Stars of the Concours of Elegance 2018

The stand-out cars from this premiere event for car lovers

Autocar

1 September 2018

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Some of the world’s rarest cars gathered in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, just south west of London, at the 2018 Concours of Elegance show.

The event began on Friday and runs until the end of Sunday September 2nd. It was first held in 2012 at Windsor Castle to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

At the event’s heart is the ‘Main Concours’; a collection of over 60 of the finest cars ever created. Here’s our selection of some of the best cars we saw on Friday, together with some other sights from the event:

Pictures by Autocar's Neil Williams
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1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

The 904 Carrera GTS was another first for Porsche; it was the manufacturer’s first car to utilise a fiberglass body and a ladder-type chassis. Furthermore, using the experience from developing cars like the 550 and RSK Spyders, Porsche made the 904 its first closed mid-engine car.

The 904 enjoyed great success on the track, claiming class wins at Sebring, Le Mans, the Nürburgring, Spa and the Paris 1000 Kilometre. It also enjoyed rallying success, most notably at Monte Carlo in 1965 where only 22 out of 237 starters finished in the points. Top speed was 160 mph; it has a 2-litre flat-6 cylinder engine.
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2002 Aston Martin Vanquish

Looking glorious in the late summer sunshine, the Vanquish marked a high point in Ford’s ownership of the storied British sports car maker. Powered by a 6-litre V12 good for 460bhp, it was styled by Ian Callum, now design chief at Jaguar. 1492 were produced, with another 1086 examples of the Vanquish S, a 520bhp version launched in 2004.
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1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante POW

The fabled Vantage name returned to Aston Martins in 1977, and this convertible version was first unveiled in 1986. Last produced in 1989, just 192 Volantes were built making this one of the last of the line. Power came from a 5.3-litre V8, producing 390bhp.
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1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante POW

In 1987 Charles, Prince of Wales, ordered a special version without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. Just 26 were made, dubbed ‘POW’, and they're the best regarded and most valuable of the lot.
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1967 Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300

The lightweight GT 5300 Strada was created by Giotto Bizzarrini to compete at Le Mans. Around 160 racers and road cars were built, all using the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette’s 5.3-litre V8 with 365bhp. The road-going cars were quick but with challenging handling that required skill to get the best from them. On the track, Bizzarrini’s best result was ninth and first in class at Le Mans in 1965.
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1992 Jaguar XJ220

Born in 1988 as a V12-powered concept car at the British motor show, the production version of 1992 featured a twin-turbo V6. This disappointed would-be buyers, especially as a murderous recession had arrived in the meantime. Just 282 were built, and the controversy overshadowed the fact that this car was seriously fast – indeed for a short period it was the fastest production car in the world, with a recorded top speed of 212mph.
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1955 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupe

The S1 Continental of 1955 featured the last appearance of Bentley’s pre-war six-cylinder engine, which provided a smooth and near silent experience. But it was no slouch either – in period, Autocar recorded a top speed of 120.5 mph. S2 and S3 versions followed, powered by the new V8 Rolls-Royce unit, but this version being lighter was in fact quicker.
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1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible

First launched in 1963, the DB5 featured a 4-litre straight-six engine, producing 282bhp. Just 123 convertible versions were produced up to 1965. This car was sold at the Goodwood Revival auction in 2015.
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1968 Ford GT40 Mk1 Gulf

This American-financed, British-engineered supercar famously stormed to four consecutive victories at Le Mans between 1966 and 1969. Beautiful enough as it is, in Gulf Oil colours it’s outstanding. Ford and Gulf have recently rekindled their historic association, unveiling the Ford GT ’68 Heritage Edition at last week’s Monterey Motorsports Reunion event in California.
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1962 Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta

The 250 was built between 1953 and 1964, and cemented Ferrari’s early success. The line spawned a vast variety of derivatives, nearly all of them today vastly valuable. Power came from a 3-litre V12.
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1936 Lancia Astura Bocca Cabriolet

This wonderful machine stood out as one of the stars of the show. This car features a 3-litre V8, but with power of just 82bhp, it’s rather more a tourer than a racer.
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1951 Ferrari 166MM/212 Export ‘Uovo’

Not necessarily the most elegant early Ferrari, this car made up for its looks with exclusivity – it’s a one-off, specially designed by Franco Reggiani for racing driver Count Giannino Marzotto. It was sold for US$4.5 million at the RM Sotheby’s auction at Monterey in 2017. Do not touch, indeed.
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1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Torpedo Phaeton Tourer ‘Taj Mahal’

This stately Rolls has an interesting history. It was exported to Bombay in 1913 for the Maharajah of Nabha. It features many changes designed to suit Indian roads of the time, including larger wheels and modifications to improve engine cooling. It remained in the Maharajah’s family for 60 years, being used as a ceremonial and touring vehicle, and also saw service with the Indian Army and Air Force.

In 2011 the car drove 400 miles from London to Edinburgh honouring endurance standards set by Silver Ghosts in the early years of motoring.
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McLaren F1 GTR Long Tail

If you’ve ever wondered what US$5.3 million looks like, wonder no more. Built for the 1997 FIA GT racing season, it was created in response to competition from the Mercedes CLK-GTR and Porsche 911 GT1, and featured updates including all-new bodywork and a longer nose and nail section to reduce drag and increase downforce.

10 were prepared for the 1997 season. The cars were estimated to produce around 600bhp from the 6.0-litre BMW V12 and weigh just 910kg. At Le Mans that year the fastest McLaren F1 GTR hit 317kph (197mph) on the Mulsanne straight.
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1969 Porsche 917K

The legendary 917 was a result of Porsche complying with new FIA rulings. Initially, advanced lightweight materials combined with an air-cooled flat-12 that produced almost 600hp proved to be problematic due to a lack of downforce.

Modification to the tail helped enhance stability and reduce rear end lift. In 1970, a 917K delivered Porsche its first of 19 wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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1954 Jaguar XK120 Pinin Farina Coupe

The XK120 was the car that put Jaguar back on track after the war, and its success in America gave it the resources to develop a wider range of models. This example is the only XK120 by Pininfarina ever produced.

It was ordered by Max Hoffman, an Austrian-born, New York-based luxury car importer. It was shown at the Geneva motor show in March 1955 and at our own Autocar Show the following month.
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1935 Tatra 77

Not the most beautiful nor most valuable car at the show, this Czech-built Tatra is surely one of the most interesting. It's the first serial-produced, truly aerodynamically-designed car in the world.

Though power from its rear-mounted air-cooled 3-litre V8 was modest at 75bhp, its low drag coefficient gave it strong 90mph+ performance for its time. 249 were produced up until 1938.
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1949 Ferrari 166 Inter Superleggera

Here at Autocar we know this particular car quite well. To celebrate Ferraris’ 70th birthday in 2017, our Andrew Frankel toured Britain in it along with a modern Ferrari 488 Spider. While a race-version won Le Mans in 1949, this example is only the seventh road-going Ferrari ever made. Its 2-litre single-carb V12 was good for around 110bhp, 30bhp less than the racer.

“The engine is inexplicably torquey and giving its all by 4500rpm,” declared Frankel. “The gearchange is slow but precise, the engine as smooth and brimful of character as any I’ve known. In the 1940s it must have seemed like a spaceship.”
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1952 Alfa Romeo 1900 ‘Pre-series’ Sprint Coupe

This beautiful Alfa really shone in the summer sun. Spacious, simple and sporty, power came from a 1.9-litre 90bhp 4-cylinder twin cam engine.
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1950 Aston Martin DB2 DHC 1st Sanction

Produced between 1950 and 1953, the DB2 featured a dual overhead cam 2.-6-litre straight six, and was the first car produced under Aston Martin’s ownership by tractor magnate David Brown, who gave his initials to this and many subsequent Astons. 102 drop head coupe versions like this one were made, accounting for 25% or so of total production. And here, in 'Jubilee blue', it’s gorgeous.
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1984 Ferrari 288GTO

The 288 GTO featured a 2.9-litre mid-engined twin-turbo V8, generating 400-hp, a 0-62mph time of 5.0 seconds, off to a top speed of 189mph. It was in such demand that Ferrari didn’t even have a press demonstrator for us to try when it arrived in 1984. It would be another three years before we’d get the chance to put one through its paces, when we drove Niki Lauda’s car from Bologna to Salzburg.

We said: “To drive the car at a reasonably civilised pace is not difficult but thrilling. Nothing is irritating, nothing is frightening. You never have the feeling you are dealing with a cross, hysterical machine which was only built to discourage you. The GTO is the spirit of a Ferrari."
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2018 McLaren Senna Chassis no.1

Behold the first ever McLaren Senna ever produced. Unveiled in late 2017, 500 examples of the Senna will be built. Featuring a 789bhp 4-litre twin-turbo V8, top speed is 211mph, and weight is just 1198kg (2636lb).

“The intrinsic McLaren character is there: the incisive turn-in, the accuracy with which it can be placed, the resistance to roll and yet the compliance over bumps, but it’s all amplified on account of the weight reduction,” we said recently during a test.
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Rolls-Royce Sweptail

The Rolls-Royce Sweptail features completely unique bodywork and interior fittings. Its striking art deco curves are the ultimate homage to the world of custom automotive coachwork, featuring a grille milled from a solid block of aluminium.

Its curvaceous body panels sweep underneath the car with no visible edge, much like the hull of a yacht, while inside a custom mechanism produces a bottle of champagne at the touch of a button. There’s only one in the world, and you’re looking at it.

Look through the rest of this gallery for more sights & sounds from the show…
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Lamborghini Miura
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1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Short Chassis Spider
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1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Coupe
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1957 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa “C”
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Sights of the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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Sights of the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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Sights of the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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Aston Martins at the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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1953 Pegaso Z-102 Spyder
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Sights of the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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McLaren F1s at the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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Sights of the 2018 Concours of Elegance
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Sights of the 2018 Concours of Elegance

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