Blenheim Palace is mostly known in the popular imagination as the birthplace of Winston Churchill, that larger-than-life defender of the realm. But this venue also hosts the Salon Privé Concours, now enjoying its 21st consecutive year, and I just so happened to be in the London / Oxfordshire area to catch the closing Sunday proceedings. So here are a few photos from one of the UK’s premiere automotive events.i Indeed, it was every bit as elegant as a British garden party should be, and the 26°C temperature and gentle sunshine made for a brilliant close to summer. Hope you enjoy this exceptional selection of exotic hardware, including Bugatti Bolide, Pagani Utopia, Lambo Miura S, Ferrari 812 Comp, Aston Martin Valhalla, Porsche 918 Coupé, Lexus LFA, Brabus Bodo, Kimera 037, and many more:
Overflow parking in the back…
Zagato left, still overflow
7.3L NA V12, but also some of the finest rear aluminum bodywork anywhere. The rear bumper and fenders are a single piece!
Black isn’t the best CGT colour
Black LFA had a fairly large scuff from the front passenger fender. Ouch
White LFA with chrome wheels was pristine. Eggs don’t do it for me
Buy a Veyron now while you still can, they’re going to Pagani levels soon enough.
Speaking of Utopias…
Bolide
Jaw, meet floor
Piech’s 1/1 918 fixed-roof *Coupé*
Should really be badged as such
Sián, not Sían
Lordy what proportions. Golden ages really are briefer than we commonly admit. Think 5 years max
Go faster
What would Mr. C think of the German’s peoples’ car on his lawn?
RUF CRT3, from the 21st century golden age
Rev SV looks *much* stronger and more aggressive in-person. Looks like only a mild update in photos but the rear wing is very healthy, while still leaving room for SVJ down the road
Brabus Bodo, Aston-based and far from the worst way to spend $1.5mn
Hammond’s so small in-person that I couldn’t even find him
His booze was hiding behind this bug, however
Tasted mid, not even as good as Maker’s Mark
Some kind of road-going 599XX, would probably look good in white in Tokyo but that’s about it
Viola Hong Kong 812 Comp “street parked” outside, despite being worth as much as most of the Bugattis cordoned off inside
Hand-painted shields… it pains me so much to slowly admit how much specs matter today
Not the best spec Speciale… but most of them are suck since 250-LM livery isn’t a standard option. 296 needs the retro stripe to work imo
In more humble specs
My boys! What a lineup, aging so well, not even so porky anymore
Kimera is a fantastic size, weird Aston thingy is forgettable
Valhalla is genius imo. First saw one at Toronto Auto Show and the impact remains. Fills a big gap in the marketplace with panache
Ravage right… winning mods on a lovely platform
- It was between this and Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, which I later found out had Chris Harris judging some of the awards. Oh well, can’t be everywhere. ↩