Five of the best classics confirmed for the Warren Classic

By Greg MacLeman

| 2 Aug 2017

Around 125 of the world’s rarest and most desirable classic cars are set to head to Essex for this year’s Warren Classic and Supercar Show, which takes place on 24 September at The Warren Golf & Country Club, near Maldon.

An incredible selection of automobiles will contest 12 concours classes dedicated to everything from Ferrari competition cars through to 300SL Roadsters, with the winners of each class being judged for the Best of Show award, the recipient of which will spend a week on display in the Royal Automobile Club’s Rotunda. A mouthwatering entry list so far includes rarities such as the 197cc Tourette Microcar – one of just 26 built in Croydon in 1958 – and a Koenig-bodied Ferrari 512BB, in addition to a 1976 Lamborghini Urraco who’s owner recently drove it more than 1200 miles for the 2017 Grand Tour Coast to Coast.

Still need convincing? Here are our top five reasons for visiting the Warren Classic and Supercar Show:

5. Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

One of the highlights of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL 60th anniversary celebration is a 300SL Roadster belonging to Belgian Gregory Noblet, son of Pierre Noblet, who campaigned a number of sports cars throughout the 1950s and 1960s under the Ecurie Francorchamps banner and as a private entrant. Noblet scored a number of wins in various Ferrari 250s and an Iso Grifo A3C, as well as coming second at Le Mans behind the wheel of his own 250GTO.

In addition to the Noblet Roadster, John Surtees’ 300SL ‘Gullwing’ will be making the trip from Switzerland, where it now resides. The event will be supporting the Henry Surtees Foundation.

4. 1955 Ferrari 250GT Europa

One of just 34 250 GT Europas built, this particular car was entered for a number of period events by Ferrari's most famous concessionaire, Ecurie Francorchamps, driven on each occasion by Olivier Gendebien, who eventually went on to own the car. Its first outing was in March 1955 in the Cote de la Roche, but it was in the following year that it really made its mark when it came third in the 1956 Liege-Rome-Liege driven by Olivier Gendebien and Pierre Stasse. This was the beginning of a dazzling career as one of the most successful Ferrari team members, during which time Gendebien was to win the Giro di Sicilian once; Reims 12 Hours twice; Sebring 12 Hours twice; Tour de France three times; Targa Florio three times and Le Mans 24 Hours a record four times. In more recent years, this historic car has reappeared in European events like the Tour Auto; Mille Miglia; Liege-Rome-Liege and La Carrera Panamericana, where it came first in the Original PanAm Class two years in succession. As the first road car to feature the legendary Columbo V12 engine the 250 GT Europa was the start of the 250 Dynasty which was to include the Tour De France, SWB, GTO, and to end with the Ferrari Lusso a decade later.

3. 1937 Bentley 41/4 Gurney Nutting Rothschild Sedanca

In 1936 Madame Yvonne Cahen d’Anvers de Rothschild wanted a fast, luxurious car that had all the style of her banker husband’s pair of French-bodied Hispano-Suizas, but was compact enough for convenient use between the family’s English houses in London, Suffolk and Bedfordshire. Captain H. R. Owen, London supplier of motorcars to the nobility and gentry, agreed to fulfil her needs, and commissioned Gurney Nutting to build her a one-off sedanca coupé on a Derby Bentley chassis. Gurney Nutting’s talented young designer John Blatchley drew a sweeping design in black and white, with complex swaging across bonnet and scuttle, and helmet wings merging into wide running boards, and it was approved by Mme de Rothschild. But seven months later this special car was still not finished, and the impatient lady cancelled her order. When it was finally completed in August 1937 the Rothschild Sedanca was sold to a jam millionaire, and only one similar body was ever built.

2. 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Coupé

This incredible 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Touring Coupé is known as ‘The Count Trossi Alfa’. The coachwork is by Touring of Milan and was the first car built by Bianchi Anderloni of Touring, who later worked on many great cars such as the Aston Martin DB4. The chassis is a 6C 2500 and is one of the extremely rare WWII production cars. The car’s first owner was the Conte Carlo Felice Trossi, a racing driver in the ‘30s and ‘40s who won the Italian Grand Prix in 1947 and the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix in an Alfa Romeo Tipo 158. Count Trossi was also a backer of the Scuderia Ferrari team, and became its President in 1932.

1. 1951 Ferrari 212 Monoposto

This is the ex-Bracco/Marzotto GP car. The car was sold by Ferrari to Bracco in 1951 and later resold to Gianino Marzotto (1951/1952). After being campaigned in South America the car was retired and then it languished for a few years in a garage in Uruguay, where it was purchased in the late sixties by Colin Crabbe from Elias Carvallido of Montevideo. After passing among several well-known owners, the car competed successfully in concours events in Japan and was maintained in a museum there. In 1999, the car participated in the F1 Reunion in Beverly Hills with world champion Phil Hill driving. It was later raced at the 2002 Monaco Historic Grand Prix by the racing driver Chris Cox, and was also taken on demonstration runs at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed in 2005. The car then competed at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival. The car underwent a bare chassis rebuild in 2008 including a full engine overhaul in preparation for its participation in the Goodwood Trophy race at the 2008 Revival.

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