Yesterday, the sad news reached us of the passing of Sir Frank Williams at the age of 79. He had been a set fixture in Formula 1 for over five decades fielding some of the most successful Grand Prix cars of all time. More impressive even was his triumph over adversity following his near fatal car crash in 1986. Despite requiring constant care, Williams continued to work as team principal and with him at the helm, Williams became particularly dominant during the mid-1990s. Although he stepped down as principal in 2012, he remained involved until the family sold the team in 2020. His commitment to and passion for Formula 1 have been unrelenting, and ensure that he will be remembered as one of the sport's true greats.
As a small tribute to Sir Frank Williams, we have today taken a look at two cars that have been pivotal in his Formula 1 career. The most recent is the FW19 Renault of 1997. Driven by Jacques Villeneuve, this Adrian Newey designed Williams remains the last to win either World Championship. In our image gallery we feature two examples, including chassis FW19-04, which was used by Villeneuve during the bulk of his World Championship winning effort. Frank Williams debuted in Formula 1 during the 1969 season as a private entrant fielding a Brabham BT26 for Piers Courage. To mark the 50th anniversary of that debut a sister chassis, BT26-4 was fitted in 2019 with a replica body painted in the colours used by Williams and Courage during the 1969 season. In this guise, it was demonstrated at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. An interesting car in its own right, BT26-4 was raced in period to victory in the German Grand Prix by Jacky Ickx and subsequently also scored two podium finishes in the hands of Jack Brabham himself.

At this weekend's Finali Mondiali event, Ferrari announced the limited production Daytona SP3. Powered by a mid-mounted V12 engine, the all-carbon fibre machine celebrates the legendary 1-2-3 victory at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours. The launch also coincides with Ferrari's recently confirmed return to sports car racing as a works team in 2023; the first time since 1973. The design is inspired by the great sports cars of the late 1960s and 1970s like the 330 P4 and the 512 M. The SP3 in the name is a reference to it being the third model in the Icona range intended as tributes to Ferrari's most iconic sports racers. Underneath the striking lines a 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 is fitted, which is good for 828 bhp. The Daytona SP3 is also the first road-going Ferrari that is built around a carbon-fibre moncoque since the LaFerrari. Production is limited to just 599 examples, which will be offered to the owners of the Monza SP1 and SP2 models first.
On Friday, RM Sotheby's held the highly anticipated The Guikas Collection sale. Topping the €39.5 auction was this Ferrari 250 Europa GT Pinin Farina, which sold for €6.2 million. Perhaps the best deal of the weekend was the €2.25 million Renault-Alpine A442, which is not only the sole example in private hands but could also very well be the 1978 Le Mans winning car.

One of the few physical motor shows that will go ahead this year is the AutoMobility LA show that will officially start tomorrow. Taking centre stage was Porsche, who revealed no fewer than four new models. The most exciting is undoubtedly the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS. The range-topping model of the 982C generation Cayman, it is powered by the same engine that is also fitted to the mighty 911 GT3. Considering the 500 hp flat-six is now amidships, this should make for an absolutely fabulous car to drive. In addition to the road-going model, Porsche also revealed the racetrack bound Clubsport version. This is built to the SRO's GT4 regulations and should be raced around the world.
At the other end of the Porsche line-up, two new models were also introduced; the Taycan GTS and the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo. Equipped with a 598 hp drivetrain, the new GTS model sits between the 4S and the Turbo in the range of the all-electric Porsche sports car.
In addition to Porsche, two Korean manufacturers were also out in force in Los Angeles. Showing what the future will bring, they introduced the Kia Concept EV9 and the Hyundai Seven Concept. Both are battery electric vehicles of which a production version should be available in production form within the next couple of years.

On Friday, RM Sotheby's will stage the no reserve Guikas Collection auction at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the South of France. Perhaps the most fascinating and significant car consigned from the stable of the French specialist dealer and collector is this Renault-Alpine A442. Originally conceived in 1976, this V6 turbo engined machine was raced at Le Mans in 1977 and 1978. The second year, it was part of the team that beat the Porsche 936s to the outright victory in what was a very fierce battle. The consigned example is the only A442 currently in private hands and recent research may suggest it is the actual 1978 Le Mans winning car. This is disputed by Renault, who own the sister car to which the victory has always been attributed in the official documents. Regardless, the sale presents a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of racing history, which is reflected by the €4-5 million pre-sale estimate.
At this weekend's Petit Le Mans, the IMSA season finale, BMW confirmed the development of the all-new M LMDh sports prototype due to debut in 2023. To be run by long-time partner BMW Team RLL, it will be built to the revised IMSA regulations, which will allow it to race both in North America and the FIA WEC. Other than a rendering, actual details on the car itself have yet to be released.
Ahead of the launch of the production model in 2023, Acura have offered a first glimpse by creating the Integra Prototype. Due to be powered by Honda's turbo-charged, 1.5-litre VTEC straight four, it will be the first Integra fitted with a forced induction engine. Another break with tradition is that the new Integra has a five-door design. The good news is that it will be available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

It is Ferrari Friday today with a detailed look at four fabulous examples produced by the Italian manufacturer. Three of these will cross the block next week at the RM Sotheby's The Guikas Collection sale. Headlining the single collection, no reserve auction is this 250 Europa GT Pinin Farina Berlinetta, which has a €7 - €9 million estimate. Shown at the 1955 Turin Motor Show, this is one of four competition specification cars built, which served as prototypes for the legendary TdF models.
A particularly striking example consigned is this one-off 512 BB LM. It is fitted with a unique, aerodynamic and was raced at Le Mans twice in period. After being displayed for many years in the Maranello Rosso museum, chassis 35529 is estimated to sell for €2.25 - €3 million.
A more recent Ferrari consigned is this, the very last Ferrari 575 GTC built. It was raced by a Czech enthusiast from whom Guikas acquired the car directly. Chassis 2224 should find a new owner for €3 million.
A brand new Ferrari is this BR20, which is the latest of the company's one-offs. It is based on the V12-engined GTC4Lusso. The revised styling is helped by the removal of the rear seats, which allows for a fastback roof line. The BR20 is also slightly longer than the base model.
Anticipating the demise of the GTE/GTLM category, Corvette Racing have announced the development of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R due to debut at the start of the 2024 season.

First seen during the 1960s, the Jaguar V12 engine was used in some truly great competition cars. Today we have taken a look at three of these, all which are the first of their kind. The most recent of the trio is the first XJR-12 built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing ahead of the 1990 season. It was raced at Le Mans that year and subsequently was also campaigned in North America. Retained by TWR until 2003, chassis 190 has been raced in historic events since. At the recent Estoril Classics, the current custodian raced the car for the first time and immediately scored two Group C wins.
Before TWR built the V12-engined Le Mans winning Jaguars, the British team built and raced the similarly engined XJ-S competition cars. Featured today is the very first, aptly numbered TWR 001. It was raced by Walkinshaw himself and Chuck Nicholson in the 1982 European Touring Car Championship to four wins. Hidden in plain sight, the car was later sold by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust as a show car but it was later discovered that it was actually the original TWR 001.
That same year, Bob Tullius and his Group 44 team debuted the Jaguar XJR-5 that was built for the IMSA GTP class. Successful in its own right, the V12-engined machine also planted the seed of what would become Jaguar's successful return to sports car racing. Featured today is XJR-5/001, which was raced by Tullius himself during the 1982 season with a second place finish as the best result. Now in Dutch hands, it was recently demonstrated at a variety of events.