For the first time in 50 years, Ferrari will return to the premier ranks of sports car racing with a works effort. The car to be used is dubbed the Ferrari 499P and will race in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship. This means that Ferrari will return to Le Mans where it scored nine outright wins between 1949 and 1965. Taking a cue from the Ferrari 312 PB used during the 1973 season, the new Ferrari Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) boasts a striking red with yellow livery. This is applied to an aggressive body that comes complete with a particularly fascinating rear wing. Underneath the carbon-fibre composite body sits a hybrid drivetrain that combines a twin-turbo V6 engine based on the 296 GT3 unit that drives the rear wheels with a front-mounted electric motor. As per the LMH regulations, the maximum combined output is 670 bhp. Ferrari will race the 499P in the FIA WEC in 2023 but it is also eligible to be run in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, so it could race at Daytona and the Sebring 12 Hours from the 2024 season onwards. Ferrari may supply cars to privateers at a later date as well.

Ahead of the launch this weekend of an all-new Ferrari sports racer, we today celebrate Ferrari Friday with a detailed look at three examples from the 1950s. During this period, sports racers were the Italian manufacturers bread and butter and they came with a wide variety of engine configuration and sizes. The most famous of these is undoubtedly the three-litre V12, found in the 250 TR featured today. This particular 'Testa Rossa' was a customer car and sold directly to the United States. It has been in the same British collection for over 50 years and was most recently seen at the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed to celebrate Ferrari's 75th anniversary. Also on hand at both Goodwoods this year was this 857 Sport. Powered by a mighty four-cylinder, this was a works car and competed in a wide variety of events. It ran with different engine sizes before settling on the 3.4-litre beast that is still fitted today. The largest four-cylinder racers available for customers was the three-litre fitted to this 750 Monza. Like the TR, it was sold directly to North America and was originally raced on behalf of its owner by Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby. Hill used the car to win the Del Monte Cup at the 1955 Pebble Beach Road Races. It was subsequently owned by fellow American sports car racing royal Jim Hall for nearly six decades. Still in American hands, 0510M was raced at Monaco and Goodwood this year.

Consigned to the upcoming RM Sotheby's London Sale is the 'Gran Turismo Collection' offered from a single British owner. Among the cars consigned from this stable are three 1990s supercars. The rarest of the trio is this Jaguar XJ220S. One of six built, it was not sold by TWR until 1998 and more recently was part of the Jasbir Dhillon collection. The rare Jaguar is estimated to sell for £850,000 - 1,100,000. The other two are a post-production Ferrari F50 that was commissioned by the royal family of Brunei and one of just 31 EB 110 SS Bugattis built.
Today, Lotus has revealed further details of the upcoming Eletre. The all-electric SUV will come in three versions with the range topping 'R' powered by a pair of motors good for a peak power of 905 hp. All three will boast the same battery pack, so the more powerful model does have a smaller range. The entry-level Eletre is is priced at £89,500 in the United Kingdom.
Shortly after officially launching the new generation GranTurismo, Maserati offered a first glimpse of the drop-top GranCabrio due to join the range in the next months. Like the Coupe, the GranCabrio will be available in an all-electric configuration.

The latest addition to the 992-generation Porsche 911 line-up is this Carrera T. The T is short for Touring, a type name first used in the late 1960s for a more minimalistic and crucially lighter version of the 911. The original 911 T was also cheaper but that is no longer the case for the latest 911 Carrera T. It has the same twin-turbo flat-six engine as the base 911 but is 45 kg lighter, boasts lowered, sports suspension and comes with the seven-speed manual gearbox that is no longer available on the standard 911. The first 911 Carrera Ts should be at the dealers in 2023.
After extensive testing the first all-electric Rolls-Royce, the Spectre, was unveiled earlier this week. The two-door coupe32q follows the familiar design language but features an electric motor instead of the V12 engines used in the rest of the range. Although the specifications still have to be finalised, the press-release mentions a maximum power figure of at least 576 bhp and a range of 520 km for the upcoming Spectre.
With the Performance Edition Audi have added a more poised model to the already impressive RS 3 range. Available both in Sportback and Sedan body-styles, the Performance Edition features a slightly more powerful engine courtesy of increased turbo boost and a refined chassis that uses some trick torque splitter technology. The model is strictly limited to just 300 examples.

During the first weekend of November, RM Sotheby's will host their annual London sale. Among the star consignments is the one-owner Gran Turismo Collection. One of the cars from this formidable stable is this Audi Sport Quattro S1. An ex-works car, it was raced in period by Hannu Mikkola in the 1985 RAC Rally. He held a commanding lead until an engine failure ended the Finnish racer's charge. It was only used a recce car after the engine was repaired and then sold to a prominent Audi collector. Today, 85ZGA905010 is one of just four examples in private hands and could sell for around GBP 2 million.
Today, the Paris Motor Show started and this year the focus really was on French or French owned companies. Among the few new releases was this Renault 4EVER Trophy Concept. This all-electric machine is both a look at the future of Renault and also a tribute to R4 of old. Another all-electric show car to break cover is this Jeep Avenger 4x4 Concept. A production version should arrive shortly in Europe where all Jeep models will be 100% electrified.

Ahead of the official launch in Paris next week, Alpine revealed the first details of the wild Alpenglow concept. Based on a carbon-fibre composite LMP style chassis, it offers a glimpse at the future. It is equipped by a hydrogen powered drivetrain and the exterior design was sculpted around two hydrogen tanks. The Alpenglow is a reference to the Alpine show car's green credentials.
Earlier this week, BWM took the wraps off the highly anticipated G87-generation M2. Powered by a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine, it can be specified with a six-speed manual gearbox and comes with rear-wheel drive only. The engine itself is based on the unit also found in the larger M3 and M4 but detuned to produce 453 bhp. Compared to the previous generation M2, it is considerably heavier. Among the weight-saving options available are carbon-fibre bucket seats and a carbon-fibre roof. Despite adding quite a few pounds, the BMW M2 stands out as the purest of the 'M' models thanks to the manual gearbox and the use of rear-wheel drive only.

As the ultimate test, Porsche fielded the brand new 911 GT3 R at this weekend's VLN race at the Nürburgring. This is a most important new competition car for Porsche as it will be eligible for all the major sports car championships and endurance races from the 2024 season onwards. It is powered by a slightly enlarged version of the GT3 flat-six, which will have a broader usable rev band and is rated at 557 bhp. This figure may change due to the balance of performance measures used to level the playing field. The prototype 911 GT3 R was fielded by the works Manthey Racing team and finished an impressive third overall at its debut.
On the Belgian North Sea coast, Bonhams held their annual Zoute Sale this weekend. Grossing over €24 million, the auction set a new record for a sale in Belgium. The most expensive car to change hands was this BMW 507 Roadster. A very early example, it came equipped with Rudge wheels and the very rare factory hard-top. Among the most recent custodians have been Lukas Hüni and BMW Classic. Chassis 70019 now found a new owner for just over €2 million.
A particularly fascinating car consigned was this Lamborghini Miura P400. One of the last built, it had had just two owners between 1985 and 2022. They could have not be more different as the first cherished the car and regularly used. The other decided to put the car on permanent display from 2005 onwards. As a result, 3769 most likely has a seized engine. It nevertheless far exceeded its relatively modest estimate and sold for €1.1 million. Hopefully, the new owner will right the wrongs done by the vendor.

This weekend we are the fabulous Estoril circuit for the last round of this year's Peter Auto series. It has been a long season but among the many cars that made out to Portugal are the sports racers featured today. First up is this Porsche 908/03, which served as a test and development car in period. It was famously also track tested by Belgian journalist Paul Frere. Stripped down in period, it was eventually rebuilt in North America and 908/03-002 is today part of the stable of a Swiss historic racer, who already campaigned the car earlier this year.
Also raced this year is this lovely MG Lola EX257. Sold new to the Dyson Racing team, this giant killer won three ALMS races outright. Following its extensive racing career, it was rebuilt to its Dyson configuration and colours and chassis 006 was particularly successful at Spa earlier this year.
Audi are bidding farewell to the V10 engine and the current R8 sports car with the R8 V10 GT RWD. Limited to just 333 examples worldwide, it has a further refined chassis and it is also the most powerful rear-wheel drive R8 ever.
Although fully road legal, the newly revealed Alpine A110 R is the French specialist manufacturer's most track focused model yet. It is lighter and has a more aggressive chassis but features the same engine as the A110 S.

Last month we were at the Goodwood Motor Circuit for the first time in three years to capture the 2022 edition of the Revival Meeting. Back at full capacity this year's edition was was a solemn one due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. As can be expected from the Duke of Richmond and his team, the Revival was nevertheless another great spectacle both on and off the race track. We focused on mainly on the on-track action, which was more than enough to keep us busy for three days. This has resulted in a 180-shot gallery that serves to illustrate our concise report.
The Maserati GranTurismo has been comprehensively reworked. Gone is the V8 engine and its place we find the twin-turbo V6 from the MC20 or a fully electric drivetrain. The entry-level Modena version boasts a 489 bhp version of the compact internal combustion engine, which produces a further 60 bhp in the Trofeo. Both versions feature the latest ZF eight-speed gearbox, which drives the rear wheels. The GranTurismo Folgore comes equipped with three electric motors, good for a maximum system output of 751 bhp.
Lamborghini have replaced the 'entry level' Urus with the new Urus S, which brings the 657 bhp, twin-turbo V8 of the recently announced 'Performante' model to the masses.