The exciting 2025 Formula 1 season finale is still a fresh memory but the attention has already turned to 2026 with the the all-new cars due to hit the track for the first time in a private test next week. Extensive rule changes to both the chassis and engine side of the cars should make for a very interesting season. Today, the Haas F1 team released the first renders of the VF-26 that will be raced by Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman. Late last week, Cadillac already gave the team's very first F1 car a shakedown at the Silverstone Circuit. Like the Haas, it is powered by the revised Ferrari power unit that now has a 50/50 split between the internal combustion engine and the hybrid side.
During the upcoming auctions, two recent Bugattis are due to cross the block. At the Bonhams Scottsdale sale, this one-off Bugatti Chiron Super Sport will be offered. Known as the Éléphant Blanc, it was inspired by the elephant sculpture by Rembrandt Bugatti, which was used as the radiator mascot on the Bugatti Type 41 Royale. Actually used by its original owner, the Chiron Super Sport is estimated to sell for $4.5 - $5 million.
One of the stars of next week's RM Sotheby's Paris Sale is this track-only Bugatti Bolide. Unlike the Chiron, this is a brand-new car with a mere 112 km on the odometer. The Anglo-Canadian auctioneers estimate chassis 037 should find a new owner for €4 - €6 million.

At a new venue, the Peninsula Hotel in Paris, local auctioneer Artcurial Motorcars will kick off the Retromobile week with the Automobile Legends sale on January 27th. The French company has always had a knack for unearthing hidden away treasures and this year was no exception courtesy of this 'barn find' Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe. Delivered new to a wealthy Parisian industrialist and future Olympic champion, this 'Gullwing' was ordered with quite literally every option box ticked off. From 1961, it has had a secluded life and even though, it has left Paris briefly, chassis 198.040.650019 remains in the condition it was when it left its 53-year single ownership in 2014. Still boasting its original paint and matching numbers components, it has a €2 - €5 million estimate due to its unique condition.
Also due to cross the block is this Ferrari F92 AT, which is offered directly by original driver Jean Alesi. He was gifted this car at the end of the 1992 season and has proudly displayed it in is French villa ever since. The first of three updated 'AT' models produced, chassis 136 should sell for €3 - €5 million.
Ford has expanded the Mustang line-up with this Dark Horse SC. It sits between the Dark Horse and the very wild GTD in the pony car's line-up. Although no detailed specifications have been released, the Dark Horse SC can be ordered with a 'Track Pack', which includes Brembo ceramic brakes and carbon fibre composite wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 R tyres.

The first major auction of the year is RM Sotheby's annual Arizona sale scheduled for January 23rd. Held at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, the sale is headlined by four Ferrari hypercars. Estimated to sell for a hefty $7 - $9 million is this F50, which was originally sold to Fresno and was also at one point fitted with a Norwood Technologies twin-turbo system. Also consigned are three further examples of the Ferrari 'big six'; a low mileage F40, a 746-mile Enzo and a LaFerrari.
In addition to the Ferraris, another car to make headlines is this Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 S Leichtbau. It was commissioned by a VIP client and was not seen in public until 2009. Still in highly original condition, the very rare Lightweight should sell for well over $2.25 million.
At last week's Tokyo Auto Salon, Italian design house Italdesign revealed the Honda NSX Tribute. Developed with approval from Honda, the limited production model combines the second generation NSX underpinnings with a body design inspired by the original NSX. It was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Honda's first Grand Prix victory. No specific production number of the NSX Tribute by Italdesign are given but it will be available in right-hand drive only.

The great Michael Schumacher famously made his Formula 1 debut during the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix for Jordan and then returned the following year to score his very first victory in this very Benetton B192 Cosworth. A development of the Benetton B191 that Schumacher switched to after his sole outing for Jordan, the B192 was designed by Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn. A Grand Prix winner in 1992, the design further evolved into the world championship winning B194 of 1994. The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix winning B192 was retained by the team and then passed to Renault when the French manufacturer acquired Benetton in 2000. In 2015, it was sold to a French specialist, who returned the car to full running order. The next custodian retained chassis B192-05 for a decade but has now consigned it to the upcoming online only Broad Arrow Auction Global Icons sale. This hugely significant Grand Prix car is estimated to sell for in excess of €8.5 million later this month.
It is all change for Toyota going into this FIA World Endurance Championship. For the first time since 2016, the team will be entered as Toyota Racing instead of Toyota Gazoo Racing. This change is also carried through with the revised TR010 Hybrid sports racer, which will replace the two-time Le Mans winning GR010. Compared to the outgoing model, it features heavily revised aerodynamics and to the joy of many enthusiasts, the TR010 Hybrid will sport a red livery that is reminiscent of the fabulous TS020.

We kick off 2026 by wishing you the very best for the New Year and by pointing you to one of motoring's hidden gems; the Torre Loziaga Museum. Located in the picturesque Basque hills in Northern Spain, the museum is located just 30 minutes from the city of Bilbao with the Guggenheim museum as its main attraction. For Rolls-Royce enthusiasts in particular, the private collection displayed in the six buildings of the Torre Loziaga museum can rival the world famous museum for modern art. Famously boasting all six generations of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the spectacular selection of cars was the fruit of the labour of one local businessman, the late Miguel de la Via. He spent his youth playing at the Torre Loziaga or Loziaga Tower and by the mid-1980s had amassed the means to acquire the estate and house his quickly growing stable of cars. Worth a visit even for those not interested in cars, the beautiful grounds also regularly host parties and weddings. The collection not only includes a wide range of Rolls-Royce models, it also includes several Hispano Suizas, Jaguars, a Ferrari Testarossa and the very Lamborghini Countach LP5000 that served as the pace car for the 1982 Monaco Grand Prix.
The Torre Loizaga museum is open to the public on Sundays and holidays, and guided tours can be booked.

It is an extra festive Ferrari Friday with four great competition cars that we saw in action this year and you may see again in the near future. First up is this striking 312/69 F1, which, as the name suggests, was raced during the 1969 Formula 1 season. It was the last Ferrari Grand Prix car before the new generation flat-12 powered cars were introduced. Preserved in a prominent collection for many years, chassis 0019 is remarkably original and today sports a rear wing similar to the the one used at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1969. This was recreated in anticipation of an entry in next year's Grand Prix Historique.
At the Le Mans Classic, we were treated to pair of 1950s sports racers. Rarest of the bunch is the sole surviving 118 LM. It is one of very few Ferraris powered by a straight-six engine and served the works team before it was sold to the United States. Fitted with a 121 LM specification engine, 0484LM was brought out this year by its most recent custodian and raced with verve. Sharing the same grid was this 750 Monza, which was raced extensively and successfully in Italy during the 1950s. Later in life, it was a regular competitor in the Mille Miglia retrospectives. Now in American hands, 0530M, it has returned to action.
At the Imola Classic in July, this 360 GTC was reunited with one of the drivers that originally raced it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 2005. Still sporting its Gizmodo colours, 2068 competed in the highly competitive Endurance Racing Legends 2 grid.
To conclude this festive Ferrari Friday, we would like to wish you a great time during the upcoming holiday season and all the best for the New Year. We will be back to cater to all your automotive history needs in 2026.