14 reasons not to miss the Concours of Elegance

Party at the palace

The Concours of Elegance returns to the spectacular grounds of Hampton Court Palace this week on 3-5 September 2021 for its 10th edition, promising an array of classic delights across its three days.

Its early September date meant it was able to run in 2020, as the above photo shows, but expect a bigger affair this year with around 1000 cars taking part – as well as some new-for-2021 features.

If you’ve not yet got your tickets, be sure to check out our 2-for-1 ticket offer – and stick with us as we preview what’s in store.

1. Gulf vs Martini

Gulf and Martini: are there any more evocative liveries in the history of motorsport?

And these two classic colour schemes will go head-to-head at Hampton Court Palace with a mouth-watering array of classic race winners.

We’re talking the Gulf-branded Porsche 917K Steve McQueen drove in the film Le Mans, a Lancia 037 decked out in the famous Martini colours and many more – including period race transporters.

2. The Queen at 95

Well, we said it was a party, and at the 2021 Concours of Elegance the 95th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen will be marked with a line-up of British cars featuring one from every year of her life, from Bentley 4½ to Lotus Evija.

This Jaguar XK120 will represent 1948, sandwiched by a Bristol 400 (1947) and a Healey Silverstone (1949).

Others set to star include an Alvis Speed 20 (1932), Allard Palm Beach (1952), Jensen Interceptor (1966), TVR Tasmin (1979), Ford RS200 (1984) and Jaguar XJ220 (1992).

3. Clubbing together

We love a chance to bring owners’ and enthusiasts’ cars together to salute the great British car club community, which is one reason why we’re excited about The Club Trophy presented by The Royal Automobile Club and supported by Classic & Sports Car, which is announced on the Saturday.

Pictured is 2020’s winner, a Messerschmitt KR200 owned and restored by Dave Watson that featured, coincidentally, in our November 2017 magazine.

C&SC also sponsors the superb car club displays, and will crown winners from these line-ups on Saturday and Sunday.

4. Young guns

An addition to the schedule for 2021 is ‘30 Under 30’, a standalone concours at the Hampton Court Palace event that will showcase 30 cars whose owners are aged 30 or under, split over six classes representing 99 years of automotive history, where the emphasis is not necessarily on pristine, high-end classics, but on fine examples of much-loved cars.

The cars will be from 1900 to 1999 and among those confirmed are a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a Triumph GT6 Mk1 and a Vauxhall 30-98 E-type Tourer.

5. 125 years young

From some of the Concours of Elegance’s younger stars we move on to some of the oldest.

This year is the 125th anniversary of the Emancipation Run, so 12 automotive pioneers who will be taking on this year’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on Sunday 7 November will first visit Hampton Court Palace on the Friday 3 September.

If you’re there early enough, you can catch them parade in, which will be well worth setting your alarm for.

6. Jaguar E-type at 60

No self-respecting classic car event in 2021, it seems, can pass without celebrating the Jaguar E-type’s diamond jubilee, and this week’s Concours of Elegance is no exception.

Among the coupés and roadsters gracing Hampton Court Palace will be ‘ECD 400’, the first of seven examples prepared for competition by the factory.

This car made its debut at Oulton Park in 1961, with Graham Hill at the wheel, who steered it to victory.

7. Junior Concours returns

After a successful debut in 2020, the Junior Concours is back for 2021, a contest for half-scale, handbuilt petrol-, pedal- and electric-powered cars of all ages, with kids and their parents performing the roles of works drivers and mechanics.

Last year, serendipitously, it was won by the car pictured here, a scaled-down replica of the 1970 Le Mans-winning Porsche 917K that achieved overall Concours of Elegance 2020 glory.

8. Aston Martin A3

This Aston Martin will be one to look out for at Concours of Elegance. Why? Because it is A3, it is the earliest-surviving car by the marque and it celebrates its centenary this year.

Its name comes from the fact that it was the brand’s third car and today it is the only survivor of the original prototypes built by unsung chief mechanic Jack Addis.

A3 sits on a Rubery-Owen frame and is powered by a 1486cc monobloc engine designed by Hamilton Victor Robb, and it will be in the main display at Hampton Court Palace this week.

9. The original Silver Ghost

While we’re on the subject of early examples from great British marques, here’s another you can see at Concours of Elegance.

‘AX201’ is the 1907 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp that first gained the ‘Silver Ghost’ nickname. This car won the gold medal in its class at 1907’s 750-mile, four-day Scottish Reliability Trials, before Claude Johnson, Rolls-Royce’s managing director, decided to use it to attempt to break the record for non-stop motoring.

With an observer from the Royal Automobile Club, ‘AX201’ was run continuously for two weeks, reaching 15,000 miles on 8 August, smashing the previous 7098-mile record.

The car then gained its ‘Silver Ghost’ sobriquet because of its colour and, for the time, silent operation – all 40/50hp cars subsequently adopted this moniker.

10. Future classics

Now, future classics aren’t always C&SC fare, but those lining up at the Concours of Elegance this week might just be worth some of your time if you’re visiting.

How about this Iso Rivolta GTZ, a tribute to the 1963 Iso A3, it is based on a Chevrolet Corvette, powered by a 6.2-litre supercharged V8, built by Zagato and limited to just 19 units.

It will be joined by, among others, Ferrari’s LaFerrari and the Pagani Zonda 760 VR.

11. 15 Prancing Horses

You know the drill by now, every high-end concours features some of Maranello’s finest, and the 250GT Coupé pictured here will be one of 15 Ferraris in the main concours display, where it will be joined by, among others, a rare black 275GTB/4, an F40 first owned by Sir Stirling Moss and a striking Verde Tevere 250GT Berlinetta SWB.

And if Ferraris are your favoured marque, be sure to wander through the car club displays, too, where you’ll see everything from history-rich classics to hybrid hypercars – organisers are expecting more than 50 Ferraris in total.

12. Bugatti Type 59

Arguably the most beautiful of all the Bugatti racers, this straight-eight-powered stunner’s best result was fourth at Spa-Francorchamps, piloted by René Benoist.

This 1934 Bugatti Type 59 is one of just 12 chassis built and is surely one of the most sought-after pre-war racing cars, and this week it will feature in the main concours at Hampton Court Palace.

13. Unique Voisin

There is nothing else like this 1934 Voisin Type C27 Aérosport that will surely turn heads in the main concours line-up.

It might have a 3.0-litre straight-six, but it is the Art Deco styling that will take your breath away – it even has a sliding roof powered by its own motor that works off the main engine’s vacuum.

Its origins lie in Voisin’s Aérodyne created for the 1934 Paris Motor Show, but that wasn’t a sales success. This car was built on a shortened Aérodyne chassis, but it’s lower and with more space for luggage.

14. Bentley bonanza

Some of the world’s greatest Bentleys will be on show at Hampton Court Palace, including this Vanden Plas-bodied four-seater 1930 4½ Litre Tourer.

Le Mans factory racer ‘YW 5758’ will also be well worth seeing, this car finishing fourth at La Sarthe in 1929, as well as scoring a class win and third overall at that year’s Six Hour Race at Brooklands.

In fact, 10 Bentleys will be in the main concours, the earliest being a 1924 3 Litre ‘Pick-Up’, an S1 ‘Honeymoon Express’ by Freestone & Webb and an S1 Continental 2-Door Coupé, both from 1958, sharing the honour of being the marque’s youngest examples in this display.