This year, Mercedes-Benz celebrates the 60th anniversary of the 300 SL. The history of arguably the manufacturer's most iconic model started back in 1952 with the 300 SL Compeition Coupe. Loosely based on a production drivetrain, the car featured a bespoke spaceframe chassis and aluminium body. Because of the height of the chassis, conventional doors could not be fitted and the car instead featured the now legendary 'gull-wing' doors. Despite its production roots, the 300 SL proved very successful on the track, taking victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana. Especially for the anniversary celebrations, Mercedes-Benz Classic have restored the oldest existing 300 SL. The second prototype built, it is unusual because it has the original door configuration, which ended at the waistline. Playing our part in the 300 SL's anniversary, we have gone through our archive to compile a 42-shot gallery of the original 'W194'. Four different chassis are pictured, including the recently restored prototype and the Le Mans winner. The cars are pictured at some of the world's most prominent events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Retromobile and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Fellow German manufacturer Audi is the current dominant force in endurance racing. Yesterday another victory was added to the impressive tally when an R8 LMS Ultra crossed the line first during the Spa 24 Hours. That means that Audis have now won the Sebring 12 Hours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nurburgring 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours in the span of one season. To mark that occasion, we have taken a closer look at the new-for-2012 R8 LMS, which boasts a revised aero package and a more powerful engine. Our 24-shot gallery shows four different examples in action during the FIA GT1 World Championship season opener at Nogaro. Fittingly the R8 LMS Ultra won both the qualifying and championship races on what was its World Championship debut.

For a brief period during the 1950s, Lancia built some of the finest sports racers like the D24 Sport. However, the investment needed to develop and build these cars had brought the company on the verge of bankruptcy. Now under Fiat ownership, Lancia did return to racing but focused mainly on rallying with production based machinery for the following two decades. That changed dramatically at the end of the 1970s when the all-conquering Beta Monte Carlo hit the track. Whereas this 'Group 5' machine was still based on a road going model, the subsequent Lancia LC1, introduced in 1982, was a proper purpose-built 'Group 6' prototype racer. The two cars did share the same diminutive four cylinder engine, which displaced just 1.4 litre but thanks to a KKK turbo did produce as much as 460 bhp in qualifying trim. All new was the lightweight aluminium monocoque chassis, clothed in a very slippery body. At first glance it seemed that Lancia's timing was way off as Group 6 was replaced by Group C in 1982, it could very well be that Lancia deliberately chose to explore the interim regulations intended to ensure full grids. Either way, it worked out quite well as the LC1 proved blisteringly quick and was only let down by numerous mechanical issues. In the year that the Porsche 956 debuted, the car nevertheless scored three pole positions and won three races in the eight-race World Endurance Championship. Rendered obsolete, the spider was replaced by the all-new LC2 in 1983. The surviving LC1s were converted to coupes by a privateer effort but in Group C specification had lost their edge.
Fortunately all three cars were returned soon after to the Lancia factory where they were restored to their proper Group 6 configuration complete with the ever appealing Martini livery before they were sold to collectors. Over the years we have managed to capture each of the surviving chassis, resulting in this 18-shot gallery, which illustrates a detailed model history complemented by a closer look at the individual chassis.

Later in the year, Audi will revise the entire R8 line-up with subtle revisions across the board. The most significant change to the existing models is the addition of a seven-speed S Tiptronic automatic gearbox, which is optional on the V8-engined models and standard on the V10-powered versions. We have saved the biggest news for last; the expansion of the range with the R8 V10 plus. Compared to the 'standard' V10, the plus boasts more power at 550 hp and is also a little lighter. Along with the other revised R8 models, the first R8 V10 plus will roll off the line towards the end of the year with European customers getting first pick.
Mazda have chosen next month's Moscow Motor Show to reveal the next generation 6. This represents the second model using Skyactiv technology and the Kodo design language originally introduced with the Shinari Concept. The launch specification is targeted at the Russian market and consists of a direct injection four cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox.
At the Geneva Motor Show RUF showcased the Clubsport version of their range topping CTR 3 model. Compared to the original version, it features a revised body with additional carbon fibre trim parts. The Porsche-derived engine now produces 740 bhp and a staggering 960 Nm of torque. We recently captured the striking machine at speed during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

In 1906, the city of Le Mans hosted the first ever French Grand Prix, which was won by local favourites Renault. Since then, however, the French manufacturer has only tasted success in the subsequent 24 Hours of Le Mans once. That single victory came at the 1978 edition of the endurance racing classic and following that win, 'La Regie' retired from sports car racing and has not returned. This success came for Renault at the third attempt with the Alpine-built, six cylinder turbo engined sports racer that had faced very strong opposition from Porsche's similar 936. In recent weeks, we have been fortunate to capture two of the four cars raced by the Renault-Alpine squad in 1978, including the actual winning A442B. Still owned by Renault, it has not been turned into a museum exhibit but is maintained at full running order and this not for demonstration purposes but for racing. This was demonstrated at the recent Le Mans Classic where it was driven at full pelt by rally-ace Jean Ragnotti and Renault COO Carlos Tavares, in spite of the treacherous weather conditions. This allowed us to shoot an 18-shot gallery of Renault's only Le Mans winning car in all its glory during the day and night sessions and also in the rain.
Used as hare during the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans was this Renault-Alpine A443. Compared to the winning car, this had a slightly larger engine and a longer wheelbase. In keeping with its role to set a rival-breaking pace, it duly retired from the race close to the 300-lap mark. Like the Le Mans winner, it has been maintained to full running order and is a veteran of multiple Le Mans Classics, as well as a regular at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We captured the car several of these appearances, resulting in this 24-shot gallery.

McLaren rank among the most successful Formula 1 teams but they have also suffered dry spells. One of the worst came in the late 1970s when the team struggled to come to grips with 'ground effect' aerodynamics following a highly successful run that brought World Championships for Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt just a few years earlier. The first McLaren to embrace the principles pioneered by Lotus was the Cosworth DFV-powered M28. Boasting a novel honeycomb monocoque chassis and massive side-pods/tunnels, it explored the ground effect to the maximum. Unfortunately this compromised other aspects of the design to the extend that the car ultimately did not work very well. After a promising third place debut, the M28 was continuously revised and eventually retired before the end of the 1979 season. Considering the very sturdy chassis, it is no surprise that all three have survived. Our feature car was owned by McLaren until 2009 and has since been completely restored and raced in historic events. This weekend it will be offered by Silverstone Auctions in their annual Silverstone Classic auction. The pre-sale estimate is a very reasonable GBP 200,000 - 220,000.
One of the few new cars announced this month is this Aspid GT-21 Invictus. The aluminium machine has been developed in Spain by IFR Automotive and follows the original Aspid introduced in 2008. Powered by a BMW-sourced V8, it is claimed to be the first 2+2 with a semi open wheeler body. It tips the scales at just under a metric ton and with 444 bhp on tap should be very quick. IFR Automotive promise that both cars will be in production within two years.
Featuring even more impressive performance figures is the Rimac Concept_One. Built in Croatia, this compact sports car is powered by four electric motors that produce a combined 1,088 bhp. This power is distributed to all four wheels through smart electric differentials. The company nevertheless promises a range of close to 600 km on a full charge. Priced at over $1 million, the delivery of the first of 88 Concept_Ones slated for production is expected in 2013.

One of the big surprises at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed was the public debut of the Pagani Zonda R Evoluzione. There has been no official word on the car and it did not even appear in the event's entry list. As the name suggests, however, we understand it to be an evolution of the highly acclaimed Zonda R. Included in the changes are a revised body complete with an engine-cover mounted fin and an updated engine, which is believed to be good for 760 bhp. The example at Goodwood was one of the original factory prototypes, so it could very well be that the fifteen existing examples can be upgraded to the latest specification. We used the opportunity to capture the Evoluzione in full detail, which was piloted up the hill by touring car ace Bernd Schneider.
Another new car that starred at the Festival of Speed was the Chevron GT3. Based on the GR8 introduced in 2010, this Chevron is powered by a bespoke V6. Displacing 3.5 litre, it produces around 420 bhp. It has already shown its worth in the British national GT series and pending on receiving full homologation, it could also become a front-runner in the various international GT3 series. At Goodwood, the Chevron GT3 proved to be the fastest car in the 'shoot out' in the hands of Anthony Reid.

One of the sub-themes of the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed was 'Ferocity & Finesse', celebrating the great sports cars raced during the 1972 season on both sides of the Atlantic. Today we take a look at two Can-Am racers that represented the 'Ferocity' part of the theme.
The most successful of these was the McLaren M20 Chevrolet. Raced by the works team, it was the only car that could match the Porsche 'Turbo Panzer'. Denny Hulme scored two victories that season and Scooter Patrick won the last ever Can-Am race in an M20 two years later. Our detailed article is illustrated by a 24-shot gallery of two of three examples built. The chassis shown in action at Goodwood was used by Hulme to score the McLaren team's final Can-Am win after dominating the series the four previous seasons.
Growing in competitiveness during the 1972 Can-Am Challenge Cup was the Shadow team. They fielded the Mk III Chevrolet, which was a development of the Peter Bryant penned car used in 1971. Although the 'new' cars used the same tubs, the changes were significant enough to warrant a new type name. Our feature car was the first of three chassis built and accordingly was raced in both Mk II and Mk III guise. Today it is the only Shadow of this type in existence as the other two have been restored as a Mk II and a Mk III Turbo.

When the GT1 category for production-based sports cars was introduced in the mid-1990s, there were significant loopholes in the regulations. The first to take full advantage of these was Mercedes-Benz, who introduced the purpose-built CLK-GTR at the start of the 1997 season. To meet the homologation requirements, a thinly disguised road version of the all carbon-fibre racer was eventually produced. By that time, Bernd Schneider had already been crowned the FIA GT driver's champion ahead of Steve Soper and JJ Lehto in their McLaren F1 GTR, which was actually based on a production car. At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mercedes-Benz brought out one of these V12-engined machines, which has allowed us to capture it in full detail. The result is an all-revealing 18-shot gallery of the car we believe was used by Bernd Schneider and Mark Webber in the type's final and victorious appearance at Silverstone in 1998.
It took Aston Martin over three years but they have finally revealed the Roadster version of the V12 Vantage model. It features the same twelve-cylinder engine as the coupe, which is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Compared to the V8 model, the V12 Vantage Roadster features a lower front air intake and a redesigned boot lid.
The second Mercedes-Benz highlighted today is this CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake. The range topping model of the latest addition to the German manufacturer's line-up, the stylish estate boasts a twin turbo V8 that produces as much as 557 hp depending on the engine's state of tune. Like the 'coupe' version of the CLS, the AMG-tweaked Shooting Brake uses a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

This weekend the Circuit de la Sarthe hosted the sixth biennial Le Mans Classic. First held in 2002, this unique event celebrates the rich history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It features cars from the 1920s through to the early 1980s spread over six groups that take to the track for three 43-minute heats each during a 24-hour period. Apart from the actual 24 Hours of Le Mans, this is the only other event to use the full 13.6 km circuit. This explains why the Le Mans Classic attracts some of the world's finest machinery with among the many highlights outright winners like the 1955 Jaguar D-Type, the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1, the 1977 Porsche 936 and the 1978 Renault-Alpine A442B that was entered by Renault themselves. For the first time in the event's history, the participants were treated to variable weather conditions, that ranged from a thunderstorm to very bright spells. In addition to the races, the weekend also featured a 9-million Euro auction and a visit complete with a demonstration run from the usually very private Ferrari 250 GTO Tour.
Having attended the first five Le Mans Classics, we were back at the Circuit de la Sarthe for the third time in one month. Despite the difficult weather and faced with two reluctant cameras, we have managed to produce our most comprehensive Le Mans Classic coverage yet. Our class-by-class report is illustrated by an action-packed, 300-shot gallery.
In the coming days and weeks, you can expect detailed features on some of the great cars that starred at this year's Le Mans Classic.

This weekend the Circuit de la Sarthe will be the host of the sixth biennial Le Mans Classic. One of the off-track highlights promises to be the Articurial Motorcars auction. Included in the sale is the entire Heuliez collection, which not only features many unique concept cars but also the WM P88 Peugeot. Originally sponsored by Heuliez, this 1988 Group C racer holds the distinction of clocking the fastest time ever at Le Mans. Driven by Robert Dorchy, it was officially timed at 405 km/h on the Saturday evening of the 1988 race. We have taken a closer look at this fascinating machine, which will most likely be the record holder for many years to come due to the installation of two chicanes in the long straight. Among the other stars of the sale with a Le Mans history are an Audi R10 TDI, a Saleen S7R and a Peugeot Evo 1 Bis.
There will be even more interesting machines out on track during the weekend, ranging from several Ferrari 512s, to the unique Jaguar E2A and one of three Porsche 936 works cars. Early next week you will of course be treated to an in-depth, and well illustrated report from the event and the auction.
Earlier this week McLaren released the full details of the McLaren MP4-12C Spider, which will be the second model of the British manufacturer's recently launched road-car line up. Thanks to the 'MonoCell' carbon fibre monocoque chassis, no additionally reinforcements were needed to make up for the removal of the roof. Like its closest rival, the Ferrari 458 Spider, the new open top McLaren boasts a foldable metal roof. Compared to the coupe, virtually no weight was added so the MP4-12C Spider offers very similar performance figures with the added benefit of open motoring.

This weekend Lord March opened his fabulous Goodwood estate for the 20th Festival of Speed. Each year the unique event attracts some of the world's most evocative machine, this time ranging from a 1903 Mercedes 60hp to the latest production cars still wearing camouflage. The 2012 theme was 'Young Guns, Born to Win' and Lotus was the featured marque, honoured with a spectacular statue in front of Goodwood House. Additionally over 40 historic Lotus competition cars were gathered to mark the 60th anniversary of the British manufacturer. Other celebrations included 30 years of Group C and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Also grabbing headlines was Bonhams' annual Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale. Highly anticipated, the seven-hour auction had a total result of GBP 22 million, setting a new record for a British car sold at auction in the process.
Our eye was nevertheless firmly on the hill where many evocative and rarely-seen machines were seen in action for three days, often re-united with their original drivers. Some of the many highlights included the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix winning Eagle Mk1 Weslake, the wild Ford Zakspeed Capri Gr. 5 and the oldest Mercedes-Benz 300 SL in existence, which was freshly restored by Mercedes-Benz. We braved the typical weather to capture the event in its entirety. The result is this concise report, illustrated by a mouth-watering 350-shot gallery. As always, more detailed features on the fabulous machines in action during this year's Festival of Speed will follow in the coming weeks and months.