Audi's Ultimate Hatch
A1 clubsport quattro
Today Audi released details of their A1 clubsport quattro in anticipation of its launch at the Wörtherseetour held tomorrow in Austria. The show will celebrate German performance cars including the 35th anniversary of the Volkswagen GTI.
The clubsport is based off the RS3 Sportback, but has a four-wheel-drive powertrain and 6-speed manual transmission. With 500 bhp powering all four wheels, the clubsport could be seen as a possible step towards a WRC or S2000 contender.
The A1 name was first given to the 1983 Quattro which contested the WRC and brought 4WD to the forefront of motor sport.
Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster Revealed
2012 SLS Roadster
Today, Mercedes-Benz officially launched the SLS Roadster as the flagship model of their entire range. At €195,160, it is roughly 10% more expensive and has only slightly less performance credentials than the Gullwing Coupe.
Mercedes bill this car as the logical successor to the 300 SL Roadster of 1958. Maybe that's enough nostalgia to considering buying one of these over a used SLR McLaren.
The official launch of the car will be at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show and the first deliveries are expected in the fall of 2011.
2011 Villa d'Este
Post War Classes
This past weekend, the premiere European concours was held at Villa d'Este on the shore of Lake Como, Italy. A superb collection of pre and post war classics among the historic gardens provided a great oppurtunity for our photographers.
Picked among 50 exceptional cars, The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale won the Best of Show by Jury. With serveral of the world's best pre-war cars to choose from, the Alfa was a thoroughly modern choice. The Best of Show by Refendum, which was selected by the guests, went to the black Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Bertone coupe which was previously seen at both Pebble Beach and Amelia Island.
Our comprehensive gallery has every entrant and many of the exhbition cars that were on display. With images from Dirk de Jager and Nicolas Jeannier from arthomobiles.fr/ we were able to assemble one of the best galleries here on Supercars.net.
RM at Villa d'Este
Post-war Greats on Offer
To complement the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy, RM held a premium auction with only 32 available lots. Predictably, the Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta Speciale topped the sale at €3,360,000 or roughly $4.7 million USD.
Almost all the cars were the best of their kind and a group from the Bertone S.p.A. provided a unique opportunity to purchase several concept cars as the first owner. Among these, we thought the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero was particularly well bought for €761,600.
Among the lots, nine made it to our top 100 list which added over 30 million to our total. Later in the week we will take a close look at the Concorso itself.
BMW 328 Hommage
BMW 328 Hommage
On the eve of the Villa d'Este Concours, BMW have pulled out all the stops and designed a new car for the show. Called the 28 Hommage, this concept car pays tribute to the classic BMW roadster of the same name which was first produced 75 years ago.
The Hommage is the 8th BMW 328 featured on Supercars.net. Many of these variants were produced for a single race such as the Mille Miglia Coupé which won the Mille Miglia outright in 1940.
BMW's campaign to support the 328 in its 75th year kicked off last weekend when several of the museum cars took part in the Mille Miglia rally. They are all featured in our gallery by Dirk de Jager.
Zagato's Aston Martin Racer
Aston Martin V12 Zagato Endurance Race Car
Following the release of the V12 Vantage two years ago, Zagato of Milan have released an endurance racing version in cooperation with Aston Martin. It's being released at tomorrow's Villa d'Este Concours for inclusion into the concept car category.
Inspiration for the new endurance race car comes from the original DB4 Zagato which was used as Aston's best chance at beating Ferrari in the 1960s. Naturally, the new car takes several cues from the old design including the double-bubble roof line.
The V12 Vantage Zagato will make its racing debut at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in late June. Later this week we hope to have every detail of the new car from the Villa d'Este gardens.
The Complete Mille Miglia
1948 FIAT Motor RG 1
After considerable work, we can present the entire roster from the 2011 Mille Miglia rally. Our photographer Dirk de Jager was patient enough to capture every car on the start ramp and we have tried to include at least one additional driving shot of each entrant.
Throughout much of the rally, enthusiastic clubs and individuals joined on route. In an unofficial vein, the rally became much larger than the intended 375 cars. Included in the Ferrari tribute were 10 Ferrari 599 GTOs which were were often found mingling with the front runners.
Many manufacturers officially supported the Mille Miglia including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Bentley, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. Mercedes specifically fielded over 15 300 SLs and kept several on spare in case of a break down.
Some of the more remarkable cars came from the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo contingent, but several unique Morettis, Siatas, Cisitalias and Abarths kept the rally diverse. All of these and more can be found in our gallery.
Superamerica 45 Revealed
Superamerica 45
Ahead of this week's Villa d'Este Concours, Ferrari have released details of the Superamerica 45 from the Special Projects division.
Built for NY-collector Peter Kalikow, this one-of features a rotating hard top similar to the system first used on the 2005 Ferrari 575M Super America.
Top Bids at Auction
#1 - €9,020,000 Ferrari TR
Leading up to RM's million-dollar auction at Villa d'Este next weekend, we have prepared a list of the highest bids realized in recent time. Undoubtedly RM's sale will bump a few cars off the bottom of the list with their exclusive sale.
One such car is the 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta Speciale which Pininfarina prepared as a highly decorated road version of the 375 race car. With an estimate of €3.200.000-€4.200.000, it will likely be one of the most expensive Ferraris offered at auction.
Naturally, many of the world's most expensive cars are absent from our list. These include the the Bugatti Atalante, Ferrari 250 GTO, Aston Martin DBR1 and Mercedes-Benz SLR which are generally sold in private.
1000 Miglia
1930 OM 665 SSMM
Today, the Mille Miglia retrospective begins its first leg from Viale Venezia in Brescia to Bologna. Built up as a glorified road rally, the Mille is met with overwhelming enthusiasm from both the locals and 370 or so entrants.
Up to this point the cars have completed scrutineering in Fiera and followed by an overcrowded display around Piazza della Loggia in Brescia. Our gallery shows a diversity of cars which range in year from the late 1920s until the mid-fifties—essentially the same era when the real event took place around the roads of Italy.
In the following two days, all the cars will attempt to reach Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome and arrive back at Viale Venezia. We hope to have images of these legs online later next week.
1000km of SPA
Peugeot 908 wins at SPA
This past weekend, the 1000km of SPA offered the first opportunity to see the factory Peugeot and Audi sports prototypes going head-to-head. After 6 hours, the Peugeot of Gene, Wurz & Davidson won outright, leaving the three factory Audis a few laps behind.
SPA marked the first successful race for the Ferrari F458. Ex F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella helped pilot the #51 AF Corse Ferrari to LM GTE Pro victory. Just a couple seconds behind was the Hankook Team Farnbacher F458.
Only six weeks until Le Mans, SPA was a good indication that Peugeot might be a good bet for the upcoming 24-hour epic. Our gallery has all the winners from SPA and a bright yellow JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 in Belgium racing colors.
SLS AMG Roadster being Tested
Preproduction SLS during testing
As a prelude to the eventual launch of the SLS AMG Roadster, Mercedes Benz have released details of the car during testing.
Particular attention is being paid to the chassis rigidity and seal of the soft top at high speeds against water, sand, dust, heat and cold. When completed, the SLS should have one of the best soft-tops on the market.
This new car is the spiritual successor to the 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster which continues to top the roadster market at half a million dollars in the collector car market. One particularly original example sold at Gooding & Company's 2011 Scottsdale Auction for for $951,500.
MP4-12C GT3 in Detail
The new McLaren MP4-12C GT3
Today McLaren celebrated a milestone by officially unveiling the the GT3 version of their MP4-12C. Developed in conjunction with CRS racing, it will have to face the Audi R8 LMS, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and anything else in the popular GT3-class.
McLaren plans to race the car at the upcoming Blancpain Endurance Series rounds at Navarra, Magny-Cours and Silverstone. Later in the year it will appear at the Total 24 Hours of Spa. If you plan to attend any of these events with a long lens, please let us know!
The price for your own MP4-12C GT3 is somewhere between £125,000-£175,000 or $200,000-$300,000 USD. Privateer cars are expected for the 2012 race season.
