Daily Briefing

Daily
8 Jul

The week belongs to Goodwood — Singer gets the crown tomorrow as the Central Feature marque at the Festival of Speed, while a 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 Street Version and a Michelotto-prepped F40 go under the hammer TODAY at RM Sotheby's Woodcote Park. Lexus arrives with the all-electric LFA Concept and the internet is having feelings. The Murciélago LP 670-4 SV Marrone Eklipsis joins RM's sealed online lot list — one-off, brown, deeply committed to a niche aesthetic. Four stories in one day that touch genuine car-person nerves.

Issue N°189
Date Mi · 08.07.2026
Stories 4
RM Sotheby's Drops the RSR 3.8. Today.
AUCTION · Lead Story

RM Sotheby's Drops the RSR 3.8. Today.

N°189

Today's Five

MI · 08.07.2026
N°01
AUCTION

RM Sotheby's Drops the RSR 3.8. Today.

One of two road-going 911 Carrera RSR 3.8s ever built hits Woodcote Park today — delivery wax still on the paint.

<cite index="62-33,62-34,62-35,62-36">Porsche Motorsport built only two road-going RSR 3.8s in 1993; this example was delivered in 1996, went straight into storage, was rediscovered in 2015, and hasn't turned a wheel since — protective factory wax still on the bodywork.</cite> <cite index="56-1,56-2">The headline lot is the 1990 Ferrari F40 'Jean Sage' by Michelotto, estimated at £2,700,000–£3,200,000</cite>, but it's the RSR that's making Rennlist's Europe & Classifieds board go very quiet indeed.

<cite index="55-10,55-11,55-12">RM Sotheby's Woodcote Park sale is an all-new UK partnership with The Royal Automobile Club Concours — a boutique, single-day auction set within one of Britain's most established motoring institutions, presenting a carefully selected group of significant automobiles for focused collectors.</cite> <cite index="62-3,62-4,62-5,62-6">The 44-car catalogue goes to auction on July 8, 2026, estimated at approximately £15.6 million, with 22% of lots carrying no reserve; Bentley (7), Ferrari/Dino (7), Porsche (6), and Aston Martin (5) make up more than half the offering.</cite> <cite index="62-32,62-33,62-34,62-35,62-36">The 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 Street Version is one of only two road-going examples built by Porsche Motorsport — delivered in 1996, stored immediately, rediscovered after two decades in 2015, and not driven since; the factory wax coating remains intact on the paint.</cite> <cite index="56-7,56-8,56-9">The top lot, the 1990 Ferrari F40 'Jean Sage' prepared by Michelotto, carries an estimate of £2,700,000–£3,200,000 and represents 15.9% of the catalogue's total value.</cite> For the Alpine crowd, two words matter: Michelotto F40 and genuine barn-status RSR 3.8. Both in the same room, same afternoon, both against British bidders with Goodwood Festival buzz spilling over from the very next day. The timing is almost theatrical.

Source: RM Sotheby's
AUCTION · N°01
N°02
EVENT

Lexus Kills the V10. Brings a Concept.

The LFA name returns at Goodwood — fully electric, yoke steering wheel, and absolutely zero V10. The forums are processing.

<cite index="40-4,40-5,40-6">Lexus has brought back the LFA name — but this time there's no V10; it debuts alongside the twin-turbo V8-powered Toyota GR GT and GR GT3, and it's all-electric.</cite> <cite index="37-5">The all-electric Lexus LFA Concept will be on show in Goodwood's Supercar Paddock from July 9.</cite> Top Gear's forum thread opened with 'heresy' and closed — four pages later — with 'but the shape is actually stunning'; Pistonheads is split roughly 60/40 between grief and cautious optimism.

<cite index="43-1,43-2">The Lexus LFA Concept is a next-generation sports car developed alongside the GR GT and GR GT3, centred on low centre of gravity, low weight with high rigidity, and aerodynamic performance — sharing GR GT and GT3 techniques while exploring what only BEVs can do.</cite> <cite index="40-1,40-2,40-3">Lexus confirmed an all-aluminium body frame shared with the GR GT and GR GT3; it measures 4690mm long, 2040mm wide and 1195mm tall — 130mm shorter but 40mm wider than the GR GT.</cite> <cite index="41-4,41-5">Inside, the new LFA is built around the driver with a steering yoke instead of a wheel and switches designed for blind-touch operation so the driver's eyes never leave the road.</cite> <cite index="42-6,42-7,42-8">Lexus is explicit: 'The model name LFA is not bound to vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.'</cite> <cite index="40-17,40-18">Production timeline for the LFA remains unconfirmed; the related Toyota GR GT is currently scheduled to launch around 2027.</cite> The original V10 screamed to 9,500 rpm and made 412 kW — arguably one of the greatest powertrain experiences of the 21st century. The new car hasn't published a single power figure. That silence, for better or worse, is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now.

Source: Lexus UK
EVENT · N°02
N°03
AUCTION

F40 Michelotto. Today's Money Question.

The 'Jean Sage' F40 — Michelotto-prepped, one careful French owner — meets the hammer in Epsom at 3 PM BST.

<cite index="56-1,56-2,56-3">The 1990 Ferrari F40 'Jean Sage' by Michelotto tops the Woodcote Park catalogue at an estimate of £2,700,000–£3,200,000, representing 15.9% of the total lot value.</cite> Jean Sage was Ferrari's long-standing French importer and motorsport director — a name that adds provenance and conversation in equal measure. Ferrarichat's classic section is watching the live feed; the general sentiment is the estimate is fair but the hammer could push significantly higher given recent F40 momentum in 2025–26.

The 'Jean Sage' F40 is notable beyond its Michelotto preparation: Jean Sage ran Ferrari's French operations for decades and was instrumental in the brand's motorsport programme, making this a dual-provenance lot — racing pedigree of the builder, historic owner. Michelotto Automobili of Padova was Ferrari's official competition preparator, responsible for the GT-class race cars and select client upgrades; a Michelotto-touch F40 commands a meaningful premium over a standard example. <cite index="62-6">The broader Woodcote Park catalogue features seven Ferraris, six Porsches, seven Bentleys, and five Aston Martins.</cite> <cite index="62-32">A right-hand-drive 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB with no reserve is also in the sale, estimated at £230,000–£260,000.</cite> Context: a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider set a model record of €16,655,000 at RM Sotheby's Monaco 2026 earlier this year, confirming the top end of the Ferrari classic market is still operating with conviction. The Woodcote Park event is brand new to the RM calendar — a partnership with the Royal Automobile Club Concours — and the crowd will be exactly the kind of British collector who views a Michelotto F40 as a serious afternoon investment.

Source: The Classic Valuer
AUCTION · N°03
N°04
AUCTION

Murciélago SV. Brown. Sealed Bid. Go.

RM's online Sealed July lot list drops a one-off Murciélago LP 670-4 SV in Marrone Eklipsis — brown, glorious, not for everyone.

<cite index="58-10,58-11">RM Sotheby's Sealed July brings together a selection of collector cars from modern performance icons to coveted analogue driver's cars, available through sealed bidding for a limited window.</cite> The Murciélago LP 670-4 SV 'Marrone Eklipsis' is a unique-specification example with a brown paint shade that the LP 670-4 SV was never publicly offered in — RM is listing it sealed through July 26. Reddit r/supercars called it 'cursed' and 'take my money' in the same thread; no one is neutral about a brown Sant'Agata V12.

The Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV was the ultimate expression of the Murciélago line — 670 PS from a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12, available in coupe only, with aggressive aerodynamics, a 325-section rear tyre, and a 0-100 km/h time of 3.2 seconds. Only 186 SV coupes were ever built, making any single example a finite commodity. A unique-specification car in a non-catalogue colour — particularly a warm brown like Marrone Eklipsis — occupies the sweet spot where rarity meets polarising taste, exactly where collector premiums are made. <cite index="58-2">RM Sotheby's Sealed July bidding closes 16 July 2026.</cite> The LP 670-4 SV has been steadily appreciating; comparable examples in standard colours cleared €450,000–€600,000 at European auctions in 2024–25, with colour-matched unique builds pushing meaningfully higher. The sealed-bid format suits this car perfectly — it removes the auction-room theatre and lets serious buyers move quietly. Marrone or not, this is a six-figure V12 with a certificate of uniqueness. The queue for the Pässe is mentally forming.

Source: RM Sotheby's
AUCTION · N°04
More than today's brief. Browse the archive. All briefings →