At first glance, it may have looked like 'just another' 250 GT SWB but this Ferrari 250 GT on display at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este was actually one of just seven Interim Berlinettas produced. Built during the summer of 1959, these rare machines combined the existing long wheelbase 250 GT chassis with the Pinin Farina design that was due to be used on the upcoming SWB. Even though its competitive career lasted but a few months, the Interim Berlinetta was quite successful, with an outright win in the 1959 Tour de France as the absolute highlight. With the addition of the example on show at Villa d'Este, our 52-shot gallery now includes five of the seven examples built.
Understandably grabbing a lot of attention at Villa d'Este was one of the four Ferrari 250 GTO Pininfarina Coupes, which reportedly changed hands most recently for over $42 million. The chassis displayed was one of four 1962/3 vintage models converted to the 1964 body style also used for the last three GTOs built. Among its owners were Jim Hall, David Piper, Harley Cluxton and the Matsuda Collection and it has also benefited from a complete restoration by Ferrari Classiche. Along with its sister cars, chassis 4675GT is shown in great detail in our 66-shot gallery.
Altogether more inconspicuous was the Ferrari 195 Inter Ghia Coupe. Originally shown at the 1950 Turin Motor Show, it was among the very first Ferraris built. One of just six built, the chassis on display is only very rarely seen in public.
South Korea's largest manufacturer, Hyundai, used the local Busan Motor Show to reveal the Veloster Midship show car. Powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged engine, it is sadly due to remain a design study.

It has become a bit of a tradition that Zagato each year brings something new to the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. This year was no exception as the Milan-based carrozzeria revealed the Lamborghini 5-95. Built for Swiss collector Albert Spiess, the striking machine is based on the range topping Gallardo Superleggera. At Zagato, it was fitted with a brand new carbon-fibre body; only the windshield was carried over from the production car. While the Lamborghini 5-95 was built to custom order, Zagato expect to build a further four or five examples.
It was a great weekend all-round for Mr Spiess as his Maserati 450S was chosen by the Jury as best in show. His example, chassis 4502, was the first one sold to a customer and has had a very colourful past. Today, it is one of the most original examples of the V8-engined Maserati in existence.
Collecting even more silverware was Corrado Lopresto's Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Aprile Spider Corsa. This unique machine started life as a Zagato Spider but was later re-bodied by little known coachbuilder Aprile with a cycle-fender body clearly inspired by the Alfetta Grand Prix racers of the day. Among the trophies won by the Aprile Spider Corsa was the coveted 'Coppa d'Oro' for best of show by public referendum.
Another show car launched at Villa d'Este was the MINI Superleggera Vision. Styled by Touring Superleggera, it represents a very fresh take on the MINI design language. Sadly, a production version is most likely not on the books.
Although hardly a surprise, Nissan confirmed late last week that it will compete at Le Mans next in the LMP1 class with the purpose-built GT-R LM Nismo. With the design still being finalised, the Japanese manufacturer only released a teaser shot of the machine that will have to take on Audi, Porsche and Toyota.

Over the weekend, the beautiful garden of the Hotel Villa d'Este on the shore of Lake Como in Italy, hosted the 2014 edition of the annual Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. Once again organised under the auspices of the BMW Group, this year's event was held under clear blue skies. These were matched only by the quality of the very diverse field of cars entered in the 2014 Concorso d'Eleganza. Spread over nine classes, the entries ranged from a very early Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, to an early 1970s Zagato bodied Fiat complete with the original eight-track player and tapes, to one of the ridiculously valuable Ferrari 250 GTOs. The quality was such that it was hard to predict the winner and this was certainly reflected by the very different but equally deserving choices made by the public and the jury for the respective best of show awards.
Enjoying the sunny conditions, our reporters roamed the grounds of the Villa d'Este hotel for the best stories and pictures of this year's event. The result is a detailed class-by-class report, illustrated by a 190-shot gallery, which includes every car entered in the 2014 Concorso d'Eleganza.
Our bounty was much bigger than presented today and the report will be followed up by many detailed features on the individual cars.

Although not as loud as the Mazda or as quick as the Saubers, one of the most significant cars in the Group C race at Spa was the Intrepid RM-1 Chevrolet. It was one of the very last GTP cars produced and as such had the most optimised ground-effect aerodynamics, which produced five times the car's own weight in downforce at terminal velocity. In the end, the car only won one race but its significance is visible to this day; it was designed by Bob Riley and formed the basis for the Riley & Scott prototype racers of the 1990s and it was produced by Pratt & Miller, who are today best known for running the Corvette works effort. Our detailed article about this V8-engined machine is illustrated by a 26-shot gallery, which not only includes images of the example we saw at Spa this week but also of a sister car we captured there ten years ago!
At the upcoming 'GTI Treffen' at the Worthersee, Seat will showcase this one-off Ibiza Cupster. Based on the Ibiza Cupra, it has no roof and boasts a cut-down windscreen. Also significantly wider than the production model it is based on, the Cupster does carry over the 180 hp engine and DSG gearbox from the Ibiza Cupra.

Under lovely blue skies, the legendary Spa-Francorchamps hosted the fourth annual Spa Classic this weekend. The event's schedule was jam-packed and on Saturday the racing actually ran into the night. All of organiser Peter Auto's familiar grids were represented, including the Classic Endurance Racing, Sixties' Endurance Racing and Trofeo Nastro Rosso. Complementing these well stocked fields, were races for Historic Formula 2 and Group C cars. The latter had a particularly sparkling grid with two Sauber-Mercedes C11s, a howling Mazda 767B and an Intrepid to name just a few highlights. Clubs also took centre stage, filling all available space in the paddock, while the cars were also invited onto the track during the breaks. British auctioneer Bonhams held an auction during the Spa Classic for the second time, which was topped by the Ferrari 308 GTB Group B we featured last week, selling for just over EUR 600,000.
Enjoying the very uncharacteristic sunshine, our photographers were at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit throughout the weekend. The result is a detailed report, illustrated by a mouthwatering 290-shot gallery.

This morning we had a rude awakening when we learnt of the death of racing legend Sir Jack Brabham at the age of 88. He won three World Championships, the last in a car bearing his own name; still the only driver to do so. We already planned to feature a Brabham today but not under these sad circumstances. The Brabham in question is the BT45 Alfa Romeo, which was actually built after Brabham sold his team to Bernie Ecclestone. Designed by Gordon Murray and powered by a howling flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine, it was quick but also very thirsty. It was raced during the 1976 and 1977 seasons, with limited success. One of the surviving cars was raced by a member of the Rossi family at the recent Monaco Historic Grand Prix, while Alfa Romeo's own car was displayed at the The Louwman Museum as part of a temporary Martini display, which prompted us to feature the car. The result is this 31-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate our detailed article.
A contemporary of Jack Brabham, who also built cars under his own name, is Dan Gurney. The very first of these was the achingly beautiful Eagle Mark 1. The Weslake V12-powered V12 version is best known today but this was preceded by the featured Climax-engined example, which is the very first Gurney Eagle built. It was raced by Gurney in anticipation of the purpose-built V12. Having survived in highly original condition, Eagle chassis 101 was one of the other stars of the recent Monaco Historic Grand Prix.

At the annual Volkswagen Group meet at the Worthersee later this month, Audi will showcase this very wild A3 clubsport quattro concept. The one-off machine is based on the S3 Sedan with the familiar four-cylinder replaced by the more potent five-cylinder turbo engine that is normally found in the RS Q3. It has been further tweaked to produce a staggering 525 hp in a car that only weighs just over 1,500 kg. Whether a production version will follow is uncertain but the A3 clubsport quattro concept does include all the ingredients a potential new RS 3 would need.
Renault Sport have once again worked their magic on the Megane and squeezed a further 10 hp out of the turbocharged four-cylinder engine to create the Megane R.S. 275 Trophy. Limited to just 200 examples, this very hot hatch can also be fitted with optional adjustable Ohlins suspension. On the inside, the Megane R.S. 275 Trophy features Recaro Alcantara leather seats, while some of the new exterior features include a carbon fibre Akrapovic exhaust.
Leading Mercedes-Benz 'enhancer' Brabus have worked their magic on the latest E 63 AMG with this 850 6.0 Biturbo as the result. As the name suggests, it boasts an enlarged version of the 5.5 litre twin turbo V8 featured in the 'standard' model. This lifted the performance to a formidable 850 hp and tarmac shredding 1,450 Nm of torque. Brabus offers the 850 6.0 Biturbo as a complete car but can also convert an existing E 63 AMG.

Two weeks before this year's Formula 1 race, the streets of Monaco once again hosted the biennial Historic Grand Prix. First held in 1997, the event celebrates the very rich history of this very unique race. Spread over seven grids, this year's edition included cars ranging from late 1920s Bugattis to the Cosworth DFV-engined Formula 1 cars of the 1970s. Among the many interesting machines were the flat-12 engined Ferrari 1512 F1 and Brabham BT45, a beautifully preserved ex-works Bugatti Type 35C and the ex-Jimmy Clark, seven-Grand Prix winning Lotus 25 Climax. Most of these were raced at the very limit on the unforgiving circuit, making for quite a spectacle. In addition to the on-track action, Monaco was also the scene of a very successfully RM Auctions sale. Headlined by a EUR 5.7 million Ferrari 275 GTB/C, the sale total was a record breaking EUR 41.3 million.
Our reporters were in Monaco throughout the weekend and have returned with a comprehensive report, illustrated by a class-by-class 270-shot gallery.

Longtime Ferrari competition partner Michelotto's first major foray with the Italian manufacturer was the conversion of the 308 GTB into a Group 4 rally car. It was quite successful and so not surprisingly customers asked the specialist company to follow up with a 308 GTB that complied with the new Group B regulations. Only four examples of this relatively standard machine were constructed based on existing fibreglass bodied 308 GTB road cars. Although rarely seen in international rallies, the Group B 308 GTB proved very useful in national events, winning the Sicilian and Spanish rally championships. Of the four examples we captured one at the two most recent Tour Autos, while a sister car will be offered at auction by Bonhams at this weekend's Spa Classic sale. Both are featured in our 28-shot gallery.
Audi will debut all-new laser high beam headlights at the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans and to mark the occasion will also produce the limited edition R8 LMX road car. Powered by a 560 hp version of the familiar V10 engine, it also features the laser high beam lights that will be used at Le Mans. Just 99 examples will be produced and in Germany the Audi R8 LMX has a price tag of EUR 210,000.
This weekend, we roamed around Monaco for the biennial Historic Grand Prix and are now hard at work to create an all encompassing report and gallery. It should be ready on Wednesday, so keep an eye on the Ultimatecarpage.com main page.

One of the star attractions of this weekend's Monaco Historic Grand Prix will be the biennial RM Auctions sale, which boasts a star-studded line-up. A few weeks ago, we already highlighted the Maserati 450S and Ferrari 275 GTB/C and now we have taken another look through the lot list for some of the most interesting machines.
Dubbed the 'most famous Group C car that never raced at Le Mans', the Mirage M12 Cosworth was actually qualified for Le Mans in 1982 and due to be driven by father and son Mario and Michael Andretti but disqualified from the grid. For the full story, take a look at the detailed history of this remarkable machine. Another Group C car due to cross the block is the fourth of five Aston Martin AMR1s built in 1989. We captured the consigned car last year at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion with Brian Redman at the wheel.
Probably never seen in public in Europe in its current guise is this Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder Speciale. It started life as one of the beautiful 206 S Dino Spyder competition cars but then went on to be re-bodied with a more modern body in 1972. Since 1976, chassis 028 has been in American ownership but it could now remain in Europe. Another re-bodied Ferrari in the auction is one of the six 575 GTZs, which was commissioned by the vendor.
Considering the location, it is hardly surprising that several F1 cars have been consigned. Among them is the very first Hesketh 308 Cosworth raced by future World Champion James Hunt in 1974.
BMW, meanwhile, have released the BMW M5 30th Anniversary. Celebrating three decades of the high performance sedan, BMW's Motorsport has fitted a 600 hp version of the current generation's twin-turbo V8. Just 300 examples of the '30 Jahre M5' will be available worldwide.

At last week's Mugello Classic our eye was particularly caught by three distinct sports cars, all powered by a high revving three-litre V8 engine. The earliest of these was this lovely Alfa Romeo T33/3 Spider, which is still sports the original long tail body used by the works team in 1969 and 1970. Although the histories of these Alfa Romeo racers is notoriously difficult to chase, the featured example is understood to have been raced at the Targa Florio and Le Mans by Nanni Galli. The Italian racer was reunited with 'his' T33/3 Spider at Mugello and he did not look like he had lost much of his speed.
An altogether different machine is the Ligier JS2 Cosworth, which was only recently acquired by the current owner. Our article includes both surviving examples of three cars built, and the car active in Mugello was the one that won the Tour de France in 1974 and also finished second at Le Mans a year later.
Quickest of all sports cars out on track in Italy was the Lola T282 Cosworth shared by Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield. It was the unique machine's first Classic Endurance Racing outing and Hadfield immediately qualified it on pole. Looking particularly striking in it original Gitanes, we had also captured the T282 in its earlier ownership at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
All three cars should be in action again later this year at events like the upcoming Spa Classic and also the Le Mans Classic in July.

One of the most famous monikers in Porsche history is Carrera RS, which was first introduced in road and RSR competition trim in 1973. During that first year, the 911 Carrera RSR was raced by the Porsche works team in Martini colours. We already featured two of these last years and have now added a third, which we captured during the recent Tour Auto and the Mugello Classic. Recently restored, this was the actual prototype used to homologate both the RS road car and the RSR racer. It was only recently discovered that it was later also used in the 1973 Targa Florio where it placed third behind a victorious sister car. The newly added 911 Carrera RSR was described to us by Jurgen Barth as the quickest 2.8-litre engined RSR in the world.
Today, round of the FIA World Endurance Championship will kick off at Spa Francorchamps. A new addition to the field this weekend will be the striking Rebellion R-One Toyota. The only privateer effort in the LMP1 class, it is powered by a revised version of Toyota's RV8KLM engine.
British specialist manufacturer Trident have introduced the Iceni Magna this week, which is a fastback version of the diesel engine Iceni. In 'base' trim, the car boasts a 395 bhp diesel V8 and a range of 2,000 miles. As a GBP 30,000 option, the Iceni Magna can be equipped with a 660 bhp version of the V8.
McLaren Special Operations (MSO) showcased their abilities in China with the bespoke MSO 650S Coupe Concept. It was first shown in Beijing and will now be flown around the country for a small tour.