Salon Privé Picks Two Best of Show WinnersSalon Prive They were both so nice, they gave two awards. For the first time in its 21-year history, the highbrow English concours Salon Privé has awarded two Best of Shows: the Best of Show Concours d'Elegance and the Best of Show Concours d'Excellence. "This year was the first time Salon Privé has evolved to include two distinct Best of Show awards recognising both the great classics of the past and the modern collector cars increasingly shaping the market today," organizers said. Salon Prive Usually when there are two such awards, they go to Best of Show Pre-War and Post-War, or Race Car and Road Car. But Salon Privé took a slightly different tack, awarding an older supercar and a slightly older-than-that supercar. Advertisement Advertisement The more or less conventional Best of Show Concours d'Elegance went to a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400, the original supercar. Shown as part of the class aptly titled, The Italian Job—60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura, the car was owned by Amir Ravan and the RLC Collection. Salon Prive "For me, the Miura represents a genuine turning point in automotive history," said Ravan. "The engineering, the proportions, and Gandini's extraordinary design came together to create something that still feels remarkably special nearly 60 years later. "As a collector, you become very conscious that you're really a custodian of these cars, and a great deal of thought and care has gone into ensuring this example was presented as it should be." Ravan was quick to thank the restoration team, too. Advertisement Advertisement "True credit goes to Tom Hartley Jr. and his team for their meticulous attention to detail with restoring this car over four years. To have my Miura recognized with Best of Show at Salon Privé, among cars of the highest caliber, is enormously rewarding and a real privilege. It is an honor to share this reward with Tom." The other big winner was a 1995 McLaren F1, which became the Salon Prive's first-ever winner of Best of Show Concours d'Excellence. "I am so thrilled and overwhelmed to have won the inaugural Salon Privé Concours d'Excellence at such a prestigious event," said owner Terry Bramall. "The F1 is such a fabulous car and a testimony to its designer, Gordon Murray, and its restorers, Lanzante." Salon Prive The F1 was competing in a dedicated class celebrating early supercars, titled Poster Cars—Icons from Our Youth. It was selected as the finest modern collector car on the lawn. The top honor was created specifically for entrants into Salon Privé's new limited-edition supercar and hypercar classes, "in recognition of the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market." Advertisement Advertisement Andrew Bagley, co-founder and chairman of Salon Privé, said, "The standard of cars on the competition field this year has been incredible, and I think our two winners demonstrate just how much the collector car world has evolved. "Introducing the Concours d'Excellence Award was a big step for us this year. The great classics will always be at the heart of the Salon Privé Concours, but there's no question that modern supercars and hypercars are now hugely important to collectors, too, and they deserve to be recognized in their own right." But when you think of "the great classics," you think of pre-war French cars or large American Duesenbergs. Yet Salon Prive looked at the field and chose a car from 1969. "We've had some staggering motors come through the gates at Blenheim Palace this week, and the quality across all classes was outstanding," said Bagley. "The Miura is one of the great automotive designs—a car whose presence and proportions remain as captivating today as they were when it was first unveiled. A tremendous amount of care has gone into preserving and presenting this example, and that was ultimately recognised with the highest honour by the judges here at Salon Privé." Winner of the Most Exceptional Coachwork was this crowd-pleasing Duesenberg SJ Speedster by Gurney Nutting, which might have been Best of Show at a "traditional" concours.Salon Prive And the McLaren had its attributes, too. Advertisement Advertisement "The McLaren F1 is a landmark in the history of the supercar, and a very fitting recipient of our inaugural Concours d'Excellence," added Bagley. "In an exceptional field, this particular F1 stood out as a superb example of a car that fundamentally changed our understanding of what a road-going supercar could be." Does this mean the youth are finally taking over, doing donuts on the graves of great collectors of yesteryear? Or is this just the natural evolution of the hobby. There are classes for "Under 30," and "Newcomers" at concours around the world, afterall. Maybe things are not so much changing as evolving. So get ready for supercars at all your favorite concours. Duesenbergs will be marked down on used car lots near you, so maybe it's time to buy?
Liked by Henry Leblanc, Adam Clark
Liked by Henry Leblanc, Adam Clark
Liked by Henry Leblanc, Adam Clark
