Apex
Weekly.

Sixty years after the Interceptor, Jensen returns with a supercharged V8 GT - but car number one never gets a numberplate.

Jensen International Automotive confirmed on 16 July 2026 that its comeback model, the Interceptor GTX, arrives first as a track-only special rather than a road car. Not a restomod, not a continuation: new from the ground up, hand-built aluminium body over an aluminium chassis, supercharged V8, aimed at what the company calls the ultimate analogue driving experience. Global debut is set for Q2 2026 - exactly 60 years after the original Interceptor. Power, price and production count are still unannounced; reports point to a 6.2-litre supercharged GM V8, the architecture that makes 685 hp in the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.

Jensen is one of Britain's great lost names - the Interceptor and the four-wheel-drive FF were genuine Aston rivals in the 1960s, and every revival since has failed. This one is led by JIA, the firm behind the well-regarded Interceptor R restomods, with Jeff Qvale, son of former Jensen Motors owner Kjell Qvale, on board. Going track-only first is the strategically interesting part: it sidesteps crash, emissions and type-approval homologation, which is exactly where low-volume startups normally run out of money. Read cynically, it puts a sellable product in the market to fund the road car later; read charitably, it is how a tiny manufacturer de-risks a clean-sheet chassis. Either way it lands Jensen in the same regulatory lane as the Valkyrie AMR Pro and the GMA T.50s. The positioning is a deliberate break with the badge - the original Interceptor was a soft, fast GT, not a circuit weapon. The fully analogue pitch, supercharged V8 and hinted manual are aimed at buyers now paying restomod money for mechanical feel rather than lap times. The real test comes when the covers come off and Jensen finally publishes a number.

Read the original at The Drive →

Passione Engadina turns 15 on 27-30 August: 120 hand-picked Italian classics, two regularity days and a first run down into Italy.

The 15th Passione Engadina runs 27-30 August 2026 in St. Moritz at 1,822 m, themed The Italian Job and limited to 120 invited Italian cars. The field splits into three classes: The Untouchables (built up to 1986), The Challengers (youngtimers up to 2006) and The Lightning Strike (modern cars at the organiser's discretion). The Julius Baer Challenge regularity runs on 28-29 August, with the Ladies' Cup and the Next Gen Cup for drivers up to 25 on the opening day. The organisers list the event as effectively sold out.

Passione Engadina is the Alpine counterpoint to the big static concours: its Eleganza in Movimento judges cars in motion rather than on a lawn, with a jury led by former Pininfarina design boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti. For 2026 the roll call goes well beyond the obvious - Abarth, Bizzarrini, Cisitalia, De Tomaso, Iso, O.S.C.A., Stanguellini, Touring Superleggera and Zagato all get their moment. The route changes this year too: for the first time it drops south across the border into Italy for a stop in Madesimo, a village ringed by 3,000 m peaks, adding genuinely new road to a rally that has spent 15 years on Engadin passes. For anyone based in Bavaria, Tyrol, South Tyrol or Northern Italy this is one of the few high-Alpine events where the driving matters more than the paddock parade. Spectators do not need an entry: from 21-24 August the cars are displayed on Via Serlas, St. Moritz's luxury shopping street, and the class wins are handed out there. Entry to the rally itself is invitation-and-selection based, so the realistic play for 2026 is to watch, then apply early for 2027. Maloja, Julier and Bernina are at their best in the last week of August, before the first snow warnings appear.

Read the original at Passione Engadina →

The 2027 Maybach GLS 680 launches Mercedes' new flat-plane-crank 4.0 twin-turbo V8 - 626 hp combined, more than the AMG GT 63.

Mercedes-Maybach revealed the 2027 GLS 680 on 21 July 2026, and under the hood sits Mercedes' brand-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with a flat-plane crankshaft. The engine alone makes 603 hp and 850 Nm, with a 48-volt starter generator adding another 23 hp for 626 hp combined, through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels. Balance shafts smooth out the flat-plane vibrations, and the SUV gets revised steering plus reworked air suspension. Optional E-Active Body Control adjusts each corner up to 1,000 times per second and leans the body into corners by up to three degrees.

The headline here is not the chrome - it is the engine. A flat-plane crank is race-car hardware, the layout Ferrari uses and the one AMG chose for the GT Black Series, and Mercedes has now made it the basis of its next-generation V8. That it debuts in a chauffeur-focused Maybach rather than an AMG says a lot about where Affalterbach's volume actually sits in 2026. At 626 hp combined the GLS 680 out-guns the 577 hp AMG GT 63 Coupe, which makes the AMG versions of this engine an obvious next step. Mercedes has not confirmed pricing, but the outgoing GLS 600 opened around $180,000, so expect the 680 north of that - Bentayga territory. Production runs in Tuscaloosa, with arrival before the end of 2026. For anyone who assumed the AMG V8 was quietly dying off, this is the clearest signal yet that Mercedes has just spent real money keeping eight cylinders alive.

Read the original at Carscoops →

On 29 Aug 2026 the Stelvio's 48 hairpins close to motor traffic 08:00-16:00 for Stelvio Bike Day; 6,772 riders came in 2025.

The 24th Radtag Stilfserjoch / Stelvio Bike Day runs Saturday 29 August 2026, closing the pass road to all motorised vehicles from Trafoi to the 2,758 m summit between 08:00 and 16:00. The same eight-hour ban applies on the Lombard side from Bormio to the top and on the Swiss link down to Santa Maria in the Val Muestair, so every approach is shut at once. The classic South Tyrolean ramp from Prad climbs 24.96 km and 1,848 vertical metres, averaging 9-11 percent with 48 numbered hairpins. Last year drew 6,772 cyclists despite low temperatures.

The Stelvio is the second-highest paved pass in the Alps and, for most drivers in the region, the single most iconic road on the map. Losing all three approaches for a full working day in late August is the kind of detail that quietly wrecks a weekend route if you only find out at the barrier in Trafoi. There is no mass start and no registration, so traffic on the closed sections builds from around 06:30 and stays dense until 16:00. Anyone planning to cross that day needs a real alternative: the Umbrail on the Swiss side is also shut, which pushes traffic onto the Reschen, the Ofenpass or a long detour via the Gavia and Tonale. The closure sits inside a wider pattern - Stelvio Night in late June, and Sellaronda Bike Day shutting Sella, Pordoi, Gardena and Campolongo on 12 September. For the pass communities a car-free day is now one of the strongest tourism assets the road has. Best plan for drivers: take the pass early in the week, or come back after 16:00 on the 29th, when 48 hairpins are empty and the light is at its best.

Read the original at Nationalpark Stilfserjoch →

Porsche readies a manual-only 911 GT3 with a factory ducktail spoiler, reportedly capped at 100 units and premiering 1 August.

Spy shots show a barely disguised red 911 GT3 (992.2) lapping the Nurburgring with factory driver Joerg Bergmeister, wearing a ducktail rear spoiler moulded into the bodywork with an integrated third brake light. A leak from Porsche's Austrian site points to the name '911 GT3 Bergsport', a run of just 100 cars, and a debut on 1 August 2026. It is expected to keep the manual gearbox and the current GT3's naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six, which revs to 9,000 rpm and makes 502 hp. Porsche has not officially confirmed the model, power or price yet.

The ducktail is Porsche folklore: it first appeared on the 1972 911 Carrera RS 2.7, the original road-legal homologation special, and has since become shorthand for lightweight, driver-first 911s. Reviving it on a limited GT3 signals a heritage play aimed at collectors and enthusiasts rather than lap-time chasers. The name Bergsport literally means mountain sport, which lands perfectly for an audience that lives for Alpine passes. It slots alongside recent purist specials like the 911 S/T, all built around the same high-revving flat-six and three pedals. A 100-unit cap would make it one of the rarest current GT3 variants, guaranteeing allocation battles and strong residuals. The minimal camouflage and a top factory test driver suggest Porsche wants the buzz to build ahead of the reveal. For drivers in the German-speaking Alps this is close to a home-market halo car. Expect official numbers and pricing in the days before the 1 August premiere.

Read the original at Zero2Turbo →

180 classic cars from 14 nations run 900+ km and 50 special stages through Styria's Alps, 22-25 July, based in Groebming.

The 34th Ennstal-Classic runs 22-25 July 2026 from its home town of Groebming in the Styrian Enns valley, drawing roughly 180 pre-1996 classics from 14 nations. Over three driving days crews cover well over 900 kilometres across Alpine passes on a route built around 50 timed special stages, mixing light-barrier sprints with precision average-speed sections. The 2026 edition adds a Wednesday check-in with a full paddock programme at the Groebming Motorpark, a new relaxed Touring format capped at 10 entries, and the Porsche Design Grand Prix showcase in town. It stays a regularity rally, not a flat-out race, and raises money for the Wings for Life charity.

The Ennstal-Classic is one of the most prestigious classic-car regularity rallies in the Alps, often called the Austrian answer to the Mille Miglia. Its reputation was built by the names that have driven it: Stirling Moss, Niki Lauda, Derek Bell, David Coulthard and Sebastian Vettel have all taken part. The appeal is the machinery and the roads in equal measure, threading valuable pre-war and post-war classics through Styria's Dachstein and Soelk country. Unlike a track event, the format rewards discipline and navigation, so the driving is precise rather than reckless, which suits the older iron. Groebming turns into an open-air museum for four days, with a paddock, evening events and the Porsche Design Grand Prix that let spectators get close for free. For anyone in the wider Alpine region it is an easy weekend target, roughly two hours from Salzburg and within reach of Munich. The 2026 route again links some of the best driving roads in the eastern Alps. Live status pages and a livestream mean followers who cannot attend can still track the field stage by stage.

Read the original at Ennstal-Classic →

McLaren has revealed the 788HS, the most extreme High Sport it has ever built and the last variant of its twin-turbo V8 supercar bloodline. It closes out the combustion flagship era before the brand pivots to hybrids under new ownership.

The 788HS runs McLaren's 4.0-litre twin-turbo M840T V8 making 777 bhp (788 PS) and 800 Nm, good for 0-100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and 330 km/h. Dry weight drops to a claimed 1,265 kg despite added carbon aero, a taller active rear wing, F1-style diffuser slots and an S-duct bonnet that lift downforce roughly 10 percent over the 765LT. Just 200 units will be hand-commissioned through McLaren Special Operations, split evenly between coupe and Spider. Pricing is expected from around 450,000 pounds. It is only the third car ever to wear the High Sport badge, after the MP4-12C HS and the 675LT-based MSO HS.

This is the literal end of the line, the last combustion-only V8 flagship before McLaren goes hybrid, making the 788HS an instant future-collectible for purists.

Read the original at CarBuzz →

The Bernina Gran Turismo returns to the legendary pass road between Poschiavo and St. Moritz from September 11 to 13, 2026. A strictly curated grid of just 70 historic cars will attack 5.4 kilometres and 52 bends of raw Alpine tarmac.

The event runs Competition and Regularity classes on the Bernina Pass, climbing 450 metres in altitude between La Rosa and Ospizio Bernina, a route cars have raced since 1929. Entry is invitation or selective application only, with the 2026 grid capped at 70 cars reviewed by a selection committee. Races run Saturday September 12, with a second race day and awards ceremony in Poschiavo on Sunday. There are no grandstands and no staged spectacle, spectators reach the route by shuttle or the Rhaetian Railway to Ospizio Bernina.

A 70-car cap and invitation-only entry make this one of the most exclusive hillclimb grids in the Alps, proof that authenticity still earns a start slot.

Read the original at Bernina Gran Turismo →

Zenvo revealed the production Aurora Tur at Goodwood, crowned the world's most powerful V12 road car.

The Aurora Tur pairs a bespoke 6.6-litre quad-turbo V12 named Mjolner, good for 1,250 hp at 9,800 rpm, with three electric motors adding 600 hp for a combined 1,850 hp through all-wheel drive. Zenvo claims 0-100 km/h in 2.3 seconds and a top speed near 450 km/h from a dry weight of roughly 1,450 kg. Only 100 Auroras will be built, split between the AWD Tur and lighter rear-drive Agil, each priced north of 2.8 million euro. Customer deliveries begin in the second half of 2027.

It marks Zenvo's leap from wacky startup to genuine hypercar player alongside Koenigsegg and Pagani, staking a bold combustion claim just as rivals pivot electric.

Read the original at Carscoops →

Ferrari gathers around 60 of the rarest classic Ferraris on Lake Garda for its invitation-only Cavalcade Classiche.

The 2026 Cavalcade Classiche runs September 21-25 with Lake Garda as its hub, five days of driving the Dolomites and northern-Italian passes. Recent editions have fielded around 60 pre-1990 Ferraris, from the 1948 166 MM through the Dino 246 GT, 275 GTB, 288 GTO, F40 and F50, worth several hundred million euros combined. For safety the entire convoy is escorted by the Italian traffic police, with routes climbing Dolomite icons like the Sella Pass. Participation is strictly invitation-only for owners.

It is the closest thing to a rolling Ferrari museum on public roads, putting the Alpine passes our audience drives on the same stage as cars most people only see behind glass.

Read the original at Niki Hasler →

BYD's premium brand Denza revealed the Z, its first true supercar. The tri-motor EV undercuts a Porsche 911 GTS on price while nearly doubling a Turbo S on power.

The Z rides on Denza's new e3 Sports Car Platform with three motors for a combined 1,582 hp and 915 lb-ft. The Coupe hits 62 mph in 2.25s and 186 mph; the track-focused Racing trim drops to 1.96s and 217 mph. UK pricing starts at 142,900 GBP for the Coupe, less than a 911 Carrera 4 GTS, with a 76 kWh Blade battery that charges 10-97% in about 9 minutes. A 1,973-plus hp Special Edition aimed at an EV Nurburgring record is still to come.

A four-seat electric supercar that outsprints and undercuts Porsche's icons is exactly the shot across the bow enthusiasts have braced for. The question is whether combustion loyalists will even look.

Read the original at Carscoops →

The Gurnigel Bergrennen returns to the Bernese Alps for its 55th running, the oldest motorsport race in Europe. Two days of tuned classics and race cars attacking a narrow closed alpine road.

The 55th Bergrennen Gurnigel runs 12-13 September 2026 between Duerrbach and Gurnigelbad in Canton Bern, Switzerland. The course is 3.8 km long with 314 m of elevation gain; the first race was held here on 21 August 1910. Between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators line the grass banks each weekend, and it counts toward the Swiss Hillclimb Championship, drawing everything from Fiat X1/9 specials to Lancia Delta S4 and modern racing sports cars.

For alpine drivers it is the purest expression of what these roads were built for: a real pass turned into a timed racetrack, an hour south of Bern. Rare access to see historic and current machinery driven flat-out on a closed mountain road.

Read the original at Bergrennen Gurnigel →

Toyota revived the front-engined V8 supercar and finally pulled the camo off.

The GR GT packs a bespoke 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with mild-hybrid assist, sending 641bhp and 627lb ft to the rear wheels through a new eight-speed auto. It rides on an aluminium-and-carbon structure at roughly 1,750kg with 45/55 balance, targeting sub-four seconds to 62mph and 199mph-plus. Crucially it is not a limited hypercar: Toyota pitches it against the Mercedes-AMG GT, with six-figure pricing and sales via Lexus dealers from late 2026 as a 2027 model.

A brand-new, daily-usable petrol V8 sports car in 2026 is almost extinct, and it follows the 2000GT and LFA bloodline.

Read the original at Top Gear →

Louis Vuitton revives its Classic Run after 14 years, sending 25 of the rarest cars over the Dolomites to Monza.

The Louis Vuitton Dolomites Classic Run runs September 1-4 2026, departing September 2 from Villa Pisani on the Riviera del Brenta. Just 25 invited historic cars from the world's finest private collections cover roughly 600 kilometres of regularity driving over the Dolomites' UNESCO passes before dropping into Lombardy. On September 4 the field parades at Monza for the opening of the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix, with prize-giving at Milan's Castello Sforzesco. It is the first Classic Run since 2012.

This is the marquee Alpine drive of the season, putting the Dolomites' hairpin passes on a global stage next to F1 and top collectors.

Read the original at ramp →