20 exquisite classics from London’s Concours of Elegance

The best concours this side of the Atlantic? We think so. Let's take a look at our pick of the best

Autocar

6 September 2019

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It hasn't taken long for the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court to become an important fixture on the classic car calendar.

And no surprise, when you consider the 75 cars collected to be judged for the overall crown this year. Owners vote for who should take home the lucrative main Concours of Elegance award, meaning no judging panel, and cars are categorised into decades for more awards, too.

From the opening day, here's our pick of just some of the cars from the concours and beyond. More are expected on Saturday and Sunday of the three-day event, during which the editor of our sister title Classic & Sports Car, Alistair Clements, will be on the judging panel of the Club Trophy:
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1948 Delahaye 175 S Grand Luxe Chapron

Sublime in pale blue slashed with white, and its delicate wooden dash contrasting against the ivory and blue leather seats. Rare, too, as one of only 50 – and presumably not best seen from the cramped rear bench but up front, behind the wonderful wheel.
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1951 Pegaso Z-102 Berlinetta Prototype ENASA

It's all in the details; the scalloped rear arches, the gills down the front wings, and the intakes at the rear. The 170bhp Spanish rarity looks familiar, with subtle details reminiscent of all sorts of more famous machines, but distinct at the same time.
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1936 Stout Scarab

A streamliner, airstream, bus, minivan; whatever you want to call this 3.8-litre V8 Stout Scarab from 1936 is impossible to dislike – and you'll never have seen its like before in the UK.
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1959 Bristol 405 SWB Zagato

There's something to be said about a well-worn seat. And this Bristol is not pristine, but enjoyed. Its double-humped roof, steel wheels, aggressively raked stance look racy, but, more importantly, the part. And, the story goes that without this first Ercole Spada design there’d be no Aston Martin DB4GT.
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2014 Virage Shooting Brake Zagato Centennial

Two worlds collide with the Virage Shooting Brake Zagato Centennial. Not for everyone, and arguably an abrupt juncture in the Zagato Astons, but there's something captivating about it.
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1990 Ferrari F40

Sat between a more modern McLaren P1 and Bugatti Veyron SuperSport, the comparatively vintage Ferrari wears its age well – no doubt better than the new pair beside will.
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1997 McLaren F1

This is as good as it gets when it comes to factory fresh. McLaren Special Operations has just completed a full refresh of McLaren F1 chassis 063, reverting it back to original spec – because you don’t mess with perfection.
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1972 Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS

But the F1 has nothing on this Porsche when it comes to overall freshness; this rolled out of Autofarm on just Monday. And you won’t find many better matching-number RSs than this, not least in surprising Sepia Brows – one of only 19.
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1955 Jaguar D-type

The most important D-type? Behind the Le Mans winners, quite possibly, for this is the first to roll out of the Coventry factory. It had a life in America tinged with tragedy, but today it is very original and it wears it well.
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1929 Bentley 4½ Litre ‘Blower’ No.1

Likewise, when Tim Birkin decided he would ‘blow’ his Bentley he did so with this 4½ Litre in 1929. A £5m car in 2012, No.1 was rebodied by Reid Railton and went on to set a Brooklands record in 1932.
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1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio

From all angles this bumperless little ex-Briggs Cunningham sports racer looks appealing. It won’t have the marquee glitz or grandeur of the other competition cars in the venue, but few have the character to match.
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1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial

The Ferrari 500 Mondial is a pretty and deceptively delicate racer. Four cylinders maybe too few for a Prancing Horse, but one sight and all would be forgiven by even the hardiest purist. This was bought by a disbelieving Colin Crabbe while on holiday in Ethiopia in 1970, where it had dominated the Grand Prix.
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1949 Ferrari 166MM Barchetta Touring

The headline act. Thought to be the 1949 Le Mans and Mille Miglia winner, the former by Luigu Chinetti and (for a mere one hour) owner Lord Selsdon. It sat, surrounded by its 166 siblings, understated in its importance.
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1968 Ferrari 330 GTC

Behold the finish on this immaculate Ferrari. Styled by Pininfarina, the 330GTC features a double-cam 4-litre 300bhp V12 engine married to the short chassis with transaxle and could hit 150mph. Limited slip differential was standard, and air conditioning was optional on coupe models like this.
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2018 McLaren P1 GTR

While we can’t call this P1 a classic, it will undoubtedly become one sooner or later. As we reported when we drove it, “try to imagine a car with as near to 1000bhp as makes no difference that weighs under 1400kg dry. Think of the acceleration that might result, and then be advised that this is the least interesting thing it does.” This unique P1 was, unsurprisingly, created at the request of a McLaren and Senna fan with the blessing of the great Brazilian's family.
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1920 Ballot 3/8 LC

This very car competed in the first Italian Grand Prix in 1921. It featured double overhead camshafts, four valves-per-cylinder, hemispherical combustion chambers, and a 124mph top speed – nearly 100 years ago. An era-defining model, speed record king Malcolm Campbell bought the Ballot when International Formula rules lowered output to two litres.
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1966 Ford GT40

As the world gets excited by the upcoming Matt Damon film about the 1966 Le Mans, time to salute this remarkable Ford that challenged Ferrari – and won. This particular example is owned by Jean-Francois Decaux, the son of the founder of the outdoor advertising giant JC Decaux.
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1953 Lotus MkVIII

Influenced by aircraft design, the MkVIII were the first Lotus' to feature closed wheel aerodynamic bodywork. This particular example still goes racing in events like the Silverstone Classic.
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2019 Aston Martin Vanquish 25

The event saw the debut of this comprehensively rethought and re-engineered V12 Vanquish, produced by Ian Callum - the car’s original co-designer - and his new independent design consultancy. Callum recently retired as design director at Jaguar, and 25 examples of the 25 will be produced over the next year or so, for £550,000 each.
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1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Black luggage, contrasting black and red dashboard, and one of only two Mercedes Gullwings in the whole of the Hampton Court gardens venue – a rare occurrence in modern displays that are normally swamped by Stuttgart.

With thanks to Jack Phillips and our other colleagues at Classic & Sports Car

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