Williams is among the most successful Formula 1 teams but over time has had its ups and downs. One of those ups was during the mid-1980s when the team fielded the Honda twin-turbo V6 engined FW11. It was a development of the similarly engined FW10, which was the first carbon-fibre composite Williams. The FW11 was raced by Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell during the 1986 season. Together they won nine out of the 16 Grands Prix that year but Mansell missed out on the Drivers' title by two points. Williams did win the Constructors' trophy and in 1987, the FW11B walked away with both titles. At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mansell was reunited with chassis FW11-02, which he drove to three wins in period and is today owned by the Honda Motor Company.
Looking for a new up, the team focused on the new-for-2026 FW48 Mercedes development early during the 2025 season. At first glance, this did not work out well as the team was forced to miss the official shakedown test at Barcelona. The FW48 Mercedes was ready in time for the two Bahrain tests but by that time, the team was forced to play catch-up. The upcoming Australian Grand Prix will tell whether Williams succeeded.
During the late 1990s, BMW called in the help of Williams to build a potential Le Mans winner. The result was this BMW V12 LM, which combines a Williams built chassis with the BMW V12 engine that previously powered the Le Mans winning F1 GTR. While the V12 LM did not win Le Mans, its 1999 successor did. The very first V12 LM was recently restored to its original configuration and shown at the Retromobile show.

As part of the Moda Miami event, RM Sotheby's will stage their annual Miami Sale on Friday. One of the absolute headliners of the auction is this Ford GT40, which was delivered new as a road car. It served some years as a demonstrator and was unlike most of its sister cars, was never modified for (historic) racing. Offered from a single ownership of over a decade, GT40P/1058 should sell for $6.5 - $8 million.
Similarly appraised is this Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder. It was sold new to the United States and fitted with desirable, covered headlights. Chassis 1431GT spent all of its life in the United States and is now offered publicly for the first time in nearly two decades.
A particularly successful competition car due to cross the block is this Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8. Based on the 964-generation 911, this is one of around 50 competition cars built using a naturally aspirated engine. It was sold new to the United States and finished fourth overall in the 1994 Daytona 24 Hours and later won its class at Sebring. Chassis 496081 was raced for several more years and was subsequently restored to its 1994 livery and configuration.

Audi completed the third generation A 5 line-up with the introduction of the RS 5 Sedan and the RS 5 Avant. For the first time, the range-topping model features a hybrid drivetrain. This combines the familiar twin-turbo, 2.9-litre V6 engine with an electric motor that is installed inside the Tiptronic eight-speed gearbox. The internal combustion engine alone is good for 503 bhp and with the full boost of the electric motor, the power increases to an impressive 630 bhp. In good Audi tradition, all this power is sent to all four wheels through the latest incarnation of the quattro system. This uses Dynamic Torque Control, which is the world’s first electro mechanical torque vectoring system in a production car. Compared to the outgoing model, the third generation RS 5 Sedan and RS 5 Avant both feature more aggressive styling cues including the square arches made famous by the Sport Quattro model of the 1980s.
Pre-season Formula 1 is still ongoing, which presented us with an option to take a closer look at the McLaren MCL40 Mercedes, which will be used by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to defend the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championship won in 2025. As per the heavily revised regulations, the MCL40 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor and it also boasts a more simplified power unit, once again supplied by Mercedes-AMG F1.

For their annual Amelia Island Auctions, Gooding Christie's have consigned three remarkable, early even-numbered Ferraris. Two come from very longterm ownership with the same prominent collector and have survived in largely original condition. The 750 Monza due to cross the block was originally sold to well-known, Millan-based Ferrari racer Franco Cornacchia. He campaigned the car only briefly before it was sold to the United States. Following a few years competing in the bustling Southern California racing scene, it was sold to Briggs Cunningham and displayed in his museum. With the same owner since 1987 and believed to be the last unrestored 750 Monza remaining, chassis 0522M should sell for around $4 million.
From the same stable comes this 212 Export Vignale Spyder, which boasts a competition specification chassis and Giovanni Michelotti styling. Its first private owner was none other than movie director Roberto Rosselini and 0076E is now offered in unrestored condition for the first time in well over four decades.
The 342 America Ghia Coupe is a genuine barn-find as it had been stored by its longterm custodian in a barn in New Woodstock, New York since 1967. One of seven 342 Americas built, 0130AL was the 1951 Paris show car and was later sold to Aston Martin owner David Brown. It is understood to be the first Ferrari road car to be exported to the United Kingdom. It was only very recently retrieved from the barn it had been in for well over five decades and represents a great starting point for a restoration.

The 50th anniversary of the Retromobile Show was celebrated in great style earlier this month. All three floors of the recently refurbished Hall 7 of the Porte des Versailles exhibition centre were filled to the brim with car dealers, vendors of all sorts, major manufacturers, special displays and the official auction. A record breaking crowd of 181,500 was treated to a wide variety of machinery that included the only Ferrari to win Le Mans twice, the sole surviving Bugatti Autorail, all seven BMW art cars but also a wild turbocharged Citroën 2CV and one of very few Pope Mobiles to have emerged from the Vatican. The Retromobile is also serious business with many major dealers presenting their latest consignments. In addition to the official auction, staged for the first time this year by Gooding Christie's, there were three other major sales scheduled in Paris during the Retromobile week.
As has been the case the last two and a half decades, our photographers were at the Porte de Versailles to capture all the highlights. The result is this 240-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate our 1,200-word report.

As part of the annual Cavallino Classic Ferrari gathering in Palm Beach, Florida, RM Sotheby's will stage a a 16-lot Ferrari auction. Although small in size, there are some fabulous Ferraris consigned to the sale. Our favourite is this 275 GTB/4, which was finished in an elegant ruby red and was also specified with very rare cloth cord seat inserts. It was originally sold to Italy but spent most of its life in the United States where it was placed in storage several times for different reasons. As a result, it has survived in remarkably original condition. It last changed hands during the early 2010s and chassis 09931 is now consigned with a mere 21,177 on the odometer.
Offered from only its second private owner, this well specced LaFerrari is another headliner with a $4,450,000 - 4,750,000 estimate. It has been fastidiously maintained and used sparingly since it arrived in the United States a decade ago.
The earliest Ferrari in the sale is this 250 Europa GT Coupe, which was constructed in the summer of 1955. In the fall of that same year, it was shown at the Paris Auto Salon and then sold to the United States. Over the next seventy years, it has been owned by several major collectors. In its most recent custodianship, it has been restored to its original configuration and was Ferrari Classiche Red Book certified. Since then, 0405GT won a Platinum Award at the Cavallino Classic at each of its three appearances.

It was a busy couple of days in Paris with four auctions as part of the Retromobile week. The top grossing sale of the week was the RM Sotheby's Sale staged in the basement of the Louvre museum. The sale was topped by this Ferrari 250 GT Competizione, which was the first 250 GT to win the Tour de France, earning the model its famous TdF moniker. It sold after the auction for €12 million after the auction and helped raise the total to well over €80 million. The full results are illustrated by a 60-shot gallery from the viewing.
As part of the official program this year was the Gooding Christie's sale, which totalled just over €50 million. The top seller was this two-owner Ferrari 288 GTO, which found a new custodian for a record breaking €9,117,500. Our photographers were on hand to capture the viewing in this 60-shot gallery.
Additionally, there were also successful sales by Artcurial and Bonhams.
For the first time ever, the Audi name will be on the Formula 1 grid. The German manufacturer will field the R26, which combines a chassis built by the former Sauber team with a bespoke power unit developed and built at the Audi Sport facility in Neuburg.