years in our event coverage. In the coming weeks you can expect detailed features about more Le Mans winners and of course coverage directly from the legendary track.