Late last night, Aston Martin unveiled the all-new DB12 in the build-up to the Monaco Grand Prix. Although still instantly recognisable as an Aston Martin, the DB12 is slated to be the first of whole range of new products that should secure the company's future in the long run. Underneath the carbon-fibre composite skin, the new Grand Tourer boasts a bonded aluminium chassis and the four-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG. In this application, the all-aluminium V8 is good for 670 bhp, which is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Aston Martin expect to ship the first DB12s to the customers before the end of the year and we expect the drop-top Volante follow shortly as well.
While we will not be in Monaco this year, we did want you to get in the mood by taking a closer look at this McLaren MP4/1B Cosworth that we captured during last year's Historic Grand Prix. Building on the pioneering all-carbon fibre composite MP4/1, this was one of three new cars built ahead of the 1982 season. It was driven to two wins, by Niki Lauda in 1982 and in MP4/1C guise by John Watson the following year. Successfully raced in historic events in recent years, MP4/1B - 6 was previously owned by the Sultan of Brunei.
British specialist manufacturer Caterham is the latest to adapt the current electrification trend with this EV Seven development prototype. Only 70 kg heavier than a conventional Seven, it features an electric rear axle that is good for 240 bhp. It should be capable of accelerating to 60 mph in around four seconds. Once development work on the EV Seven is completed, a production version will be launched.

At this weekend's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, BMW revealed this Concept Touring Coupé. Based on the current generation Z4, the shooting-brake is a striking homage to the Z3 M Coupe of the late 1990s and the Mille Miglia winning 328 MM Touring Berlinetta. Compared to the recent BMW prototypes and production cars, the Concept Touring Coupé features a more understated design. Unfortunately, a production version is not likely.
Another interesting show car launched recently is this Alpine A290_β. It represents a first glimpse of the first all-electric Alpine production model. The hot hatch is not just show but it boasts a well honed chassis and engine, and is cleared to run on track by the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile).
Also in Como, RM Sotheby's hosted their most successful Villa Erba sale yet with the sales total exceeding €50 million. A major contributor was this Ferrari 312 PB that changed hands for just over €12 million.

At last month's Goodwood Members' Meeting, the GT1 cars from the 2000s took centre stage. Today, we take a closer look at three of these. One of the true stars was the very first Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello built for Care Racing Development by Prodrive. It scored two FIA GT race wins in period and was raced through to 2005, when it scored a class win in the Silverstone 1000 km. Chassis 01 has recently been completely restored for its first private owner.
Corvette Racing built eleven C5-Rs but this example is the only one not raced by the works team. From new, it was campaigned by the Belgian Selleslagh Racing Team and with considerable success. Most noteworthy was the outright victory in the 2005 Zolder 24 Hours. Fully restored to works colours, 007 is today owned by an enthusiast from Luxembourg.
The most successful of the trio highlighted today is this very rare Lister Storm GT. It was driven to five FIA GT wins in 2000 en route to the drivers' and teams' championships. It was later raced by the Creation Autosportif and today is owned by former driver Bobby Verdon Roe. Currently offered for sale through Fiskens, Verdon Roe demonstrated GTM002 at Goodwood with great verve.

As part of the Le Mans centenary celebrations, RM Sotheby's will host a dedicated auction with a select number of lots that all have a Le Mans history. Among the latest consignments is this ex-works Porsche 962C. Sporting Rothmans colours, it was raced at Le Mans twice and it was later also campaigned by the factory supported Joest team. It was later sold to an American collection and more recently 962-004 was part of a prominent British stable of Group C cars. It has a pre-sale estimate of €6 - €9 million.
This weekend, RM Sotheby's will stage the biennial Villa Erba sale. A big chunk of the lot list comes from the 'Aurora Collection', assembled by a Swedish enthusiast over the last couple of decades. Headlining the collection is this Ferrari 250 GT SWB. Sold new to pioneering American collector Jack Nethercutt, it has also been owned by David Piper and Jean Jacques Bailly. Chassis 2347GT has been part of the Aurora Collection since 2011 and is now estimated to find a new custodian for €7.5 - €8.5 million. Another spectacular Ferrari consigned from this collection is a 500 TR that fittingly has period Swedish racing history. It was also raced extensively in historic events before returning to Sweden in 2011. RM Sotheby's values 0610MDTR at €4 - €4.5 million.

Tanner Foust will take Radford to Pikes Peak this year with this very wild Type 62-2. The purpose-built machine sports an aggressive aerodynamics package, reinforced chassis and a 710 bhp version of the supercharged V6 engine. Thanks to extensive weight saving, the Type 62-2 Pikes Peak tips the scales at just 861 kg. As a result, it is capable of accelerating to 60 mph in less than 2.2 seconds.
A particularly tantalising prospect is the newly announced Porsche 718 Spyder RS. For all intents and purposes, it is the drop-top version of the highly acclaimed 718 Cayman GT4. 718 Spyder RS not only features the naturally aspirated, 500 bhp flat-six engine but is also considerably lighter than the 718 Spyder.
This weekend, Bonhams will host an auction at the Autoworld museum in Brussels. A fitting headliner is this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, which was delivered new to Belgium. Originally fitted with disc brakes, it was later also upgraded with a factory supplied alloy engine. Recently maintained by HK Engineering, it is now estimated to sell for €1.1 - €1.4 million.
Also consigned is the very last Rondeau, which was raced at Le Mans twice. The M482 was later part of the Rosso Bianco Museum collection.

This weekend, one of the absolute highlights of the year, the annual Spa Classic will be held. We are very much looking forward to it and expect packed grids to take on the challenging circuit and always unpredictable weather. To also get you in the mood, we have taken a closer look at three cars expected to star.
The earliest of the trio is this ex-Ecurie Ecosse Lister Knobbly Jaguar. It was raced with great verve by Masten Gregory in period and has also had a great historic racing career. Its most recent owner has already campaigned BHL 104 Paul Ricard and Goodwood, and will compete in the Greatest's Trophy at Spa.
One of the most striking cars in the remarkably full Group C field will be this very pink Porsche 962C. It was one of five built for Richard Lloyd Racing using a Nigel Stroud designed honeycomb chassis. It was raced at Le Mans twice and then spent many years in the Historic Porsche Collection. Chassis RLR-201 was raced for the first time in many years at Mugello earlier this year.
Also already out at Mugello was this Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Evo. It was raced extensively by IMSA Performance during the 2008 and 2009 season. Freshly restored by British specialists Maxted-Page, Z8S799932 had not turned a wheel in anger for over a decade.