It was designed to 6 liter specifications but would start at 4,360cc and 295 bhp. It had two cylinder blocks inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with a single overhead camshaft to operate the 32 valves. The engine was designed to provide optimum torque at low engine speeds. The suspension would be all independent but unlike the Mercedes would use half-axles and torsion bars at the front while at the rear it used wishbones and a transverse leaf spring.

The fuel tank was located in the center of the car directly behind the drive who would be placed well towards the front. The chassis tubes were initially used as water carriers from the radiator to the engine but often sprung small leaks. Additional work needed to be done on the cars behavior during cornering. Accelerating out of a corner would cause the inside rear wheel to spin furiously.

Surprisingly their main competition was the Ferrari-Alfa Romeo team as Mercedes had a dreadful season. After the A.I.A.C.R. decided to delay the new 3-Liter formula for another year. Auto Union which ran on a much smaller budget than Mercedes modified their Type C to contest another year.

Mercedes on the other hand replace their W25 with their new W125, a much improved car that prove the difference bringing Caracciola the European Championship for that year. Though Rosemeyer had won an equal four races, three of the four rounds counting for the championship went to the veteran.

The 599XX replaced the FXX this year, and the programme runs along similar lines, with customers giving feedback to Ferrari engineers that is then used in the development of future road cars.

The Ferrari 599XX gets a retuned version of the 599’s V12 engine, with its rev limit boosted to 9000rpm and its weight reduced by the adoption of a new crankshaft and more extensive use of carbonfibre in ancillary parts. Ferrari says it “achieved its goal” of just under 700bhp at 9000rpm.

The power is transmitted through a new version of Ferrari’s robotised manual gearbox that features shift times of just 60ms. Ferrari claims that the 599XX can lap its Fiorano test track in 1m 17sec, less than a second off the time of the Enzo-based FXX that it will replace.

The most obvious external alterations to the regular 599 are a variety of carbonfibre additions, including a small roof spoiler, carbonfibre brake disc covers and a enormous carbonfibre undertray and rear diffuser.

Inside, the cabin has been stripped out to race specification, with a bare dashboard and carbonfibre cladding. It does feature a display screen, however; it’s used by Ferrari’s ‘virtual car engineer’, which provides instantaneous data on the vehicle’s efficiency.

Power for the SR1 (which, of course, has nothing at all to do with the Corvette ZR1) comes courtesy of Peugeot’s HYbrid4 technology, which pairs a small 1.6-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine powering the front wheels with a 95-horsepower electric motor at the rear. Peugeot says that its all-wheel drive, through-the-road hybrid system will make its production debut in 2011 inside the 3008 crossover, with other models to closely follow.

Other concept-appropriate bits and pieces include a new removable plastic roof panel using technology that’s borrowed from the world of sailing, a three-seat layout with the third passenger behind the twin front seats and instrumentation that pairs futuristic crystal tubes displaying current fuel consumption and remaining range with a classic timepiece designed by Bell & Ross. Continuing the old versus new theme are black nickel and satin chrome trim with traditional wood and leather inlays.

With 313 combined horsepower, fuel mileage estimated at 57.7 mpg (European, 48 miles per gallon U.S.) and carbon emissions of just 119 grams per kilometer, the Peugeot SR1 ought to be a mean, green performer. Plus, its speed-sensitive four-wheel steering and lightweight structure should equal formidable handling prowess. Of course, we may never know for sure, as this car, though it apparently signals Peugeot’s new styling direction, is nothing more than a concept at this point.

Runners Up Prizes

We also gave away some great runner-up prizes this month, congratulations go to:

24 Hours in an Audi R8

Mr. Marco Cambria (IT), Mr. Rick Harte (US), Mrs. Susan Al Marzook (GB), Mr. Thomas Mottur (US), Mr. Mohammad Tahir (PK), Mr. Michael Wilson (GB), Mr. David Poett (GB), Mr. William Dolman (GB).

£200 Game Credit

Mr. Barry James (GB), Mr. Neil Cruickshank (GB), Mr. Kai Rosenboom (DE), Mr. Russel Stubbs (GB), Mr. William Antonios (AU), Mr. Hubert Thyssen (CH), Mr. Zhili Pan (GB), Mr. Mario Caric (NO), Mr. John Kennedy (IE), Mr. Alexander Mavrikis (GR).

Lotus’s special relationship with Toyota has been well documented – the Japanese manufacturer already supplies engines for the Elise, Exige and 2-Eleven, plus the Evora. Our sources have revealed that the partnership will step up a gear for the Esprit. Toyota’s luxury arm, Lexus, will be called on to provide a pair of high-power engines.

The entry-level Esprit will be equipped with a tuned version of the Evora’s 3.5-litre V6, producing around 300bhp, while a mid-range model gets the 414bhp 5.0-litre V8 from the Lexus IS F. But taking the new Lotus into the big league will be the earth-shattering 550bhp 4.8-litre V10 from the upcoming LF-A supercar.

Mated to a six-speed semi-automatic paddleshift transmission, this unit should provide the Esprit with performance to match some of the fastest cars on the planet.

A 0-60mph sprint time of less than four seconds is expected, and judging by pre-production testing of the LF-A (see Issue 1,066), the car is likely to hit a top speed in excess of 200mph.

Underpinning the model will be a wider and longer version of the Evora’s rear-wheel-drive platform. This should ensure the handling is worthy of the Esprit name. The wedge-like profile clearly takes cues from Giorgetto Giugiaro’s 1976 design – a car made famous by 1977’s James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.

But a combination of creases and curves is used to provide the modern-day Esprit with a muscular and aggressive stance on the road. Inside, the newcomer will build on the style of the Evora’s leather-clad cabin – so it’s expected to be the most luxurious interior Lotus has ever designed, a must if the car is to tempt customers away from more established supercar manufacturers.

Prices are likely to start from around £75,000 for the entry-level car, and rise to £150,000 for the V10. We’ll have to wait until at least 2012 for the Esprit’s official debut, though. Lotus won’t embark on final development until the Evora is making a consistent profit. But by adding the new car to the line-up, total production at the firm’s Hethel plant could reach 4,000-5,000 models annually.

As seen in Autoexpress

The stock Enzo’s interior is normally all-business but Gemballa gave it some luxury by adding quilted black Alcantara to the seats, dash and door panels. Matching red stitching and floor piping look great. A touch-screen has been added to the dashboard, controlling in-car entertainment. It all looks wonderful without being over-done. If you felt like the Enzo was a little too raw, Gemballa has the solution.

While the Ferrari Enzo is exciting and legendary, it’s not beautiful. Hard-edged and bad-ass, yes, but even an S2000 would win the beauty contest. That makes it a great car for tasteful customization (it’s still a Ferrari) and Gemballa did a great job. Customizing exotic cars is happening, whether you think it’s right or not, so instead of crying “Why?!”, we should demand the best. If the car is faster, and still looks good, I give it a pass.

It’s not like an Enzo needs suspension mods, or more carbon fiber. If the Enzo was Tequila, to make it better you don’t add more Tequila. You add ice and lime juice, so you still get drunk and it tastes great. The Gemballa MIG-U1 is striking inside and out. It looks like someone bought a fighter jet, and then made it liveable inside for private trips. And you have to admit, that would be a pretty incredible way to travel.

The 8C Competizione is inspired by Alfa Romeo’s glorious past, projecting its brand values of technology and emotion into the future. The historical allusions begin with the evocative name, recalling the great sporting tradition of Alfa Romeo. The 8C code was used to identify cars (racing and on-road) of the Thirties and Forties equipped with the revolutionary eight cylinder engine produced by the famous designer Vittorio Jano. The term ‘Competizione’ is intended as a homage to the ‘6C 2500 Competizione’, a sports coupé driven in 1950 by the duo Fangio and Zanardi in the famous Mille Miglia race.

The engine is the beating heart of any Alfa Romeo. In this case it takes the form of a brand new 90° V 8 cylinder unit with a cylinder capacity of 4691 cc that was designed with one aim in mind: to ensure extraordinary performance while still offering a smooth drive and being usable in all circumstances, from the track to city traffic. The top engine performance figures may be summarised as a maximum power output of 450 bhp at 7000 rpm, a peak torque of 470 Nm at 4750 rpm and a top speed of 7500 rpm.

I first fell in love with the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione when I saw it up close and personal at last year’s Motor4Toys Exotic Car Show. The company is now releasing an even more breathtaking Spider convertible that will arrive on our shores starting January of 2010. There will only be 500 units of the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider produced, just like it’s hardtop brethren. However, an even scarcer 35 are scheduled for the US with a manufacturers’ cost of 299,000 US (which includes shipping). This price makes the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spider the company’s most expensive model to date. That said, you can be sure that real world prices for this car will probably clip north of 500,000 US.

The 8C Spider will be built in Modena, Italy with many of its parts sourced from Ferrari and the Maserati GranTurismo. A 4.7-liter V8 engine capable of 450 hp at 7,000 is mated with an automatic 6-speed gearbox with paddle-shifters mounted behind the steering wheel. Stopping power comes via racing-inspired carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes.

This is a tremendous platform for Alfa Romeo and, as such, it looks like the company will seek to push the envelope a bit further. The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione hardtop is going to be repackaged in a high-performance GTA version sometime next year. There will only be 100 examples of this car produced. However, there is some speculation that the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spider may also get released as a GTA version as well somewhere down the line.

The 400 GT entered production in 1966 and was offered with either the 3.5-liter (known as 400 GT 2+2) or four-liter V12 engine (known as 400GT). The last one was built in only 23 units and are known as the ’Interim’ cars. The V12 engine delivered 320 hp and helped the car to hit a top speed of 270 km/h (167mph). The Lamborghini 400 Monza’s coachwork is, in fact, reminiscent of a Ferrari 250GTO, right from its low, wide mouth through to its steeply raked windscreen (which was taken from a ‘64 GTO). But the Monza is distinguished by a Maranello sports-prototype-inspired vestigial ‘basket handle’ roof design, the body styling then terminating in an almost horizontal fastback which was truncated by a classically cut-short, ‘Kamm’ or ‘transom’ tail treatment. Trademark blade-like bumpers complete its signature Neri & Bonacini styling.

And even if Lamborghini was only at the beginning, the 400Gt had a special edition. It was called 400GT Interim Monza and featured unique bodywork by Neri and Bonacini. Lamborghini made only one of those and initially was created for an American client who wanted to race it at Le Mans. But due to homologation problems, the car was sold of at the Barcelona Motor Show to a wealthy Spaniard where it remained until the owner died in the early 1990s. The 400 GT Monza was auctioned in 2005 at Bonhams’ annual London Olympia at a price of 315.000 US dollars.

Production of the 450 GT stopped in summer 1968 with a total of 250 models.

The 10-spoke wheels are lightweight, forged pieces with a Y theme, but their impact is really meant to be primarily visual. And in conjunction with the car’s pronounced rocker sills, they help give the Audi R8 V10 the right touch of evil.

Not surprisingly, the power and torque delivery for this V10-powered Audi is just as sensational as it is for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. The aggressive 15 percent front/85 percent rear torque split between axles for the R8’s all-wheel-drive system works magic, combining the traction of all-wheel drive with the handling characteristics of rear-wheel drive.

Quattro GmbH has been cranking out the R8 at maximum capacity — the aforementioned 5,500 units in 2008. The R8 V10 will make up 35 percent of the first-generation R8’s life cycle, while the upcoming R8 roadster (in both V8 and V10 models) is expected to be the body configuration of choice for more than 50 percent of these clients.

One more anonymous source in the know tells us that Audi is not stopping at this already exceptional V10-powered R8, either. While the Audi R8 V12 TDI diesel concept car that we drove briefly last spring has now been officially killed off, Audi boffins are experimenting with an even faster supercar that will dare to go head-to-head with the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640.

It’s taken Audi awhile to deliver the supercar that it’s been promising us, but the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 appears to be just the beginning of a true German presence in the exotic car market. Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz tried and failed to crack this barrier, so all credit to the romantic engineers at Audi.