It has been a busy month on the streets of Monaco with three major race meetings staged in the small Principality. We were at the Grand Prix Historique a fortnight ago. The biennial event celebrates the rich history of the Monaco Grand Prix, which was first held back in 1929. The retrospective event saw single seaters and sports cars compete from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spread over eight distinct groups. The well curated entry list featured a spectacular mix of machinery, highlighted by no fewer than Maserati 250Fs, a pair of Matras and five V12-engined Ferraris. The tight track lined by unforgiving Armco barriers represents a real challenge for competitors and it was no surprise that many of the same drivers featured on the sharp end of each of the grids.
Our photographers enjoyed the Monaco sunshine for three days and returned with a 180-shot gallery that serves to illustrate our concise report.

In the build-up to the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes-AMG have debuted the PureSpeed Concept. It represents a preview of the first car to be produced in the limited Mercedes-Benz Mythos series. The two-seat roadster is inspired by the Stirling Moss SLR and the current generation Grand Prix cars. As a result, the PureSpeed boasts a cockpit that has no windscreen but features a HALO type roll-over bar. For additional driver protection, the Mercedes-AMG roadster comes with two aerodynamically optimised helmets. The number 10 on the nose is a nod to the Mercedes that won the Targa Florio 100 years ago this year. Mercedes-AMG will build 250 examples of the production version, which are available to the hand-picked Mercedes-Benz customers and collectors.
At the recent World Endurance Championship race, Alpine demonstrated a fully functional version of the Alpenglow. Created to showcase the latest hydrogen technology, this version is powered by a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine fuelled by hydrogen. This is a stop-gap engine, as an all-new V6 is currently under developed, which will power the next iteration of the Alpenglow.
Another Alpine-based machine is this AGTZ Twin Tail, which broke cover on the shores of Lake Como this week. Inspired by the A220 Le Mans racer, it is based on the current Alpine A110. Only 19 examples of the Zagato-penned machine will be built with prices starting at €650,000. The Twin Tail moniker refers to the rear-end of the bodywork, which can be both long and short.

To celebrate the company's 115th anniversary, Morgan teamed up with Pininfarina to create the Midsummer roadster. Limited to just 50 examples, it combines the familiar bonded aluminium chassis with a Pininfarina penned interpretation of the traditional Morgan design. In addition to the striking exterior design, the interior features an abundance of teak wood trim, which extends into the doors. The Morgan Midsummer will be revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer. Production will commence shortly thereafter and then run into 2025.
Bentley are developing an all-new Continental GT. As part of the company's path to electrification, it will be powered by a hybrid drivetrain that will replace the W12 engine used since the original Continental GT was introduced two decades ago. The drivetrain consists of a twin-turbo V8 and electric motor, good for a combined 771 bhp and 1,000 Nm of torque. The Continental GT will officially break cover in June.
Another British car due to be revealed shortly is the latest MINI John Cooper Works. Unlike the other new MINIs, it will be powered by an internal combustion engine. The John Cooper Works will be revealed in full during the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Up next in the busy May schedule is the annual Spa Classic organised by Peter Auto. One of the absolute highlights of the 2024 calendar, it will feature a wide array of sports prototypes, GTs and Touring Cars, and races that will run well into the night. Among the cars that will line up this weekend is this spectacular Nissan R90CK. It was raced in period at Le Mans and Daytona and was then retired to the Nissan Museum. Only recently was it acquired directly from Nissan in highly original condition. Following a sympathetic mechanical restoration, chassis R90C/5 was raced for the first time in three decades at the recent Mugello Classic.
As a spectacular send-off to the W12 engine, Bentley and Mulliner have created the Batur Convertible. It is the third coach-built Bentley of the modern era, the striking drop-top has a foldaway roof that can be deployed or closed in a mere 19 seconds. Production of the Batur Convertible will be limited to just 16 examples.
The latest addition to the BMW Motorsport line-up is the hardcore M4 CS. The regular production model uses the same 543 bhp straight-six engine fitted to the limited M4 CSL. Compared to the existing M4 Competition, the 'Club Sport' is also 20 kg lighter. The order books for the M4 CS will open at the end of the month.

This weekend the streets of Monaco will reverberate with the sound of classic Grand Prix cars and sports racers. To get you in the mood, we have highlighted three particularly iconic machines that will line-up for the various races. No doubt providing one of the absolute finest soundtracks is this Ferrari 312/69 F1. It is one of two V12-engined Grand Prix cars for the 1969 season and features the iconic 'spaghetti' exhaust system. Chassis 0017 was raced in period by Chris Amon and spent many years in American hands before returning to Europe more recently.
Competing in the same category and also set to hit the high notes is this Matra MS120B. Like the Ferrari, it features a three-litre V12 with ditto soundtrack. This particular chassis was raced exclusively by Jean-Pierre Beltoise during the 1971 season. It was later part of a prominent collection of Matra competition cars and has been regularly raced at Monaco since 2008.
Of an altogether different vintage is the Maserati 4CM 1500 featured today. It was a works car in period and was raced at Monaco in 1936. Chassis 1527 was then campaigned by a variety of Italian drivers before and after the War. Now in British hands, it is regularly raced at Monaco and Goodwood.

Bucking the trend, Ferrari continued the company's rich heritage with an all-new Grand Tourer powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine. Appropriately dubbed the 12Cilindri, the 812 Superfast replacement boasts a clean design with clear references to the 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' with the plexiglass nose. The 6.5-litre atmospheric V12 produces 817 bhp at 9,250 rpm. Along with the Coupe, Ferrari also introduced a Spider version.
As part of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix weekend, Artcurial will stage the W Collection auction on Thursday. This consists of a single collection assembled by Swedish enthusiast Staffan Wittmark with all 44 lots being offered without a reserve. Headlining the collection is the beautifully restored Ferrari 250 GT SWB. It was sold new to the United States and extensively used by its first owners. A relatively recent addition to the W Collection, 3169GT was first seen post restoration in 2023 and has €8.5 - €12 million estimate. Another V12-engined Ferrari on offer is this LWB California Spyder. This car was also originally sold to the United States and has been owned by some very prominent collectors. Chassis 1057GT was completely restored in the early 2010s and is Classiche Certified. Artcurial estimate, the Ferrari will sell for €7 - €10 million.