Britain’s automotive scene has much more to offer than the major events held in the south of the country, often on the sprawling Goodwood estate of the 11th Duke of Richmond. More exclusive still is the Concours of Elegance, celebrated every late summer in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Henry VIII would surely approve.
Britain, and England in particular, has a unique automotive history. While many of its traditional marques have either disappeared or fallen under international ownership, there remain plenty of sporting legends capable of stirring the emotions of British enthusiasts. Jaguar Land Rover is owned by India’s Tata, Bentley belongs to the Volkswagen Group, while BMW acquired both Mini and Rolls-Royce. Yet McLaren, Aston Martin, Caterham and Morgan remain among the names keeping Britain’s performance-car tradition alive.
And although much of the British motor industry has changed beyond recognition, the country’s classic-car events remain in a league of their own. Among the most exclusive is the Concours of Elegance, which for more than a decade has brought together classics and future automotive legends for three days in the Fountain Garden at Hampton Court Palace. The prestigious event has been held annually at the royal palace in south-west London since 2017, surrounded by around 24 hectares of parkland once enjoyed by Henry VIII.
“It was an extraordinary weekend with an impressive collection of vehicles from around the world gathered at Hampton Court Palace,” said Concours of Elegance CEO Neil Gaisford. He highlighted the combination of remarkable cars, their owners, automotive clubs and thousands of enthusiasts as the ingredient that creates the event’s distinctive atmosphere.
Visitors came to admire the machinery, relax and enjoy picnics in the grounds. In many ways, it was a quintessentially British weekend.
Best of Show honours went to a 1928 Mercedes 710 SSK racing car. Powered by its charismatic supercharged engine, the car competed extensively in South America before making its appearance at Hampton Court.
Beneath that long bonnet sits a 7.1-litre M06 straight-six equipped with a mechanically engaged Roots supercharger, producing up to 250 PS. Chassis 36246 was originally delivered to Argentina, where Julio Berndt and his brother-in-law Carlos Zatuszek raced it extensively. The pair entered the SSK in Argentina’s 500 Miles race in 1929, before Zatuszek subsequently competed with it in the Córdoba Grand Prix and the Argentine Autumn Grand Prix. Remarkably, the Mercedes continued racing in South America until the late 1950s.
It was far from the only significant competition car on display. Other highlights included the 1914 Humber TT and a 1927 Bentley 3-Litre Le Mans Team Car.
The Humber is one of three racing cars secretly developed by the company for the 1914 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Its advanced engine featured twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, designed by F.T. Burgess. Today, it is the sole survivor of the three original Humber TT racers and remains in remarkably original condition.
The Bentley 3-Litre, chassis ML1501 and better known by its registration YF 2503, was built specifically for the 1927 24 Hours of Le Mans and driven by George Duller and Baron André d’Erlanger. That race became infamous for the White House crash, a multi-car accident that eliminated several leading contenders.
Another works Bentley, driven by Sammy Davis and Dudley Benjafield, survived the incident and went on to win the race, laying the foundations for Bentley’s remarkable run of Le Mans success through to 1930.
Other class winners displayed in front of Hampton Court Palace included an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, a rare 1953 Siata 208 CS and an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.
Yet tastes are changing in Britain, just as they are elsewhere in Europe. Increasing numbers of enthusiasts are turning their attention towards more recent classics and the performance cars of the 1980s and 1990s.
That shift was reflected in Hampton Court’s special “Thirty under 30” display, which featured everything from a 1980 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S and the spectacular Monteverdi 375L High Speed to an Aston Martin One-77, Bugatti Veyron and McLaren P1.
There were plenty of more modern German attractions, too. A 1985 Alpina C1 2.3 sat alongside a wonderfully understated 1981 BMW 316 and the unmistakable Mercedes 500 SEC from the C126 generation. More than enough, in other words, to have enthusiasts already looking forward to next year.
