ClassicInside - The Classic Driver Newsletter

Editorial

An action-packed Classic Inside this week that I hope will set you up for next weekend’s double-header of the Goodwood Festival and the Le Mans Classic, as well as their attendant auctions.

We’ve also got Jan Baedeker’s impressions of driving the flagship Lamborghini, the mighty Murciélago LP640, around the flowing circuit in the Tuscan hills, Mugello (a track I had the privilege to experience from the passenger seat of an Enzo last autumn, and one of the best in the world). The man’s impressed, as you can read below.

There’s new car news from Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar with the German company launching its 2007 CL-Class based on the latest ‘S’, while British rivals Jaguar have released some photographs of the XKR that will debut at the London Motor Show in Docklands next month. A fine looking machine and one I particularly like as a convertible.

And BRABUS have been at it at Nardo again - this time smashing their previous record of 350.2 km/h, with a blistering 362.4 km/h in the appropriately-named ‘Rocket’. Wow.

Until next week,

Steve Wakefield
Managing Editor
sw@classicdriver.com

*THIS WEEK IN CLASSIC DRIVER*
	Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 - on the track "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here" A short and late phone call. No questions, only one mission: I am to test the new Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 on the Circuito del Mugello, right on Ferrari’s doorstep. I am to set off the next day with no time to re-consider... read more...
	Christie’s at Le Mans Classic 8th July 2006 - Preview Includes 26th June London Sale Results Christie’s has a habit of pulling out all the stops for their biennial sales held at the famous circuit de la Sarthe; readers will remember the multi-million EURO Bentleys sold in 2004. This time there’s another... read more...
	Jaguar XKR to debut in London Jaguar will officially launch the ‘R’, supercharged, version of its highly-acclaimed XK model at 2006 London Motor Show on July 18, 2006. The car features a 4.2-litre, supercharged V8 engine developing 420bhp giving a top speed of 155 mph... read more...
	2007 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class Mercedes-Benz will launch the new CL-Class in autumn 2006. Based on the latest S-Class styling and technology the newest verson of the popular four-seat coupé is the seventh since the 300 S of 1952... read more...
	Le Mans Classic 2006 - Preview Includes the full entry list Now in its third running, the Le Mans Classic has established itself as one of the highlights of the historic racing calendar. Nearly 400 cars, built from 1923 to 1979, are entered in a celebration of the one of the world’s greatest races... read more...
	Another record for BRABUS: 362.4 km/h Nardo, Italy. June 2006. The BRABUS Rocket, a small-series production car based on the Mercedes CLS series, set a world record maximum speed for a ’sedan’... read more...
	Revised X3 to feature 286 HP ‘Super Diesel’ BMW have updated its compact SUV with a subtly re-worked bodyshell and the addition to the range of the most powerful diesel engine ever to power a production BMW in the UK... read more...
	Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - 7th July 2006 - Preview A firm fixture in the auction calendar, Bonhams’ sale on the Friday of the this year’s Festival features nearly 70 motor car entries, one of the most attractive being the 1965 AC Cobra Roadster estimated at £150,000 - 180,000... read more...
	Prodrive open day for charity Prodrive will be opening its workshops for visitors to see where (and how) its WRC Subarus and Aston Martin Racing DBR9s are designed and built. The event will be over the weekend 29 - 30 July and all proceeds will benefit Oxford Children’s Hospital... read more...
	The Festival of Speed 2006 - only a few days away 7 - 9 July 2006 at Goodwood House There’s still time to book tickets for next weekend’s Festival and, like previous years, it looks like being one of THE events of the summer... read more...
	2007 Porsche Boxster to receive more power Porsche have increased the power and torque of the Boxster and Boxster S models for deliveries from August 1, the new model year... read more...