Ferrari’s 75th Anniversary celebrated and top brands unveil latest cars.

Across five memorable days at Blenheim Palace starting Wednesday 28 September (and glorious weather once again), this year’s Salon Privé Week saw the return of the world’s most astonishingly beautiful and rare classics in the Concours d’Elégance, alongside some of the most jaw-dropping supercars and concepts from the present and future. The Platinum Collection was a special addition to this year’s event, and the Salon Privé Classic & Supercar brought dynamic live action to Blenheim Palace with the ‘Hill Sprint’.

The Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva opened proceedings on the Wednesday. As one of the most renowned events in the world, it is a Partner Concours to the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award and is the only Concours in the UK to be judged by an International Chief Judge Advisory Group (ICJAG) jury, which features leading experts in their respective marques.

The coveted Best of Show award was announced during Ladies’ Day presented by Boodles on Friday 2 September, and was presented to a stunning 1956 Ferrari 250 Grand Tourer (GT) Tour de France (TdF) Berlinetta by Zagato.

The 250 GT TdF impressed ICJAG Judges and Blenheim’s guests alike and was part of a keenly contested group of Class Winners covering 12 decades of motoring, from veteran to supercar. Owned by David and Ginny Sydorick, the 250 GT TdF is one of just five Ferrari 250 GT long-wheelbase chassis cars designed by Zagato. Chassis 0515GT was originally built for one of Ferrari’s best customers, Vladimiro Galluzzi. Galluzzi raced the car extensively during the 1956 season, before selling it to racing driver Luigi Taramazzo. It was eventually retired from racing at the end of 1958. The V12-powered lightweight model has an elegant coach-built body with Zagato’s trademark double-bubble roof.

An esteemed panel of chief automotive design judges awarded the Churchill Cup for Most Exceptional Design to the 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sports Coupé by Freestone & Webb. Built as a car ‘for use in the UK and Continent, mainly fast touring’, chassis 42PY is distinguished by its long bonnet-line and cycle-style ‘helmet’ fenders, with no traditional running boards, giving it a low and quite rakish appearance.

Showing the sheer breadth of this year’s entries was the 1907 Lorraine Dietrich 130HP ‘Course’, winner of the People’s Choice Award. Meanwhile, collecting this year’s coveted Duke of Marlborough Award was another Ferrari, this time from the 75th Anniversary Race Class: the 1965 365 P with body by Fantuzzi.

A new addition to this year’s event was the much-anticipated display of ‘The Platinum Collection’, featuring a selection of spectacular, as well as rare, platinum and silver-coloured motor cars of all ages. Presented on the historic Blenheim Palace Cricket Pitch, the display included iconic models from Aston Martin, Bugatti, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, McLaren, Morgan, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Wiesmann. Highlights included not one, but two McLaren F1s – chassis 063 and 064 – demonstrating meticulous work carried out by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the first official production Bugatti EB110 Super Sport, Chassis #01 ordered new by the Sultan of Brunei, and the only official Ferrari Testarossa Spider produced, a custom order in 1986 for the then Fiat Chairman, Gianni Agnelli.

Saturday was given over exclusively to the premium marque car clubs, for the Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton. A Manufacturer’s Award and a Secretary’s Award was presented to a car from each of the owners’ clubs, but the top prize, the Lockton Club Trophy, went to an immaculate 1980 Ferrari 308 Gran Turismo Sport (GTS).

The final two days of Salon Privé also witnessed a unique celebration of Ferrari’s milestone anniversary. The ‘Tribute to 75 Years of Ferrari’ took pride of place on His Grace the Duke of Marlborough's Croquet Lawn, showcasing a sensational timeline from the first ever Ferrari, right up to modern-day models. Star cars included one of only two Ferrari 275 Gran Turismo Berlinetta (GTB/4 S) North American Racing Team (NART) Spiders and the original Ferrari 365 P works team race prototype, which won the 1965 Targa Florio and 1,000km Nürburgring.

Over 100 of the very best classic and modern Ferraris were on display on the South Lawn of Blenheim Palace on the Saturday, while Sunday saw a very special parade as part of the ‘Live on the Drive’ Hill Sprint activity. A Ferrari line-up was presented in chronological order, starting with the very first model to bear the famous name – a 125 S, driven by Salon Privé Chairman, Andrew Bagley.

Salon Privé’s Classic & Supercar was a spectacular conclusion to the Salon Privé Week, featuring exhilarating Hill Sprints, live demonstrations and interviews with legendary racing stars. Open to the public, enthusiasts flocked to Blenheim Palace to revel in the unforgettable spectacle of Group B machinery being put through its paces – including a 1983 Renault 5 Turbo Tour de Corse, a 1985 Metro 6R4 and a 1986 Ford RS200 Evo. They were part of a 25-strong selection of cars from Ralli22 that also included an ex-Colin McRae Subaru Impreza. The great Scotsman drove ‘P12 WRC’ during 1997 and took it to victory on that year’s RAC Rally to clinch the World Constructors’ Championship for Subaru.

Also taking part in the Salon Privé ‘Hill Sprint’ was a spectacular selection of supercars and classics, including a number of UK and World Debuts, such as the new Engler Desat, and the Radical SR10. The ‘Hill Sprint’ also included a special Prodrive Legends feature, celebrating the British company with a line-up of rally cars, racing cars including the Ferrari 550 GTS and Aston Martin Vantage GT4, and the new Prodrive Hunter – the world’s first all-terrain hypercar.

Salon Privé Director David Bagley said: “This year’s event was a stunning success – from some of the world’s leading marques presenting new debuts, to the spectacular ‘Platinum Collection’, to an impressive anniversary celebration of Ferrari. The week began with a world-class Concours d’Elégance and finished with an exciting day of Hill Sprints and live action – we’re delighted that it was so well received and we’re excited for our next Salon Privé event in London in April”.

 

 

Salon Privé London will be taking place at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea from 20 to 22 April 2023, hosting an exciting new concept of the Concours de Vente.

www.salonpriveconcours.com