Next Tuesday, the annual Geneva Motor Show will kick off with the first of a pair of press days. The surprises will be far and few between as manufacturers tend to release the details of their debuts early. Among them is the striking Polestar Precept show car. As the name suggests, it offers a first glimpse of what is ahead for the all-electric Volvo spin-off. What it clearly shows is that make is moving away from the Volvo design language and finding a style of its own.
Also due in Geneva is the high-performance Volkswagen Touareg R. This 456 bhp machine is the first ever Volkswagen 'R' model that is fitted with a hybrid drivetrain. Together the petrol V6 and electric motor power all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. There is no help from an electric motor for the latest Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S, which boats a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine that is good for a staggering 415 bhp from a displacement just shy of two litres.
A famous name making a return at Geneva is Gemballa in the form of the Marc Philip Gemballa brand. This was formed by the son of the late Uwe Gemballa of the same name. The new company will launch its first project to select customers during the show.
Although missing on the show floor, PSA's luxury brand DS have used the media buzz to introduce the all-new DS 9 and the Aero Sport Lounge concept. The DS 9 is a particularly interesting car as it is the first ever sedan from the brand named after the legendary Citroën sedan of the 1950s. Available with a choice of petrol and petrol/hybrid drivetrains, it features a sophisticated suspension system that reads the road ahead and then adjusts the suspension accordingly. Although still very French, the DS 9 will be built in China.

There was a lot to see at the recent Retromobile show in Paris. Today, we have picked out two GT racers that particularly captured our attention. First up is the Nissan R390 GT1, which raced at Le Mans in 1998. One of just eight built, chassis R8 is unique in that it is the only example in private hands. Of a slightly earlier vintage is this Porsche 935/81 'Moby Dick'. The first of two, it was built by Joest Racing using Porsche-supplied drawings of the legendary 935/78 'Moby Dick'. Chassis JR-001 was raced in period by Joest Racing and also by Gianpiero Moretti. Honouring the latter history, it has now been completely restored to the instantly recognisable MOMO colours used when Moretti raced it.
Among the most highly anticipated cars due to debut in Geneva next week is the Czinger 21C. The California-based start-up have now released the full details of the hybrid hypercar. It packs a 1,232 bhp punch thanks to the combination of a mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 engine and a pair of electric motors connected to the front wheels. The 21C's production methods are also cutting edge and many components are created using 3d-printing.

The annual Geneva Motor Show is already around the corner and with just ten days to go until the show opens, we have been receiving various previews. The clearest of all is from Bentley, who will introduce the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible. Built to custom order by Mulliner, it is intended for those of us for whom a 'regular' Continental GT Convertible is just not quite special enough.
Among the other cars due to break cover are the eighth generation Volkswagen Golf GTI and the all-electric APEX AP-0 sports car concept.
Formula 1 testing got under way in earnest on Wednesday, which has allowed us to take a look at the class of 2020 in a little further detail. Bouncing back from a disappointing year are the Renault team and they have opted to run their new R.S. 20 in a striking gloss black livery. We do expect the French company's tradiational yellow to be added to the colour-scheme before the start of the season. Also keen to forget 2019 are Haas F1 and hopefully their VF 20 Ferrari will help them do that. Over the winter, Scuderia Toro Rosso have adopted an all-new identity and will operate as Scuderia AlphaTauri going forward. This is a reference to the Red Bull fashion brand of the same name that was founded back in 2016. In 2020, the Faenza-based team will run this AT01 Honda in its fabulous black and white colours.

Ahead of the official launch at the Geneva Motor Show, Pagani have revealed the first details and images of the new Imola. While the Huayra derived hypercar has been honed on the track it was named after the 815 bhp machine is still fully roadworthy. Initially known as the PS-01, the Imola uses the same carbo-titanium chassis as the Huayra Roadster BC and served as a test-bed for future developments. If you are interested, you are already too late as Pagani Imola production is strictly limited to just five examples and all of them have already been sold.
The Formula 1 season will kick off tomorrow with the first of two three-day tests at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. In the build up to the official test sessions, more new cars have been revealed. Chief among them was the Mercedes-Benz W11 EQ Performance, which is a further evolution of the hugely successful silver arrows that have dominated the last six seasons. With a major change in regulations due in 2021, it is no surprise that the W11 closely follows the design of its successful predecessors. The same can be said for the Williams FW43, although the FW42 that it evolved from was an unmitigated disaster. As a result, the FW43 will be a crucial car for the team as it can not afford two nightmare seasons in a row. For the Racing Point F1 team, the RP20 will be the last using this moniker as it will operate as the works Aston Martin team from the 2021 season onwards.

Last week, we were in Paris for the 45th annual Retromobile show. The event is the leading in-door classic car show and also serves as the traditional start of the new season in Europe. It attracts exhibitors and visitors from all around the world to Paris. Among the featured marques this year were Tatra and Bertone, while Swiss dealer Lukas Hüni celebrated Alfa Romeo's 110th anniversary in great style. Further highlights on display at Retromobile included the only privately Nissan R390 GT1, one of just three Ferrari 330 P4s and a superb line-up of four McLaren F1s.
As always, we were on hand to capture all the highlights, with this 260-shot gallery that serves to illustrate our concise report.
The latest 2020 Grand Prix car that broke cover is this McLaren MCL35 Renault. It is a development of the 2019 car with the lessons learned during the season applied by new technical director James Key. Along with the rest of the class of 2020, the MCL35 will make its testing debut on Wednesday in Barcelona.

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus have offered a further look at their SCG 007 Le Mans Hypercar. Due to race in the FIA WEC from this fall, the strikingly beautiful machine will be built around a carbon-fibre composite monocoque and is powered by a bespoke twin-turbo V6 engine. For now we have to make do with these renders as the first car is due be built in August, in time for testing to commence in September.
At Silverstone this afternoon, the new Red Bull Racing RB16 Honda was given a brief shakedown by Max Verstappen as part of a filming day. With a major rule change on the horizon, it is not surprisingly an evolution of last year's car but nevertheless should have a few tricks up its sleeve. The first hint of this is a revised nose with an intake in the tip. Testing proper will commence next week at Barcelona.
Red Bull Racing sponsor Aston Martin, meanwhile, have revealed the full details of the Vantage Roadster. Just like the name suggests, this is a drop top version of the Vantage introduced two years ago. It is just 60kg heavier than the Coupe and has lightning fast roof that can be opened and closed in 6.7 and 6.8 seconds respectively. The first deliveries of the Vantage Roadster are already expected in the second quarter of this year.
In less than a month, all eyes will be on Geneva where the annual motor show is scheduled to take place. It has been relatively quiet on the teaser front but today we received snippets of the special coach-built Bentley Mulliner Bacalar and wild American supercar Czinger 21C. Both of which are expected to break cover in Switzerland early next month.