That Ferrari did not just race V12-engined cars is illustrated by this 121 LM. One of only a handful Ferraris built with a straight six engine, it was blisteringly fast but ultimately not quite as reliable as the twelve-cylinder models it raced alongside. Chassis 0546LM raced in the Mille Miglia and 24 Hours of Le Mans as a factory car before it was sold to the United States. It will now return to Le Mans as one of the headliners in next week's exclusive RM Sotheby's Centenary sale.
Also on offer is this well-raced Aston Martin DBR9. A customer car, it was raced competitively from 2007 through to the end of 2011, scoring outright and class wins. Its third in class at Le Mans in 2010 was another career highlight. Not raced since 2011, DBR9/106 represents a great ticket into what is now historic racing's hottest category.
Alpine will use the Friday before Le Mans to reveal the upcoming Hypercar. Built to the LMDh rule set, it will be based on an Oreca chassis and should make its competition debut in 2024.

One of the annual highlights on the historic racing calendar is the Spa Classic. Organised as a stand alone event by Peter Auto since 2011, this year's eleventh edition more than lived up to the expectations. Spread over nine fields, 430 competition cars hit the track during the three-day event, while there were also 800 vehicles on display brought by enthusiast clubs. New for the eleventh edition was a demonstration for 3.5-litre Formula 1 cars. Providing evocative sights and sounds were a great variety of engines ranging from the iconic Jaguar XK straight-six engine right through to the howling Judd V10s of the 2000s.
Our photographers were at the track to capture all the highlights. The results is this 200-shot gallery that serves to illustrate our race report.
We will do all this again this weekend with the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or at the Circuit de Dijon-Prenois, which will see seven of the nine grids back in action.

Late last night, Aston Martin unveiled the all-new DB12 in the build-up to the Monaco Grand Prix. Although still instantly recognisable as an Aston Martin, the DB12 is slated to be the first of whole range of new products that should secure the company's future in the long run. Underneath the carbon-fibre composite skin, the new Grand Tourer boasts a bonded aluminium chassis and the four-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG. In this application, the all-aluminium V8 is good for 670 bhp, which is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Aston Martin expect to ship the first DB12s to the customers before the end of the year and we expect the drop-top Volante follow shortly as well.
While we will not be in Monaco this year, we did want you to get in the mood by taking a closer look at this McLaren MP4/1B Cosworth that we captured during last year's Historic Grand Prix. Building on the pioneering all-carbon fibre composite MP4/1, this was one of three new cars built ahead of the 1982 season. It was driven to two wins, by Niki Lauda in 1982 and in MP4/1C guise by John Watson the following year. Successfully raced in historic events in recent years, MP4/1B - 6 was previously owned by the Sultan of Brunei.
British specialist manufacturer Caterham is the latest to adapt the current electrification trend with this EV Seven development prototype. Only 70 kg heavier than a conventional Seven, it features an electric rear axle that is good for 240 bhp. It should be capable of accelerating to 60 mph in around four seconds. Once development work on the EV Seven is completed, a production version will be launched.

At this weekend's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, BMW revealed this Concept Touring Coupé. Based on the current generation Z4, the shooting-brake is a striking homage to the Z3 M Coupe of the late 1990s and the Mille Miglia winning 328 MM Touring Berlinetta. Compared to the recent BMW prototypes and production cars, the Concept Touring Coupé features a more understated design. Unfortunately, a production version is not likely.
Another interesting show car launched recently is this Alpine A290_β. It represents a first glimpse of the first all-electric Alpine production model. The hot hatch is not just show but it boasts a well honed chassis and engine, and is cleared to run on track by the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile).
Also in Como, RM Sotheby's hosted their most successful Villa Erba sale yet with the sales total exceeding €50 million. A major contributor was this Ferrari 312 PB that changed hands for just over €12 million.

At last month's Goodwood Members' Meeting, the GT1 cars from the 2000s took centre stage. Today, we take a closer look at three of these. One of the true stars was the very first Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello built for Care Racing Development by Prodrive. It scored two FIA GT race wins in period and was raced through to 2005, when it scored a class win in the Silverstone 1000 km. Chassis 01 has recently been completely restored for its first private owner.
Corvette Racing built eleven C5-Rs but this example is the only one not raced by the works team. From new, it was campaigned by the Belgian Selleslagh Racing Team and with considerable success. Most noteworthy was the outright victory in the 2005 Zolder 24 Hours. Fully restored to works colours, 007 is today owned by an enthusiast from Luxembourg.
The most successful of the trio highlighted today is this very rare Lister Storm GT. It was driven to five FIA GT wins in 2000 en route to the drivers' and teams' championships. It was later raced by the Creation Autosportif and today is owned by former driver Bobby Verdon Roe. Currently offered for sale through Fiskens, Verdon Roe demonstrated GTM002 at Goodwood with great verve.

As part of the Le Mans centenary celebrations, RM Sotheby's will host a dedicated auction with a select number of lots that all have a Le Mans history. Among the latest consignments is this ex-works Porsche 962C. Sporting Rothmans colours, it was raced at Le Mans twice and it was later also campaigned by the factory supported Joest team. It was later sold to an American collection and more recently 962-004 was part of a prominent British stable of Group C cars. It has a pre-sale estimate of €6 - €9 million.
This weekend, RM Sotheby's will stage the biennial Villa Erba sale. A big chunk of the lot list comes from the 'Aurora Collection', assembled by a Swedish enthusiast over the last couple of decades. Headlining the collection is this Ferrari 250 GT SWB. Sold new to pioneering American collector Jack Nethercutt, it has also been owned by David Piper and Jean Jacques Bailly. Chassis 2347GT has been part of the Aurora Collection since 2011 and is now estimated to find a new custodian for €7.5 - €8.5 million. Another spectacular Ferrari consigned from this collection is a 500 TR that fittingly has period Swedish racing history. It was also raced extensively in historic events before returning to Sweden in 2011. RM Sotheby's values 0610MDTR at €4 - €4.5 million.