To headline the upcoming RM Sotheby's Monterey sale, the Anglo-Canadian company has consigned a pair of very striking Ferraris. A fan favourite will no doubt be this F40 LM, which is the 14th of 19 produced by specialists Michelotto. It was sold new to a Swiss enthusiast, who only used for track days and club events. It saw more serious action in the late 2000s, when it was fielded in the Ferrari Maserati Challenge. Never seriously crashed in period and full Ferrari Classiche 'red book' certified, chassis 95448 has a pre-sale estimate of $8.5 - $9.5 million.
A brand new Ferrari on offer is this Daytona SP3 from the 'Icona' series. The original plan was to build 599 examples of this Ferrari 330 P3 inspired supercar but Ferrari decided to produce one more and sell it at the Monterey auction for charity. Unlike the other 599, of which the build slots were already allocated long before the car was officially launched, this Daytona SP3 can be acquired new on the open market. It has been finished by the Ferrari Tailor Made department in a unique two-tone yellow and exposed carbon-fibre colour scheme. It is also upholstered with a new material that uses recycled tyres. Having waved the buyer's premium, RM Sotheby's estimate that serial number 599+1 will sell for in excess of $3.5 million.

Earlier this month we were at the Circuit de la Sarthe for the 12th edition of the Le Mans Classic. The biennial event is one of the absolute highlights on the historic racing calendar and celebrates the rich history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the full 13.6 km track. Shortly before this year's event, it was announced that from 2026 the Le Mans Classic will be annual with alternating periods featured in the even and odd years. The last edition held in its original setup attracted a record crowd of 238,000 spectators. They were treated to virtually non-stop action from Friday morning through to Sunday afternoon. The first two were blisteringly hot and then on the third it was very wet to make the event a true test of man and machine. As always, the event attracted many fascinating cars from the early Alfa Romeo 8Cs to a plethora of Ferraris and no fewer than three Porsche 917 Ks.
We were at the track throughout the weekend and skipped a night of sleep to bring you our concise report and more importantly, a class-by-class, 190-shot gallery of an historic Le Mans Classic.

Toyota and Porsche have both offered a glimpse of future competition cars with the final lines hidden by camouflage. The Japanese manufacturer released very little detail but did showcase the new car as the Toyota GT Concept and the Toyota GT Racing Concept at this months's Goodwood Festival of Speed. It is safe to say that the former is the prototype of the road car that serves to homologate an all-new GT3 racer of which the latter is a preview. No further information was revealed but from what we could tell at Goodwood was that the engine note suggested that it was a V8, for which the quad exhausts on the road car and the sill mounted exhausts on the race car added further proof. The GT3 racer will replace the ageing Lexus RC F GT3 that was first introduced back in 2014.
The latest Porsche competition car is the 992 II generation 911 Cup, which has been extensively tested by the Porsche works drivers over the last months. It is a comprehensive evolution of the 992 generation Cup car of which an impressive 1130 have been produced since 2021. In addition to the mechanical and aerodynamic improvements, the new 911 Cup is the first in several iterations that does not use the GT3 moniker. It has also been designed specifically to run on sustainable and renewable fuels.

For the newly named Gooding Christie's upcoming flagship Pebble Beach Auctions, the California-based auctioneer has consigned a very special trio of sports cars. One of the absolute headliners is this Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione. One of just five third series cars prepared for the 1973 season, it was sold new to Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team. Following an extensive period racing history, it was regularly used in historic events until the current custodian had it meticulously restored. At the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 16407 won the Enzo Ferrari Trophy and it now has a $8 - $10 million pre-sale estimate.
Combining Italian underpinnings with a French body is this Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Figoni Cabriolet. Built on a long wheelbase chassis, it is also fitted with a competition derived 'Monza' radiator surround. Sold new to France, it has since been owned by several major collectors and 2311207 was recently fully restored ahead of an appearance at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Also dressed in a French suit is this Bentley Speed Six Saoutchik Drophead Coupe. Of the 188 Speed Six chassis built, this was the only fitted with a Saoutchik body. It was commissioned by a Californian doctor. Cherished throughout its life by only a handful of owners, SB2769 was restored for the current custodian by marque experts R.C. Moss in the early 2010s.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the McLaren F1 GTR victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Lanzante created the 95-59. Best known for their historic racing efforts and road car conversions, Lanzante was the team that ran the winning McLaren for the Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing team, so the win is also very much part of the British company's history. The limited production 95-59 is based on the McLaren 750S but features a bespoke body and is three-seater like the original McLaren F1. Production is limited to just 59 examples, which are priced at just over GBP 1 million before taxes.
Also revealed at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed was the Lamborghini Temerario GT3. As the name suggests, it is the competition version of the recently Temerario and it replaces the successful Huracan, which won the Spa 24 Hours outright just a few weeks ago. The Temerario GT3 features a detuned twin turbo V8 and is scheduled to debut at the Sebring 12 Hours in March of 2026.
The latest addition to the Pagani line-up is this Huayra Codalunga Speedster. Created by the Pagani Grandi Complicazioni devision, production of this open version of the long tail Huayra is limited to just ten examples. The Huayra Codalunga Speedster combines an 851 bhp version of the familiar twin-turbo V12 engine with the bespoke XTrac transverse seven-speed gearbox.

The latest evolution of the V8-engined Aston Martin sports car has been introduced and is dubbed the Vantage S. As the name suggests, it is a further refined version of the existing S. The twin-turbo V8 engine has received a boost in power and now produces a hefty 670 bhp. The underpinnings have also had work done with emphasis on improving front-end grip. Cosmetic changes also set the Vantage S apart from its predecessors. The order books have opened and the first deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
Last week, Ferrari debuted the Amalfi at a special event for clients, appropriately held at the Amalfi Coast. The latest front-engined +2 model is set to replace the Roma in the Ferrari line-up. It is equipped with a more powerful version of the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 and a fresh design from the head of the Ferrari Styling Centre, Flavio Manzoni. Compared to the Roma, the Amalfi also features improved handling and braking characteristics.
Inspired by models of the past, the Bentley EXP15 offers a glimpse into the future of the British marque. One of the specific cars that inspired the fastback design was the Speed Six 'Blue Train Special'. This car was made famous by a painting of Bentley Boy and owner Woolf Barnato racing this car against the Blue Train from Cannes to London. It was later discovered that he in fact used a different Speed Six for the race but the nick-name stuck to the very striking fastback Gurney Nutting Coupe. Bentley is quick to point out that the EXP15 is not a preview of the upcoming all electric model but some subtle cues will make it on the new car expected in 2026.

As we are gearing up to cover this weekend's Le Mans Classic, it was the right time to look back at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans held a few weeks ago. Hotly disputed as always, the race featured a capacity grid and a record attendance. At the sharp end of the grid, in the Hypercar class, there was the addition of the gloriously sounding Aston Martin Valkyrie but the race turned out to predominantly be a battle between the Ferraris, Porsches and the Cadillacs, which had started from the front row. The LMP2 category has turned into a one model class, which did offer the teams and drivers to perfectly showcase their effectiveness. In In the LMGT3 class, Valentino Rossi was at one point on track to score a popular win with his BMW until technical maladies prompted an early retirement. At the end of the race the winning margin was a mere 14 seconds, which highlights how closely the race was disputed.
Our man trackside during race week was Bob van der Wolf and he returned with this 100-shot gallery that serves to illustrate our concise report.