Today we take a look ahead at next week's Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction. The annual sale is headlined by this lovely Ferrari 250 GT SWB. It was sold new to the United States and has been owned by some of the great American collectors like Harley Cluxton, Robert L. Bodin and Chip Connor. Chassis 3337GT has benefitted from a recent restoration to its original colours.
Bonhams have also consigned a fine selection of pre-War cars, which includes this one-off Mercedes-Benz 540 K. Using the highest specification chassis, it was clothed by the Mayfair Carriage Company with a body styled like the famous Trossi Roadster. While it is not known who commissioned the car but chassis 154080 has had some reputable recent owners like the Imperial Palace Collection and General William Lyon.
Ten years older still is this Bentley 6.5 Litre Barker Sports Tourer. Delivered new to the UK, it is believed to be one of jus two examples bodied by Barker in this style and the sole survivor. After spending most of its life in South Africa, BR2354 was recently repatriated and beautifully restored to its original colours.
Also benefiting from a recent restoration is this unique Talbot Lago T26 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville. Built for the 1950 Paris Auto Salon, it was a price winning car in period but has been hidden away from the public eye for most of its life. Not shown yet since its restoration, the unique T26 should provide an automatic entry into all major events.
Other highlights consigned to the sale include this Siata 208 S and Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione.

Every year, the world's leading auctioneers manage to pull out all the stops for the annual sales on the Monterey Peninsula. Set to break some records this year is the RM Sotheby's sale in downtown Monterey. The sale's absolute headliner is this Ferrari 250 GTO. It was raced in period by works driver Phil Hill and was subsequently updated to 1964 specification with the wind-tunnel honed body designed by Pininfarina. Following its contemporary racing career, it has been owned by many leading collectors including the consignor, who campaigned the car extensively since acquiring the car in 2000. The pre-sale estimate of 3413GT is a staggering $45-60 million. If it sells, it will be the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
Also estimated to sell for eight figures is the unique Aston Martin DP215. Built in 1963 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was the ultimate development of the successful Aston Martin racing program of the 1950s and early 1960s. It was damaged in period and over the next four decades the subsequent owners restored the car and it was most recently reunited with its original engine. The one-off DP215 has a pre-sale estimate of $18-22 million.
Due to sell for a slightly more 'reasonable' price is this Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR road car. Originally sold in Germany, it was later part of a collection in Hong Kong for over a decade. Chassis 09 of 25 road cars built is now legal to use in the United States under the Show and Display exemption. The same $4.25 - 5.25 million can also get you this Maserati A6G/54 2000 Zagato Coupe. Compared to the other 19 examples built, this car features a unique grille and was raced in period at the Mille Miglia. Chassis 2124 was recently restored to its original livery and shown at Pebble Beach and Villa d'Este.
The full 150-strong lot list of the two-day auction can be found here.

At last month's Goodwood Festival of Speed, there was a lot more to admire than just Porsches and today we have highlighted a further four very interesting machines that were gunned up the hill in front of Goodwood House.
The earliest and most valuable of the quartet is this Ferrari 250 GT SWB Comp/61. One of less than two dozen built for the 1961 season, the Comp/61 one or SEFAC Hot Rod was the ultimate development of the 250 GT SWB before Ferrari switched to the 250 GTO for 1962. The featured example was sold new to Count Volpi for his Scuderia Serenissima and was later comprehensively restored by Ferrari Classiche.
Formula 1 cars always take centre stage at Goodwood and in 2018 this BRM P160 was one of the most intriguing. Raced in 1973 with the familiar BRM V12 engine, it was later also fitted with the latest evolution of the Weslake V12 engine for testing. Although, it ran only once in this guise, the signs of the Weslake installation are still visible on chassis P160/07 today.
We have a soft spot for the Group 5 silhouette racers of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Few were quite so extreme as the Ford Zakspeed Capri. One of half a dozen built and raced by Zakspeed, this car was used by Klaus Ludwig to win the 1981 DRM Championship in dominant fashion.
Grabbing the limelight in the Michelin Supercar Run was the Brabham BT62. Designed and built in Australia, it is the first product of the company that was restarted by the late Sir Jack Brabham's son David. The first examples of this wild track-day machine feature liveries inspired by Brabham's Grand Prix wins and accordingly, the BT62 seen in action at Goodwood featured the colours of the BT46B driven to victory in the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix by Niki Lauda.

Major events like the Le Mans Classic feature many regular faces and machines but there is always some 'new' blood to keep things interesting. At last month's edition, we were pleasantly surprised by the mighty Maserati 450S brought by a German historic racer. Freshly restored, this well known car had not been seen in action since the early 2000s when it was raced by fellow German Dr. Thomas Bscher. Chassis 4506 was acquired new by John Edgar and raced with great success by the late, great Carroll Shelby. At some point in its life, it also featured a tarmac-shredding 6.2-litre version of the quad-cam V8 that had originally been developed for powerboat racing.
Rarer still was the Howmet TX brought by the Ascott Collection. This particular car was originally intended to be raced in the Can-Am series but was rebuilt by the original designer Bob McKee to sports car configuration. The turbine-engined Howmet was raced with great verve at Le Mans and was one of the star cars of the event.
Although perhaps unfamiliar at first glance, this Porsche 935 K3 had in fact competed in the Le Mans Classic before. The unfamiliarity came courtesy of a fresh livery, which matched the one used by the car during the 1981 season when it finished second overall in the Sebring 12 Hours and replaced the Coca Cola livery sported by the car in 1980. The striking blue with gold and red stripes of the K3's current paint-scheme together with the flame-belching engine worked particularly well during the night sessions.

Among the many anniversaries celebrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month was the 70th of the legendary Jaguar XK engine. For the occasion a dedicated class of six-cylinder engined Jaguars was present, with cars ranging from early XK120s through to a Lightweight E-Type. While almost all of these cars were Goodwood regulars, we were particularly impressed by the Jaguar C-Type in the line up. One of just three built to lightweight specifications ahead of the 1953 season, chassis XKC 051 was driven to the outright victory at Le Mans that year. It has been owned by some very noteworthy collectors and we had not seen it since 2003. Also featured are the two sister cars, one of which sold at auction for a staggering $13.2 million back in 2015.
Audi, meanwhile, have offered a first glimpse of the PB 18 e-tron show car due to be revealed during the Pebble Beach week later this month. The supercar concept is a further proof of the German manufacturer's new, electric direction.

At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed Porsches took centre stage as part of the company's 70th anniversary celebrations. In addition to starring on the central feature in front of Goodwood House, Porsches were featured in no fewer than five of the groups that went up the hill. Among them were many instantly recognisable models but there were also a few that warranted a closer look. Among them was this 962C, which looked quite unusual as it combined the works Rothmans livery with the bespoke body designed by Nigel Stroud for Richard Lloyd Racing. It was indeed one of the British teams' privately built 962s, featuring a much stronger honeycomb aluminium monocoque. It did run the Rothmans livery for a single outing at Kyalami where it received works support and duly won the race in the hands of Jochen Mass. Freshly restored, 962-106B was reunited with Mass at Goodwood.
Very much a works car and also freshly restored was this 911 Carrera Turbo RSR 2.1. The first of two 911 Turbo racers built ahead of the 1974 season, the Martini liveried machine paved the way for hugely successful Porsche road and racing cars. It was also very successful in its own right, with the sister car finishing second overall at Le Mans in 1974. Retained by the factory, the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo was a museum exhibit until a ground-up restoration was completed very recently.
Underlining the diversity of Porsche's racing activities during the 1960s was this 904/8. As the name suggests, it was powered by an eight cylinder engine while 904s were of course also raced by the more common flat-four and flat-six engines. The featured example was the third of three built to this specification and was used only used in period for the 1965 Le Mans Test where it was the fastest car in its class.

At last week's Goodwood Festival of Speed, Aston Martin revealed two very different bespoke machines based on the outgoing Vantage model. Reviving the legendary V600 name first used two decades ago is this V12 Vantage V600. It was built by the 'Q by Aston Martin' department to the special request of a customer. It features a 600hp version of the naturally aspirated V12 engine mated to a manual gearbox and a striking bodykit. The V12 Vantage V600 is available now with production limited to seven coupes and seven roadsters.
Wilder still is this one-off Cygnet V8 commissioned from the Q by Aston Martin department by a very eccentric customer. It is exactly what the name suggests; a V8-engined version of Aston Martin's supermini. Whereas the original Cygnet was built to bring the overall emissions of Aston Martin's line-up down, this car has not been built with the environment in consideration. It was created by grafting the front and rear subframes from a V8 Vantage to the centre section of the Toyota Aygo based machine. The resulting Cygnet V8 is about as wide as it is long and with 430hp on tap, it should be quite an eventful drive.
A week earlier, at the Le Mans Classic, there were many great cars in action. The first we would like to highlight is this Nissan R90CK, which was raced for the first time after spending two decades in the Nissan Heritage Collection museum. It was raced in period both in Europe and Japan where it was fitted with a dual rear wing. Following a complete restoration, the Nissan Group C racer proved blisteringly fast and could have won the Group C support race if it wasn't for a high speed puncture.

Last weekend, the Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrated its 25th anniversary in great style. For the Silver Jubilee, the Duke of Richmond invited some of the many great cars that had starred at the event in the past. They were joined by a whole host of other interesting machinery, headlined by the mighty Volkswagen I.D. R that had just shattered the record on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Taking centre stage at the Festival of Speed this year was Porsche's 70th anniversary, celebrated with the central feature display and five dedicated classes. Among the other anniversaries marked during the event were the Jaguar XK's 70th and Lola's 60th both with special classes. As always, there was much activity around the event which included the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d'Elegance with cars that ranged from a McLaren F1 to a Citroen 2CV. Bonhams delivered their 50th Goodwood sale in great style with a sale total of GBP 32 million.
Our photographers were on hand throughout the weekend and have returned with an action packed 320-shot gallery that serves to illustrate our detailed report.

Every two years, the rich and ever expanding history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is celebrated during the Le Mans Classic. Held for the ninth time last week, the event is run on the full, 13.6km Circuit de la Sarthe. The main event features six grids each of which has three races during a 24-hour period between 4pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. That means that not only does the event boast the full circuit with its legendary straights, it also features a night race for each grid. While the main event covers cars from 1923 through to 1981, thanks to support races for Group C cars and the new-for-this-year Global Endurance Legends the full history of the world's most famous endurance race is covered. In addition to the action on the track, the Le Mans Classic also boasts more than a weekend's worth of infield attractions.
This year's Le Mans Classic was bigger in every respect and also attracted a record crowd of 135,000 spectators despite scorching conditions. Our photographers skipped a night's sleep to bring you an action packed 290-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate this concise report.

While we are still hard at work to process all the material we gathered at this weekend's Le Mans Classic, we also already have to look ahead to this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Celebrating its 25th anniversary by bringing back some of the many great cars that starred at the event's previous editions, it promises to be a true classic. We will of course be there and report on it next week.
Before we do that, we have highlighted four single seater races that starred at last year's edition. The most recent of the quartet is the first Penske PC22 Chevrolet of eight examples built for the 1993 season. After a difficult 1992 season, the Nigel Bennett designed PC22 returned Team Penske to the sharp end of the field. The Ilmor/Chevrolet engined cars won eight of the 16 races, including the Indy 500 with Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel. The featured example was the test and development car and could well have been the PC22 tested by none other than Ayrton Senna early in 1993. Last year, it was the second fastest car up the hill climb. Another great Indy car that is a regular at the Festival of Speed is this turbine-engined Lotus 56. As can be seen in our extensive gallery, it has been driven by likes of Dario Franchitti and Emanuele Pirro and also event organiser Charles March.
Formula 1 cars are also always strongly represented at Goodwood and at the previous edition we were treated to a couple of runs of the Sir Jackie Stewart's 1971 World Championship winning Tyrrell 003 Cosworth. Owned by the Stewart family for many years, the single most successful Tyrrell made a rare appearance in the hands of Paul Stewart and Damon Hill.
Another Grand Prix car that starred in 2017 was this Ferrari 312 B3/74. Raced by Niki Lauda to two wins in 1974, this car represented a turning point in Ferrari's fortunes that would ultimately lead to three World Championships between 1975 and 1979.
You can also still attend the event yourself as limited tickets are still available on the Goodwood website.

This weekend, we will be at the Le Mans Classic, which promises to be one of the absolute highlights of the year. Part of the very busy events is a Artcurial Motorcars auction. Fittingly, the sale is headlined by a trio of GT racers. The earliest and most valuable is this Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Group 4. Sold new to Luigi Chinetti, this was one of the prototypes for the Competizione Daytonas that were built between 1971 and 1973. Chassis 12467 was raced to fifth overall at Le Mans in 1971 and is now estimated to find a new owner on Saturday for well over Euro 6 million.
Built at the end of the same decade is this Ford Zakspeed Capri. Built to the Group 5 'silhouette' regulations this blisteringly quick Capri was successful in the DRM and was also driven to the European Hill Climb Championship in 1982. Available for sale for the first time in three decades, the very rare Zakspeed Capri is estimated to sell for Euro 550,000 - 750,000.
GT racing has been Porsche's bread and butter for many years and the successful run of the last two decades was kick started by the 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 of 1993. The example consigned to the Le Mans Classic sale was built to full racing specifications but ultimately was never raced in period. Instead it was cherished by its owners and rarely used. As a result this RSR 3.8 has barely 4,000km on the odometer. It can be yours for around Euro 800,000.

Using the universally acclaimed 570S as the base, McLaren have developed the 600LT. As the name suggests, it is a 600hp, Long Tail version of McLaren's compact sports car. A lot of work went into creating the car, which is 96kg lighter than the 540S despite being 74mm longer. In fact 23% of the parts are different. The twin turbo V8 breaths even better thanks to top mounted exhausts, which are part of the shortest exhaust system ever fitted on a McLaren. Production of the 600LT will be limited to a run of around one year and prices start at GBP 185,000.
This morning, Nissan and Italdesign surprised us with the release of the first details of the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign. As the name suggests, the car is Italdesign's take on the latest generation GT-R. Accordingly, it features many unique design cues but it still instantly recognisable as a GT-R. Built to celebrate both Italdesign's and the GT-R's 50th anniversaries, there are currently no plans to put the GT-R50 in production. It may, however, inspire the designer of the all-new GT-R that should arrive in the next couple of years.