Le Mans

During the 2022 edition of Northern California’s Monterey Car Week, this 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition coupe is sure to be a star of the Bonhams auction at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club, in Carmel, Calif., on August 19. Yet this car has been a star long before now, as it’s one of only 12 examples made by the factory and was raced at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans by Walt Hansgen and Augie Pabst as drivers for Briggs Cunningham’s eponymous team.

A racer, team owner and constructor, Cunningham played a big role in postwar motorsports and even tried his hand at building sports and GT road cars in the first half of the 1950s. Following that endeavor, Cunningham became the East Coast Jaguar distributor, after which he campaigned a Jaguar D-Type and several racing XKs over the next few years. By 1957, Jaguar’s D-Type had taken its third victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but a new model was underway. That was the E-Type, which debuted in 1961, and with its advent, Cunningham entered a roadster at Le Mans in June 1962 with support from the factory.

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Even more competitive, though, was the E-Type Lightweight Competition, developed by the factory as a response to Maranello’s threat in the form of the Ferrari 250 GTO. Cunningham eventually acquired three Lightweights, chassis No. S850659, S850664 (this car), and S850665. Incorporating aerodynamic cues from an earlier Jaguar works car known as the Low-Drag Coupe, the Lightweight comprises an alloy body and hardtop that adds rigidity to the aluminum structure. The alloy 3.8-liter inline-six competition engine develops 293 bhp at 5,750 rpm, and was upgraded with Lucas fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication and, eventually, a five-speed manual ZF transmission.

The 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition being offered by Bonhams at its Quail Auction on August 19. 

Pawel Litwinski, courtesy of Bonhams.

The Lightweight’s chassis features four-wheel independent suspension—with revised geometry—and four-wheel disc brakes with the rears mounted inboard. Not intended for homologation by the factory, the model was never formally marketed or acknowledged in Jaguar sales collateral. Backed with official factory support, Cunningham entered three Lightweights in the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, with one car driven by Bob Grossman and Cunningham himself finishing ninth overall and second in class.

The cockpit where drivers Walt Hansgen and Augie Pabst took turns behind the wheel during the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Pawel Litwinski, courtesy of Bonhams.

This example being offered through Bonhams is the seventh Lightweight built and the second of the three vehicles purchased by Cunningham. With the ZF five-speed gearbox still in the works, chassis No. S850664 was equipped with a Jaguar four-speed gearbox for the Le Mans race. That transmission failed within an hour, forcing an early retirement after qualifying at 14th on the starting grid. Following Le Mans, the factory installed a five-speed gearbox and front hood, and Cunningham brought the car to the United States where it briefly—but successfully—competed at the Road America 500 and Bridgehampton in 1963 before finally going to Cunningham’s museum in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The three Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition race cars campaigned by Briggs Cunningham’s team, circa 1963. 

Bonhams

Starting in the early 1970s, chassis No. S850664 had many different owners and became involved with vintage racing in the UK, eventually undergoing a careful restoration. It was most recently acquired by the consignor at Bonhams’ 2017 Quail Auction. Importantly, this highly coveted Lightweight retains its original aluminum engine and is presented as it appeared in 1963 at Le Mans. It is also accompanied by extensive period documentation including owners’ correspondence and period photographs, and has been featured in the most important publications on the marque.
Click here to see photos of the 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight presented by Bonhams.

The 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition being auctioned through Bonhams. 

Pawel Litwinski, courtesy of Bonhams.

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Ferrari’s return to endurance racing has entered the testing stages.

The legendary Italian marque shared the first image of its new Le Mans hypercar on Wednesday. Then, later, the car was spotted running laps around the Prancing Horse’s Fiarano test track for the first time.
We’ve known since early last year that Ferrari wanted to compete in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans—the race it dominated after World War II but hasn’t entered since 1971—but this is the first we’ve seen of the race car it will use to make its return. The image, which depicts the camouflaged vehicle’s reflection in a window, doesn’t give away much but it’s definitely enticing. We’re particularly interested in seeing the car’s curves and trio of massive rear fins in all their glory.

The Ferrari 512M competes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 

Ferrari

“Being able to touch the result of many months of work, planning, and simulations gives us new energy and motivation,” Antonello Coletta, the head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT, said in an official statement. “We are proud of what we have achieved, and although the LMH’s masking during testing hides the car’s volumes and styling, I think it is undeniably recognizable as a Ferrari.”
The first official image of the racer leaves much to the imagination, but clearer spy shots of the vehicle started to circulate online later in the day. The images, which were published by Autosport, show the car undergoing its first shakedown test at Fiarano. We don’t know any specifics, but the magazine reports that Ferrari factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi was at the wheel and that more testing will be carried out later this month.
While there is still clearly plenty of work to be done, Ferrari intends to run its new hypercar in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will be the centenary edition of endurance racing’s premiere competition. We’ll have to wait until closer to then to find out what the car will look like and be capable of. One thing we do know, though, is that at least 25 production examples will likely need to be built for the car to be eligible for the race. After more than 50 years, we can barely wait.

Reel back the years to the 1970s, and Alfa Romeo was a force with which to be reckoned in motorsport. In its heyday, its Tipo 33 (in all its iterations) was a holy terror, raced indefatigably from 1967 and until 1977. Of course, every card-carrying Alfa enthusiast pledges allegiance to the Stradale 33, the road-going variant of the early race car, of which a mere 18 were made between 1967 and 1969. On the track, things were intense, with Alfa Romeo often prevailing. Importantly, the Alfa Romeo 33TT12 won the World Championship of Makes in 1975, and the later version won the 1977 World Championship for Sports Cars, taking first place in all eight of the championship races.

The Tipo 33 had a fascinating evolution, beginning with a straight-four engine in the exquisite TZ2, and quickly transitioning to a 2.0-liter V-8 developed by Alfa’s racing subsidiary Autodelta. Engines increased in displacement over the years, and the 3.0-liter V-8 in the Tipo 33/3 matched Alfa’s cloverleaf with Porsche’s 908 and Ferrari’s 312P.

The 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 race car being offered through RM Sotheby’s. 

Photo by Tim Scott, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

With its power plant mounted midships, the Tipo 33/3 was clothed in an elegant shape that only an Italian carmaker like Alfa Romeo could envision. By 1967, Italian racing competition like Bizzarrini, Lancia and Maserati were mostly relegated to history, while Lamborghini was MIA in motorsport, and Ferrari was busy pitting its V-12s against Ford’s V-8-powered machines. (Ferrari often lost.) Victory in various quarters, as noted above, was finally assured with Alfa Romeo’s 3.0-liter flat-12 engine, a story for another time.
That was then, and this is now, when the sixth biennial RM Sotheby’s Monaco auction brings together a number of Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars at the Grimaldi Forum on May 14, including a stunning Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3. The Tipo 33/3 is the most beautiful of them all—apart from the Stradale 33. It debuted in 1969 at Sebring, making an impressive 400 hp but placing only seventh in the 1969 International Championship for Makes. Undaunted, Alfa pressed on and, in 1971, achieved numerous class wins. Meanwhile, its race car became a movie star, adding another shade of red to the racing grid for Steve McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans.

Piloted by Nanni Galli, the car held second place for much of the 1970 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but did not finish. 

Photo by Tim Scott, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

The Alfa Romeo on offer is the car from the movie, but importantly, it also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970. It was built by Autodelta and raced by Nanni Galli (who died in 2019) running a comfortable second place for much of the race, but eventually retiring. Sold to its first private collector in 1973, this Tipo 33/3 has had only four individual owners from new and received a comprehensive rebuild in 2020, with maintenance invoices exceeding $900,000 during its current stewardship. It is estimated to fetch between $1.88 million and $2.32 million.

Reel back the years to the 1970s, and Alfa Romeo was a force with which to be reckoned in motorsport. In its heyday, its Tipo 33 (in all its iterations) was a holy terror, raced indefatigably from 1967 and until 1977. Of course, every card-carrying Alfa enthusiast pledges allegiance to the Stradale 33, the road-going variant of the early race car, of which a mere 18 were made between 1967 and 1969. On the track, things were intense, with Alfa Romeo often prevailing. Importantly, the Alfa Romeo 33TT12 won the World Championship of Makes in 1975, and the later version won the 1977 World Championship for Sports Cars, taking first place in all eight of the championship races.

The Tipo 33 had a fascinating evolution, beginning with a straight-four engine in the exquisite TZ2, and quickly transitioning to a 2.0-liter V-8 developed by Alfa’s racing subsidiary Autodelta. Engines increased in displacement over the years, and the 3.0-liter V-8 in the Tipo 33/3 matched Alfa’s cloverleaf with Porsche’s 908 and Ferrari’s 312P.

The 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 race car being offered through RM Sotheby’s. 

Photo by Tim Scott, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

With its power plant mounted midships, the Tipo 33/3 was clothed in an elegant shape that only an Italian carmaker like Alfa Romeo could envision. By 1967, Italian racing competition like Bizzarrini, Lancia and Maserati were mostly relegated to history, while Lamborghini was MIA in motorsport, and Ferrari was busy pitting its V-12s against Ford’s V-8-powered machines. (Ferrari often lost.) Victory in various quarters, as noted above, was finally assured with Alfa Romeo’s 3.0-liter flat-12 engine, a story for another time.
That was then, and this is now, when the sixth biennial RM Sotheby’s Monaco auction brings together a number of Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars at the Grimaldi Forum on May 14, including a stunning Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3. The Tipo 33/3 is the most beautiful of them all—apart from the Stradale 33. It debuted in 1969 at Sebring, making an impressive 400 hp but placing only seventh in the 1969 International Championship for Makes. Undaunted, Alfa pressed on and, in 1971, achieved numerous class wins. Meanwhile, its race car became a movie star, adding another shade of red to the racing grid for Steve McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans.

Piloted by Nanni Galli, the car held second place for much of the 1970 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but did not finish. 

Photo by Tim Scott, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

The Alfa Romeo on offer is the car from the movie, but importantly, it also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970. It was built by Autodelta and raced by Nanni Galli (who died in 2019) running a comfortable second place for much of the race, but eventually retiring. Sold to its first private collector in 1973, this Tipo 33/3 has had only four individual owners from new and received a comprehensive rebuild in 2020, with maintenance invoices exceeding $900,000 during its current stewardship. It is estimated to fetch between $1.88 million and $2.32 million.

Back in 2020, a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder once owned by Picasso’s son made headlines when it was listed for sale. A similar version just sold for $4,185,000 on Amelia Island.

The distinguished lot, chassis no. 550-0036, was offered in a Bonhams auction on March 3 at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club in Florida. The two-door coupe is one of just 90 examples ever made and features four-wheel independent suspension and hydraulic drum brakes. The original four-speed manual transaxle remains in place, alongside a period-correct Type 547 four-cam engine by legendary engine builder, Billy Doyle. Its gorgeous aerodynamic exterior is the handy work of German coach maker Wendler Karosserie.

A rear shot of the 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder. 

Bonhams

Arguably one of the most important Porsche models ever produced, the 550 Spyder was the marque’s first racing car, debuting in 1953. Its body was fashioned after the 1948 Porsche 356/1 prototype designed by Ferry Porsche, but was the vehicle’s speed and agility that made it the stuff of automotive legend. The race car competed in numerous European races, including events held at Germany’s famous Nürburgring and Hockenheim. It took first in class and sixth overall in the 1954 Mille Miglia, its first race, then came in third overall at that year’s Carrera PanAmericana.
When Sports Illustrated wrote about the Porsche 550 series at the time, writer Griff Borgeson called it “fast and fiercely powerful, one of the most successful competition sports cars in history, and it has a personality no less complex than Dr Jekyll’s. At brisk highway speeds it is very easy to drive, docile, perfectly manageable, superbly responsive.” 

The vintage photograph of the car outside of Wendler Karosserie. 

Bonhams

The auctioned model was given to Bonhams by its custodian of 50 years. A Porsche aficionado, the unknown owner bought it in 1972 when it was nearly complete but missing an engine. Billy Doyle was then commissioned to source and rebuild its engine, no. 90-034, and fit it to the 550 Spyder. The resulting 1,498cc mill is the same size as the original but offers 25 more brake horsepower, with 135bhp at 7,200rpm. (Notably, the series’ original engines already achieved a top speed of 137 mph and accelerated from zero to 60 in under 10 seconds—no small feat for the time.)
This model has had three other owners—acclaimed Le Mans racer Theo Helfrich, Ludwig Fisher who showcased the car throughout Europe and an American military man. In early 1980s, the model had bodywork done at the Northeast Body & Paint Shoppe Inc. of Lincoln, Nebraska. Over a decade later, Porsche experts at Willison Werkstatt of Lake Park, Fla. completed a more comprehensive restoration that started in 1998 and finished in 2003, according to Bonhams. The car made its final public appearance at the 2003 Rennsport Reunion, following its late ’90s detail, before being carefully stowed away in a climate-controlled facility.

For more details about the $4.1 million 550 Spyder, visit Bonhams.com, and check out more images below.

Bonhams

Bonhams

Bonhams

Bonhams

An exceedingly rare road car based on the racers that helped return Jaguar to the winner’s circle in the late 1980s and early ’90s could soon be yours.

RM Sotheby’s private sales division has just listed a 1991 Jaguar “Big Cat” XJR-15 for sale in the UK. Inspired two Le Mans winners, the striking vehicle is an automotive marvel and one of the British marque’s most exclusive models.

Jaguar had dominated endurance racing during the 1950s, but the following decades were less kind to its racing division. Things began to change under the leadership of Tom Walkinshaw, though. In 1988, an XJR-9 driven by Johnny Dumfries, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, returning Jaguar to the winner’s circle at the storied race for the first time in more than three decades. Then, two years later, an XJR-12 piloted by Martin Brundle, Price Cobb and John Nielsen repeated the feat. Sensing the excitement surrounding the cars, Walkinshaw and Jaguar decided to build a track-ready, street-legal sports car based on the victorious racers. The result was the XJR-15.

Inside the “Big Cat” XJR-15 

RM Sotheby’s

It’s not just the XJR-15’s racing pedigree that makes it so special. The car also features a beautiful flowing exterior designed by Peter Stevens, who would go on to work with Gordon Murray on the legendary McLaren F1 supercar.  Low to the ground and with a wide track, it’s also one of the first road cars to feature a body made with ample amounts of carbon fiber. This particular coupé, chassis no. 021, features a majestic metallic blue finish and has a spartan interior with racing style seats and harnesses that makes clear what kind of cars inspired it.
Another sure sign of the car’s roots can be found in the engine bay: a 6.0-liter, dry-sump V-12. Mated to a five-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear axle, the mill is capable of generating 450 hp, which may not sound like much when compared to today’s hypercars, but was a truly impressive figure for the time. Just as impressive is the vehicle’s top speed of 215 mph. Other high-performance features include an XJR-9-inspired suspension and four-piston AP racing brake calipers, which help make sure that, despite all the car’s power, you can stop when and where you want.
This “Big Cat” XJR-15 is one of only 27 street-legal examples Jaguar ever built. Combine this with the fact that the car has just 1,362 miles on the odometer and it’s easy to see why the seller is asking $1.95 million for the vehicle.

Excellence comes at a price, after all.
Check out more photos of the “Big Cat” XJR-15 below:

RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s

Though Bentley has long leaned into its Art Deco–era reputation forged by large-displacement, Le Mans—winning racers, the 102-year-old British automaker seems amped about its electric future, having committed to a gas-free lineup in a scant nine years. But its fuel lines aren’t empty quite yet. The newest Continental GT variant, with its dozen gas-combusting cylinders and scripted “Speed” badge, is a full-throated endorsement of the old ways. But the burning question is, with hybrid and battery-powered Bentleys just around the corner, does this grand tourer feel as momentous as it should?

Sicily’s craggy back roads help highlight the marque’s longstanding calling cards of towering torque and an imperturbable ride, but the eye-opener comes when hauling the two-and-a-half-ton coupe around an abandoned military base converted into a makeshift autocross course: Somehow, despite the boat anchor of a power plant stuffed under the hood and enough soundproofing to mute an AC/DC concert, you can chuck the posh two-plus-two into corners like a WRC rally car. Keep your hands quick and your foot heavy and the GT Speed flashes its rambunctious side, kicking its tail out and sliding through corners with surprising grace. Complementing the spicier handling—and mocking the politely indicated braking zones—are the Continental’s debut of carbon-ceramic stoppers.

Though the last-generation Continental GT Supersports produced more power, the new Speed has been christened the most dynamically capable model in Bentley’s history. The 6.0-liter W-12 filling the capacious engine bay has 650 hp and 664 ft lbs of torque on tap, but more importantly the chassis has been heavily massaged, starting with Bentley’s first electronic limited-slip rear differential. The hardware and software work in tandem to increase nimbleness and stability, with a little help from the new four-wheel steering, which has been tuned to minimize the turning radius by pitching the rear wheels up to four degrees in the opposite direction of the front set. Clever stuff.

With substantial chassis refinements and four-wheel steering, the 605 hp Continental GT Speed is disarmingly agile. 

Bentley

Revised power distribution gives the car a more rearward bias to avoid the dreaded plowing effect of understeer, and the reprogrammed air suspension offers greater range between comfort and stiffness, depending on the selected drive mode and road conditions. But despite all the high-tech goodies employed in the quest for speed, this new GT variant doesn’t flaunt the fixed spoiler and carbon-fiber seats of earlier Supersports models. Instead, its clean, muscular lines and Alcantara-and-hide-lined interior—featuring a range of textures, from lustrous veneers to aluminum finishes—present a more subdued elegance that recalls the golden age of motoring.

The 2022 Continental GT Speed is less snorty supercar, more an amplification of the well-honed grand-touring formula. And while it may not prove to be Bentley’s finale for internal combustion, this unapologetic 12-cylinder, with its old-school, high-octane athleticism and stately sheet metal, seems designed to deliver a very future-looking message, indeed: You’re going to miss me when I’m gone.

You could soon own a street-legal version of the car that helped Porsche own endurance racing during the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

An ultra-rare 1991 Porsche Koenig Specials C62 was just listed for sale on Issimi. The outrageous-looking speed machine may not be in mint condition, but it’s hard to think of a better car in which to recreate the feeling of racing at Le Mans.

Porsche racers took home the top prize at the 24 Hours of Le Mans every year from 1981 and 1987. Much of this dominance can be traced to two cars, the 956 and its successor, the 962. Although the 962 didn’t take home as many checkered flags at the race as its predecessor (the 956 was responsible for four wins, and the 962 claimed two), it was a genuine force until rule changes brought its time to an end. With its racing days behind it, Porsche let a handful of companies, including Koenig, convert the remaining 962 prototypes for street use.

Issimi

Koening, the German tuner, has a tendency to take a high-performance vehicle like the Ferrari Testarosa and make it even more extreme. And sure enough, that’s exactly what the shop did with the C62. Although it looks identical to the race car, it was completely re-engineered for street driving and to meet German government regulations, according to the listing. In fact, there is not a single shared body panel between the two vehicles.

Inside the Porsche Koenig Specials C62 

Issimi

Underneath the C62’s rear-positioned engine lid, you’ll find a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six. That mill is mated to a five-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear axle and can generate 550 hp, a number that was verified as recently as 2019. The car’s suspension has been completely redone and fitted with softer springs and dampers, while its racing-style brakes now feature more street-oriented pads.

1991 Porsche Koenig Specials C62 

Issimi

Koenig had dreams of building 30 C62s, but only ended up producing three, of which this is the second. Since being completed in 1992, it’s spent much of its time in Japan, where it passed through a number of collector’s hands. Its current owner purchased it in 2019 and had it imported to the US. It’s been well-maintained and has just 1,555 miles on the odometer but, as Jalopnik points out, its body hasn’t been restored, which means there are some signs of wear and tear, like scrapes and chips.

Issimi

Most surprising of all about this listing is the price tag: $995,000. While certainly not accessible, it’s less than the $1,030,000 the car cost brand new (which would be over $2 million in today’s money). It’s hard to call a car with a high-six-figure sticker price a bargain, but this actually might be just that.

Cadillac has set its sights on the world’s oldest endurance race.

The luxury automaker announced Tuesday that it will compete for overall victory at the 2023 Le Mans in a fourth-generation V-Series prototype. Cadillac’s last appearance at the race was nearly 20 years ago in 2002.
Cadillac will enter into the new Le Mans-Daytona hybrid (LMDh) class for the 2023 season. This means the new LMDh-V.R race car can compete in both the IMSA WeatherTech Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Cadillac has chosen the Italian outfit Dallara to build the new race car. This dream team is also behind the Cadillac DPi-VR, which won the Rolex 24 at Daytona four times in a row, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship both in 2017 and 2018, among many other notable races.

As with all LMDh cars, Cadillac’s contender will be based on a standardized chassis and use a spec hybrid powertrain. The combustion engine and bodywork, however, will be unique to the marque. At first blush, the LMDh-V.R looks like a futuristic take on a Batmobile with an angular silhouette that sure to stand out on the track.

The legendary Le Mans racetrack. 

Wikicommons

The LMDh class was created by IMSA and the ACO to act as an entry point to high-level endurance racing. Racing heavyweights, such as Acura, Audi, BMW and Porsche have confirmed LMDh prototypes for the 2023 season, while Lamborghini plans to join in 2024.
Regarding the World Endurance Championship, the top LMP1 class has been replaced with a new Hypercar category that will comprise cars that meet the aforementioned LMDh regulations and the new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) rules. We’ve already seen LMH cars from the likes of Toyota, Glickenhaus and Alpine, with both Peugeot and Ferrari reportedly joining the class in 2023.
Both LMDh and LMH cars will be eligible to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023, the race’s centenary.
“We are excited to compete at the top level of international motorsport in the LMDh class beginning in 2023,” Cadillac vice president Rory Harvey said in a statement. “Cadillac is making the transition into a future driven by alternative propulsion. The hybrid nature of the LMDh rules will help us to bridge our technology transfer to our all-electric future.”
Cadillac’s program will be carried out in partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing. The LMDh-V.R is set to make its official debut at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona, before taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Catch you on the track, Cadillac.