1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdF Berlinetta. Image credit: Salon Privé
British luxury and supercar show Salon Privé is bringing together important luxury and rare vehicles from history to compete at its Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance event.
A restored Lamborghini, two Fifties- and Sixties-era Italian racecars and one of oldest running Rolls-Royces are among the many elite automobiles that will be competing at Blenheim Palace, Britain. On Aug. 31 automobile lovers will see a variety of rare vehicles judged by professionals as part of the longest running concours in the United Kingdom.
“Each September, collectors, connoisseurs and enthusiasts come together on the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace to indulge in their shared passion of all things automotive,” said Andrew Bagley Salon Privé Managing Director & Concours Chairman.
Elegant competition
One buzzed-about entry in this year’s Concours is the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 “Daytona” Spyder, of which only 122 were made in production. The Daytona is one of two Ferraris entered and will be showcased in the “Riviera Cruising” Class.
A second Ferrari, the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdF Berlinetta, is known as the first single louvre car with covered headlights. The car will be traveling from the United States to compete in the “Curvaceous Coupes” Class.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdF Berlinetta
The 1939 Bentley 4¼ Litre, which Salon Privé considers one of the rarest Bentley’s of the late thirties, will be featured in the Graceful Pre-War Motoring Class. The Bentley is known as “Honeysuckle” due to its gold paint and is fitted with open-tourer-style coachwork by Vanden Plas.
One of the two surviving 1905 Rolls-Royce Light models will be entered in the “Luxury in Motion: Pre-War Rolls-Royce” Class and is said to be one of the most historically important Rolls-Royce cars in existence.
“Birdcage” is a nickname given to a 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 entered into the “Classic Sports Racers against the Stopwatch” Class due to its birdcage-like chassis design.
The opening day of Salon Privé is dedicated to the world-renowned Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance
Enzo Ferrari described another notable entry at this years Concours as “the most beautiful car ever made.” The fifteenth 1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 model made in production recently underwent a 4,000-hour restoration and will compete in the “Best of British at Blenheim Palace” Class.
This will mark the twelfth year for the Concours d’Elégance and its third year held at the Blenheim Palace.
Salon Privé
The supercar show also recently pivoted back toward the public with a test-drive program.
Salon Privé opened its doors to the public in 2015 for the first time since its inception and now touts itself as the only event to offer test drives to the public. Offering consumer interaction of that level establishes the event as a cut above the rest while presenting brands with a straightforward opportunity to win customers (see story).
The show relocated to Blenheim Palace in 2014, is among the largest automotive events in the world. There it includes the Chubb Insurance Concours D’Elégance car show, which features some of the world’s rarest classic cars and motorcycles, a classic car auction featuring 65 vehicles valued at more than $18 million and the Salon Privé Supercar Show, which last year included the new Pirelli Prestige and Performance competition, as well as events centered on other luxury interests (see story).
“As the day draws closer, we’re looking forward to the culmination of yet another year’s work. We’ve enticed some of the most elusive and exciting cars out of hiding, and I can’t wait to welcome them and our visitors to the lawns of Blenheim for what’s set to be our best event yet," Mr. Bagley said.