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.

The latest car from the Porsche Heritage Design program is this 911 Sport Classic. Inspired by the great 911s from the 1960s and 1970s, this limited edition model boasts a modern interpretation of the iconic 'whale tail'. Crucially, it also features a unique configuration of the 911 Turbo engine with rear-wheel drive only and a seven-speed manual gearbox. As a result, the 911 Sport Classic is the most powerful manual 911 currently available. Production is limited to just 1,250 examples and the first cars are expected to arrive at European dealers in July.
German specialist manufacturer Wiesmann is back and produced this Project Thunderball. It combines the familiar lines with a modern, all-electric drivetrain. We are looking forward to the production version.
Among the most powerful cars currently under development is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut. Although it was announced two years ago, the Swedish manufacturer has now commenced testing a fully functional version. One of its rivals will be the Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster, which is due to break cover during the Monterey car week in August.
The latest Mercedes-AMG models are the C 43 4Matic Sedan and Estate. Taking a page from the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 engine, the C 43's four-cylinder engine is equipped with a hybrid-electric turbocharger that helps boost the power to over 400 hp.

As part of the upcoming Monaco Historic Grand Prix, RM Sotheby's will stage their biennial Monaco sale. The full lot list has been published and the auction is headlined by this Ferrari 340 MM Vignale Spyder. One of four examples built, it was originally delivered to American gentleman racer Sterling Edwards. He won the 1954 Pebble Beach road races and it was later owned for many years by the late Sherman Wolf. In the same ownership for the last ten years, 0350MM is now expected to sell for €6 - €8 million.
Also included is this 1990 Daytona 24 Hours winning Jaguar XJR-9. One of the first examples produced, it was raced in IMSA events during the 1988 and 1989 seasons. For 1990, it was upgraded to XJR-12 specification to win Daytona and then finish on the podium at Sebring. It was subsequently displayed in the TWR Museum and was fully restored in 2006. Not actually raced in historic events yet, J12-C-388 should make a great addition to the historic Group C championship.
One of the rarest machines consigned is this Scarab F1 Offenhauser. The second of three built in period, it was raced throughout the 1960 season by Chuck Daigh, including at Monaco. Still retaining its bespoke desmodromic Offenhauser engine, chassis 002 is a remarkable piece of American racing history.

During an online-only event, Ferrari launched the 296 GTS. As the name suggests, it is the drop-top version of the V6-engined 296 GTB introduced last year. With its fixed-head counterpart, the 296 GTS shares its hybrid V6 power-train, which is good for a combined 818 bhp. Unique to the GTS is the retractable hard-top that provides the best of both worlds. The roof can be opened at speeds of up to 45 km/h in just 14 seconds.
BMW have created the seventh-generation 7-Series. It boasts the same split-headlight facia that was first seen on the new X7. Among the models available at and shortly after the launch are the all-electric i7 xDrive60 and the plug-in hybrid M760e xDrive. Fitted with a twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor, the latter is good for just over 603 bhp. The all-electric i7 features two motors that produce a combined 536 bhp. Among the many distinct features is a full-width television screen mounted behind the front seats.
A hybrid pioneer, the Toyota Motor Company was late to the battery electric party. That situation has now been addressed with the Lexus RZ 450e. The first electric-only Lexus is a cross-over that features an electric motor on both the front and rear axles.

The recent Mugello Classic had bumper fields with quite a few interesting car that we had not seen before. Among them was this Porsche 911 GT2, which was originally fielded for owner Jean Luc Chéreau by Larbre Competition. It is a veteran of two Le Mans and was updated to Evo specification in 1999. Subsequently raced on the British Isles, chassis 394074 has more recently been restored to the Playstation livery used at Le Mans in 1998. It has also been included in the Gran Turismo 7 game.
A slightly earlier Porsche out on track was this 911 Carrera RSR 3.0. Built from a spare shell by the Swiss Wicky Racing team, it was raced at Le Mans in 1975. It was later campaigned in rallies with great success until it entered long-term French ownership. Now fully restored, 004 0004 was raced at Mugello by its new Monaco-based owner.
Competing in the popular Endurance Racing League races was this Aston Martin DBR9. A works spare, it was only raced once in period. Today, chassis DBR9/108 wears its 2010 colours when it served as a spare and pit-stop training car for the Young Driver FIA GT1 World Championship effort.

Lamborghini have created the even more poised, rear-wheel drive Huracán Tecnica. It shares the same 630 bhp V10 with the STO but thanks to the rear-wheel drive only is a full 30 kg lighter. The Tecnica also boasts a more aggressive body package, which helps produce more downforce. Other factors contributing to the car's startling performance are the rear-wheel steering and distinctly tuned driving modes.
In collaboration with Italdesign and Williams Advanced Engineering, DEUS Automobiles have created the striking, high-performance Vayanne. Named after Austria's capital Vienna, the Vayanne is an electric vehicle that features a drivetrain that should be capable of over 2,200 hp. Production will be limited to just 99 examples and the first examples should arrive with the customers in 2025.
Hyundai's luxury arm Genesis debuted the X Speedlum Coupe at this week's New York International Auto Show. Designed by Luc Donckerwolke, this two-door show car offers a glimpse at the future all-electric production cars that will be produced by Genesis in the future.

Last weekend, the European historic racing season kicked off with the Mugello Classic. Organised by Peter Auto and held at one of the most scenic tracks in Europe, it was certainly a great way to start 2022. That it rained, hailed and froze overnight hardly dampened the spirits and really only added to the spectacle. On track were all the familiar Peter Auto grids from the early 'Fifties' Endurance' right through to the modern era with the 'Endurance Racing Legends'. Many of the fields had bumper grids and among the many highlights out on track were a Ferrari 512 S, Porsche 917 K and Bentley Speed 8.
Our reporters were at the track throughout the weekend with this 210-shot gallery as the result. It serves to illustrate this concise report.