Tomorrow morning the doors of the 2006 Mondial de l'Automobile (AKA the Paris Motorshow) will open to the public. In the past two days the media were given a preview of the many new vehicles on display. Spread out over eight halls, there are very few shows in the world that rival 'Paris' for size. Fortunately it is not just quantity, but also quality that sets the bi-annual show apart from the others. This year there were over 60 world premieres of road and concept cars from a wide variety of manufacturers. Yesterday we took a close look at the Audi R8 and Peugeot 908 HDi Le Mans racer, but these were just two of several highlights. Others include the diesel-hybrid Citroen C-Metisse concept and the stunningly beautiful Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione road car. It was also the first opportunity for the European press to admire Jim Glickenhaus' Ferrari P4/5 in the 'carbon'. It was welcomed with many 'C'est magnifique' remarks.
We spent the past two days on the floor capturing the latest trends in design and technology. Non-stop work has ensured that you will also receive a preview of the show before the visitors get in tomorrow thanks to our full report and a 310-shot slideshow; our biggest image-fest ever!

Audi versus Peugeot will be the main rivalry in the 2007 Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today at Paris we would like to start the 'battle' a little early by highlighting two of the most exciting cars revealed here today, which both have Le Mans blood excellence pumping through their veins. First up is the Peugeot 908 HDi; the company's new diesel-engined endurance racer. While the example present on the showfloor is still a styling model, the 908 could very well become the most beautiful prototype raced in many years. And good news for many enthusiasts out there; the white and red racer has a roof!
Peugeot will have a hard time to take on Audi's current V12 engined R10, which successfully followed in the footsteps of the five-time Le Mans winning V8 engined R8. In celebration of that already legendary racing car, the German manufacturer launched the R8 sportscar in Paris. The mid-engined sportscar shares the direct fuel injection V8 (in naturally aspirated form) with the racing car and its styling hints back at the equally legendary Auto Union single seaters of the 1930s. What really caught our attention is how well the coupe is packaged and that it still was very roomy inside despite the modest dimensions.
We could not keep these two exciting novelties from you live from the showfloor, but we will now get on with preparing our report, which should be published here in the very near future.

Yesterday the last 1000 km of the 2006 Le Mans Series were completed on the Spanish Jarama track. Located 30 km north of the country's capital Madrid, the track once hosted Formula 1 races, but now rarely sees international action. It served as a last minute replacement for Monza where court action from local residents forced the circuit to cancel most of this year's races. Monza will fortunately return to the LMS schedule next year. At Jarama we found a 37-strong entry list, and sporting a brand new car; the Lavaggi LS1. Designed and built by former F1 racer Giovanni Lavaggi, the car had a mixed debut. There were still two championships and four second places up for grabs; all of which could land the team a guaranteed entry in the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race proved exciting throughout and some last minute and post-race drama decided two of them. There were some stellar drives from the likes of Jean Marc Gounon and very close battles in all classes. The best performance of the weekend, and of all season for that matter, was again by the Pescarolo team, which did not miss a beat for 5000 km.
We completed our tour of the Le Mans Series rounds this weekend at Jarama. Our findings can be found in our full report and a spectacular 150-shot slideshow.

In between visiting the world's most glamorous automotive events, our reporters still find time to drop by some of the finest local affairs. With our busy schedule the reports of these shows are sometimes left on the shelf waiting for a quieter period. The time is now to catch up on two of these such events.
For classic car fans in and around Detroit, it's always a busy summer packed with shows, headlined by the annual Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance. This year RM Auctions also returned with almost 100 available vehicles including a Stutz that uniquely came with a pre-registered entry to the concours. There it met up with many familiar cars including the two best of shows that were already multiple winners in other concours. Rob Clements ventured out to the beautiful Meadow Brook Hall grounds to capture the event for Ultimatecarpage.com for the fourth time running.
Although not quite the caliber of the Meadow Brook Concours, the annual concours d'elegance in the gardens of the Dutch royal palace 't Loo always holds a few surprises. This year Pieter Melissen ran into a Talbot Lago T26 Pennock Coupe and an Alfa Romeo 312 both recovered from many years of hiding. As with Meadow Brook, this concours' best of show was already a prominent feature elsewhere. Pieter compiled his findings in a report and slideshow of this, Holland's finest vintage car gathering.

Three years ago Alfa Romeo stole the show in Frankfurt with a very beautiful rear wheel drive, two-door coupe that brought back fond memories of the company's most glorious years. Alfa has now announced that the 8C Competizione will be produced and that the only slightly revised production model will debut at the end of the month in Paris. The 450 bhp supercar's name is a tribute the 1930s Alfa Romeo road and racing cars that were successfully with four consecutive Le Mans wins as one of many highlights. To complement the brand new 8C, we took a closer look at the 8C 35 single seater racer. One example changed hands for $2.85 million in 1989, making it one of the most valuable Grand Prix cars in the world.
In a quest to break the land speed record, Benz installed a four cylinder airship engine in one of their Grand Prix cars. The resulting 'Blitzen' Benz recorded 228 km/h, which was quite a feat considering it was 1909. Four years later the same 21.5 litre engine found its way into the very rare road going 82/200 Hp. To this day it is the largest four cylinder engine ever fitted to a road going vehicle. The featured D&E Snutsel Touring grabbed a lot of attention at Pebble last month and was not surprisingly awarded 'Best in Class'.
In June Audi scored the very first diesel win at Le Mans and soon customers will be able to own one of those V12 engines. They will get it wrapped in a Q7 package. Joining the Q7 V12 TDI in Paris will be slightly more subtle Honda Civic Type R.

Now that our schedule has calmed down a little, it is time to look at the first of a series of events we did not have time to report on immediately. Although the list of high profile events is gradually increasing, few really rival the annual Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Held for the 33rd time, the racing arm of the Pebble Beach weekend celebrated Cooper this year. The tribute was headlined by Sir Jack Brabham, no doubt the most successful Cooper driver. There were fourteen races, all packed with historic racing cars of the highest quality. Highlights included the 1960 Nurburgring-winning Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage, four McLaren M23s and an ultra-rare Ferrari 250 TR59. During the lunch and tea breaks, Toyota F1 test driver Ricardo Zonta chased after and beat the previous lap record in a current TF106 F1 racer.
We spent three days on and around the track to capture this highly exciting event in its entirety. A brief rundown of the weekend's highlights can be found in our report and all groups and demos can be seen in our 230-shot slideshow.

There is no doubt that Phil Hill is one of the greatest American drivers of all time. As was showcased at Goodwood last week, he drove some of the finest cars of the 1950s and 1960s and with a lot of success. That is quite an achievement for someone who came to Europe to learn about British sportscars and carburetors with as the ultimate goal to enter the racing world as a mechanic. Less than ten years later he was a Ferrari works driver with his first of three Le Mans wins under his belt. Today we want to celebrate his career by taking a look at his 1958 Le Mans winning Ferrari 250 TR58, which he drove again at Goodwood so many years after his memorable victory. It was also a rare opportunity to see this beautiful car in public as it is usually securely stored away in the Mas du Clos collection. After his racing career, the Californian returned to America and set up a restoration shop. In 1977 his craftsmanship was rewarded with a best of show at Pebble Beach. One of this year's highlights at Pebble was the recently restored Bugatti Type 57C Voll & Ruhrbeck Cabriolet, which was awarded 'Best in Class' and was one of the three runners up for 'Best in Show'. The striking Bugatti was only recently reunited with its body after a separation of over forty years and it could very well be the first time it was publicly shown since its conception in 1939.
Last week we already looked at some of the upcoming Paris releases, but the news keeps on coming our way at a steadily increasing pace. Renault looks set to complete France's party with the unusual, but very stylish Nepta Concept, which features full length 'gullwing' doors that give access to both the passenger compartment and the engine.
Silverstone was the host of the second Britcar 24 race this weekend. The Duller Motorsport team overcame strong competition and early morning fog to score a debut victory for the newly developed BMW Z4 M Coupe GT.

The summer break for the automotive industry is now officially over and almost daily we receive information of new releases set to be unveiled in Paris three weeks from now. Last month we already reported on Peugeot's diesel concept and now its sister company takes centre stage with the stylish C-Metisse Concept. Under the carbon fibre body panels Citroen have installed a highly advanced diesel-hybrid drivetrain that should find its way on a road-going car shortly. Chevrolet's entry into the European market has not yet been fruitful, but maybe their recent WTCC victories will turn things around for the American company. To celebrate these wins, the company will take the wraps of the funky WTCC Ultra Concept. Lancia's many fans have been waiting for years for a proper replacement of the legendary Delta and their wishes could very well be fulfilled soon. A clear indication of this is the Delta HPE Concept on display at this week's Venice Film Festival.
For us the summer is the busiest period with almost continuous traveling to the world's most exciting events. In August the Pebble Beach weekend grasps the world's attention and in particular the Concours d'Elegance Best of Show. After our in-depth coverage right after the show, it's time to take a close look at that winner; the Daimler Double Six 50 Sport Corsica Drophead Coupe. As we researched the car over the last few days, we became even more convinced that the exotic Brit was the right choice for 'Best of Show'. You can still expect more reports from that weekend and to keep the anticipation up we want to highlight the unique Maserati A6G/54 2000 Zagato Spyder that showed up at Quail, a Motorsports Gathering. One of our personal highlights at the Goodwood Revival this weekend was the beautiful recreation around original parts of the Ferrari Lancia D50, which was raced by Alain de Cadenet.

Historic Racing usually means racing historic cars in a modern setting, but since 1998 there is one notable exception that tries and succeeds in offering a true time-warp experience; the Goodwood Revival. The Goodwood racing circuit closed to contemporary racing in 1966 and has not been updated with run-off areas and Armco barriers, which gives it a unique period look and feel. To complete the look all competitors and spectators are asked to dress up in 1950s or 1960s style outfits. This formula has proven to be very successful and for years now the Goodwood Revival has drawn top racing cars, drivers and crowds. This year Phil Hill's remarkable racing tenure was celebrated by assembling a very impressive collection of vehicles he used throughout his career, including two Le Mans winning Ferraris and the Ferrari Formula 1 car he used to score the last Grand Prix victory for a front-engined machine. This line-up alone would have been well worth a trip, but it was just a small part of a weekend that saw continuous action on the track and in the air. Despite the costly machines out on track, racing was always on the cutting edge and almost every race saw intense fights throughout the field. In the air the 110,000 spectators were entertained by stunning displays with Spitfire and Mustang fighter planes.
After visiting all other major historic racing meetings around the world this year, we could not miss out on the season's grand finale. Wouter Melissen dressed up and ventured out to the estate of the Earl of March and Kinrara to capture this unique event. He returned with a head full of thoughts and a laptop full of spectacular images of which a selection made it into our report and exclusive 250-shot slideshow.