Featuring a new format to include the world-renowned Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance on day 1 (opened by the Tour d’Elégance concours car parade), Boodles Ladies’ Day on day 2 and the Salon Privé Finalé Garden Party on day 3, 2013’s event will see numerous product debuts, many teased for the first time this year’s Geneva Motor Show, including:

• BMW 3-series GT
• Ferrari LaFerrari
• Bentley SUV
• Bentley Mulsanne
• Mercedes C63 AMG
• Lexus IS300h
• Rolls Royce Wraith coupé

With many exotic and classic exhibitors already confirmed, including Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Fisker, Harley Davidson, Lexus, McLaren, Noble, Overfinch, Radical, Rimac, Startech, Touring Superleggera and Trident, 2013 is sure to see further world-firsts, product debuts, super stars, super cars, super bikes, and super models at the Salon Privé summer garden party. With the last remaining exhibitor brands about to confirm, the show is heading towards its first ever sell-out a full six months before it is due to open.

Tickets are available and can be purchased by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0808 100 2205. Entry is fully inclusive of Pommery champagne, lobster luncheon, English afternoon tea and full access to all areas. A limited number of hospitality packages are also available for groups and corporate entertainment.

Read our postcard from the 2012 Salon Privé here.

Here Chris Harris reviews the Porsche 918, drives 3 laps in the car and as always gives us an insightful view of this hybrid hypercar.

Porsche says the Spyder will hit 62mph in 2.8 seconds, 124mph in 7.9 seconds and 186mph in 23 seconds dead. However, the Italians claim the Ferrari LaFerrari will cover the same zero to 186mph sprint in 15 seconds.  Nuts!

Will there be 918 customers for this car?  Probably, but on looks alone and for similar money I’d go for the McLaren.  What about you?

If you have a beautiful fantasy garage and will allow us to show it on the site, send us pictures and information about the cars to info@mycarheaven.com.

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1.  Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada

Love this car from the first time I saw one several years ago to this day.  Awesome!

2. Ferrari Dino

Love the car, love the design, love this colour.  Bellissima!

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3. Maserati 4000

Never seen one before, that I can remember anyway.  Although a recreation, very, very cool.

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4. Ferrari Challenge Stradale

Love this car so very much.  Loudest Ferrari yet!  Epic.  Just take in those line!

5. Lamborghini Diablo VT

Love the car, love the colour. Very cool.

6. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

What’s not to love about this gorgeous car?

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7. Fiat 595 Abarth

I liked this car so much I gave the owner my card for when (and if) he decides to sell it.

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8. Lamborghini Countach

Iconic, and a car design like no other.  What’s not to love?

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9. Ferrari F40

Normally this stunning car would be higher up my list, however, I’ve seen a lot in the last few years, so the rarer cars win this time around!

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10. De Tomaso Pantera GTS

You have to watch our video to truly appreciate how awesome this sounds. Bravo to the owner/ driver.

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Other notables

Ok, it’s not 10, but hey come on, what did you expect!  There was so many great and beautiful cars at Auto Italia.  Here are two other notable cars that caught my eye.

Alfa Romeo SZ

What a unique design, it’s a Zagato, what’s not to love?

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Ferrari 250 GTO

It’s only last on our list as it is a recreation, and a kids car.  How cool is that though?  You’d have to be very rich to buy one though wouldn’t you. I’d be terrified that the kids would smash it up, which you know they would!

So there you have it, that’s my top 10, or should I say 12.  What do you think of my selection?  Do you have a top 10 italian cars?

So we were very excited to head down to Brooklands at 7.30am (ish) to enjoy all the Italian exotica that we hoped would be on display, and boy did it deliver.

This is one of the biggest events of the year at Brooklands and celebrated the UK’s obsession with all things Italian. This was Auto Italia’s 28th Spring gathering.

We loved just wandering around and checking out all the cars, some unusual cars, fun cars, fun events, plenty to do with all the museums open at no extra cost.  Some of the cars we loved were:

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Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale (below)

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Ferrari Van (although we think it was a cool converted Fiat) Anyone know what it is? (below)

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Lamborghini Diablo (below)

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Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada (below)

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Fiat 595 Abarth (below)

All our pictures from Auto Italia can be seen on our Facebook photo album here.

It was a jam packed event, with I guess a couple of thousand cars at least on display.  What I thought was good with this show was that your everyday cars were in the same show/ area as the supercars, it was just an Italian appreciation day, which was cool.

We managed to take in all the museum displays and aircrafts which was cool, although it would be fair to say that we did not give them the time they probably deserved given there were so many cool cars to look at and other thing to see.

At midday many of the display cars took to the Mercedes-Benz World Track for demonstrations.  The crowds gathered in anticipation, however, we watched for about 10 minutes then had had enough, this bit of the day was okay at best.  The reason for this?  You could not see much, poor viewing because of the safety barriers and the cars were driving in rather a processional way.  Something the event organisers can work on improving next year.  For what it is worth, maybe next year they could have better viewing galleries or even stands so the fans can see over the protective barriers!  Another idea, do some drag races, so the fans can really see the cars “go for it”.  Who’d like to see a Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione versus a Ferrari F430?  I know we would.

We checked out more cars, there were loads. We then headed over to the Test Hill to see what that had to offer.  Essentially those people that had registered to drive up the hill, could, most went up slow (boo), one poor guy stopped half way up and eventually made it after about 6 hill starts.  However, the two highlight of the hill runs were a Ferrari 360 Modena that was driven so fast that it took off as the top and runs were put on hold whilst I assume the car was put back together (oh dear).  I regret to inform you I did not video this one, gutted!  Then there was an awesome sounding De Tomaso Pantera GTS, what a sound and all credit goes to the owner/ driver for “giving it some”, awesome.  Watch the Tomaso Pantera GTS video here.

So have we convinced you to go next year?  We loved it and for sure will go again.

Did you go to this years Auto Italia?  If so we’d love to know what you thought.

Our Top Ten cars from Auto Italia 2013 are here.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, McLaren will showcase a selection of legendary models from the company’s heritage collection at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Alongside some of the most famous race- and championship-winning models from the brand’s illustrious past will be the latest model from McLaren GT which echoes a name with significant links to McLaren – the 12C GT Can-Am Edition – which will thrill crowds as it takes part in the run up the Goodwood Hill.

The McLaren name is synonymous with Can-Am racing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with the McLaren Racing team claiming five back-to-back world championships between 1967 and 1971, making it the most successful team in the history of the championship.

The original McLaren Can-Am racers were campaigned by great names from motorsport history including Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, and are the inspiration for the 12C GT Can-Am Edition. This latest project from McLaren GT is the rawest, most track-focused model built by McLaren Group’s race car manufacturing arm, to-date. Like the cars with which it shares the famous motorsport badge, the 12C GT Can-Am Edition features a powerful V8 engine, with the new model fitted with an unrestricted version of the 3.8-litre twin-turbo powerplant in the 12C GT3. Further modifications over the race-winning 12C GT3 include an optimised aerodynamics package, to provide even greater levels of downforce, and a passenger seat, to allow the thrills of this latest track car to be shared.

The track-only 12C GT Can-Am Edition will be produced in strictly limited numbers, with no more than 30 being built globally. This exclusivity is fitting for the most powerful 12C produced to-date – a worthy tribute to the first McLaren model to wear the Can-Am name since 1972.

• Celebrating 100 years of Aston Martin
• The iconic Porsche 911 at fifty years
• 50 years of legendary Lamborghini‘s
• Wind in your hair
• The beauty of Streamlining
• ‘Little Saloons’: the birth of the Berlinetta
• Graceful pre-war motoring
• Post-war competition greats
• The art of design: Pininfarina
• Sporting motorcycles from the 1920s to 1970s
• One-offs and oddball motorcycles

Some highlight Concours entrants for 2013 include:

Riley 105 Transformable Coupé 1949
Entered in ‘The beauty of Streamlining’ class, this is a unique and very special Riley from Swiss coachbuilder, Walter Koeng, originally purchased from Riley in Coventry as a running chassis in 1948. Koeng proceeded to build his ultimate dream car from the chassis up. The art deco influenced shape and aerodynamic form, with its sweeping lines and sensual curves, make the Riley a true one-off, only to be seen at Salon Privé in September.

Ferrari 250 California long-wheel-base 1959
Entered in the ‘Wind in your hair’ class, this California is one of the first of its type in the U.S., unusually fitted with velocity stacks and cold airbox to racing specification. Featured in the September 1959 issue of ‘Sports Car Illustrated’ as one of ‘The Fabulous Cars of Enzo Ferrari’, the 250 has been masterfully and obsessively restored to its original Modena factory gate condition. Boasting a rich history and many interesting tales from its owners, this rare and original piece of Scaglietti history will be a big Concours attraction at Salon Privé 2013.

Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 1973
Entered in ‘The iconic Porsche 911 at fifty years’ class, this 911 is one of a handful made under Group 4 GT racing rules, and a Sebring 12 hours winner from its very first outing in 1973, driven by Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood. The RSR boasts a rich competition history, from Daytona to Watkins Glen to Mid Ohio to Atlanta before entering the Dr. Bill Jackson Porsche collection in 1976, where it remained until 1999. Under intricate restoration since then up until 2011, the car maintains many unique original characteristics and will be a star of its class at Syon Park in September.

Entries to the Concours are now officially closed, but exceptional new entrants may still be considered, for more information on entering a car or motorbike, visit http://www.salonprivelondon.com/concours/register.asp

Tickets for Salon Privé can be purchased at www.salonprivelondon.com or by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0808 100 2205. Entry is fully inclusive of Pommery champagne, lobster luncheon, English afternoon tea and full access to all areas.

It’s a wonderful event, not to be missed. You can read our review for last years event here.

Nowhere else in the world can motor sport enthusiasts get so close to the latest and greatest cars and drivers. Seven current 2013-season F1 teams are now confirmed to appear at Goodwood this year; McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Lotus, Caterham and Marussia.

The attendance of a handful of this season’s top F1 drivers are now confirmed for Goodwood too, including Festival of Speed regular Jenson Button, as well as Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. More leading F1 drivers will also be confirmed over the coming weeks, and Festival fans will be able see many current and past F1 masters in action, with the unique possibility to get up close to them.

Recent Grand Prix drivers at the event have included Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing team mate Mark Webber, and also look out at Goodwood for familiar F1 faces such as Sir Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Martin Brundle, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacky Ickx, Murray Walker, Bruno Senna, Ron Dennis, Patrick Head, Ross Brawn, Christian Horner and Adrian Newey, all of whom have attended the Festival in recent years, with many expected to return this year.

Tickets and further information for the 2013 Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival can be found on the Goodwood website, or via the Ticket Hotline +44 (0)1243 755055.