In what is a busy end to the highly unusual 2020 auction season, RM Sotheby's is currently staging their annual London Sale. Due to the ever stricter travel restrictions, it is being held online-only and bidding on the lots will close on October, 31st.
Among the many great cars consigned are three high-performance Porsches. The newest is this lightweight 911 Turbo S 'Leichtbau'. It is one of just 86 built and was recently completely restored. Rarer still and even more valuable is the 911 Carrera RS 3.0. It is the only known example to have been fitted with a sliding roof from new and was owned for some time by the son of the late Mark Donohue. Offered from a single ownership since 2004, chassis 911 460 9079 is expected to sell for close to GBP 1 million. The rarest of the trio is this 356 Carrera GS Speedster. It is understood to be one of just 15 'Pre-A' 356 Speedsters with the high-performance, twin-cam Carrera engine. The Carrera Speedster should find a new owner for well over GBP 1 million.
Other consignments include one of just seven RUF CTR 3 Clubsports. The ex-Geneva Motor Show car is consigned by its first private owner. Also a former Motor Show car is this Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo 2. It was originally retained by Fiat for promotional purposes and was later sold to a wealthy banker as a present for his daughter.

With the Bolide revealed today, Bugatti have offered a glimpse of what a track-only car produced by the manufacturer could look like. It represents the ultimate development of the W16-powered supercars produced during the last fifteen years. Running on high-octane, racing fuel, the quad-turbo engine is expected to produce a staggering 1,850 hp. Combined with a dry weight of just 1,250 kg, this could enable the strikingly styled machine to lap the Le Mans circuit in 3:07 minutes; a time close to ten seconds faster than this year's pole position time. For now only renders of the Bolide are shown and the press release states that it is not certain that the car will actually be produced. Earlier this week, however, pictures of a camouflaged example testing at Paul Ricard appeared online, which suggests that it is not a matter of 'if' but rather 'when' the Bolide will be produced.
Definitely ready to go and on sale right now is the Donkervoort D8 GTO-JD70 R. Like the Bolide, it is a track-only machine. It is based on the limited production model that celebrates the 70th birthday of company founder Joop Donkervoort. It is powered by an Audi sourced five cylinder turbo engine, good for 415 bhp. It is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox and mounted in a package that weighs just 725 kg. As a result, the JD70 R can accelerate to 100 km/h in just 2.7 seconds.

Bidding for Gooding & Company's second online-only Geared Online auction will open today and will run through to October 31st. Headlining the sale is this superb Maserati A6G/54 2000 Frua Spider. It was the first of nine A6G/54 chassis fitted with the striking Frua body work, and has been owned by a major American Maserati collector since 1999. Beautifully restored, chassis 2180 is estimated to sell for over $2 million.
Also part of the same stable for over two decades is this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe. It had originally been sold to the United States and was restored during the late 1990s by specialist Jerry Hjeltness. Rarely used since, the 300 SL should change hands for in excess of $1 million.
Powered by a similar direct-injection, straight-six engine is this Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Cabriolet that has also been consigned to the sale. It has benefitted from a recent 1,800-hour restoration and comes complete with a set of fitted luggage. The 300 Sc has a pre-sale estimate of $750,000 - $950,000.

The curtailed Peter Auto season concluded last week with the Estoril Classics. It was the first time in nearly a decade that the French organisers staged an event at the undulating Portuguese circuit that is best known for hosting the Portuguese Grand Prix between 1984 and 1996. Unfortunately, the the global public health issues saw the travel restrictions in Europe increase in the weeks before the Estoril Classics, which prompted many competitors to withdraw even on the very last day. Although somewhat light on entrants, the event still featured an action packed schedule with a range of sports car, Grand Prix and touring car races. With a beautifully laid out paddock and a stellar backdrop, the track itself was also one of the stars of the event.
Sadly, the public health situation also prevented spectators from joining the fun. We were on the ground, however, and have captured all the highlights in this 150-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate our concise report.

During this weekend's Goodwood Speedweek, Bonhams held a well-stocked auction. The results were a sign of the times in the sale topped by this Ferrari 330 GTS. The 38th of 99 built, it was delivered new to Italy but spent most of its life in North America. At some point the original blue exterior finish was replaced by the red it still wears to this day. The only car to breach the million Pound mark, chassis 10113 found a new owner for just under GBP 1.3 million.
Whereas the Bonhams sale allowed for limited viewing, Gooding will stage the second online-only Geared Online auction at the end of the month. Among the early consignments are a pair of very 1970s Italian supercars, which were both penned by Marcello Gandini. First up is this Lamborghini Countach, which was one of two delivered new to Saudi Arabia. During its life, it was painted black but fortunately it is now back to its original blue metallic. Gooding estimate it will take close to $1 million for the very early and clean Countach to find a new owner.
At $350,000 - $450,000, this Lancia Stratos HF Stradale should be somewhat more affordable. Apart from a re-spray, this Ferrari-engined marvel has survived in highly original condition. The relatively modest estimate is a reflection of the fact that the Stratos will require a substantial mechanical rebuild to be fully functional once more.

A few months after launching the GTI, Volkswagen have now revealed the Golf GTI Clubsport. It is powered by a reworked version of the familiar turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which now produces just shy of 300 bhp. This power is transferred to the front wheels through the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox. The Clubsport also has a further refined drivetrain that has been honed on the Nürburgring.
BMW have re-introduced the 'ti' or Turismo Internazionale badge for the 128ti. This hot hatch is fitted with a two-litre engine that is good for 261 bhp. It also features re-tuned suspension and special cosmetic options.
The Bentley Flying Spur range has been expanded with a new 'entry-level' V8 version. With 542 bhp on tap, the twin-turbo V8 still provides sufficient power to get the big Bentley going. An added advantage is that the Flying Spur V8 is a full 100 kg lighter than the W12-powered model.

The busy auction season continues this weekend with the first ever Bonhams Goodwood Speedweek Sale. Among the many interesting cars consigned is this Ferrari F40 that was delivered to a Milan-based industrialist. In 2012, it moved to the United Kingdom and at the time of consigning, chassis 88446 had less than 18,000 miles on the odometer.
This lovely BMW 503 Cabriolet is one of three right-hand drive examples built and is offered by the estate of its second owner; the legendary John Surtees. He acquired the car in the late 1980s and personally restored to a standard he found acceptable.
Still in as-new condition is this RUF CTR 3. It is one of seven built to Clubsport specification, and was delivered new to Singapore in 2013. Since then, it has been placed in storage and has covered less than 50 miles.
This weekend, Bonhams staged sales on both sides of the Atlantic, and the results are in from the Zoute and Philadelphia Simeone Automotive Museum sales.
Last week, McLaren offered a first glimpse of things to come with teaser pictures of the upcoming HPH Supercar, which is due to replace the 570S model in the range. The HPH is short of High-Performance Hybrid and refers to the drivetrain powering the all-new model. This consists of a V6 internal combustion engine, which is combined with an electric hybrid system. Available from 2021, it will be McLaren's first regular production hybrid model.

October promises to be a very busy month for auctions with the major companies hosting sales on both sides of the Atlantic. This weekend, it is up to Bonhams with the annual Simeone Automotive Museum auction in Philadelphia and the Zoute Sale in Belgium.
One of the more interesting cars due to cross the block in the Simeone museum is this rare Ford Mustang Boss 429. A true homologation special, it was mainly conceived to allow the new 'semi-hemi' big block engine to be used in the NASCAR series. The cars were assembled in the same Kar Kraft facility where the Le Mans winning GT40s had also been prepared. Available for just two years, the Boss 429 ranks among the most sought after of all none-Shelby Mustangs.
The star car of the Zoute sale is this BMW 507 Roadster, which had originally been delivered new to a Greek prince. It remained in the country for three decades before it was finally repatriated by the current custodian. Following a complete restoration, he has used the 507 Roadster extensively, adding a further 55,000 km to the tally.
Later this month, Gooding & Company will hold their second Geared Online sale of this year. Among the early consignments of this online-only, time based auction is this Ferrari 250 GT Lusso. It has been freshly restored but has not been shown at any event yet.

The curtailed 2020 historic motor racing continued last week with the Monza Historic. Part of the three-race Peter Auto Series, the event featured all the familiar grids. The high speed Monza circuit provided an appropriate back-drop for the Monza Historic. The event saw cars take to the track ranging from the early 1950s through to the late 2000s. Despite the ongoing uncertain situation and travel restrictions, there were strong grids throughout. Among the most interesting cars racing at Monza were a Porsche 917 K, a Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello and the very first Porsche 956 customer car.
Sadly, the event was held behind closed doors due the COVID-19 pandemic but we were on hand to capture the event in full detail. The results are this 190-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate a concise report.
Next up is the Estoril Classic, which will conclude the Peter Auto season in Portugal next week.