Under a clear blue sky, the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este hosted the annual Concorso d'Eleganza this past Saturday. First organized in 1929, it is one of the oldest concours d'elegance in the world and as such has a number of unique characteristics. One of these is the restricted access to 'friends of the concours', the entrants and the media. Public were welcome at the Sunday Villa d'Erba show. The number of entered cars was limited to just 49, ranging from 1914 to 1974 in age, all of which were of particular interest. Many were freshly restored or brought out of hiding for the first time in many years. One of the bigger surprises was the Serenissima 308 Jet that had not been seen for forty years and had many of the visitors grabbing their catalogs to figure out what it was. In addition to the historic vehicles there was a class dedicated to modern concept and prototype vehicles. The Ferrari 575 GTZ and Russo Baltique Impression Concept made for two impressive world premiers.
Another tradition is that the public picks the best in show, but in recent years a jury-selected best of show was added. The public voted for an Isotta Fraschini, as they did in 1929, whereas the jury selected an equally stunning Ferrari SuperAmerica.
To give you an opportunity to experience the exclusive event we were present with two photographers. Our findings and results can be found in a full report and 200 shot slideshow, which includes at least one shot of every car entered. We were able to shoot many of the cars in detail, so expect many of them to show in future updates.

Custom coachbuilding was the main occupation of what we now refer to as design houses like Zagato and Pininfarina. With the advent of unitary or monocoque chassis the art quickly faded and the coachbuilders of old turned into design houses to assist major manufacturers with design and production of cars. Until now! On the same day Zagato and Pininfarina showed a highly customized car based on Ferrari running gear and we were among the lucky few to capture that historic moment.
As per the request of a Japanese collector, Zagato took a 575M Maranello and fitted it with a completely new body. The modern design of the 575 GTZ was inspired by the first 250 GT Zagato unveiled exactly fifty years ago at the same Villa d'Este venue. In good Zagato tradition over 100 kg was shaved off the Ferrari's kerb weight.
Also following the request of a well known Ferrari collector, Pininfarina carried out modification to a 612 Scaglietti. Dubbed the 612 Kappa, the finished car is still recognizable as a 612, but the subtle changes are numerous. The most obvious alterations are the addition of a hood scoop, side vents and raised tail lights. Inside and out the car has been personalized with the owner's initials on the door handles and name in the door sills.
You can now explore the 575 GTZ and 612 Kappa for the first time in two exclusive 18 shot galleries. A detailed report of tomorrow's Concours d'Elegance will be published in the next few days.

After the first introduction to the New York International Auto Show novelties, it is now time to round things up with another set of spectacular releases. Lexus already upped the ante when they introduced the latest generation of their uber-luxury LS model and in New York a third model was shown; the LS600h L. Not only does it sport the latest hybrid technology available, it also comes complete with every creature comfort you can think of and then some. Little brother Scion took a walk on the wild side with the Fuse Concept, which combines a bold exterior with a unique "one plus stuff" seating arrangement. Honda "pimped" their funky Element to create the 166 bhp Element SC Concept.
Following Ford's lead, Saleen celebrated a legendary Mustang model with the Mustang Parnelli Jones Limited Edition. Equipped with a 302 ci engine and a "Grabber Orange" paint scheme, it pays tribute to the BOSS 302 Mustangs that raced in the 1970 Trans-Am championship by legendary drivers like Parnelli Jones. Bentley was also present in force to showcase the company's heritage, livening up the introduction of the all-new Continental GTC.
To give you a nice overview we have created a dedicated Le Mans Series section where you can find links to race reports, the standings and an entry list with links to the cars where available. This week we have further completed the entry list by adding the Creation CA06/H and MG Lola EX264 AER.

Today the doors of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center opened its doors to the international media for the New York International Automobile Show preview days. An interesting mix of production and concept cars will make its debut in 'the Big Apple'. In this week's update we take a look at the first group of these novelties. Originally introduced in 1998, the Audi TT dictated the company's design language for years to come. The all-new Audi TT was first shown last week in Berlin, but will make its official debut today in New York. German rival Mercedes Benz was also on hand to unveil a revised E-Class, headlined by the 514 bhp E63 AMG. Ford used the show to take the wraps off two models inspired by special editions of the first generation Mustang. Designed specifically for rental agency Hertz is the Shelby Mustang GT-H of which 500 examples will be built. The other is the Mustang GT California Special available in larger numbers and to the general public.
Endurance racing is dominated these days by open-top prototypes, but in the 1980s and early 1990s fixed head cars were the norm. One of the first cars to break that mold was the Ferrari 333 SP, paving the way for a whole new generation of racing cars. Racking up numerous victories in Europe and North America, the 333 SP was the most successful car of its generation. Ferrari also gave the racer a spectacular exhaust note, which is generally accepted as one of the best ever produced by a machine. In retrospect, open top cars were the norm in the 1950s, but the growing understanding of aerodynamics taught designers that fixed head cars were more efficient at that time. Built specifically for the 1957 Le Mans, the stunning Maserati 450S Costin-Zagato Coupe was one of the first to incorporate the new found knowledge. Its failures on the track also showed that there was still a lot to learn, but regardless this unique Maserati has a special place in the company's rich history. Travelling through time once again, three decades earlier open cars were the norm for road cars, making the $1.5 million Bentley 8-Litre Gurney Nutting Sportsman Coupe exceptionally rare.

The first of five Le Mans Series decks has been shuffled and the cards dealt earlier today on the brand new Istanbul Park track. The Istanbul 700 km (more on that in the report) proved to be a very spectacular season opener with short but action packed race. After a sunny first day and a wet second day, race day was pretty much dry although the track remained damp for quite some time. The slowly drying surface did not make things easy for the drivers and there was drama from the first yards to the closing stages. Particularly in the LMP2 and GT2 classes, new cars were right on pace with the Radical and Ferrari F430 stealing the show in almost every session. This early in the season reliability is key and it's no surprise that most prizes were picked up with tried and tested material.
We sent our European correspondent Wouter Melissen for his maiden voyage to Asia to capture the event. His findings can be explored in a full report and a spectacular 150-shot slideshow complete with locked wheels, glowing discs and big flames. Enjoy!

While production of mainstream British road cars is on the decline, underlined by the demise of Rover, the speciality manufacturers seem to thrive like never before. Following the tradition of the likes of Aston Martin, Lotus and Lola, a number of new marques were added in recent years to the already colourful pallet. Today we celebrate Britain's unique motoring culture with two of the latest additions.
Previously specializing in track-day specials, Radical made a bold move to enter international racing with a newly developed LMP2 racing car. We were present last week when the car took to the track for the first time and were stunned at how quickly this all new design caught up with the pace of seasoned competitors with bespoke material from Lola and Courage. It left us wondering what the SR9 Judd could do after further development and with a proper setup. This weekend the SR9 will make its racing debut in the opening round of the Le Mans Series. We will be there to report on the race in general and on the Radical's progress in particular.
Where Radical takes on the competition on the track, Noble does so on the road with a line-up of mid-engined lightweight sportscars. Yesterday images and information hit our desk of a third Noble model aimed at an even higher market. Dubbed the M15, it is a further development of the M14 show car launched two years ago. With 455 bhp available to move the 1250 kg car, its performance could embarrass Germany and Italy's finest.

Colin Chapman is considered by many as one of the finest racing car designers, but by the end of the 1960s his cars were frequently beaten by Derek Bennett's Chevrons. Despite his numerous achievements, Bennett is rarely talked about these days. Today we want to pay tribute to this highly talented driver, but above all designer by taking a close look at the Chevron B8 with an article that also covers much of Bennett's remarkable history and of course images of the B8 in action. Another great British designer of the same generation is Eric Broadley who conquered sportscar and single seater racing with his Lolas. Now in the hands of Martin Birrane, his company lives on today and still operates very much at the cutting edge. Lola's latest product is the V8 engined B06/10 AER, ready to take on the competition in LMS, ALMS and at Le Mans.
After the wild BioPower propelled Aero X concept launched at Geneva earlier this year, Saab took the wraps of the slightly more sensible Biopower Hybrid Concept last week in Stockholm. It combines the clean fuel engine with an electric counterpart to offer improved mileage and reduced emissions.
One of Ferrari's biggest fans in the past was Fiat supremo Gianni Agnelli and he frequently converted the money made with the small city cars into lavish custom bodied GT-cars. This week we take a look at one of his old cars; a 400 SuperAmerica equipped with a very unique Pininfarina coupe body.
To round off this week's update we would like to point to the store where we have added a range of Ultimatecarpage.com sticker packages. The stickers are available in various sizes and as well as reversed; ideal for your car's windows.