Anglo-Canadian auctioneers RM Sotheby's have announced further interesting consignments for the upcoming Monaco Auction. One of the absolute headliners is the unique Porsche 917 K/81. The very last 917, this car was built by Kremer Racing to compete at Le Mans in 1981. Based on the original 917 drawings, it featured revised aerodynamics to meet the latest requirements. The 917 K/81 was ultimately raced only twice before it was retired. In full running order, the one-off 917 K/81 has a pre-sale estimate of €3.5 - €5 million.
Another very rare Porsche consigned to the two-day sale is this 356 Carrera 1500 GS Speedster. Believed to be one of just 18 'Pre-A' Carrera Speedsters, this car was sold to the United States where it was extensively raced in period by its first owner. Beautifully restored by marque experts, 81079 should find a new owner for around €850,000 - €950,000.
The latest delivery mileage hypercar due to cross the auction block is this McLaren Elva. Acquired by a German enthusiast with the coveted 001 serial number, it was finished in a unique shade of grey with a black semi-aniline leather interior. Originally sold for €1.5 million, it now is estimated to sell for €1.1 - €1.5 million.

One of the most remarkable cars of the current FIA World Endurance Championship Le Mans Hypercar era has been the Peugeot 9X8. It relied almost exclusively on ground-effect aerodynamics and did not sport a rear wing. Ultimately the original configuration did not prove ideal, partly due to regulation changes during the car's development. All this has now been addressed by the newly introduced 9X8 Evo that will debut at Imola next month. While it shares the chassis with the original 9X8 Hypercar, the changes have been substantial. The most obvious is the addition of a rear wing but the revisions of the aerodynamics package also lead the Peugeot engineers to using narrower front wheels. The Imola 6 Hours marks Peugeot's return to the legendary Italian circuit since scoring a one-two victory back in 2011 so the French manufacturer has high hopes for the 9X8 Evo.
That one-two victory was scored with the second generation Peugeot 908. This program was aborted after just a single season rather drastically ahead of the 2012 Sebring 12 Hours. The Peugeot Sport team was already on the ground when the Peugeot board decided to cease its FIA WEC effort. One of the cars that was in Sebring was 908-06. This was a brand new car readied for the 2012 season but ultimately was never raced. It was eventually sold by Peugeot and has made its competition debut in historic racing. We captured the 908 at last year's Spa Six Hours.

With the Vision Neue Klasse X, BMW have offered another glimpse of the road ahead for the German manufacturer. The sports activity vehicle is due to enter production in 2025. Designed as a battery-electric vehicle from the ground up, it benefits from a long wheelbase with short overhangs. The Vision Neue Klasse X shares its two-box styling with the Neue Klasse also due in 2025 and 300 km in range can be added by charging for just ten minutes.
To mark the occasion of a new BMW show car, we have also taken a look back at two BMW-engined competition cars. First up is the M1 Procar that was raced by Franz Konrad in the Procar series. It was then extensively raced in national and international sports car races through to the end of the 1982 season. Stored for the next two decades, chassis 4301066 has been raced in historic events from the late 2000s and will be back in action next month during the Mugello Classic.
During the 1970s, BMW engines also powered hugely successful Formula 2 racers like this March 782. This particular was raced by an Austrian privateer and also gave a young Jo Gartner a start to his successful racing career. Chassis 782-24 was prepared for historic racing during the 2010s and raced by its Canadian owner in a select number of historic F2 events.

The first event on our agenda is the Mugello Classic scheduled for the first weekend of April. To get you in the mood, we have taken a closer look at this Porsche 962C, which was raced during last year's edition. Originally a works car, it was raced in period by Joest Racing at select events. Acquired directly from Reinhold Joest by the current owner, it is in ultimate, high-downforce configuration. Particularly in the hands of Ralf Kelleners, 962-013 proved blisteringly quick during the 2023 season and will be back in action at Mugello.
A week later, we will be at Goodwood for the annual Members' Meeting. At last year's edition, there was an impressive demonstration of Porsche 911-based competition cars. Among them was this 911 Carrera RSR 3.0. Originally owned by Jean Blaton or 'Beurlys', it was raced at Le Mans four times, finishing second in class and winning its category at the fourth attempt. Chassis 911 460 9072 has survived in remarkably original condition and was raced in historic events before its recent restoration.
Already in the Nissan line-up for 15 years, the GT-R has been gradually improved. The latest incarnation will include this striking T-spec Takumi. It is a cosmetic package only but the latest 565 bhp version of the potent package is still very impressive after 15 years.

With the Taycan Turbo GT, Porsche have introduced the company's most powerful production road car yet. With the optional attack mode engaged, there is a staggering 1,092 bhp available for up to two seconds. This allows the Turbo GT equipped with the Weissach Package to accelerate to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds. Using a pre-production version, Lars Kern used the battery electric Porsche to new lap records at the Nürburgring and Laguna Seca.
The latest plug-in hybrid model from Mercedes-AMG is the E 53 4MATIC+, which is available in Saloon and Estate versions. Combining a turbocharged V6 engine with an electric motor, the latest E 53 has a system output of up to 576 bhp and 750 Nm of torque.
Offering more than a small glimpse of future high-performance battery electric vehicles, Volkswagen revealed images of the ID.3 GTX and ID.7 GTX Tourer. The two performance models feature uprated drivetrains, good for well over 300 bhp. The definitive production versions of the ID.3 GTX and the ID.7 GTX Tourer will follow soon.

For the upcoming Monaco Auction, RM Sotheby's have consigned the formidable racing car collection assembled by 1979 Formula 1 World Champion Jody Scheckter. The absolute headliner is the very Ferrari 312 T4 that the South African used to win the World Championship. He raced the car nine times that year, scoring three victories. Scheckter bought chassis 040 directly from Ferrari in 1982. One of just two 312 T4s that were not updated to T5 specification, this rare Ferrari has a pre-sale estimate of over €5 million.
Scheckter started his successful Grand Prix racing career in this McLaren M19A Cosworth. It was originally allocated to Dennis Hulme and was also raced by the likes of Peter Revson, Mark Donohue and Brian Redman. Later also campaigned in F5000 events, M19A-1 has been restored to its original configuration and livery.
Later in his McLaren tenure, the South African also raced this M23 Cosworth. The second M23 built, this particular car was raced to victory in the 1973 British Grand Prix by Peter Revson. Scheckter himself raced M23-2 twice before it also was converted to F5000. After it was re-acquired by McLaren International, it joined the collection of Scheckter in more recent years. It should find a new custodian for around €2 million.

With the 2024 historic racing season fast approaching, we have today taken a look at three great Ferrari and Maserati competition cars. First up is this Ferrari 333 SP, which was originally sold to the great French privateer Noël del Bello Racing. They did not actually race the car and it was sold to JB Racing instead. Painted in a striking Giesse livery, it was raced successfully, winning a couple of races and the International Sports Racing Series team championship. Among the subsequent owners were Stanislas de Sadeleer and Lawrence Stroll. Now in Swiss hands 023 was demonstrated at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Of slightly later vintage is this Ferrari 360 GT, which was also prepared for racing by Michelotto. It was raced in period by Risi Competizione and finished second overall in the 2003 Daytona 24 Hours. Chassis 2006 is now in Hungarian hands and was campaigned in the Endurance Racing Legends rounds at Mugello and Spa last year.
Starring at the most recent editions of the Goodwood Revival and Monaco Historic Grand Prix was this Maserati 4CLT, which was sold new to future Formula 1 World Champion Giuseppe Farina. The 4CLT is an engineering work of art, sporting a 16-valve four-cylinder engine with eight separate headers. Farina raced 1602 successful and before it was acquired by the current custodian had a single owner for 40 years.

On Saturday, RM Sotheby's will stage their first-ever Dubai auction. It is headlined by the four recent hypercars featured today. The first of the quartet is this Aston Martin Valkyrie, which represents the first time an example of the Adrian Newey-designed machine is offered at auction. This particular example is finished in silver with red accents and has covered a mere 123 km. Also consigned in virtual brand-new condition are the Koenigsegg Agera RS and Lamborghini Centenario Coupe. Having fortunately seen more use is the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss that will cross the block in Dubai. Delivered new to Luxembourg, it competed in the Mercedes-Benz 1000 Miglia Challenge and was more recently sold to the Middle East.
Late last week, Maserati revealed the all-new GranCabrio. Like the GranTurismo, it is powered by the bespoke Maserati turbocharged V6, which produces 541 bhp in Trofeo trim. The striking GranCabrio features a fabric foldaway roof that can be tucked away in a mere 14 seconds.