This summer, Volkswagen and driver Romain Dumas will venture to extreme heights with the I.D. R Pikes Peak. As the name suggests, the new VW racing car has been custom built for to conquer one of the world's most famous hill climbs. Built around carbon-fibre monocoque, the I.D. R features a pair of electric motors, respectively powering the front and rear wheels. The combined output is a hefty 670hp, which helps the car accelerate to 100 km/h in a staggering 2.25 seconds in the best conditions. The I.D. R would not be a proper Pikes Peak special without a wild aerodynamics package, which includes an absolutely massive rear wheel. VW and Dumas have set their sights on the 8:57 minute track record during the race, scheduled on June 24.
During the Espiritu de Montjuic earlier this month, we were treated what was effectively a revival of the TWR Jaguar team with a pair of Jaguar XJR-8 Group C cars taking to the track. Two of the three built ahead of the 1987 season, the cars boasts all the right ingredients from the howling V12 engine down to the legendary Silk Cut livery. We have used the opportunity to redo the features of both chassis J12-C-187 and J12-C-387 with fresh sets of images.
This week, we will be racing around France to capture the annual Tour Auto. A full report will follow early next week but to get you in the mood, we would like to refer to our archived articles from earlier editions.

As part of next month's Monaco Historic Grand Prix weekend, RM Sotheby's will stage an exclusive auction in the principality on the Mediterranean Coast. Headlining the biennial sale is this fabulous Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France. The car consigned is the second to last example built with the three louvre body. It was delivered new to accomplished German racer Wolfgang Seidel, who also shared a Ferrari 250 TR with his compatriot and works driver Wolfgang von Trips during the 1958 season. Seidel raced the car with great success, scoring an outright win in the Eiffelrennen. During the last four decades, chassis 0879GT has had just two owners and was only rarely seen in public. RM Sotheby's estimate that the Ferrari competition car will sell for 7 million Euro.
Consigned from a considerable Porsche collection is this unique Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7. One of the 200 'Sport' or 'Lightweight' examples built, this car was especially commissioned by works driver Leo Kinnunen. It is one of two RS 2.7s fitted with 'ST' style flared wheel arches and the only one with a RS 3.0 style rear wing. Kinnunen first used the car as a 'recce' vehicle for the 1973 1000 Lakes Rally and it later also served as the Finn's daily driver. Presented in highly original condition and boasting unique features and a superb provenance, chassis 911 360 1177 should be one of the most desirable of all 2.7 Carreras, which is reflected in the 1.4 - 1.8 million Euro estimate.
Ahead of the official launch next month, Brabham Automotive have now released a first glimpse and more details of the upcoming BT62. The high performance machine will feature a naturally aspirated V8 engine that is good for over 700hp. Impressively, the dry weight will be just 972kg. All this will not come cheap as the Brabham BT62 will cost £1 million plus local taxes.

During one of our many travels during the 2017 season, we stopped over in Munich, Germany to visit the BMW Museum. Opened to the public in 2008, the museum is part of the massive and impressive BMW Welt building. It offers enthusiasts an in-depth insight in the history of the German mark through numerous displays that included road and competition cars, motorcycles and engines. We have captured the highlights in this 90-shot gallery that serves to illustrate a concise report.
Speaking of BMW, the German manufacturer today announced the first ever M2 Competition. Powered by a 410 hp version of the familiar twin-turbo, straight-six engine and equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox from standard, the compact coupe should be an absolute hoot to drive. The M2 Competition will be available in the Summer.
British company Aston Martin will revive the DBS and Superleggera badges for the upcoming flagship model. Known as the DBS Superleggera, the name harks back at the DBS first introduced in 1967 and the Touring Superleggera bodied Aston Martins of the 1950s and 1960s. Aston Martin plan to reveal further details of the DBS Superleggera before the end of this quarter.

During last week's Espiritu de Montjuic there were many familiar machines in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. To make things interesting several cars were campaigned that we had not seen on track before. One of the most interesting was this Lola T600 Cosworth that was raced in the Classic Endurance Racing 2 group. Built in 1981, it is one of the first sports racing cars with full ground-effect aerodynamics and as such provided a first glimpse of the new Group C cars that followed the following year. Powered by the Cosworth DFV and later DFL V8, it won two rounds of the sports car championship in 1981. Fully rebuilt over the winter, the T600 is definitely one of the fastest cars eligible in CER2.
In the CER1 race, we were treated to a very special Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8, which was reunited with its original driver Jacques Almeras. Sold new to France, it was driven to the Group 4 French hill-climb championship by Almeras before it was fitted with the 'Mary Stuart' tail with the help of the factory. In this guise the 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 placed twice overall in the Tour de France.
After being owned for over two decades by Dire Straits singer Mark Knopfler, this Maserati 300S made its debut in the hands of the new, Spanish owner. The car has had an interesting history, first in Brazilian and later Australian hands. Beautifully prepared, the 300S was the only Maserati in action during the weekend.

On Monday, Porsche smashed the lap record at the Spa-Francorchamps track with this 919 Hybrid Evo. Based on last year's Le Mans and World Championship winning LMP1 racer, the purpose built machine effectively shows what a modern prototype racer can do without restrictions. These include fuel flow limits and removing them has raised the system output of petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain to close to 1,150 bhp. Additionally, the aerodynamics have been extensively modified with more active components and a larger rear wing. All this helped works driver Neel Jani beat last year's Formula 1 pole time by 0.783 seconds in the mighty 919 Hybrid Evo. The car will be brought out several more events later in the year including the Goodwood Festival of Speed. While it is all very impressive, we think we would have all rather seen the German manufacturer actually race the car in this year's FIA WEC!
Porsche's racing future is in Formula E where it will face off against the likes of BMW and Jaguar, who revealed the first glimpse of their version of the next generation spec electric racers. Dubbed iFE.18 and I-Type 3 respectively, the new cars are set to run in next week's official test in Spain.
The current generation cars are in Rome this weekend and also out on track will be this Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo. Finished in a retro paint-scheme, this is much more than just a full-size version of a car designed for the popular Gran Turimso video game. Fully functional, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo features three electric motors, good for well over 800 bhp. In Rome and at other events, it will serve as a high-speed taxi with Rahel Frey and Dindo Capello sharing the driving duties.