Our season will kick off this weekend with the Jarama Classic organised by Peter Auto. All the familiar grids are present, now complemented by Group C, which will be a set fixture at all the Peter Auto circuit events. After a quick look through the entry lists, we have taken a closer look at three striking Lolas that will compete this weekend. The earliest of the three is Lola T70 Mk3B that won the last CER1 race at Paul Ricard. One of 16 built, this particular example was originally raced by Ulf Norinder and was also used in the movie Le Mans as a Porsche 917 body double. Chassis SL76/141 was acquired by the current owner early last year and is one of the favourites for victory again this weekend.
Due to compete in the same class is this Lola T212. It was one of a pair of examples sold to Scuderia Filipinetti and finished third overall in the 1971 Targa Florio in the hands of Jo Bonnier and Richard Attwood. This 1973 Lola T292 was raced with great success by Chris Craft. Fielded by Crowne Racing, it won that year's hotly disputed European Championship. Its British owner had chassis HU55 beautifully prepared and has raced it since the 2014 Le Mans Classic.
Among the Group C cars entered is this Spice SE90P Chevrolet. A works car, it was very fast and qualified on pole several times during the very competitive 1990 IMSA GTP Championship. Presented today in the livery it ran at Sebring, the SE90P should be one of the most competitive Group C cars in the field.

The Alpine-Signatech team will field a pair of new Alpine A460s in the coming FIA World Endurance Championship. Based on the Oreca 05, the Alpine badged machine is powered by the popular Nissan V8 engine. The A460 is pictured in action during this weekend's official 'Prologue' test at Paul Ricard.
The new A460 is the very first closed Alpine prototype racer since the A220 of 1968. The ultimate development of the successful 1960s Alpine prototypes, the A220 was built around a lightweight steel tubular spaceframe and featured a very slippery fibreglass body. It also boasted an all-new Gordini V8 engine, which was developed jointly with Renault. It was campaigned for two seasons but, while it was very fast, it also proved fragile. This prompted Alpine to abandon the sports car programme. Our 75-shot gallery features three of the four surviving examples.
Of an altogether earlier vintage is this Talbot Lago T26 Monoplace Decalee, which was built ahead of the 1939 season. Originally intended as a Grand Prix car, the 4.5-litre engined machine is named after the off-set, single-seat layout. This also allowed the car to be campaigned in sports car events, equipped with fenders and lights. The featured example is one of just two examples built and it has been actively and very successfully raced in historic events.

Today, the FIA World Endurance Championship season kicked off with the official 'Prologue' test. Among the most highly anticipated new cars wheeled out this week was the Toyota TS050 Hybrid. Replacing the 2014 World Championship winning TS040, it features an all-new drivetrain, which was needed to keep up with the raw pace of, particularly, the Porsches. Gone is the naturally aspirated V8, replaced by a twin-turbo V6. This is complemented by front and rear mounted electric motors. A further substantial change is the switch from a super capacitor to lithium ion batteries to store the 8MJ of energy available. The combined, maximum output of the TS050 is a hefty 1,000 hp, which will hopefully bring the Japanese manufacturer back in contention for victories.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the main event this week was the New York International Auto Show. In addition to the Coupe, announced last week, Chevrolet also showed the Convertible version of the new ZL1 Camaro. Another high performance Convertible on display was the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Cabriolet. Its twin-turbo V8 is good for a hefty 510 hp in 'S' specification, while the 'standard' model boasts 476 hp. Hyundai's new high-end brand Genesis showed this New York Concept. Powered by a petrol-hybrid drivetrain, it is the first glimpse of a future luxury sedan.

Today, the New York International Auto Show kicked off with the first of two press days. Acura used the opportunity to mark the start of the series production of the all-new NSX with the first glimpse of the NSX GT3. Due to hit the tracks next year, it is powered by the twin-turbo V6 from the production engine but with all the hybrid systems removed. We understand that the NSX GT3 will race exclusively in North America during the first season before becoming available globally.
Audi meanwhile, debuted the Spyder version of the next generation R8. Like its Coupe counterpart, it is powered by a 540 hp V10, which is mated to a seven-speed gearbox that drives all four wheels.
Another drop-top on display in the 'Big Apple' is the MX-5 RF. The RF is short for Retractable Fastback and refers to the foldable roof of the car.
Ford and Shelby will revive a classic badge and colour-scheme for the Shelby Mustang GT-H. This third generation 'Rent a Racer' will be available exclusively at select Hertz offices throughout North America. Only 140 examples will be built, equipped with the 5.0-Litre V8 from the Mustang GT.
On the eve of the official FIA WEC Prologue test, Porsche showcased the third evolution of the 919 Hybrid. Defending the titles in the World Championship and Le Mans, the new-for-2016 car boasts changes to the hybrid system, the internal combustion engine and has a further refined aerodynamics package. Yesterday, Audi showed the definitive livery of the R18 e-tron quattro, which will also hit the track tomorrow. Before the start of the test, Toyota will reveal their highly anticipated TS050.

Perhaps the most famous and captivating of all early Bentleys is the 4.5-Litre Blower. It was the brainchild of 'Bentley Boy' Henry Birkin, who convinced a very reluctant W.O. Bentley to give the project the green light. It was a clear sign that he was quickly losing control of his company. Although hugely powerful and very fast the supercharged Bentleys were also cripplingly unreliable and were no match for the naturally aspirated Speed Sixes in endurance races. A further issue for Bentley was that through Birkin's racing efforts, the company had also committed to building 50 production cars to meet the homologation needs. Regardless of its limited success on the racing track, the Blower Bentley is still among the most coveted cars of its era. Many of the remarkably large number of survivors are regularly exercised by their owners, who are often members of the aptly named 'Bentley Drivers Club.' Today, we have taken a detailed look at the three team cars that have survived in their original guise (the fourth evolved into the Birkin Monoposto) and also the very last of the fifty production cars. All of which are also pictured in this 75-shot gallery.
At this weekend's Sebring 12 Hours, history was made as the ESM Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda became only the fourth car in history to score victories in the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours. Among the others are the mighty Porsche 935 JLP-3 (1982) and a Ferrari 333 SP (1998).
Looking through the many great shots we got over the last season, we came across a couple of this beautifully restored Lola T70 Mk2 Spyder, which was raced with great verve by Oliver Bryant at the Revival Meeting. In period, it was flipped in only its second race but quite remarkably the damage was so minor that it was ready again to line up for the next Can-Am event only a week later.

Formula 1 kicks back into action this weekend with the season opening Australian Grand Prix. One of the biggest news stories to emerge from Down Under was the much speculated return to the sport of Aston Martin. While there was talk of the Force India team being re-branded, Aston Martin ultimately teamed up with Red Bull Racing as a technical partner. One of the most exciting fruits of the partnership will be a new mid-engined Aston Martin supercar designed by RBR's Adrian Newey. To celebrate the British manufacturer's return to F1, we have taken a renewed look at the Aston Martin DBR4. Readied for the 1959 season, it was one of the very last new front-engined F1 cars and the very last one to be fitted with a DeDion axle. As a result, the six-cylinder engined machine was obsolete even before it turned a wheel anger, despite the best efforts from works drivers Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby. Four examples of the DBR4 were eventually built and three have survived. All three are pictured in our 98-shot gallery, which also features the reconstruction of the long lost second chassis.
At the Royal Automobile Club, in London's Pall Mall, this one-off Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Figoni Roadster made its first public appearance in over 70 years. Raced early in its life this fabulous 8C was presented to its longtime owner as a 21st birthday gift in 1935. It was eventually stored in a French barn but well looked after. The Figoni Roadster's new owner had returned to full running order, retaining its beautiful original condition.
At next month's New York International Auto Show, Daimler's Mercedes-AMG subsidiary will reveal this GLC 43 4MATIC. It is the first time an AMG version of the company's mid-SUV has been created. It features the familiar twin-turbo, three-litre V6 engine, mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Following its New York debut, the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC will make its market debut in June.

Ahead of the official launch at the upcoming New York Auto Show, Chevrolet revealed the first details of the 2017 model year Camaro ZL1. While it retains the supercharged V8 engine of its predecessor, it packs 60 more horsepower and is also close to 100 kg lighter. All new on the Camaro ZL1 is an optional 10-speed automatic gearbox, which has very small steps between the gears to help keep the rpm in the optimal range during acceleration. The new ZL1 will be available at the dealers before the end of the year.
At the upcoming Goodwood Members Meeting sale, Bonhams will offer the unique Vauxhall Firenza Magnum DTV. Prepared specifically for the 1977 Spa 24 Hours by the Dealer Team Vauxhall, it was raced to the class win and second overall by legendary touring car aces Gerry Marshall and Peter Brock. After spending many years in a shed, the Group 1 Firenza Magnum was completely restored to its original configuration and colour scheme.
McLaren Automotive have expanded their competition car line-up with the 570S GT4. Relatively closely related to the production 570S, it will be available to customers at a later day. For now the car will be developed in the British GT Championship where it is fielded by Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse. In addition to the 570S GT4, McLaren will also offer a 'Sprint' version, which is aimed for use at track-days as it does not comply with the tight regulations. Owners of the Sprint 570S can always decide to upgrade their car to full GT4 specification though.

On Sunday, Bonhams will stage the dedicated Mercedes-Benz Sale at the German manufacturer's fabulous museum in Stuttgart. The list of close to 60 automobile lots should appeal to all Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts and many of the machines consigned will appeal to all of us. None more so than the pair of Saoutchik bodied Cabriolets that are among the absolute stars. The earliest of these is this 24/100/140hp Model K, which boasts a Ferdinand Porsche engineered chassis and Saoutchik's La Baule style bodywork. This stood out thanks to the low and rakish windshield and the fully disappearing Cabriolet top. The striking Saoutchik Cabriolet has a pre-sale estimate of Euro 800,000 - 1.2 million.
Built nearly a decade later and equally exceptional is this 500 K Saoutchik Cabriolet, which not only boasts one-off coachwork but also features a chassis that had been finished to a show-car-standard as it was displayed bare at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon. Estimated to sell for Euro 6-7 million, the 500 K Saoutchik Cabriolet should make an excellent candidate as an entrant for all the major events.
Of an altogether more modern vintage is the 190 E 2.5 16 Evolution II that is also included in the sale. Cosmetically restored, it has only covered 48,000 km since it was delivered new to Spain back in 1990.
Over the weekend, Mercedes-AMG revealed a spiritual successor to the mighty E 2.5 16 in the form of the E 43 4MATIC. Although more powerful, at 401 hp, it should offer a more comfortable and docile ride than its much wilder predecessor thanks to the nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive system.

At tomorrow's RM Sotheby's Amelia Island sale, many of the headlines will likely be made by the Ferraris consigned. Our favourite Ferrari on offer is this Ferrari 400 Superamerica, which was owned by the same family for four decades and has recently benefited from a comprehensive restoration at the hands of Butch Dennison. Chassis 3949SA is estimated to sell for $2.7 - 3.3 million. More pricey still will probably be this 250 GT Tour de France, which at one point was crashed into the Peugeot factory. More affordable is the Ferrari 365 GTC/4 consigned. Built for only 18 months, it is effectively a more luxurious and comfortable Daytona. The GTC/4 name was recently revived for Ferrari's latest four-seater Grand Tourer. One of our all time favourite Ferraris is the 288 GTO and the example due to cross to block tomorrow has a great history as it was originally owned by legendary collector Yoshiho Matsuda.
Ferraris will also feature strongly at the upcoming Monaco sale of which we added the first lots. Among the early consignments is this very striking 340 America Touring Barchetta.
The first of the sales at Amelia Island was last night's Bonhams auction, which was topped by the Bugatti Type 57 SC Roadster we featured earlier this week, at just over $9.7 million.
Porsche meanwhile announced the entry-level Macan, which will be powered by a new 252 hp, straight four turbocharged engine.

One of the absolute highlights of the upcoming Amelia Island auctions is the consignment of a great selection from the fabulous Jerry Seinfeld Porsche Collection. Among the most spectacular cars on offer is this Porsche 917/30, which is powered by a twin-turbo, twelve-cylinder engine. With 1,200 bhp on tap, the Can-Am racer remains one of the most powerful competition cars ever produced. The example on offer has no period racing history as it was still under construction when Porsche withdrew from Can-Am ahead of the 1974 season.
Of a slightly earlier vintage are the Porsche 550 RS Spyder and the Porsche 718 RSK Spyder. Both powered by a twin-cam, flat-four, each of these cars were sold new to the United States and have remained in American ownership throughout their lives.
Another spectacular member of the Seinfeld Collection on offer is one of the very last Porsche 962Cs built. Equipped with the ultimate aero package developed by Porsche, it was raced in the 1990 and 1991 World Championship seasons.
In addition to Porsches from the Seinfeld Collection, several other interesting cars have also been consigned to the Gooding sale. One of the most exotic is certainly this 908K Coupe, which raced as a works car during the 1968 season.
Rarer still is this 911 ST 2.3, which was prepared for rallying ahead of the 1970 season. The example on offer was driven to a debut victory in the Austrian Alps Rally by Bjorn Waldegaard on his way to that year's rally championship. It was also raced in period by Jurgen Barth and Gerard Larrousse.

Later this week, Bonhams, Gooding and RM Sotheby's will all stage auctions at Amelia Island.
One of the cars absolutely set to grab headlines is the Bugatti Type 57 SC Vanden Plas Roadster consigned to the Bonhams sale. This one-off was clothed in England and raced in period in the Caribbean. Beautifully restored, the unique Type 57 SC was displayed for many years at the Blackhawk Collection museum. It has a pre-sale estimate of $11-13 million, so it is certainly in the running to be the most expensive car of the week.
On Friday, Gooding will offer this Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Coupe. An early example, this chassis has only had two private owners from new. Its second owner acquired it in 2006 and had it meticulously restored. Shown only at select events in Europe, the Touring Coupe is estimated to sell for $600,000 - $900,000.
The final sale of the weekend is the RM Sotheby's auction on Saturday. Among many great cars consigned is this Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Cabriolet A. As the name suggests, this unique machine combines the Cabriolet A style body with cues from the more exclusive Spezial Roadster, like the V-shaped windshield. Cherished throughout its life, this 540 K won the coveted Best of Show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance back in 1973. The privilege of owning of this one-off machine will set you back $3-4 million.

Today, we round up our 2016 Geneva Motor Show coverage with a look at the rest of the fabulous cars launched in Switzerland this week. One of the most evocative certainly was the the Abarth 124 Spider, which was launched in both road-going and Rally configuration. In road legal trim, the two-seater roadster features a 170 bhp engine, which combined with rear-wheel drive and a perfect 50-50 weight balance should allow for many spirited drives. Ready to race, the Rally version is built to comply with the R-GT regulations and features a 300 bhp engine.
Sister company Maserati used the Geneva show to reveal the Levante, which is the legendary manufacturer's very first SUV. It will be available with a choice of three engines, ranging from a 275 bhp diesel V6 to the range topping 450 bhp petrol V6. Boasting even more impressive performance figures is the Audi SQ7 TDI; the first S model of the Q7 line-up. It is powered by a twin turbo diesel V8, good for 435 hp and a hefty 900 Nm of torque.
Among the most interesting releases was an all-new Chinese supercar, produced by Techrules and shown in AT96 TREV track-ready configuration and GT96 TREV road trim. Both version are powered by six electric motors, which together produce over 1,000 bhp. Also fitted is a turbine engine which serves as a generator to charge the batteries. The fledgling Chinese company is planning a production version and testing already commenced at Silverstone last month.
One of the last remaining classic design houses, Pininfarina showed this thoroughly modern H2 Speed. Inspired by the Sigma F1 concept of the late 1960s, this show car is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that had originally been developed for the GreenGT Le Mans car.

Today, the 86th Geneva Motor Show kicked off with the first of a pair of press days. Among the most highly anticipated cars revealed was the all-new Aston Martin DB11 Coupe. Replacing the DB9, it is powered by a V12 engine developed together with new technologies partner Daimler AG. This twin-turbo, 5.2-litre unit is good for 600 bhp.
Bentley showed a fourth member of the Mulsanne family with this even more luxurious Mulsanne Grand Limousine.
Celebrating the recent motorsport success, Chevrolet developed a Grand Sport version of the Corvette, which combines the regular production engine with the sportier chassis of the Z06.
Honda offered a glimpse of the future in the form of the Civic Hatchback Prototype. The production version should also become available in the United States.
Certainly hard to miss is the 770 hp Lamborghini Centenario, which is built to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of founder Feruccio. The Centenario will be limited to 20 examples each, the Centenario will be available as a Coupe and a Roadster.
Morgan debuted the EV3, which is the near production ready, all-electric version of the acclaimed Three Wheeler.
Purists will particularly enjoy the Porsche 911 R, which is a limited edition, stripped down version of the GT3 RS. Available with a manual gearbox only, it does retain the fabulous 500 hp flat six engine.
Making a grand return in Geneva is Dutch niche manufacturer Spyker, who took the wraps off the C8 Preliator. Still instantly recognisable as a Spyker, it is powered by a supercharged version of the familiar, Audi-sourced eight-cylinder engine.
Among the new cars revealed by Volkswagen was the highly efficient but somewhat odd T-Cross Breeze Concept.