Past winners to return for Concours of Elegance’s spectacular 10th anniversary show
- UK’s leading Concours of Elegance to welcome back fabulous former winners for 10th anniversary show
- Line up to include some of the most spectacular cars ever produced, including the 1938 Hispano-Suiza Dubonnet Xenia
- Display to also feature 1930 Bentley Speed 6 ‘Blue Train’ and Le Mans winning 1970 Porsche 917 KH
- In total, nearly 1,000 vehicles will be on display across the weekend as further features are revealed in the coming weeks#
- The Concours of Elegance remains the UK’s top concours d’elegance and among the top three in the world
- Tickets can be bought now from www.concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets
London, UK (11 August 2022): The Concours of Elegance, presented by A. Lange & Söhne. is delighted to announce that its upcoming, 10th anniversary show, will welcome back some of the astonishing previous winners of the coveted ‘best in show’ crown. The fabulous motor cars will further burnish an already outstanding selection of machinery, joining a field featuring over 75 of the world’s rarest and most spectacular cars, all drawn from leading private collections by the concours committee’s panel of internationally recognised experts. The UK’s leading concours d’elegance event returns to Hampton Court Palace from the 2nd to 4th September.
The Concours of Elegance 2021
Among the returning Concours victors will be the 1930 Bentley Speed 6 ‘Blue Train’ Coupe that took home the best in show prize at the 2013 show edition. The imposing British machine sported a raked coupe body, which was designed and built by coachbuilders Gurney Nutting. Performance matched the imposing, dominant looks; the Speed 6 was powered by a 6 ½ litre-Le Mans spec engine, putting out 180 bhp, enough to propel the imposing machine to nigh on 120 mph. The car rose to fame and gained its nickname after the Bentley owning playboy Woolf Barnato – perhaps the definitive ‘Bentley Boy’, and one-time company chairman, raced the famous Blue Train north through France. Whilst drinking at a party, Barnato claimed that he could beat the train on a run from Cannes on the glamorous Côte d’Azur to Calais. Despite the absence of autoroutes, Barnato convincingly beat the train, indeed, he won by such a margin that he crossed the channel on a steamer, and made it to London before the train pulled to a halt at the station in Calais. In all he’d covered around 700 miles – all at a remarkably fast pace – averaging 43 mph on the dusty, uneven roads of France. While there is debate over the exact car that completed the journey, it was the Gurney Nutting coupe that became associated with Barnato’s exploits, and known as the ‘Blue Train’, as a result. A wonderful car from an enchanting, fearless period in British automotive history.
Also returning will be the glamorous winner from 2016, an incredible, one-off 1938 Hispano-Suiza Dubonnet Xenia. This dramatic, art deco motor car, with its aero-inspired bodywork was developed by André Dubonnet, an inventor, racing driver and World War One fighter pilot. Dubonnet chose an H6 Hispano-Suiza engine for his creation, and commissioned Jean Andreau to design the incredible, streamlined body. Jacques Saoutchik then brought the design to life, featuring curved glass, sliding doors and a panoramic windscreen. This outrageous car wowed the crowds back in 2016 at Windsor Castle, and is set to enthral guests all over again at Hampton Court in a few weeks’ time.
Another car making a triumphant return will be the Best in Show winner from 2020, a 1969 Porsche 917 KH. The endurance racing Porsche was a crowd favourite throughout that event two years ago, with its imposing design and incredible backstory. In 1970, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood drove this very same 917 KH (short-tail) in the world-famous red-white Salzburg design to the first ever overall win for Porsche at the famous Le Mans 24 Hours. The 917 marked the first time Porsche competed in the league of immensely powerful, large-capacity racing cars. Its 580bhp 4.5-litre 12-cylinder engine set new standards, and is still legendary today.
These superb former winners will join the display of over 70 rare and spectacular Concours Cars at this September’s glamourous event. Further star cars are set to be announced in the coming weeks. Outside the main display of vehicles, the Concours of Elegance will assemble around 1,000 further cars in a series of special features and displays, as well as a live collector car auction by Gooding & Co.
James Brooks-Ward, Concours of Elegance CEO, said: “As our 10th anniversary event at Hampton Court Palace fast approaches, we are delighted to announce the return of these former ‘Best in Show’ winners. These exceptional motor cars have each stood out in consistently exceptional fields, so having them all together in the Palace grounds at the start of September will be very special indeed. It’s the perfect way for us to celebrate our decade of success. We cannot wait to welcome guests to our event – now just three weeks away – which is set to be our most spectacular yet.”
Away from the automotive displays, Concours of Elegance will once again be an occasion of pure luxury, with champagne provided by Charles Heidsieck, picnics by Fortnum & Mason, and a collection of art, jewellery and fashion displays. Presenting Partner A. Lange & Söhne will once again showcase some of its most intricate timepieces.
Tickets to the Concours of Elegance 2022 are available now from just £35 for half-day entry, with full three-course hospitality packages from £320. Tickets can be bought from concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets
Facebook: www.facebook.com/concoursofelegance
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ConcoursUK
About the annual Concours of Elegance:
Established in 2012, the inaugural Concours of Elegance was held within Windsor Castle to mark the diamond jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen’s reign. Organised by Thorough Events, the first Concours of Elegance set a new global benchmark for a classic car concours; winning prestigious awards in the process; unheard of for a ‘start-up’ event in its first year. The second Concours of Elegance was held in 2013 to equal fanfare at the historic Royal Palace of St James in London, with the widely acclaimed third Concours set in the stunning grounds of Hampton Court Palace in September 2014, before heading to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 2015. Only cars of the highest calibre are invited to the Concours of Elegance, from all over the world, painstakingly selected by the Concours Steering Committee; a respected team of authoritative historic car experts. A key objective of the annual Concours of Elegance is to raise significant sums for charity.
Historic Royal Palaces
Hampton Court Palace is cared for by Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that also looks after the Tower of London, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. We help everyone explore the story of how monarchs and people have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built. We raise all our own funds and depend on the support of our visitors, members, donors, sponsors and volunteers. With the exception of Hillsborough Castle, these palaces are owned by The Queen on behalf of the nation, and we manage them for the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Registered charity number 1068852. For more information, visit www.hrp.org.uk.