17 reasons to go to Concours of Elegance

Concours celebrations

Almost 1000 fabulous classic cars will fill the stunning grounds of Hampton Court Palace as the Concours of Elegance returns on 2-4 September 2022.

The event will be marking its 10th anniversary in style with a variety of impressive concours classes, including more than 75 vehicles vying for the coveted Best in Show award.

There’s plenty going on over the weekend, so we’ve compiled a preview so you know what to look out for – and remember, there’s still time to make the most of our 2-for-1 ticket offer.

1. Past winners return

Former Best in Show cars will be bidding to emulate their previous triumphs at this year’s concours.

The class of past winners returning for the Concours of Elegance’s 10th anniversary include a one-off 1938 Hispano-Suiza Dubonnet Xenia, which took top honours at the event’s 2016 edition, the 1970 Le Mans-winning Porsche 917 KH, raced to victory by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood, and the stunning Gurney Nutting-styled Bentley Speed Six ‘Blue Train’ Coupé from 1930.

The class of former winners will have to fight off fresh competition in order to repeat their previous success.

2. A royal showdown

Prince Charles’ ‘wine and cheese’-powered Aston Martin DB6 Volante will also make a return to Concours of Elegance this year, having starred at the inaugural running in 2012.

The Prince of Wales’ Seychelles Blue DB6 underwent an abnormal conversion to run on greener, alternative fuels, work which was carried out by marque specialist RS Williams.

And if it’s royal wheels you’re after, more regal cars will be on display in the Royal Car Class.

3. Aston Martin extravaganza

More of Newport Pagnell’s finest will be on display in Concours of Elegance’s Aston Martin celebration.

The line-up will include a 1930 Aston Martin International, an aluminium-bodied DB4GT Zagato finished in French Racing Blue (pictured), a ‘Frankenstein’ V8-powered Aston Martin DB5 used by the company to test the 5.3-litre engine, plus a standard-bodied DB4.

4. Auction stars

On top of the rare and exotic concours cars gracing the lawns of Hampton Court Palace, Saturday’s Gooding & Company sale is set to feature plenty of eye-catching classics – but you’ll need some deep pockets to be in with a chance of heading home with one.

The auction headliners include a Le Mans-raced 1960 Ferrari 250GT SWB in ‘Comptetizione’ form, and a Gangloff-bodied Bugatti Type 55 Cabriolet from 1932.

Gooding & Company’s London Auction will take place in The Great Fountain Garden on 3 September.

5. Ferrari’s birthday

The Prancing Horse’s 75-year milestone is being celebrated with a special collection of rare and exotic Ferraris.

The display will feature two of Ferrari’s earliest road cars – the 166 and 195 ‘Inter’ models – alongside a rare 250GT Europa.

Also gracing the display will be a one-of-20 250GT SWB that was raced by Stirling Moss and Graham Hill.

6. Rolls-Royce reunion

A pair of pre-war Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts will be reunited at Concours of Elegance, more than a century on from when they left the factory.

Both cars were produced in 1912 and are presented in impressive fettle.

Chassis 2092 – a seven-seat cabriolet which has had success at other international concours events – received a full restoration in 2001 and nowadays is used for glamorous road trips.

The second, a Hooper Tourer-bodied Silver Ghost, is an exact copy of chassis 1710, a car famous because of its victory in the 1911 London to Edinburgh rally.

7. Part of the club

The British car club community is always worth celebrating, and The Club Trophy presented by The Royal Automobile Club, in association with Classic & Sports Car, is a brilliant opportunity to recognise all the hard work and dedication that owners and enthusiasts put into their clubs.

Our Simon Taylor will be among the judges for 2022’s Club Trophy, which was won last year by a 1972 Fiat Dino Spider 2.4 (pictured).

C&SC also supports the car club displays, and we’ll be picking winners from these fantastic line-ups on Saturday and Sunday.

8. Half-scale concours

Now entering its third year, the Junior Concours is a contest for three-quarter- and half-scale, handbuilt petrol-powered, electric and pedal cars of all ages.

Limited to 20 entries, these miniature marvels showcase a remarkable level of detail, something usually associated with their full-size counterparts.

A number of awards will be up for grabs – Best Pedal Car, Best Electric Car, Best Petrol Car, Most Original Car, Best Dressed Driver/Mechanic – as well as a prize for the overall winner.

The 2021 Junior Concours victor was a beautifully maintained, scaled-down Jaguar E-type.

9. Road-legal racer

The 30th anniversary of McLaren’s iconic F1 will be commemorated at 2022’s Concours of Elegance with the appearance of a special GTR ‘Long Tail’.

The Gordon Murray-designed McLaren F1 was a special car in its own right, but the GTR ‘Long Tail’ took it a step further with modified bodywork and additional weight-saving measures.

The car heading to Hampton Court Palace claimed a victory at Silverstone during the 1997 British GT championship, the last time a McLaren F1 GTR won a race.

As well as its eye-catching livery, the car is also recognisable by its road-legal modifications, carried out by McLaren specialist Lanzante.

10. Classic & Sports Car tour

On Sunday, a great selection of cars will take to the road for C&SC’s 30-mile tour from Guards Polo Club, near Egham, to Hampton Court Palace.

All tour participants must have pre-booked their place and will enjoy a scenic route through Berkshire and Surrey, before arriving at Concours of Elegance.

11. Young guns

The Thirty Under 30 class made its debut in 2021, introduced to recognise and encourage the next generation of classic car enthusiasts.

The class is open to any owner aged 30 or under, with a car manufactured between 1900 and 1999 – and the winner is selected by the owners.

A wide variety of models was on display for the inaugural running, from British icons to modified American muscle – last year’s winner was a Vauxhall 30/98.

12. Pioneering women

The new-for-2022 Levitt Concours will pay homage to female pioneers from the automotive world.

This showcase is named after Dorothy Levitt, one of Britain’s first female racing drivers – she also held the world’s first water speed record plus the women’s world land speed record.

Levitt, who lived from 1882-1922, was a journalist, too, and encouraged women to take up motorsport.

The Levitt Concours will be open exclusively to classic cars owned by women and will include a short drive from The Odney Club in Berkshire to Hampton Court Palace.

The cars will be on display at Concours of Elegance on Saturday 3 September.

13. Vauxhall 30/98 Wensum Tourer

The nautical-inspired Vauxhall 30/98 will be making an appearance at Hampton Court Palace in very rare Wensum Tourer body form.

After an initial production run of 12, it’s believed that just six 30/98 Wensum Tourers remain.

The Vauxhall 30/98 will line-up alongside its period rival, a Bentley 4½ Litre, when it arrives at Concours of Elegance.

14. Future classics

Modern machinery isn’t always up our street at Classic & Sports Car, but based on the impressive line-up at 2021’s event, we could well be tempted…

Last year’s Future Classics class included a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren by MSO, a Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 004S and a Ferrari LaFerrari.

For 2022, there will also be a new modern-car display: The Year in Motion.

This will feature a collection of cars that have been released in the past 12 months, from Ferrari’s new 296GTB and Porsche’s track-ready Cayman GT4 RS to the retro Morgan Super 3.

15. Cord L-29

What better way to mark its first visit to the UK than by mixing with some of the world’s finest cars at Hampton Court Palace?

This year’s Concours of Elegance will be the first time this 1930 Cord L-29 has travelled to the UK from its American home.

The L-29 weighs more than two tonnes and is powered by a 4.9-litre straight-eight engine; it was also the first front-wheel-drive production car in the US.

The L-29 travelling to Hampton Court is a Broughman model and is understood to be one of just 10 remaining.

16. Packards on holiday

The innovative Cord L-29 isn’t the only American car making its UK debut at the 2022 Concours of Elegance: seven eye-catching ’30s Packard Twelves are also heading to Hampton Court Palace.

The earliest example in this set will be the V12-powered 1933 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster, plus it’s believed to be one of only two survivors from an original production run of five cars.

Another rare car from the collection has experience in the limelight: the 1936 Packard Twelve All Weather Cabriolet was owned by Charlie Chaplin and appeared in films such as The Godfather and The Betsy.

17. C&SC’s pre-1990 car park

The Classic & Sports Car car park will return on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September for pre-registered classic cars.

You can book a space for your pre-1990 car by using our exclusive two-for-one ticket offer and entering the code ‘CSC22’ at the checkout.

Located opposite Hampton Court Palace, the C&SC car park doubles as a brilliant free car show – and you’ll be able to spot a selection of cars from the Our classics section of the magazine, too.