This week, Audi revealed an all-new version of one the German company's most revered models; the RS 6 Avant. This is good news in and of itself but for American enthusiasts the news gets even better as it will be the first RS 6 offered in North America. The high-performance machine is powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine that, with the help of a mild hybrid system, produces 591 bhp and 800 Nm of torque. Needless to say, this power is transferred to all four wheels with a standard front/rear split of 40:60, although as much 70% of the power can be sent to the front wheels and as much as 85% to the rear. The mighty RS 6 Avant will be available towards the end of the year in 13 different colours, including the two RS specific colours of Nardo grey and Sebring black.
At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 50th anniversary of Sir Jackie Stewart's first of three World Championships was celebrated in great style with all three title winning cars in attendance. A less well known but equally crucial car to the successful Scot's career was also at the Festival of Speed; the Marcos GT Xylon. The example present was the most famous of the nine built in 1959 and 1960. These were the very first cars built by Marcos and featured an unusual laminated plywood monocoque and strikingly tall roofline. The GT Xylon featured today was one of the factory cars and was raced by company founder Jem Marsh and more importantly by Jackie Stewart in 1962. With this car, he recorded the first results of note in his career that would help propel him to three world championships.

Traditionally grabbing the headlines during the Monterey Car Week are the auctions, which see hundreds of collector car change hands. Compared to previous peak years, the market was clearly a little down this year and some of the biggest lots failed to sell. Topping the week's sales was this McLaren F1, which topped the three-day RM Sotheby's sale at just shy of $20 million. It helped the Anglo-Canadian company to a total of $107 million with a 73% sell through rate.
With 77% of the lots sold, Gooding did slightly better although at $77 million the total revenue was down considerably compared to previous years. Achieving the best result was this Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, which found a new owner for $9.9 million.
British rivals Bonhams expanded their Quail Lodge Auction to two days. Of the 224 lots offered, 163 found a new owner, which represents a 73% sell-through rate. Among the most interesting cars consigned to the $30.6 million sale was this Ferrari 340 America Vignale Berlinetta. Offered from a single ownership of six decades and in highly original condition, it topped the sale at $3.6 million.

During the Monterey car week, Bugatti revealed the new Centodieci. This limited edition of just ten examples is based on the Chiron and pays tribute to the EB110 (Centodieci is Italian for 110). Thanks to an additional oil cooler, the quad-turbo W16 engine is now good for 1,600 hp, while the car is also 20 kg lighter than the Chiron. This enables the Centodieci to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 2.4 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 380 km/h. Subtle cues in the exterior design like the circular air intakes in the C-pillar are reminiscent of the EB110. Priced at €8 excluding VAT, all ten examples of the Centodieci have already been sold. Deliveries will start in two years time.
McLaren, meanwhile, used the opportunity to announce a new addition to the 'Ultimate' series. Although no model name was revealed yet, the new McLaren will be a Roadster that will sit in the line-up between the Senna and the Speedtail. It is intended to be a "thrilling road car dedicated to the love of driving." Production will start in 2020 and is strictly limited to 399 examples.

Tomorrow, the RM Sotheby's Monterey sale will kick off with its first of three days. Thursday evening is dedicated exclusively to Aston Martins. One of the headliners is this DB4 GT. Originally owned by a young British painter, it was later raced extensively by a subsequent owner. At that time a spare engine was fitted, which was actually one of the units originally fitted to the rare Lightweight models and used by Stirling Moss. In more recent years this DB4 GT was used as the basis for the continuation DB4 GTs. It is estimated to sell for $3-3.4 million.
The other two days offer a colourful mix of rare machinery that also include this one-off Ferrari 375 MM Ghia Coupe Speciale. Built on a competition car chassis, it the salmon coloured machine is the last Ferrari clothed by Ghia and was ordered new by Bob Wilke of Leader Card fame. The 375 MM has survived in remarkably original condition and is estimated to sell for over $5 million.
Another rare machine offered that is a little more affordable is this DeTomaso Pantera Si. It is the ninth of 41 examples of what would be the final version of the original Pantera. Estimated to sell for $275,000 - $325,000, this is the first Pantera Si ever offered at auction.
In addition to the classic cars, the Monterey week will also feature several world debuts. Among them will be this Acura Type S Concept. The show car heralds the return of the legendary high performance Type S moniker in the Acura line-up.

Spread over two days for the first time, the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction will start on Thursday. Today we have taken a detailed look at three of the rarest and interesting cars consigned to the sale. An absolute design classic is this Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic Coupe. One of eight 8Vs fitted with the futuristic Giovanni Savonuzzi penned bodywork, this car was bought new by Briggs S. Cunningham. Chassis 106*000043 has been comprehensively restored in recent years and was shown at Pebble Beach in 2017.
One of just four, this Porsche 718 RSK Spyder allowed its owners to race in single-seater and sports-car races. The consigned example was sold new to Belgium and raced all over the world. Following a full restoration in the early 1990s, 718-028 has competed in over 100 historic racing meetings, including all five Porsche Rennsport Reunions.
The rarest of the trio is this Ford-engined McLaren M6B of which two were built to this configuration. It was developed for Ford's works supported 1968 Can-Am effort by Carroll Shelby. The big-block engined machine was driven to victory late in the season by Peter Revson. The M6B was later raced with a Chevrolet engine but chassis 50-12 was more recently rebuilt to its original configuration. Today, it is the only Ford big-block engined Can-Am car that is in full running order.

Italian supercar manufacturer Pagani unleashed its latest creation this week in the form of the Huayra Roadster BC. Limited to just 40 examples, it is more than 'just' the high performance 'BC' version of the Huayra Roadster. The Roadster BC features a new evolution of the Mercedes-AMG developed V12 engine that is due to be used in the next generation Pagani. The twin-turbo unit is now good for a hefty 791 bhp.
With each of the Roadster BC probably already spoken for, you can also get your Huayra fix at the RM Sotheby's Monterey sale, where both a low mileage Coupe and Roadster will cross the block.
At the rivalling Gooding Pebble Beach Auctions modern supercars also feature strongly in the lot list. One of the most striking is this 'flame red' Aston Maritn Vulcan. The seventh example built, this was the first of the 24 imported into the United States. Another low-mileage machine available is this custom yellow Ferrari LaFerrari that has less than 1,000 miles on the odometer.

This year, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Aston Martin's first and only Le Mans win. Accordingly, the British marque has been featured at several events. Today, we also play our part by highlighting three classic Aston Martin racing cars that have starred or will star at events in 2019. First up is this ex-works DB3S that has been consigned to this month's RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction, which will have an evening dedicated to Aston Martin for the first time. Chassis DB3S/2 was originally built for Le Mans in 1953 where it crashed out early but it would go on to win the Goodwood Nine Hours outright. In more recent years, the DB3S has been part of three major collections and is now expected to sell for in excess of $9 million.
Of a slightly earlier vintage is the DB3 Spider, which was shown at the recent Chantilly Arts & Elegance. Also a works car, it was raced at the Monaco Grand Prix and Mille Miglia in period. Today, DB3/4 is on display in the Louwman Museum but has also been regularly campaigned in the Mille Miglia retrospective.
Although strictly speaking not an Aston Martin, the Nimrod Group C car is today also part of the company's rich racing history. It was built around the mighty Aston Martin quad-cam V8 engine. At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, we were treated to the fifth and final example built. It was modified by Ray Mallock in period and then raced at Le Mans in 1984. At Goodwood, Mallock was back in the car to demonstrate the rare Group C machine. Coincidentally, the very first Nimrod is today also part of the Louwman Museum collection.