4 days ago
The 7 Most Exciting Cars at the London Concours
Now in its ninth year, the London Concours has established itself as one of the collector-car scene's most interesting and accessible automotive exhibitions, with one of the most fascinating venues. This year, a record 90 cars assembled on the cricket pitch of the Honorable Artillery Company, the British Army's oldest regiment, in the heart of London's financial district. The variety of vehicles on display was extraordinary, from those worth deep into eight figures, such as the McLaren F1, to the tiny, weird, single-seat Peel microcar. Here are our highlights from the show.
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The perfect example of form following function, the Giulia Sprint Speciale owes its achingly pretty looks mainly to its amazing aerodynamics. A road-going version of Bertone's groundbreaking, super-slippery BAT concept cars of the 1950s, Alfa Romeo's 100 hp Giulia SS has a significance and desirability that far exceeds its total output or straight-line performance. Sadly, after a long restoration, this example failed to start when it was due to be displayed at last year's London Concours, but it made a very welcome first appearance this year.
With American muscle, a British chassis, and an Italian suit, this Frua-bodied AC unites three of the great car-building nations in one perfect 1960s-era sports car. A 427 ci Ford V-8 in an AC Cobra chassis gives race-car noise and handling, but the elegant, langorous body by the famous Turin coachbuilder may be its finest asset. This example is one of three prototypes, and the only manual—a worthy winner of the London Concours' special AC class.
A London-based restoration specialist, Romance of Rust was established by Lance McCormack, who trained as a coachbuilder at Mulliner Park Ward. He first saw, and fell in love with, this very example of the Citroën SM as a boy in 1975. Forty years later, he and his team performed a bare-metal restoration on it, including repainting it in its original 'vert argent,' and preserving the tobacco-colored leather interior, which contrasts so perfectly with the green exterior. With its faired-in triple headlamps and rear wheels, and its convex rear glass, this was one of the high points of 1970s European car design, and it still looks extraordinary today.
This Gandini design didn't win its Ferrari V-8 class, but stood out for its stance, proportion, and angular lines amidst later, more voluptuous eight-cylinder Prancing Horses, such as the 360 Modena and 430. Living in the shadow of the later, prettier, Pininfarina-bodied 308s, these Dinos (they were only badged as Ferraris from 1976) have long been under-appreciated, much like the Bugatti EB110, which won Best in Show. Yet as with that Bugatti model, Dinos are rapidly being rediscovered by collectors, and represent a great way into Ferrari ownership. And of all the great mid-engined V-8 models Ferrari has made, these were the first.
This year, the London Concours featured a Young Timer class devoted to cars from the 1980s onwards, likely to be of more interest to the young brokers and traders whose offices surround the showground than collector cars from earlier eras. A 'flachbau' (flat-nose) Porsche 911 Turbo from 1989 won the class, but 911s have always been great investments. Yet it's cars like this Audi, hugely significant from a technical and motorsport perspective, to which savvy collectors are now looking for both a usable classic and an appreciating asset.
This pre-Volkswagen-era Bugatti was one of the first cars to greet guests at the London Concours this year. And while it was hard to look past the McLaren F1 parked next to it, both the guests and the judges did: Constantly surrounded by a crowd, it won the Dream Car class as well as being ultimately named Best in Show. Not only is this the first Super Sport chassis, it was also originally supplied to the Sultan of Brunei before being acquired by its current British owner, who drives it regularly despite its fast-increasing value.
A short clip of this Veyron arriving at the London Concours, stripped of its body, piqued the interest of Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac enough for him to share it on Instagram. The car is owned by British Bugatti specialist Furlonger, an outfit that offers both regular maintenance and subtle upgrades to Veyron collectors. This car will eventually receive bespoke paint—referencing a famous 1930s racing Bugatti—and a very modern Apple CarPlay interface. But for now, presenting it sans bodywork allowed concours guests to admire the perfection of its usually hidden carbon-fiber central structure, and the complexity of the cooling systems required by its monstrous, quad-turbo W16 engine.
