Although the Concorso d�Eleganza Villa d�Este has history reaching back 76 years, it has just recently returned to the foreground, growing to be one of the top events of its kind over the last ten years. It is not a concours like any other, but its private nature and compact setup provide for a unique atmosphere. This weekend the Villa d�Este resort opened its grounds for the 21st running of the Italian concours. Only 54 cars were lined up, but the concours� strict selection criteria ensured that every one of them was special. It was up to the judges to select a winner from the likes of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Duesenberg, Rolls Royce, Bugatti and Mercedes Benz.
We were on site to capture the magic on the shores of Lake Como and are proud to present our exclusive coverage consisting of thorough report and a 150-shot slideshow.

The Spa Francorchamps circuit has a reputation for extreme conditions, but during this weekend's round of the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) the weather was extreme even for Spa standards. Halfway through the three day event the traditional rain made room for a thick fog, severely hampering the drivers' and spectators' visibility. Even without the treacherous conditions, the Spa 1000 km was set to be a very interesting race. For the first time the old cars met up with the new, giving a good indication of what's to come at Le Mans in June.
The support races also offered plenty of excitement. A highlight was the one hour historic race on Saturday where cars like the Porsche 917, Lola T70 and Ford GT40 were again pitched against each other.
Click here to find out all about the new regulations, the new cars and the details of the misty race. We visited the event and captured the action in a full report and a 200-shot slideshow.

Most concept cars and prototypes are designed with production in mind. Rinspeed is one of the exceptions. Their annual prototypes are among the most extravagant of the Geneva Motorshow. This year a Porsche Boxster was turned into the Senso three seater. Another interesting, but far from production concept car in Geneva was the mid-engined Mazel Jav-X off-roader.
Buick is not usually associated with performance vehicles, but it did manufacture one of the quickest American car of the 1980s. Derived from the very ordinary Regal sedan, the Buick Regal GNX is a true icon of the 1980s American performance cars. Ferrari is all about performance on road and track, especially on the high speed Le Mans circuit where the Italian marque reigned supreme for a decade. The first works victory for the 'Scuderia' was scored in 1954 with the 375 Plus. Audi's competition success was at an all time high in 2004 with victories at Le Mans and in the DTM championship. In 2005 the German manufacturer is again competing in DTM, with the recently released A4 DTM.
In the 1970s France housed a number of specialty manufacturers like Matra, Alpine and Ligier. Today we take a look at the first Ligier; the JS1, which raced at Le Mans and in the Tour de France.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Cadillac unveiled the STS SAE 100, which incorporates 100 different cutting edge technologies and a 505 bhp version of the LS2 engine. It is far from the most powerful car included this week; that honour goes to the 712 CanAm. Constructed for the highly popular CanAm challenge, this unique racer packs 750 bhp V12. Displacing just under 7 litres, this is the largest engine ever constructed by Ferrari. The latest racing car developed by the Maranello based manufacturer is the 575 GTC Evoluzione, ready to compete in the FIA GT championship.
This year Pininfarina celebrates its 75th anniversary and in those 75 years a large number of beautiful vehicles were constructed. One of the lesser known, but very stunning examples is the Alfa Romeo 33 Coupe, based on the 33 Stradale chassis.
The most important endurance race is the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Understandably, French manufacturers have always been extra motivated to take the victory on the high speed track. Today we take a closer look at a current and past French racer; the Courage C65 and the Renault Alpine A443.

Although the Geneva Motorshow ended three weeks ago, there are still a number of cars to feature from the dozens of novelties launched. This week we take a look at two Italians; the Zagato developed Lancia Ypsilon Sport and the all new Bizzarrini GTS 4.4 V. Up next on the events calendar was the New York show where high performance and luxury were key words. Jeep livened up the launch of the new Grand Cherokee model with the HEMI engined Grand Cherokee SRT-8. On the Jaguar stand Bentley-esque luxury was found in the all new Super V8 Portfolio.
New and old Le Mans racers take centre stage in the update. Most successful of the three racers added is the legendary AC Cobra Daytona Coupe, which took two class victories at Le Mans and the 1965 constructor's world championship. A decade earlier an American effort also tried to take on the grueling endurance, with a third place overall and a class victory as a best. Their final racer was the oddly shaped Cunningham C-5R. Not a Le Mans class winner, the Dome S101 did win the 2002 and 2003 FIA world championships.
In the 1920s and 1930s Hispano Suiza was best known for the splendid high quality six and twelve cylinder engined grand tourers, but in 1911 the Spanish manufacturer built one of the first true sports cars; the Alphonso XIII, named after the Spanish King.