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Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Watch world's rarest sports cars & modern classics roar into central London – from 90s Bugatti to £60k Ford Capri
IF there's one thing I learned from my Thursday at the London Concours, it's that the world's greatest cars somehow look even better in the pouring rain. The capital was in full 'classic British summertime' mode as we gathered in the heart of the Big Smoke at the Honourable Artillery Company for the ultimate petrolhead garden party - with rain pelting down as we walked through the gates. Advertisement 6 The rare Bugatti EB110 SuperSport, originally built for the Brunei royal family, stole the show at the London Concours Credit: Michael Golson 6 A rally legend with just 1,100 miles on the clock took home the Fast Fords class gong Credit: Michael Golson 6 The X-Pack Ford Capri, restored and upgraded to perfection, now worth an impressive £57,000 Credit: Michael Golson 6 The Audi RS2 Avant, a super estate with Porsche DNA, featured in the Youngtimers display Credit: Michael Golson 6 The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, developed during Mercedes' partnership with McLaren, with just 3,200 miles on the clock Credit: Michael Golson 6 The ultimate petrolhead garden party, with rare sports cars and modern classics on display Credit: Michael Golson But honestly, the weather didn't matter. The sight of dozens of the world's most iconic sports cars - the kind you usually only see in books or posters - all lined up on the green lawns, surrounded by white tents, made it all worthwhile. The London Concours, now in its ninth year, is a proper showcase of the world's most exotic supercars, plus a healthy dose of modern classics thrown in for good measure. It's the stuff of dreams for any petrolhead. Advertisement Perhaps the star of the show was the rarely-seen Bugatti EB110 SuperSport - one of the first cars to greet us as we walked in. One of just 33 SuperSport models ever made, this beast was originally built for the Brunei royal family back in 1993. Capable of over 200mph, it beat out legends like the Porsche 930 Turbo S, Porsche 911 GT1, McLaren F1 and Porsche 959 to win top honours in the Dream Cars class. When it was new, the EB110 SuperSport would've set you back around $380,000 (roughly £280,000). Advertisement Nowadays? Try $1.2 million (about £936,000). FAST FORDS While sheltering from the morning downpour under one of the tents, I couldn't help but notice the collection of legendary Fords nearby. A brief history of fast Fords A rare Ford RS200 was the pick of the bunch, which took the win in the Fast Fords class. This rally-spec beauty is one of just 15 ever built and spent the first 30 years of its life in storage, with just 1,100 miles on the clock. Advertisement These days, though, it's out and about during the summer months. It was joined by an X-Pack Ford Capri, upgraded by Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering programme with a wide body kit and lowered suspension. After a full restoration (with plenty of upgrades), this Capri is now worth around £57,000 - with half of that value coming from the enhancements alone. Other Ford icons were close by, including a beefy Ford Escort Cosworth RS - which can now fetch well over £100,000 at auctions - and the near-mythical Ford GT40. Advertisement SEE IT ALL Over the three-day event, there were bonus displays celebrating Aston Martin (Tuesday), Mercedes-Benz (Wednesday) and Supercars (Thursday). By the time you've walked around for a bit, your senses start to adjust to the sheer quality of cars on display. My attention was drawn to the Youngtimers display, which featured modern classics from the late 1980s and early 1990s that have become cult favourites among enthusiasts. The standout here was the Audi RS2 Avant - a super estate with sports car power and Porsche DNA - but the winner of the class was a 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet with a rare 'Flachbau' (flat-nose) styling and pop-up headlights that scream 1980s cool. Advertisement HYPERCAR HEAVEN The Hypercars class was absolutely jaw-dropping, with a 2019 Lamborghini Centenario - the only one in the UK - stealing the spotlight. Built to celebrate Ferruccio Lamborghini's 100th birthday, only 40 of these were ever made. Further on, as part of the Mercedes-Benz celebrations, we were treated to a stunning display of SL models marking 70 years since the introduction of the 300SL. Highlights included a racing-spec 300SL Gullwing, an elegant 300SL Roadster and a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren with just 3,200 miles on the clock. Advertisement It wasn't all about flashy supercars, either. The Wild Cards class celebrated the oddballs and misfits of the car world, with this year's winner being a 1961 Maserati 3500 GT, which spent 50 years in California before making its way to the UK in 2012. Fun fact: it's owned by Coldplay's Guy Berryman. SUMMERTIME? In many ways, the London Concours is the perfect way to kick off the UK's motoring summer. Advertisement If you're feeling a bit of FOMO, don't worry - there's more to come. I recently covered some of the best upcoming events across the country, from CarFest to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. And if you fancy an event similar to the London Concours, the Concours of Elegance will be held at Hampton Court from September 5 to 7.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Actor from Netflix's The Crown is convicted FRAUDSTER who stole £20k, lied about being military hero & wore fake medals
AN actor who appeared in The Crown has been accused of stolen valour after posing as an officer in the Army reserves. James Yeates, 42, even attended an Honourable Artillery Company dinner in full Intelligence Corps mess dress. 5 5 Pictures showed him wearing three medals - the Queen's Diamond, Platinum Jubilee and King's Coronation medals - at the swanky do. Other online photos saw him posing in Intelligence Corps fatigues. But the convicted fraudster was exposed after veterans launched an investigation following a tip-off. In reality, the actor had never served a day of his life in the army. Instead, he had purchased the medals on eBay. In an online profile he boasted: "I'm a fully trained, enthusiastic and versatile actor, l'm also a current serving officer in the British armed forces (reserves)." When The Sun confronted him he hastily amended the bio to read: "I'm a fully trained, enthusiastic and versatile actor." On another site, Backstage, he wrote: "Alongside being a professionally trained and working actor, I am also a current serving officer in the British Armed Forces (reserves)." His email auto-signature also read: "Major James Yeates, Co-Founder, Military and Aviation Advisors." But veterans say there is no record of him ever serving in the reserves and no mention of him in the London Gazette which lists every officers' commissions. Extra Yeates, who posted photographs of himself on the set of the Crown in 2018 and 2019, suggested the picture of him at the mess dinner was from a film set. But furious guests who also attended in March 2024 said an internal investigation was now underway to find out who invited him and whether he was vetted. Yeates also claimed his firm, Military and Aviation Advisors, had worked on the film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but there is no record showing their involvement. The Walter Mitty Hunters Club, who led the investigation, is now calling for a new law, the Stolen Valour Act, to make it a criminal offence. A spokesman said: "The sole reason we exist is because of people like Yeates. "If there were ever a strong reason for a stolen valour act, this is a prime example. "Yeates clearly has a well documented history for dishonesty, going by his past endeavours, and the undeniable evidence trail. "But to impersonate a serving Major in the Intelligence Corps, regular or reserve. "Wearing the uniform, rank, and medals, which Yeates has not earned, and taking in genuine veterans, and those still serving, when he had never even stepped foot in a training establishment or served one day in the armed forces is a step too far. "His deliberate actions are disrespectful to the service community and to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service to the crown." 5 5 5 Yeates, of Dorking, Surrey, escaped jail in 2006 after he took more than £20,000 from customers' bank accounts after his business collapsed. He blew £22,650 within three days and later admitted using criminal property and transferring criminal property at Guildford Crown Court. A previous indictment of 30 counts relating to theft was left on file. He was later jailed for 12 months in May 2015 for fraud after spending £7,700 on a credit card that did not belong to him. He bought first class flights to Los Angeles to shoot a video which he hoped would encourage talent to join his YouTube network Jey Management. Last night, Yeates told The Sun: "Some comments I've made in the past may have been misunderstood or taken out of context. "My focus has always been on working professionally and in good faith. " He added: "At no point have I intentionally misled anyone, nor have I attempted to benefit professionally from any misrepresentation."
Newsweek
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Prince Harry is Struggling to Move On
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Prince Harry's recent acknowledgement that King Charles III no longer speaks to him comes after five years in which he has not fully escaped the royal life he left behind. The Duke of Sussex took a swipe at his father on May 2 after losing a lawsuit aimed at getting his police bodyguards re-instated on trips to Britain. The BBC interview came after two years in which Harry and Meghan Markle had managed to mostly shelve their negative feelings about their royal exit in order to detoxify their reputations and focus on the future. Strikingly though, that two-year period has seen Meghan re-invent herself with a series of new projects, while Harry's biggest moments have all had their roots in the royal career he left behind in Britain. Prince Harry is greeted by Pikemen and Musketeers as he arrives for an Invictus Games Foundation 10th anniversary event at the Honourable Artillery Company, in London, England, on May 7, 2024. Prince Harry is greeted by Pikemen and Musketeers as he arrives for an Invictus Games Foundation 10th anniversary event at the Honourable Artillery Company, in London, England, on May 7, The Invictus Games Foundation Prince Harry's Swipe At King Charles Harry told the BBC he wanted reconciliation but also accused his father of blocking his quest to get his police team back, and raised the emotional stakes by arguing that Meghan, Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet cannot travel to the U.K. without them. "I don't know how much longer my father has, he won't speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile," he said. "There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands. Ultimately this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary." At one point, such criticism by Harry of his family were a semi-regular occurrence, but the prince's broadsides largely stopped after the release of his book, Spare. That may well owe in part at least to polling that showed a collapse of the couple's popularity among Americans. Either way, the strategic pivot was signaled in February 2023 when their spokesperson at the time, Ashley Hansen, confirmed the departure of staff members involved in "those vital 'look back' projects, as they [Harry and Meghan] now look forward." And Meghan has looked forward, with As Ever, an online shop selling lifestyle products, With Love, Meghan, a Netflix cooking show that is heading for its second season, and Confessions of a Female Founder, her second podcast. Prince Harry's Biggest Projects Yet, Harry's biggest moments during those two years have all been tied to his past life as a working royal. The lawsuits over his police security were a literal attempt to force the British government to restore the level of protection he had as a working royal on visits to the U.K. And his swipe at Charles when he lost the case echoed the narrative from his "look back" Oprah Winfrey interview in which he said: "My family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us." Despite losing two lawsuits and an appeal, he is still vowing to fight on by lobbying British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper directly. In summer 2023, Harry made global headlines by becoming the first royal family member to testify as the claimant in a lawsuit. And it triggered a high for Harry when he won against Mirror Group Newspapers, though the damages awarded to him were not huge at £140,000 (about $185,000). The case revolved around the conduct of tabloid journalists decades ago, with some allegations dating to the Princess Diana era and much of his evidence relating to a past relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy. The same could be said of another lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's media empire, which Harry settled out of court in January, reportedly for a sum in the millions. Even the Invictus Games, his most successful project, was launched more than 10 years ago during his time as a working royal. Other big moments in his year include The Diana Award, where the news stories are frequently about efforts made to manage the fact that it works with Harry and Prince William, who cannot be in the same room together, even to honor the legacy of their mother. And his relationship with the WellChild Awards also dates to his time as a working royal. Prince Harry's Newer Projects Harry at one stage launched a documentary on Netflix about polo, which did not attract enough reviews to have a critics score on Rotten Tomatoes but had an audience score of 25 percent. And even polo will always be linked to the Royal Family, who are famous for playing the sport. Another new feature of the past two years was Harry and Meghan returning to international visits. Yet, again the move so closely mirrored their past royal lives that the British High Commissioner to Nigeria had to clarify to local media that "they are visiting in a private capacity, not an official one," in May 2024. The closest Harry has come to getting up and running with a completely new project has been the Archewell Foundation Parents Network, a "support network for parents whose children and families have been impacted by online, social media harm," according to the couple's website. No doubt, it is a worthwhile cause though it is yet to create the kind of show stopping moments that Sussex fans have grown accustomed to. In short, some will like Meghan's podcast, TV show and lifestyle brand and others will not, but either way she has moved on and that is something Harry appears to have found far more difficult. Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
