This weekend, our (historic) racing season kicked off with the second annual Imola Classic. Held at the fantastic, undulating Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari and organised by Peter Auto Racing, the event attracted a mix of familiar grids like the Sixties' Endurance and Classic Endurance Racing but also the new-for-us Challenge Formule Storiche. Among the many great machines on track were such fabulous rarities like a Ferrari 512 S Coda Lunga and Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo, which were both driven with great verve. It was also great to see that the Trofeo Nastro Rosso grid attracted a representative field for the first time in some years. We spent the action-packed, two-day meeting track-side at this classic circuit and have returned with a class-by-class report and a 210-shot gallery, which includes the odd flying cars, off-track excursions, flames and lovely scenic back-drops.
Ahead of the official launch at Shanghai's Auto China in a fortnight, Maserati have kindly released the first details and images of the all-new Ghibli. Aimed squarely at the BMW 5-Series and intended to bring Maserati closer to the 50,000 per year production goal, the executive saloon will be powered by a petrol or diesel twin-turbo V6. Both engines are mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox while the 'Q4' all-wheel drive system will be available as an option. Judging from these three images, the Ghibli certainly looks the part and could certainly become an evocative alternative for the German machinery that now dominates this market.

Enjoy the links:

2013 Imola Classic - Report and Slideshow

2013 Maserati Ghibli - Images, Specifications and Information