10 reasons not to miss the Concours of Elegance

By Lizzie Pope

| 30 Aug 2019

Classic & Sports Car – 10 reasons not to miss the Concours of Elegance

The eighth Concours of Elegance comes to the majestic grounds of Hampton Court Palace next week and we can’t wait.

It’s not hard to see why the lure of beautiful, super-rare classics in a regal setting has got us excited, but if you’re looking for more reasons to head to Richmond upon Thames from 6-8 September, you’ve come to the right place!

Need tickets? As a reader of Classic & Sports Car, you can get tickets at the special discounted rate of £25 each for either Saturday 7 or Sunday 8 September. To book, please click here and use code ‘CSCVIP’.

And read on to whet your appetite.

1. Bentley’s birthday bonanza

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ll know that 2019 is Bentley’s centenary, which the marque has been celebrating all year.

And the party continues at the Concours of Elegance where racing and roadgoing machines will join the line-up, including the Bentley Speed Six ‘Blue Train’ (above), in which Woolf Barnato raced – and defeated – a train.

Given the setting, it’s appropriate that Her Majesty The Queen’s State Limousine will also form part of what’s anticipated to be a 15-car display.

Read more here

**2. Exclusive C&SC car park – and more…**

That’s right, as a valued reader of C&SC, if you’re coming to the Concours of Elegance in a pre-’79 classic, we’d love you to join members of the Our classics fleet (provided they make it!) in our exclusive car park.

We can’t promise that Martin Buckley’s Fiat 130 Coupé (above) will be there, but if you want to be, you must book your place – here. Click on the day you’re visiting, then ‘parking’, input the code ‘CSCVIP’ and select the C&SC parking option.

And don’t leave it too late, you need to allow time for your pass to be posted to you! Places are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

But that’s not all… This year’s club displays are being hosted in association with Classic & Sports Car and we’ll be judging the prestigious Club Trophy with renowned classic enthusiast Prince Michael of Kent – the trophy’s winner will secure a place in the main concours next year.

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3. All the Zagatos

It’s not just Bentley that hits the big 1-0-0 this year, legendary coachbuilder Zagato does, too, and this is being honoured in wonderfully extravagant style at the Concours of Elegance.

How? By bringing together one example of every Aston Martin Zagato variant ever built, creating a 16-car showcase that, the organisers claim, will be a world first.

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4. More Aston Martins

Aston Martin fans are truly being spoilt this year.

Five more famous models will be on show, including the V8 Vantage that kick-started the X-Pack story (above) and a pair of DB5s.

And that’s just the tip of the Aston Martin iceberg, with over 50 models expected on the Saturday courtesy of the Aston Martin Owners Club, as part of the car club displays.

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5. The first minivan

Now for something different…

Think ‘minivan’ and you’d be forgiven if ‘concours star’ wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. But in the case of this jaw-dropping 1936 Stout Scarab, the world’s first production minivan, it’s a worthy inclusion.

One of only nine built, it’s not only a classic, but a rarity, too, and is expected to attract many a cameraphone between 6-8 September.

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6. First Italian Grand Prix winner

Here’s another rarity and another first: this Ballot 3/8 LC won the inaugural Italian Grand Prix – and now it’s heading to London.

Held at Montichiari, near Brescia, on 4 September 1921, in the hands of Jules Goux, this car led a 1-2 for the marque, ahead of Jean Chassagne.

Plus, this Ballot was raced by former owner Sir Malcolm Campbell at Brooklands in 1923.

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7. Delicious D-type

And it’s yet another first with this, the very first D-type, one of around 50 Jaguars set to descend on Hampton Court Palace in just a few days.

The first D-type, chassis XKD 509 is considered to be one of the most original, and it will be presented alongside the 15th E-type fhc which was one of six E-types at 1961’s Scottish Motor Show.

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8. Ferraris out in force

A Ferrari 166MM that’s the only car to win the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Mille Miglia – both in 1949 – will lead an impressive turnout from the Italian marque.

Arguably the world’s most historically significant Ferrari will be joined by three more 166MMs, as well as a one-of-19 1955 500 Mondial, winner of that year’s Ethiopian Grand Prix, driven by owner and racer Guido Petracchi.

The 290MM that triumphed at the ’56 Swedish Grand Prix in the hands of Phil Hill and Maurice Trintignant, before being transformed into a 250 Testa Rossa Spyder and being campaigned in Brazil, is also coming to the Concours of Elegance. That’s one stellar line-up.

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9. Box-fresh McLaren F1

The McLaren F1 needs no introduction and this fresh-from restoration example from the in-house team at McLaren Special Operations is as good as it gets.

Chassis 63 has had the full Certification treatment – a programme launched at 2018’s Concours of Elegance, no less – and is sure to draw many admirers on 6-8 September.

Love McLarens? Don’t miss the 2018 McLaren P1 GTR ‘Beco’, featuring an Ayrton Senna-inspired livery, that’ll be on show, too.

Read more here

10. Future classic focus

Looking to the future and ensuring all automotive tastes are catered for is the Future Classics concours class.

This will feature cars including the one-of-50 700hp RUF CTR (above), plus the limited-run Bentley Mulsanne WO Edition, a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, a Ginetta G60-LT-P1 and an Aston Martin Vulcan.

So while the Concours of Elegance is built around a main display of approximately 60 of the rarest-ever cars, it’s clear that there’s going to be much, much more to enjoy at Hampton Court Palace on 6-8 September.

Click here for tickets and remember to use the code ‘CSCVIP’ to get our discount as well as access to our very own pre-’79 car park, if applicable.

We’ll see you there!

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