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2023-10-02: Track ready Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport revealed ...
Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport This weekend, at Laguna Seca, Porsche hosted the seventh Rennsport Reunion. During the spectacular event, the German manufacturer revealed the track-ready 911 GT3 R rennsport. Based on the 911 GT3 R competition car, the new limited production machine is not restricted by the Balance of Performance system that controls GT3 racing. This means, the unrestricted 4.2-litre flat-six engine is good for an additional 50 bhp at 611 bhp. This power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. Further unshackled, the rennsport also has a taller sixth gear increasing the top speed with 20 km/h and is slightly lighter at 1,240 kg. The track-only machine also boasts a heavily revised aerodynamics package that was inspired by the 935/77, which scored the seventh overall victory in the Daytona 24 Hours, in 1977. The most obvious new element is the massive rear wing while more subtle changes include revised front and rear fenders. Seven is a returning number with the 911 GT3 R rennsport, which is also reflected in the production number that is limited to just 77. The price for this remarkable machine is €951,000 or $1,046,000.
  2023-09-28: More details and images of Aston Martin Valhalla ...
Aston Martin Valhalla Aston Martin has remained tight lipped about the next mid-engined supercar until this week when further details and images were released of the Valhalla. Due to arrive in showrooms in 2024, the high-performance machine is built around a carbon-fibre composite monocoque and combines a four-litre internal combustion engine with three electric motors. The combined output should be very close to 1,000 bhp, which is more than previously announced. The V8 petrol engine is equipped with a pair of turbochargers mounted inside the 'V'. Aston Martin explains in great detail how the current Formula 1 program has influenced the development of the Valhalla, which also received input from drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Production of the Valhalla is limited at just 999 examples.
2023-09-26: 2023 Goodwood Revival report and 210-shot gallery ...
2023 Goodwood Revival report and 210-shot gallery Earlier this month, the annual Goodwood Revival celebrated the 25th anniversary of the event intself and also 75 years of racing on the Goodwood Motor Circuit. Run in the hottest conditions in living memory and made just that little bit more interesting by some rain showers on Sunday afternoon, the 2023 Revival was more than a fitting celebration. In addition to the races, there were also parades commemorating 75 years of Lotus and what would have been Carroll Shelby's 100th birthday. Among the many highlights were the water-soaked RAC TT Celebration Trophy, Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson going head-to-head in the first St. Mary's race and Aaron Shelby leading the Carroll Shelby parade in the very MG TC that his grandfather had driven to victory in his very first race.
Our photographers were on hand and braved the changeable conditions to capture the 25th Goodwood Revival in its entirety. The result is a 210-shot gallery that serves to illustrate a detailed report.
  2023-09-22: Tribute to American collector Peter Mullin ...
Delahaye 145 Grand Prix We were deeply saddened to learn that American collector Peter W. Mullin has passed away. A great enthusiast of French cars, Mullin had built an immaculate collection included some of the finest Bugattis, Delahayes, Talbot Lagos and Delages. He was generous with his collection, showing and racing many of his cars at events all around the world. The crowning achievement was the creation of the Mullin Automotive Museum. Among the most famous cars in the collection are the Pebble Beach winning Voisin C25 Aerodyne, one of four Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantics built and a superb example of the glorious Talbot Lago T150C SS Figoni & Falaschi Teardrop Coupé. Clearly one of his personal favourites was the legendary 'Million Franc' Delahaye 145 Grand Prix, which was driven to victory in the 1937 French Grand Prix. Delahaye built five of these cars, two of which were fitted with road-going Chapron bodywork, which are also in the Mullin Collection. The French Grand Prix winning Delahaye 145 was restored ahead of the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and was subsequently raced by Mullin himself at several editions of the Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
2023-09-19: 2023 Dix Mille Tours du Castellet report and 200-shot gallery ...
2023 Dix Mille Tours du Castellet report and 200-shot gallery After a brief summer break, the Peter Auto historic racing season resumed earlier this month with the Dix Mille Tours du Castellet. Hosted by the unique Paul Ricard circuit in the South of France, the event has been on the calendar since 2010. This year's thirteenth edition featured all the familiar Peter Auto race grids and also demonstration runs for Formula 1 cars, and recent Le Mans Prototypes and GT racers. Even though we are well into the season, there were several new cars to the series, which included the unique Lamborghini Diablo Jota GT1 and the only Lotus Elise GT1 that raced at Le Mans.
It was a very busy weekend with the two-hour Sixties' Endurance race starting at sunset and the event not concluding until early in the evening on Sunday. As always, our photographers were on hand and have captured the Dix Mille Tours in its entirety with this class-by-class 200-shot gallery and detailed report as the result.
  2023-09-15: Three iconically liveried Porsche competition cars ...
Porsche 917/30 At this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, Porsche's 75th anniversary was celebrated. Today, we have taken a look at three cars that starred on the hill and are painted in iconic liveries. The earliest is this 917/30, which is the prototype for the all-conquering Can-Am racer. Initially used for testing, it features a variable wheelbase. Following its test and development duties, chassis 917/30-001 was successfully raced in the Interserie Championship by Herbert Müller. It is today painted in the Vaillant colours used during the 1975 season.
Sporting the instantly recognisable Jägermeister livery is this 911 Carrera RSR 3.0. Using a bare tub, it was built into a complete race car by the Kremer brothers. It was raced with considerable success, usually with Helmut Kelleners behind the wheel. Today, 005 0005 is one of very few genuine Jägermeister cars that is not in the collection of Eckhard Schimpf, whose grandfather founded the spirits company.
Run by the Swiss Brun Motorsport team, this 962C was raced only twice in period. It was driven by Walter Brun and Jesus Pareja, who was backed by Spanish oil company Repsol. Still in highly original condition, 962-163 was recently acquired by its current owner, who demonstrated it at Goodwood.
2023-09-12: New Lotus Emeya, Bizzarrini Giotto and off-road Mustang Mach-E ...
Lotus Emeya Lotus has expanded its line-up with the all-new, four-door Emeya. The spiritual successor to the Lotus Carlton/Omega was unveiled in New York City and is a battery electric vehicle. The striking machine comes with a choice of drivetrains, with the most powerful producing a combined 905 bhp, which is sent to all four wheels through a two-speed gearbox. Production of the Emeya is set to begin in 2024.
A more traditional sports car that broke cover is this Bizzarrini Giotto. The mid-engined supercar is styled by Giorgietto and Fabrizio Giugiaro and powered by a bespoke V12. Developed together with Cosworth, the naturally aspirated engine displaces 6,626 cc, which is a reference to Giotto Bizzarrini's birthday; June 6th, 1926. Development is ongoing and the first Giotto should arrive with customers early in 2026.
Jumping on the off-road bandwagon, Ford created the Mustang Mach-E Rally. As the name suggests, it is a raised version of the all-electric Mustang. The Mach-E Rally, boast a pair of electric motors, which are good for a combined 480 bhp.
Another high-performance all-electric machine revealed this week is the Volkswagen ID.X Performance. It debuted last weekend at the ID. Treffen in Locarno Switzerland and is based on the all-new ID.7.
  2023-09-06: Porsche and Lancia headed for Bonhams Revival sale and new concept cars ...
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR It is Goodwood Revival week and an integral part of the unique event is the annual Bonhams Auction. Headlining this year's sale is a very rare works Porsche 911 Carrera RSR, finished in striking Martini colours and fitted with the full-width 'Mary Stuart' tail. Known internally as 'R7', it was raced by the factory team in 1973 and subsequently by Brumos Racing in North America. It has had just a handful of owners since new and the rare Porsche racer is now estimated to sell for £3,750,000 - 5,750,000.
Another iconic racing car consigned to the sale is this Lancia 037. One of 20 built to Evo 2 spec, it was raced with great success in the Italian Rally Championship, scoring six wins out of nine starts with Gianfranco Cunico at the wheel. It was raced through to 1987 and was then restored to works Martini colours. Only recently was this rectified and chassis 412 now sports its original Olio Fiat / Hertz livery a again. Offered from longterm ownership, the 037 has a £750,000 - 950,000 estimate.
At this week's IAA Mobile show in Munich several manufacturers offered a glimpse of the future. Among them was Volkswagen who showcased the ID. GTi Concept. It is exactly what the name suggests; a first look at what a GTi version of Volkswagen's all-electric hatchback could look like. An even more dramatic concept is the Cupra DarkRebel. Again the name fits the bill of this low slung, angular two-door shooting brake. BMW revived an iconic name of old with the Vision Neue Klasse. It is a reference to the 1500 model of the 1960s, which was instrumental to saving the company and laying the foundation for the success that it is today. Sporting a fresh design, the Neue Klasse is a preview of the first BMW that uses a bespoke electric platform. This upcoming model may become equally important for the German company's future as the original Neue Klasse was in the 1960s.
2023-08-31: All-new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale and most powerful Cayenne yet ...
Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Penned by Franco Scaglione, the original Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale ranks as one of the all time great designs and Alfa Romeo has now created a tribute using modern underpinnings. Appropriately dubbed the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, the compact mid-engined coupe has a design inspired by the original. Underneath the retro skin, the new 33 Stradale is very modern with a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and a choice of a 620 bhp twin-turbo V6 or a full electric drivetrain good for 750 bhp at peak power. Alfa Romeo-backed Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas will be responsible for honing the chassis. The 333 km/h top speed claimed surely is not a coincidence and the 33 Stradale should be able to accelerate to 100 km/h in under three seconds. Alfa Romeo has tasked specialist company Touring Superleggera with the construction of the 33 Stradale. Only 33 examples will be built in total and all have already been spoken for. It will be interesting to see how many customers will combine the retro styling with an all-electric drivetrain.
There is little retro about the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid announced this week. It is the new range-topping model of the Cayenne line-up and combines the familiar twin-turbo V8 engine with an electric motor. The combined maximum output is a whopping 729 bhp with 950 Nm of torque available. In addition to the regular version, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is also available in Coupé form.
  2023-08-28: Dix Mille Tours preview with Porsche, Corvette, March and MG Lola ...
Porsche 911 GT2 R This weekend, the Historic Racing by Peter Auto series returns from the summer break with the annual Dix Mille Tours at Paul Ricard. A packed schedule features all the familiar grids and also a demonstration of historic Formula 1 cars. To get you in the mood, we have taken a closer look at four cars that will star at Paul Ricard. Lining up in the Endurance Racing Legends field is this Porsche 911 GT2 R, which was raced at Le Mans four times. It was originally built to Evo spec and raced by Larbre Competition in the GT1 class. It ran in the top five overall until a crash in treacherous conditions ended the charge. The GT2 was raced through the end of the 2002 season and has now been restored to its 1995 colours. Another car raced successfully by Larbre Competition and also a four-time Le Mans veteran is this Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2. This ex-works car was the very first GT2 specification Corvette C6.R built. It won the GTE Am class at Le Mans in 2011. Chassis C6GT-001 is currently the only C6.R GT2 used in historic racing today.
Another car that returned to the race track this season is this MG Lola EX257. It was raced twice at Le Mans by the works team and proved fast but fragile. It was later raced in North America but has now been returned to its striking works colours.
Of a slightly earlier vintage is this March 75S. The BMW-engined sports prototype was originally raced by Swiss driver Fredy Lienhard. Now campaigned by a British racer, it will line up in the Classic Endurance Racing 2 race on Sunday.
If you are in the area, you can attend from September 1st-3rd or otherwise we will be there to capture all the highlights for an in-depth report.
2023-08-24: Early Ferraris headed for Gooding London sale and Monterey results ...
Ferrari 166 MM/53 Vignale Spyder Although the dust has barely settled in Monterey, it is already time to look ahead. As part of the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance, Gooding will host their now annual London Sale on September 1st. The headliner is this remarkable Ferrari 166 MM/53 Vignale Spyder, which offered from a 63-year single ownership. It was raced regularly in period and also starred in a movie but nevertheless survived in exquisite, unrestored condition. Chassis 0328M should change hands for the first time since 1960 for an estimated £2,500,000 - 3,000,000. Also never fully restored is this Ferrari 250 Europa Pinin Farina Coupe. It was a winner at the Cannes Concours d'Elegance in period and apart from a re-spray in the 1960s has been beautifully preserved. The rare Lampredi engined Ferrari is fully Classiche certified and has a £1,250,000 - £1,500,000 estimate.
We do have time for another quick look back at the past weekend with the results of the RM Sotheby's, Bonhams and Gooding auctions held on the Peninsula.
Taking home the coveted 'Best of Show' at Pebble Beach was this Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster. Originally owned by the King of Afganistan, this rare high-door and long-tail version with covered spare wheels was freshly restored by RM Restorations. Other three pointed star news from Monterey came in the form of the second generation Mercedes-AMG GT. More luxurious than before, it has grown in size and a row of back seats was added. The range-topping model features a 576 bhp version of the familiar twin-turbocharged V8 engine.
  2023-08-21: Monterey Car week new releases round-up ...
Ford Mustang GTD It has been a very busy week on the Monterey Peninsula with a large number of interesting car debuts. One of the wildest is no doubt this fully road-legal Ford Mustang GTD. Developed together with Multimatic and powered by a 800 bhp supercharged V8 Coupe is the most powerful road car ever produced by Ford. Due to be ready for customers late next year, the Mustang GTD is ready to take on all comers. Ford CEO and accomplished racer Jim Farley himself already invited his rival CEOs for a showdown.
Wilder still is this Lotus Type 66 Chevrolet. Inspired by a stillborn Can-Am car of the late 1960s, this track-only machine combines a honeycomb aluminium monocoque chassis with a mighty Chevrolet V8 engine. Only ten examples of the Type 66 will be built. Another track-day machine revealed in Monterey is the Maserati MCXtrema. Based on the mid-engined MC20 road car, it has been given the full race treatment. Production of the 740 bhp machine is limited to 62 examples and all have already been spoken for.
Offering a glimpse of the future was Lamborghini with this Lanzador Concept. The battery electric powered show car offers a preview of a new production model due in 2028.
Fellow Italian manufacturer Automobili Pininfarina took the wraps off the B95. Powered by four electric motors, good for a combined 1,877 bhp, it is claimed to be the most powerful all-electric barchetta ever constructed. Ten will be built and each one will be subtly different from the other.
Rolls-Royce showcased the first of the limited production Droptails. Built to customer order, these highly exclusive machines feature a distinct convertible body with a unique tail. The twin-turbo V12 powering the Droptail has been further tweaked to produce an additional 30 bhp.