Seriously rare, exclusive and beautiful classics to be shown off
If you love your classic cars then the Concours of Elegance will have you feeling like a kid in a candy shop.
Established in 2012, the Concours of Elegance is a car show like no other, with the world’s rarest cars all coming together to be shown off, admired and gawked at! Taking place at Hampton Court Palace, London, you have probably already seen pictures of the incredible cars sitting on the famous perfectly-green grass at the historic location.
People travel from far and wide to spend a day out admiring these automotive works of art and exhibitors have to fight for a space to show off their cars, as candidates are hand-picked by a committee of global motoring experts.
So, what can you expect to see?
Ferrari Dino 206 SP
With SP standing for ‘Sports Prototype’, this rare Ferrari was designed specifically for European hillclimb events, featuring a larger 2.0-litre engine than that found in its predecessor, the 166 P. This Ferrari also comes from the era of fierce competition between Ford and Ferrari, after being challenged by the American manufacturer in the mid-60s.
Just 17 Ferrari Dino 206 SPs were ever made and this one is more than just an antique as it’s racing history includes the 1000km of Nurburgring and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Williams Renault Formula One Car
With what looks to be a Williams FW14, the Formula One fans will certainly be pleased. After two years of success, the FW14 entered the races in 1991 and competed until 1992. Powered by the legendary sounding 3.5-litre V10 and using Adrian Newey’s genius aerodynamics, considered to be far ahead of its competitors, the FW14 marks a significant point in F1 racing.
Although we’re not too sure on the history of this number 0 Williams Renault car, these cars were driven by Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese at the time and a total of 17 grand prix were won with the FW14 and FW14B cars.
Porsche 356 America Roadster
One of the most notable things about the classic 356 America Roadster (more formally known as the Type 540) is its weight. Weighing just 605 kg thanks to the aluminium body, ultra-lightweight doors and, well, lack of a roof, the 356 America Roadster was as light as a feather, especially for the 1950s!
It’s sleek and perhaps overly-minimalistic design is what makes this classic roofless Porsche stand out. These American-exclusive models were expensive, almost twice as powerful as the regular 356 and unfortunately, were a commercial failure. Only 40 were made and now, almost 70 years later, they’re more in demand than ever!
Facel Vega Facel II
It may look rather American with its styling but this gorgeous classic is actually French. The mostly-unheard-of French company, Facel Vega, started off as a child company of a military aeronautics business, then went on to produce luxury cars, scooter, truck and tractor bodies and smaller components for various manufacturers.
Evolving their obsession with large powerful engines after building planes, Facel Vega gave the Facel II an incredibly potent 355-horsepower Chrysler V-8, making it one of the fastest cars at the time. With 4 seats and exquisite comfort and luxury, the Facel II was still faster accelerating than the Aston Martin DB4 and Mercedes 300SL Gullwing.
Along with the classics above, you can expect to see an overwhelming display of many other classics that are, as stated, some of the rarest cars in the world. Including five McLaren F1 GTRs that raced in Le Mans, priceless pre-war Rolls Royces, an Aston Martin Cloverleaf from the 1920s and many more totally around 1,000 cars!
Are you excited for this year’s Concours of Elegance? Let us know in the comments.
If you enjoyed this, you may also be interested in: “Win £100 For Your Classic Car Club With Peter Best”
For more articles like this, receive our weekly e-newsletter, including partner deals and all things motoring, register your email below.
Please note: You cannot subscribe to Smart-Motoring unless you put a tick in the checkbox below to indicate have read and agreed to our privacy policy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.