BMW have provided a peak into the future with the launch of the i8 Concept and i3 Concept. Part of the new 'i' sub-brand, these two environmentally friendly machines will enter production in 2014 and 2013 respectively.
The most exciting of the two is the strikingly styled i8, which will be the sub-brand's top of the line model. The plug-in hybrid's drivetrain consists of a 1.5 litre turbocharged three cylinder petrol engine that drives the rear wheels and an electric motor that is connected to the front wheels. The combined output of the two is a very impressive 349 bhp and 550 Nm of torque. The car can also run on the electric motor alone, when running in the city for the example, with a range of around 35 km (20 miles).
Targeted specifically for driving through cities or densely populated areas is the more compact i3 Concept. The small hatchback features a single electric motor that is connected to the rear axle, continuing BMW's rich tradition of rear-wheel drive vehicles. At peak power it produces 170 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. Under normal driving conditions the range is around 150 km (93 miles). Using a high-speed charger the car's batteries can be charged to 80% of their capacity within an hour.

The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed is famous for reuniting drivers with their old machinery and this year one of these really sent tingles down our spine; Martin Donnelley back behind the wheel of a Lotus 102 Lamborghini. It was in this type of Formula 1 racer that he had his career-ending crash just over 20 years ago at Jerez. The car he drove at Goodwood was one of three surviving examples and the only one that is in full running order. In order to make that happen, Classic Team Lotus had to swap another 102 chassis with Lamborghini for a functional V12 engine.
Readied for the 1990 season, the Type 102 was the second Lotus built to the new naturally aspirated regulations. Using the promising Lamborghini V12, the team hoped to eclipse the performance of the 101 Judd used a year earlier. Unfortunately the 102 and its Lamborghini engine did not live up to the expectations and the ties between the two companies were severed. The Goodwood outing was the first time a Lotus 102 Lamborghini was driven in public for two decades and we used the opportunity to create an all encompassing 18-shot gallery.
This week, Ferrari concluded a two-day test at Daytona with the new 458 Italia Grand Am. Based on the GT3 variant of the Italian manufacturer's mid-engined sports car, the new Ferrari racer was specifically modified to the demands of the Grand Am GT regulations. The car is planned to be in top form at the start of the 2012 season, which will kick off with the Daytona 24 Hours, a race which holds many fond memories for Ferrari.
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At this weekend's Spa 24 Hours McLaren will return to the sports car racing fray with the all-new MP4-12C GT3. This inspired us to take a look at the last McLaren sports racer as well as a limited edition McLaren built to celebrate the company's legendary win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Developed for the 1997 season, the F1 GTR Longtail was the third and final evolution of the F1 GTR that had taken Le Mans by storm two years earlier. Compared to the two earlier version, it featured a much more aggressive and longer body, which earned it its nickname. This was a response to the purpose-built racing cars fielded by the likes of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz that exploited a loophole in the regulations. Despite its road-car origins, the Longtail F1 GTR was remarkably competitive, scoring five victories in the inaugural FIA GT Championship and winning its class at Le Mans. In the last three years we have seen four of the ten examples produced. They can be found in our exclusive 30-shot gallery and detailed history of the final evolution of the McLaren F1.
One of the rarest F1 variants is the LM. Announced late in 1995, it was built to celebrate the win at Le Mans and honouring the five F1 GTRs that reached the finish, production was strictly limited to five examples. The LM featured a GTR inspired body-kit and a 680 bhp version of the V12 engine. Today this version of the F1 is only very rarely seen with most locked away in private collection. One exception is the F1 LM featured, which is the prototype and is today still owned by McLaren. It could change hands in the near future as the car has been promised to Lewis Hamilton if he manages to win three F1 driver's titles for McLaren.

Universally accepted as one of the most beautiful production cars of all time, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was first shown to the world late in 1967. It combined a race-proven chassis (in 1968 Alfa Romeo 33s would finish first through third in class at Le Mans) with a stunning body penned by the brilliant Franco Scaglione. The 'Stradale' was very light and slippery, which allowed it to rival the time's fastest road cars despite being powered by a V8 engine that displaced just under 2 litres. One of the world's first supercars, the mid-engined Alfa Romeo was also very expensive and less than a dozen were sold in period. Five of the cars that were left un-sold were handed to Italy's design houses and formed the basis for some of the period's most influential and beautiful show cars.
Today the surviving Alfa Romeo 33 Stradales, with the exception of the Alfa Romeo museum owned example, are only very rarely seen in public. Earlier this year one was entered at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este for the first time in the event's history and it immediately took home two of the three best of show prices. We had seen the same car at Pebble Beach in 2006 and a sister car a year earlier. The best shots from these rare encounters have made it into our 24-shot gallery, which illustrates a detailed history on one of the most beautiful cars of all time.

During this weekend's German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, Mercedes-Benz have launched the most powerful C Class of all time. Known as the C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series, it is the fourth high performance Mercedes to receive the 'Black Series' moniker. Once again the changes compared to the 'regular' production AMG model are both visual and mechanical. This time, however, the AMG engineers have fitted an almost subtle body-kit with modest wheel arches in comparison to the SL 65 AMG Black Series that came before. Under the slightly wider skin, the C 63 AMG has also been further tweaked. The roaring 6.2 litre V8 has been uprated and now produces 517 hp and 620 Nm of torque. The suspension has also been modified extensively with a revised geometry for both the front and rear axles to match the wider stance. The car can be fitted with the 'AMG Track Package', which includes sports tyres, transmission cooling and a full aerodynamics package.
Production of the C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series is limited and the car should come available later in the year.

Ever keen to find his 'Unfair Advantage', Roger Penske always searched the regulations for loopholes. 'The Captain' recognised a very big one ahead of the 1994 Indy 500; the rules were more lenient towards push-rod engines but only for the race at Indy. In absolute secrecy he did the unthinkable and commissioned the design and development of a purpose-built push-rod engine just for one race. He also convinced Mercedes-Benz to pay the bill and return to Indy after an absence that had lasted many decades. The result was the Penske PC23 Mercedes, which qualified on pole, led 193 of the 200 laps and won the race in the hands of Al Unser Jr. Not surprisingly the rules were tightened for the next year and so the engine could only be used once. There was more to the 1994 Penske than just its engine as in the CART Championship, with a conventional Ilmor V8 fitted, the PC23 won 11 of the 15 races. Certainly one of the all time great racing cars, we have taken a close look at the PC23 and just how it came to be. The article is illustrated by a 12-shot gallery of the actual Indy winning example in action earlier this month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Next up for us is the action-packed Monterey classic car week, which is filled with numerous events and auctions. Gooding & Co. look set to go after the record for the most expensive car sold at auction by offering this Ferrari 250 TR Prototipo. Coincidentally, that record is held by a production 250 TR, which changed hands for just over $12 million. What sets the 'Prototipo' apart from its sister cars is the fact that it was the very first 250 TR ever and that is the only 'pontoon fender' TR finished with right hand drive. Chassis 0666 was raced in period by the works team and subsequently by Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) at Le Mans. The current owner is an avid Ferrari collector and he had the car restored to its NART configuration a few years ago. He has since shown and raced the car numerous events, which can be seen in our 18-shot gallery of what may very well be the most breathtaking of all early 250 TRs.

America's leading supercar manufacturer Shelby SuperCars (SSC) have officially announced the replacement for the very quick Ultimate Aero. Dubbed the Tuatara, it is very much a clean-sheet design. The unusual name is derived from a reptile living in New Zealand and literally means 'peaks on the back' in Maori. Responsible for the lines of the new SSC is none other than Jason Castriota whose portfolio includes the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina and the Bertone Mantide. The influences of these two designs can be seen in the Tuatara, which is nevertheless more extreme than Castriota's earlier work. That suits the car as it is powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces in excess of 1350 bhp. Bolted to a seven-speed gearbox, it is strapped into a carbon-fibre chassis that consists of a central monocoque and separate subframes. Even the wheels are made from carbon-fibre. Although no performance figures have been released yet, we can only assume that the latest SSC will easily break into the 400+ km/h (250+ mph) realm. The Tuatara is expected to make its first public appearance during the Monterey Classic Car Week in a month's time.

One of the big announcements to come out of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans was Sir Stirling Moss' retirement from racing after a career that had lasted over sixty years. After just a single lap in practice he parked his car because he had scared himself and no longer felt up to competing. The car used on this momentous occasion was his recently acquired Porsche 718 RS 61. Built in 1961 this is the final evolution of a hugely successful range Porsche sports racers that had its origins in the 550 introduced back in 1953. Sporting a twin-cam version of the familiar flat-four engine, the cars scored numerous class and outright victories. Sir Stirling himself came very close to winning the Targa Florio outright in a sister car, which is why he bought the car at auction back in March of 2010. We captured chassis 718-070 at Le Mans with Sir Stirling completing his final lap and again a few weeks later when he demonstrated his Porsche at Goodwood. For good measure we have also included pictures and details of chassis 718-076, which won the 1963 European Hill Climb Championship and the 1964 South African Sports Car Championship.
Another exciting Porsche that starred at Goodwood this year was the unique 961. Based on the hugely sophisticated 959 road car this particular example was the only one prepared for circuit racing and remains the only four-wheel drive Porsche ever to compete at Le Mans. Its racing career lasted just three races and it was never really competitive due to the heavy and complicated all-wheel drive system as well as the lack of development. The final race ended prematurely due to a massive fire but the 961 has been fully restored and is today on permanent display in Porsche's fabulous museum.
Hot on the heels of the roll-out of BMW's upcoming DTM racer, Audi have released the first details of the A5 DTM. Also scheduled to compete in the 2012 series, it features a carbon-fibre monocoque and a V8 engine that produces over 460 bhp.

On the occasion of a special DTM exhibition event in Munich's Olympic Stadium, BMW revealed the M3 DTM Concept. As the name suggests this machine offers a preview of the design of the local manufacturer's 2012 DTM racer. This will mark BMW's return to the competitive German touring car series for the first time since the early nineties. The new car will follow in the footsteps of legendary machinery like the original M3 Group A.
BMW's return coincides with extensive rule changes that will ensure that more standard components are used than in the current generation cars, which are effectively silhouette racers. Power for the M3 DTM will come from a 4 litre V8, which produces around 480 bhp with the mandatory restrictors fitted. It is mated to a six speed sequential gearbox. BMW also announced the first two drivers of the six car squad: WTCC and Le Mans regulars Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx. In addition to the M3 DTM Concept shown in Munich this weekend, BMW have built a second prototype that was rolled out for testing two weeks ago.
With DTM regulars Audi and Mercedes-Benz also having to build brand new cars for 2012, we could have close fight between Germany's high-end manufacturers from the race.

In the early 1960s the mid-engined revolution also spread through the sports car ranks. Introduced late in 1960, one of the earliest of these convention defying machines was the Lotus 19 Climax. Effectively a Lotus Formula 1 car with two seats, it was victorious first time out in the hands of Stirling Moss. In its original guise, the 19 used the same FPF Climax engine that powered the Lotus and Cooper F1 cars. Unfortunately it was short in supply, so only seventeen 19s were eventually built. They were raced with great success on both sides of the Atlantic by some of the day's most talented drivers. In North America several were re-engined with more powerful V8s and continued to be raced for many year. The final example built was modified by the factory to 19B specification and fitted with a V8 from new. The first of the two Lotus 19s featured was raced extensively by Dan Gurney. His biggest victory came early in 1962 when he rolled down the bank at Daytona to win the 3 Hours sports car race with a seized engine. The second was originally raced by the unfortunate Canadian talent Peter Ryan.
While Lotus focused on single seaters, other British sports car manufacturers emerged. Among them was McLaren, who would go on to dominate the legendary Can-Am Challenge Cup. In the first Can-Am season the works team fielded the M1B Chevrolet. Using a conventional spaceframe chassis, it was outpaced by the more sophisticated Lola T70. Using the lessons learned in 1966, McLaren turned the tables a year later, comprehensively beating the competition. The M1B was nevertheless a success for the fledgling company as Elva built 28 customer cars under license. This M1B is one of just four constructed by McLaren themselves and raced by Chris Amon in the Can-Am series. Until very recently it remained hidden in the United States but finally returned to British soil for the Goodwood Festival of Speed where we captured it in great detail.

Ahead of the British Grand Prix, the biggest news was the renewed partnership between Williams and Renault from 2012 onwards. Undoubtedly one of the most successful team and engine manufacturer partnerships, the two dominated Formula 1 for several seasons, clinching four driver's and five constructor's titles. Scoring ten victories in sixteen attempts, the Renault engined Williams FW15C was one of the finest products of the partnerships. The Adrian Newey designed machine was equipped with every electronic bell and whistle imaginable and driver Alain Prost once described it as a 'mini Airbus'. At the end of that season all driver aids were banned, making the FW15C unquestionably one of the most if not the most advanced Formula 1 car ever built. We captured one of the seven examples in great detail a few years ago and in action during the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. One of the drivers on that occasion was Damon Hill, who won his first Grand Prix in a FW15C. Every detail of chassis 5 can be seen in our 18-shot gallery, which illustrates our in-depth article.
Topping the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale was this Aston Martin DB2/4 Cabriolet, with a final price of just over GBP 600,000. One of just two created by Bertone, it had benefitted from a full restoration. Earlier in the week, we already highlighted the Pagani Huayra but there were many more brand new machines that took to the hill during the weekend. Among them were the Fiat Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, Lotus Evora S, Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale and Volvo C30 Polestar Concept.

At last week's Goodwood Festival of Speed we were presented with the first opportunity to capture Pagani's all-new Huayra in action. This inspired us to take a closer look at the Italian specialist manufacturer's latest offering. Replacing the venerable Zonda, the new machine has very big boots to fill. Like its predecessor, it is constructed using the latest carbon-composite and other lightweight materials. Much time was spent during the design process, to optimise the car's aerodynamics and as a result no wings are required to generate the necessary downforce to keep the very potent machine firmly onto the tarmac. A bespoke drivetrain was developed with the help of AMG and XTrac, supplying the engine and gearbox respectively. AMG's twin-turbo V12 produces a hefty 700 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque while keeping within the strictest emission standards. This power is transferred to the rear wheels through a transversely mounted seven-speed gearbox that weighs just 96 kg. As on the Zonda, the Huayra's interior is an absolute work of art with exquisite detailing. All this and much more can be found in our detailed description, which is illustrated by a 24-shot gallery of this fabulous machine.
For the full background of Horacio Pagani's journey to become one of the leading supercar manufacturers, we would also once again like to refer to our feature detailing this incredible history.

German Mercedes-Benz 'enhancers' Brabus have today announced the third addition to their E-Class line-up. Dubbed the E V12 Cabriolet, Brabus claims it is the world's fastest four-seater convertible with a top speed of 370 km/h. What makes the latest Brabus so fast is the heavily modified V12 that produces 800 hp and 1,420 Nm of torque. For gearbox reliability reasons, this is limited to an equally impressive 1,100 Nm. It is not just fast but also very quick; the acceleration to 300 km/h can be achieved in under 24 seconds. To handle all this speed, the E V12 Cabriolet features uprated, adjustable suspension.
Renault will present this Frendzy Concept at the upcoming IAA in Frankfurt. To compensate for the lack of sound produced by its electric drivetrain, the Renault engineers have partnered with a specialist company to create a 'soundtrack' for the car. This helps improve the awareness of the car with the other road users and as a result increase safety. Labelled a rolling office, the Frendzy Concept comes equipped with the latest technological features including RIM's recently released 'Playbook'.
Abarth have expanded their line-up with the 'esseesse' version of the Fiat Punto Evo. In good Abarth tradition this upgrade comes in kit form and can be ordered with new cars or applied to existing Puntos that are less than a year old. As part of the package the turbocharged engine's performance is increased from 165 to 180 bhp. The esseesse also features revised springs complete with Koni dampers.

One of the best things about the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed is that it invites manufacturers and collectors to exercise the machinery that is usually only shown as static displays. This year was no exception as both Mercedes-Benz and Fiat brought and fired up two of their finest machines.
The German manufacturer handed one of the two W165 'Voiturette' racers still in existence to racing legend John Surtees. This V8-engined single seater was built specifically to compete in the 1939 edition of the prestigious Tripoli Grand Prix. A change to the regulations intended to favour the local, Italian manufacturers had left the mighty Mercedes-Benz without a suitable entry. Using the vast resources available, the German engineers quickly created a scaled down version of the all-conquering W154 'Grand Prix' racer. The result was the W165, which duly won the race in the hands of Hermann Lang. It would turn out to be the type's only race. The Tripoli Grand Prix winner was completely restored in 1995 to take part in that year's Festival of Speed and is still in immaculate condition.
At several events this year, we had already seen the mighty Fiat Mephistopheles stationary, but we had to wait until the Festival of Speed to see all the power of its airplane engine unleashed. Built as a top speed record chaser, the massive machine must have been a handful on the narrow road up the Goodwood hill. Not in the least because of the 320 bhp produced by the big but highly sophisticated six cylinder engine. Displacing nearly 22 litre, it is equipped with four valves and no fewer than three plugs per cylinder. In 1923, the purpose-built Fiat was clocked at 235 km/h at Arpajon in France, which was fast enough to set a new land speed record. Understandably, the nevertheless very brave Michele Lucente piloted Mephistopheles up the hill at a slightly more modest speed.

For the 19th time, Lord March hosted the annual Festival of Speed on his fabulous Goodwood estate. One of the premier automotive events in the world, it traditionally attracts some of the finest road and racing cars ranging from the earliest leviathans to the latest F1 racers and supercars. At this year's edition the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the E-Type and the centenary of the Indy 500 took centre stage. With over 40 important machines, including many winners, the Indy 500 inspired 'Gasoline Alley' was particularly impressive. In addition to the activities on the hill set fixtures like the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d'Elegance and the Bonhams auction also returned. The latter had very impressive results with 84% sold for a total of just over 7 million Pounds. The top-seller was the Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Cabriolet that we featured a few weeks ago.
Our photographers ventured out to the lovely West Sussex area of England to capture the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in its entirety. All of the highlights and much more can be found in our detailed report, illustrated by a mouth-watering 300-shot gallery. In the coming weeks, you can expect specific features on many of the fabulous machines that starred at Goodwood.