A fleet of 40 stunning cars took part in one of the most expensive convoys seen on British roads in order to raise £150,000 for charity.
The Hope Classic Rally took place on Saturday (11 July) and, despite running just 100 miles from Brooklands to Blenheim Palace, is expected to raise £150,000 for HOPE HIV (hopehiv.org), which helps orphans and destitute children in Africa.
The event was preceded by a dinner at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands that included a Q&A session with a panel including gentleman racer Peter Blond, F1 technical guru Adrian Newey and rally participants Ant Anstead from TV’s For the love of Cars and ex-Stig Ben Collins.
Also on hand were designer Karen Millen (who had to withdraw from driving due to a bad back) and 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Lewis Moody and renowned conductor Michael Francis.
Moody was flagged off in a 7-litre Aston Martin V8 the following morning by model and TV presenter Jodie Kidd. The first car under the gantry was a stunning Lamborghini Miura P400S and that was followed by a priceless parade of classics including Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’, a pair of Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytonas, 275GTB, 250GT Short-Wheelbase, a host of Aston Martins and plenty of Jaguars including a brace of important competition XK120s.
The rally proceeded via country roads to Antony Worrall Thompson’s pub The Greyhound near Henley-on-Thames for a coffee break and then on to the finish at Blenheim Palace where the classics were displayed in the Great Court.
