The Porsche twin-turbo flat-six engine was a set fixture during the entire Group C era. This started with the 956 of which this example was the first built for a customer. Extensively raced in period, it was fielded by Kremer Racing at Le Mans in 1983 for Mario and Michael Andretti, and Philippe Alliot. They finished an impressive third overall. It was later sold to Japan where it continued to be raced until the the end of 1986. Despite its long racing career, chassis 956-101 survived in remarkable unscathed condition. Beautifully restored to its 1983 Le Mans livery, we captured the car at Monza a few years ago. It will be back in action this weekend at the Spa Classic.
Porsche not only sold complete cars, they also supplied components to other constructors. Among these was Courage, who fielded Porsche-powered Group C cars from the second half of the 1980s. Among the very last of these was the C30 LM of 1993. Built specifically to race at Le Mans, it later evolved into an open cockpit Le Mans Prototoype. In this guise the model continued to be campaigned for several more years. The second example built was chassis C30-010, which competed at Le Mans four times. Retained by Yves Courage for many years, it has more recently been restored to its 1993 configuration for its first private owner. It changed hands again last year and was campaigned at Mugello last month.

Inspired by the wild Mission R concept, Porsche have created the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. It is effectively an all-electric version of the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The ePerformance is equipped with a drivetrain that can produce up to 1,000 hp but can also sustain running at 612 hp for 30 minutes. This is the equivalent of a Carrera Cup race and the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance should also be able to match the performance of the 911 GT3-based machine currently in use in the Carrera Cup. Although the car is still a concept, it is fully functional and will be demonstrated at a variety of events starting with the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month.
During the last week three high performance SUVs were launched. The most powerful of the three is the Cadillac Escalade-V. Powered by a 682 hp supercharged V8, it certainly deserves to be the 'V' specification Escalade.
Based on the latest full-size Range Rover is this Range Rover Sport. The current range-topping model is powered by a 530 hp V8 engine but a SVR model will surely follow.
Bentley have quite literally extended the Bentayga range with this Extended Wheelbase model. Aimed at the Chinese market, Bentley expect the EWB to represent 50% of all Bentayga sales.

Although still quite a few months away, RM Sotheby's have already announced two headliners for their Monterey sale. With a $7.5 - $9 million estimate, the Ferrari 275 GTB/C is expected to be the most valuable of the pair. It is one of just 12 built of what was the last GT competition car built in-house by Ferrari. Not actually raced in period, it spent a large part of its life in The Netherlands and more recently was comprehensively restored in the United States. Once the work was completed, 09067 was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2017.
Also available in August is this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing. Mercedes-Benz built just 29 of these in period and this one survived with its original engine and, crucially, lightweight body. Restored by a marque expert, 198.043.5500383 should find a new custodian for in excess of $7 million. We will add more consignments to the lot list as soon as they are announced.

This weekend, we are at Monaco for the biennial Historic Grand Prix. As a small preview to this fabulous event, we have taken a closer look at four cars that have raced and/or will race through the streets of Monaco. One of the most spectacular looking and sounding is undoubtedly the Matra MS120C. Raced by Matra during the 1972 season, it was entrusted in period to Chris Amon. Both surviving MS120Cs will be at Monaco this weekend with the sound of the glorious V12 engine reverberating through the buildings.
Of a slightly earlier vintage is this Maserati 250F. It is an ex-works cars that was campaigned in period by Jean Behra and then appeared in the local racing colours at the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix. In more recent years, chassis 2521 was repainted in these colours and will once again represent Monaco on Sunday.
The 1952 Monaco Grand Prix was run not for single seaters but for sports cars instead. To mark that occasion, there is also an early-1950s sports car on the Historic Grand Prix roster. One of the cars competing in this race is this Jaguar C-Type. It is the very last regular production C-Type and the only one sold new to Ireland. Now in American hands, XKC 050 was raced at Monaco in 2018 and will be out again this weekend.
New for this year is a race for early 1980s, naturally-aspirated Grand Prix cars. That opens the door for a variety of cars including this Williams FW08C, which we captured in the past at Estoril and Zandvoort.

The latest one-off produced by Ferrari is this SP48 Unica. Designed at the Ferrari Styling Centre, the bespoke machine is based on the F8 Tributo. Mechanically little has changed, there are many subtle updates to the exterior design, which is complemented by the two-tone red and black livery. The SP48 Unica was developed for and together with a long-standing client.
Even before the first production car has rolled off the line, Lotus already made their racing intentions clear by extensively testing the upcoming Emira GT4. Based on the road car, it has a supercharged V6 that should be good for around 400 bhp depending on the balance of performance that will be applied. The Emira GT4 will make its racing debut later in the year.
Part of the busy Monaco Historic Grand Prix roster is the annual Bonhams Les Grandes Marques à Monaco sale. Among the highlights on the lot list are two 1980s icons; a Porsche 959 that was sold new to a Qatari Sheikh and a Ferrari Testarossa that was gifted to Gerhard Berger. Another fascinating car consigned is this Bugatti Type 37, which is offered from a single family ownership of nearly 65 years. Of an altogether newer vintage is this Williams FW21 Supertec. An ex-Alessandro Zanardi car, it was one of the cars produced by the famous team between the successful Renault and BMW years.

Based on the recently introduced Huracan STO, Lamborghini created the GT3 EVO2 competition car. As the name suggests, it is a further improvement of the successful GT3 racer. It is available as either a complete car, or as an upgrade package for existing owners. Among the changes is a single snorkel on the roof to feed fresh air into the engine through ten electronically actuated throttle bodies. There are also changes to the bodywork and the Huracán GT3 EVO2 also features a new splitter and rear wing.
A fruit of a stillborn competition program, Lamborghini produced 80 examples of the road-legal Diablo GT during the late 1990s. The 28th example off the line was finished in all-black and has now been consigned to the RM Sotheby's Monaco sale. Another Lamborghini on offer during the Monaco Historic Grand Prix next week is this Miura SV. A very famous example, it not only featured in period publicity photos but also stars on the cover of Joe Sackey's The Lamborghini Miura Bible, which was published in 2008. Now in German ownership, chassis 4884 was actually the first of just 20 examples that were delivered new to the United States. One of the auction headliners, it is estimated to sell for €2,200,000 - 2,600,000.