At this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed a pair of Porsches took centre stage. Making its world debut was the all-new Porsche 963, which is due to hit the racing tracks around the world in 2023. Built to the IMSA GTP regulations, it combines a Multimatic supplied chassis and spec hybrid system with a bespoke Porsche V8 engine and Porsche bodywork. The engine is a twin-turbo version of the V8 fitted in the 918 Spyder road car. Not only will the Porsche 963 be raced by the works Porsche Penske Motorsport, the first customers have also been announced, fielding an additional car in the FIA WEC and IMSA SportsCar Championship respectively.
One of the anniversaries celebrated at Goodwood was the 40th of Group C and headlining the dedicated class was the very Porsche 956 that won the 24 Hour of Le Mans outright in 1982; the first year of Group C. The spiritual predecessor of the new 963, the 956 was also raced by the factory team as well as Porsche customers. The Le Mans winning chassis 002 spent many years upside in the Porsche Museum to demonstrate the power of ground effect aerodynamics but it has recently been completely restored to full running order.
We will follow up with complete coverage from the Festival of Speed, which had many more evocative sights and sounds shortly.
In a surprise announcement, Red Bull Racing today revealed the first details of an all-new Adrian Newey designed RB17 road car. Limited to just 50 examples and priced from GBP 5 million, it will be powered by a hybrid V8 drivetrain that is good for at least 1,100 bhp. The RB17 will be produced from 2025 onwards but interested parties can get in touch with Red Bull and reserve their build slot. If Newey's previous, all-conquering designs are anything to go by, the RB17 will definitely be very special.

One of the oldest, if not the oldest historic race meetings still around today is the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or. This year's edition was held earlier this month at the Circuit de Dijon-Prenois as part of the Historic Racing by Peter Auto series. The action packed weekend featured most of the familiar grids like the Classic Endurance Racing, Sixties' Endurance and the Heritage Touring Cup, complemented by a demonstration of late 1980s and early 1990s Formula 1 cars. During the three-day event over 220 historic racing cars took to the track. We were on hand to produce this 170-shot gallery and concise report.
Our sights are now set on the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which combines the new with the the old. Among the brand new machines to take to the hill is this BMW M3 Competition Touring, which made its world debut this morning. The first-ever M3 Touring, it is powered by a 510 hp twin turbo engine that drives all four wheels. As such, the M3 Touring combines all the conveniences of an estate with the blistering performance of a BMW M model.
Also revealed at Goodwood today was the McLaren Artura GT4. It is the first competition model of the new V6-engined McLaren. Due to the regulations, it was stripped off its hybrid system and now boast a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The Artura GT4 should make its competition later this year before starting its first full season charge in 2023.

After sending out a teaser a few weeks ago, Prodrive just published more images and details of the upcoming P25. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the original World Rally Championship Impreza, it is based on a two-door Impreza WRX. Designed by the same engineers that developed the successful rally cars, the P25 benefits from all the latest technologies. It is powered by a highly developed version of the current 2.5-litre Subaru boxer engine, which is good for at least 400 bhp and 600 Nm of torque. While the Subaru original shell was retained, the Prodrive P25 features lightweight carbon-fibre composite panels and heavily revised, wider suspension. Production is limited to just 25 examples. The P25 will make its debut at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Among the many other cars that will make their world and/or dynamic debut at Goodwood will be the new Porsche LMDh and BMW M Hybrid V8. BMW will be the featured marque and there will also be celebrations of Ferrari's 75th and Group C's 40th anniversaries. We will be on the hill throughout the weekend for a comprehensive and well-illustrated report due in the weeks after the event.
Revealed during this weekend's SRO event at the Virginia International Raceway is the all-new BMW M4 GT4. Due to be available to the first customers later this year, it is the entry-level BMW GT racer. Mechanically very close to the M4 road car, it features a twin-turbo straight-six and a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Performance is balanced by the series to create a level playing-field but the engine should produce around 550 bhp. The M4 GT4 is available now and prices start at €187,000.

Created after a request from a customer, Pagani have just revealed the limited production Huayra Codalunga. As the name suggests, it is a long-tail version of the Huayra developed by Pagani Grandi Complicazioni, which is the rebranded Special Projects division. Production of the slippery Huayra Codalunga is limited to just five examples. All of them have already sold despite prices starting at €7 million.
With the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America, Porsche have re-launched the market specific model that started with the 356 Roadster America back in the early 1950s. Based on the already very accomplished 911 Carrera GTS, it features a bespoke exterior and interior finish and will be produced in limited numbers. The first Cabriolet Americas will arrive at the dealer towards the end of the year.
On Tuesday, Skoda revealed the all-new Fabia RS Rally2. Although aimed at the second tier rally category, it is still very potent machine, powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that drives all four wheels. Based on the fourth generation Fabia, the new RS Rally2 should be a front runner once its makes it competition debut.
Bentley meanwhile took the wraps of the new top-of-the-range Continental Flying Spur S, while Polestar offered a first glance of the upcoming 5.

Having been postponed twice, the Spa Classic was back on the busy May calendar this year. It was the tenth edition and more highly anticipated than ever before. Skilfully organised by French specialists Peter Auto, the annual event featured bumper grids and a packed schedule. Among the unique features of the event are a night race for touring cars and this year, there also was one for the 1990s and 2000s Endurance Racing Legends cars. Both provided a great spectacle to all senses. Among the other highlights were the Classic Endurance Racing and Group C races, which all saw great grids. Nothing could quite compare with the Sixties' Endurance where a stunning number of 85 cars lined up for qualifying.
To give you an impression why the event was missed so much the last couple of years, we were trackside through rain and shine, and night and day. The result is this class-by-class 210-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate our concise report.

As always, Bonhams will stage the official Goodwood Festival of Speed sale as part of the annual event next week. One of the headliners this year is a Benetton B193 Ford. This represents one of the first Benettons designed by Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, which would go on to win back-to-back World Championships with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995. The consigned example was built to B193B specification for the latest Ford Cosworth HB V8 engine. Tested by both Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese, it was actually raced by the Italian with a third at Silverstone as the best result. In more recent years, it has been regularly demonstrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by its longtime, private owner.
The latest new-for-2023 GTP racer to break cover is this Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar. It forms the key ingredient of an ambitious competition program that will see the American luxury manufacturer race on both sides of the Atlantic. Like the highly successful, current generation Cadillac racers, the Project GTP Hypercar will be based on a Dallara supplied chassis. It will be fitted with a newly developed twin-turbo, DOHC V8 and the spec hybrid system. The car will be clothed in proprietary and spectacularly styled Cadillac bodywork.