Californian auctioneer Gooding & Co. will return to the Hampton Court Palace for the annual London Auction. Headlining the sale are four formidable Bugattis consigned from the collection of Dutch enthusiast Jack Braam Ruben. Our absolute favourite is this beautifully preserved Type 43A Roadster. The Type 43 was a thinly disguised Grand Prix car for the road and the first production sports car with a genuine 100 mph top speed. Of the rarer still Type 43A only 19 were built and chassis 43309 is the most original of the ten survivors. Among the previous custodians were many distinguished collectors and a Type 43A is only very rarely offered for sale. The pre-sale estimate is accordingly set at £3,000,000 - 4,000,000.
Also due to cross the block are a trio of fascinating Type 57s. The earliest is this Type 57 Stelvio Drophead Coupe, which has also survived in highly original condition. Before Braam Ruben acquired 57181 in 2021, it had been in single family ownership since 1967. Another distinct Type 57 is this Atalante Coupe, which has benefitted from a comprehensive restoration to its original colours since joining the collection in 2019. Like the Type 43A, it should sell for over £3 million. The Type 57 Ventoux on offer holds the distinction of being the last new Bugatti sold in the United Kingdom. Another highly original survivor, 57724 should be slightly more affordable judging from its £550,000 - 650,000 pre-sale estimate.

The second half of our season will kick off next week with the annual Dix Mille Tours. Hosted by the unique Paul Ricard circuit, it was one of the first stand alone events by Peter Auto and has been a set fixture for over a decade. To get you in the mood, we have highlighted four great cars that are entered to race in the Dix Mille Tours. Leading the way in the Endurance Racing Legends 1 is this Audi R8, which will be campaigned by a hugely successful French gentleman racer and collector. The car itself was only completed after the project had been abandoned using a spare tub and many mechanical components used in period including a Le Mans winning engine. Competing in the same category will be this Saleen S7-R, which was raced extensively in period, first by the Konrad Motorsport team and later by the RAM Racing and ARC Bratislava teams. Now restored to its 2002 Le Mans configuration, we first saw 014R already raced earlier this year at the Spa Classic.
From the 1970s comes this TOJ SS02, which will compete in Classic Endurance Racing 2. Built for the popular European 2-Litre Championship, it is the second sports car built by the Jörg Obermoser run effort. Liveried in the iconic Warsteiner colours, it was campaigned in period by Australian Dave Walker, who finished third at the Hockenheimring.
Another fascinating car due to compete at Paul Ricard is this Porsche 906 entered in the CER1 class. It was built in period by the Scuderia Brescia team using a factory frame and components for an Italian customer. Raced extensively in period, chassis 906-B01 is a veteran of four Targa Florios.
Tickets for the event are still available on the Peter Auto website, including the option for a grid walk on Saturday and Sunday.

History was made this weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance when this Bugatti Type 59 was named 'Best of Show.' It was the very first time an unrestored, preserved car won the coveted award. Based on a works Grand Prix car, this particular Type 59 was fitted with a sports car body and sold to King Leopold of Belgium. Throughout its 90-year history, it has benefitted from very diligent custodians and accordingly, it has been beautifully preserved.
Also making headlines on the Monterey Peninsula were the various auctions. The three-day RM Sotheby's sale topped the charts with well over $150 million worth of cars changing hands. Selling for $17 million, the very first Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder was the most expensive of all cars sold during the Monterey car week. Also noteworthy was the sale of this Ferrari F50, which set a new world record at $5.5 million.
Mercedes-Benz celebrated the company's 130-year involvement in motorsport with special Mercedes-AMG GT3. The limited-production model is an unrestricted version of the GT3 racer, which serves as a final send-off for the successful competition car. As such it is the last of the line of naturally aspirated Mercedes competition cars. Only 13 examples of the GT3 Edition 130Y Motorsport will be built.

It has been news-packed couple of days on the Monterey Peninsula with many high-profile new-car launches. Among them was the introduction of the all-new Lamborghini Temerario, which will replace the Huracan as the 'baby Lambo'. Gone is the V10 engine, which is replaced by a high-revving twin-turbo V8 engine. complemented by three electric motors. The system output is an impressive 908 bhp. The compact Temerario features a clean exterior and interior design.
Another highly anticipated car to break cover is the BMW M5 Touring, which will be available in the United States as well. It shares the hybrid drivetrain with the sedan, which was launched a month ago.
Maserati revealed a road-going version of the MC20 GT2 racer, which is appropriately dubbed the GT2 Stradale. It combines a performance oriented chassis with a slightly more powerful version of the twin-turbo V6 of the MC20 road car.
In addition to the new regular production cars, there were also niche manufacturers that took centre stage. Touring Superleggera unveiled the Veloce12, which is a comprehensively enhanced Ferrari 550 Maranello. For €690,000 and a donor car, Touring Superleggera will fit all-new body panels, a fresh interior and a tuned engine and a bespoke exhaust system. To complete each of the 30 Veloce12s requires over 5,000 man-hours.
Strictly a one-off is this Automobili Pininfarina Battista Targamerica. As the name suggests, it is a targa version of the Battista built specifically for an American customer.

As part of the Monterey car week, Bonhams will stage the annual Quail Lodge Auction on Friday. A particularly fascinating consignment is this BMW 507 Roadster, which has been consigned from a single ownership of over 60 years. It was delivered new through the Venezuelan distributor and was then acquired by the current enthusiast custodian in 1961. It was used extensively on the road but still retains its original, matching numbers engine. Emerging from a ten-year spell in climate controlled storage, 70082 has a pre-sale estimate of $1.8 - $2.5 million.
Also boasting an interesting backstory is this Porsche 959, which is one of six built five years after 959 construction had officially ended. Mechanically similar to the final regular production cars, it was commissioned by a Far East enthusiast. In more recent years, it was owned by noted collectors like Peter Livanos and Juan Barazi. Regularly used and fastidiously maintained, the second-to-last 959 should also sell for over $1.5 million.
Hardly used at all is this Ford GT Mk II, which is serial number 44 of 45 track-only versions of the GT built. It was finished in a custom colour scheme and treated to ceramic PPF paint-protection. Now offered with only 40.4 miles on the odometer, it is estimated to sell for $1 - $1.5 million.

At the upcoming Monterey Car Week, it is not just classic cars that will take centre stage. Among the brand new cars due to be revealed on the peninsula is this Nilu27 Nilu Hypercar. Powered by a glorious naturally aspirated V12, it is the brainchild of Sasha Selipanov, who had previously designed cars for Koenigsegg and Lamborghini. The striking machine is built around a carbon-fibre composite monocoque and boasts a 6.5-litre engine built by specialists Hartley Engines in New Zealand. Capable of revving up to 12,000 rpm, the V12 is a sight to behold with the exhaust mounted inside the V like the great Ferrari Grand Prix cars of the late 1960s. Production is limited, and the first 15 Nilu Hypercars will be assembled in California to track-only specification. A further 54 cars are due to be constructed in a purpose built facility in Europe.
Another hypercar due to break cover in Monterey is the Batman-inspired Automobili Pininfarina B95 Gotham. It has been custom-built for a customer that is a big fan of the DC Comics super hero.
Also on display during the week will be the Honda HP-X, which was originally unveiled 40 years ago at the Turin Motor Show. Penned by Pininfarina, and powered by a Formula 2 V6 engine, it was the very first Honda concept car. To mark the 40th anniversary of the launch, the HP-X was sympathetically restored by Pininfarina and will be shown in the United States for the first time.
Celebrating 40 years of engineering excellence is RML. For the occasion, four new projects were announced, this includes the P39, which is a Porsche-based track-only hypercar. AC Cars, meanwhile, announced the Cobra GT Coupe, which will be the first fixed-head production car produced by AC.

Next week, the Monterey Jet Center will host the annual Broad Arrow Auctions sale. The two-day auction is headlined by this rare Porsche 911 GT1, which was raced with great success by its successive owners. Originally owned by Roock Racing, it was entered at Le Mans in 1997 and then raced by Rohr Racing in the United States. Later owned by the late Matt Drendel, chassis 993-GT1-108 has been in the same collection for over a decade and is now expected to sell for over $8.5 million.
Another hugely successful Porsche on offer at the Jet Center is this 904 Carrera GTS. It was sold new to Spanish racer Juan Fernandez, who scored numerous hill climb victories with the car, earning him the nick-name King of the Mountains. Following a recent spell back in Spanish hands, 904-057 still boasts its original chassis, fibreglass bodywork and engine and has a $2.2 - $2.5 million estimate.
Another matching numbers sports racer due to cross the block, is this Maserati 200S. It was raced in the very last Mille Miglia and later also proved successful in road races and hill climbs. Chassis 2415 was raced well into the 1960s and has been owned by several prominent collectors. Consigned from a lengthy single ownership, the four-cylinder Maserati should find a new custodian for well over $3 million.

Ahead of the official launch during the Monterey car week, Pagani revealed the Roadster version of the Utopia. Although equipped with a removable hard-top, the Roadster is no heavier than the Coupe. Like the hard-top version, it is powered by an AMG-sourced V12 engine good for 851 bhp. This is mated to a seven-speed Xtrac gearbox that can be used as a conventional manual. Production will be strictly limited to just 130 examples and the Utopia Roadster starts at €3.1 million excluding local taxes.
The jam-packed catalog of the three-day RM Sotheby's Monterey sale includes some spectacular machinery. Today, we have taken a closer look at a pair of Cobras and an early Porsche sports racer. Literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is presented by this Shelby Cobra 289, which has been owned from new by the late Hank Williams. The War hero and Jazz legend raced the Cobra extensively and continued to use it until his 98th birthday in July of 2022. Now offered by his estate, this is such a unique consignment that RM Sotheby's have not published an estimate for CSX2227.
Another Cobra due to cross the block in Monterey is this 427 S/C, which also has a stellar period race history. Meticulously restored, the rare Semi Competition is offered from a 25-year single ownership and has a $2.75 - $3.25 million estimate.
Among the Porsche offerings is this 550 Spyder. The second-to-last built, it was ordered new by John von Neumann and raced in period by Richie Ginther. It boasts some distinct features and is in excellent running order. Fastidiously maintained, 550-0089 should sell for over $3.75 million.