A 1952 Jaguar and LaFerrari took top honours at the 10^th edition of Salon Privé, the the UK’s leading luxury classic and supercar show. 

The stunning display of vehicles in the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance and the Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition wowed judges and guests alike on the beautiful lawns of Blenheim Palace, from September 3 to 5.

Over 5,700 VIP guests attended the event over the three days, and in excess of 5,000 public visitors enjoyed the Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition, which made this 10^th anniversary of Salon Prive the most successful to date.

Enjoying the three-day extravaganza for himself, the 12th Duke of Marlborough was impressed. “I am thrilled at how well the first year of the Salon Privé Supercar Show went. It was fantastic to see such a huge range of amazing cars and to welcome so many enthusiasts. I very much look forward to next year’s event and hosting the show for years to come.’’

With in excess of 11,000 visitors attending, this year offered something for both classic and modern car enthusiasts. The two competitions celebrated the beauty and passion of automotive design and engineering, with an amazing array of vehicles. Spanning everything from pre-war tourers to the latest super and hyper cars, the Concours events tempted some truly sublime vehicles into visiting the Cotswolds, as Salon Privé moved to its new home of Blenheim Palace.

Complementing the two competitions, Boodles Ladies’ Day, a longstanding highlight of Salon Privé, proved a roaring success, with fabulous fashion and style complementing the automotive backdrop. A procession of Koenigseggs, led by Christian von Koenigsegg himself, escorted the ten best-dressed women to the winner’s rostrum, where Alexa Watson was awarded with the top prize of a Classic Circus Pendant from sponsor Boodles.

With further sponsors including Chubb Insurance, Lillie Square, Pommery, Pirelli and EFG, guests enjoyed a quintessential English day out with lobster and champagne while daily parades of classic and supercars travelled Blenheim Palace’s ground. There were endless rarities to witness as well, including the second ever UK viewing of the three hypercar track cars together – the Ferrari FXX K, Aston Martin Vulcan and McLaren P1 GTR.

Meanwhile, there was a host of concept cars on show, including the Ford GT which won the award for Best Concept and Prototype, alongside the world’s finest classic car dealers displaying their wares.

The Salon Privé Sale, held in conjunction with Silverstone Auctions, held on the Friday evening, was as popular as ever, with over £5 million worth of automobiles sold. Highlights included a 1968 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante, which sold for £900,000 and a 2010 Porsche 911 997 GT2 RS at £315,000.

The event also welcomed the automotive design talent of tomorrow with judges for the Royal College of Art competition including McLaren’s Frank Stephenson, Land Rover’s Richard Woolley and Infiniti’s Simon Cox as well as Dale Harrow from the RCA. Other examples of stunning art were also found in the expanded Luxury Retail Village & EFG Art Fair, which offered a variety of luxury lifestyle products beyond cars.

Andrew Bagley, Salon Privé Managing Director, commented: “In our first year at Blenheim Palace, we couldn’t be more thrilled. The Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance welcomed the best of the classic car world, while The Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition attracted a whole new audience to the spectacle of Salon Privé - all of whom loved the parade of super and hypercars.”


CONCOURS D’ELÉGANCE

At the Concours De Elegance, a sublime Jaguar XK120 Jabbeke, owned by Kurt Engelhorn stole the judges’ hearts and triumphed over what some considered to be the favourite, the stunning 1937 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet. However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Delahaye, as it received the coveted People’s Choice award and a special award for Most Elegant.

An amazing roster of cars were awarded their respective best-in-class winners, including the Bentley 4 1/4 Sedanca Coupé in Pre-war Luxury & Touring, the Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso, owned by Dave Back in Pininfarina & The Prancing Horse, the Lancia Sport Prototipo Zagato in Competition Cars and the Ferrari 275 GTB 2 Long Nose Alloy in Fixed-Head Coupés from the 50s & 60s.

Another Ferrari swooped to victory in the Gentlemen GT Drivers – To the Track & Back class, with the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ beating rivals including a 1973 Porsche 2.7RS and 1965 AC Cobra 289.

Special awards went to the 1938 Lagonda Rapide V12 Drophead Coupé, which was honoured with the award for Best Interior, the unique 1955 Goldmanini for Most Sensitive Restoration and the 1930 Bentley Speed Six, which was deemed the Most Iconic on the day.

Simon Mobey, Chubb Insurance European Private Clients Manager, said: “The event has been nothing short of spectacular and, without doubt, the move to Blenheim Palace has elevated Salon Privé into a truly world-class Concours and Supercar event. It's perfect - serious cars and collectors, but in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.”


PIRELLI PERFORMANCE & PRESTIGE COMPETITION

With focus firmly on more modern machinery, the inaugural Pirelli Performance & Prestige Competition saw super and hypercars face off in the famous Great Court of Blenheim Palace.

With Porsche 918s, McLaren P1s, LaFerraris, Bugatti Veyrons parked side by side, the public had a rare opportunity to see and hear their automotive heroes in the metal. The arrival of 11 Paganis (led by Horacio Pagani and with three Pagani Huayras and eight Pagani Zondas) only added to the drama.

Despite an astounding array of rival machinery, Ferraris received many of the awards on the day, with the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale winning the Built for Speed class and the Ferrari Superamerica taking the Feel the Breeze title.

The technical tour-de-force – LaFerrari, reigned supreme, not only taking top honours in the Blink and it’s Gone class, but also receiving the overall Pirelli Award for the day. Owner George Bamford, was proud of the car’s achievement. “I was blown away to win at such an amazing event. It was a wonderful day and the Bagley brothers did an outstanding job. It was a real tour de force of supercars and it a total surprise to win.”

Other winners included the Alfa Romeo 8C in the Grace & Pace category, and the KTM X-BOW GT in Road & Race, while Bugatti also saw off rivals, with a Bugatti EB110 SS taking the title in the Pre-millennium Supercars class.

Matteo Barbieri, who heads up Pirelli’s international commercial focus on prestige said: “It was fantastic to be part of Salon Privé this year. There were so many beautiful cars, it was hard to pick the winners for the Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition, but the Pirelli award went to the stunning Ferrari LaFerrari. The event was a real success 

Now in its 10th year, Salon Privé takes pride and place amongst the leading automotive shows of the world including the US’s Pebble Beach and Italy’s Villa d’Este.