This year’s 19th edition of Salon Privé took place between Wednesday 28th and Saturday 31st August 2024 in the picturesque grounds of Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill, with an unforgettable end-of-summer spectacle, solidifying its place as the UK’s premier luxury automotive and global Concours event.
This year’s gathering attracted 72 cars entered across 14 different Classes. They ranged from timeless Pre-war Classes to iconic models from Bugatti, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. Show highlights included the eye-catching Legendary Liveries, featuring iconic colour schemes like the Silk Cut Jaguar XJR 8/9, the Alitalia Lancia Stratos HF, and the 555 Subaru Impreza WRC97. A newly introduced class celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Ferrari 275.
Entries from the USA, Thailand, New Zealand and further afield gathered on Blenheim’s South Lawn, judged by a panel of international experts. The top honour went to a magnificent 1957 Ferrari 335 S, entered by American collector Brian Ross. Meanwhile, Albert Hitchcock’s 1971 Monteverdi High-Speed 375L, entered in the Post-War Closed Class, received the Judges’ Award for Rarity and Elegance.
Salon Privé also played host to a stunning collection of new vehicle debuts, with several cars appearing for the first time in the UK. Notably, the Tuthill GT ONE, fresh from its global debut at Monterey Car Week, turning heads with its carbon fibre construction designed by Florian Flatau. Inspired by 1990s FIA GT1 racing cars of Le Mans, this exceptional vehicle is limited to just 22 bespoke builds, each requiring 3,500 meticulous hours. Owners have the option of either a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine delivering 500bhp or a turbocharged version that produces over 600bhp.
The event also showcased six cars from luxury German tuning brand BRABUS that included the BRABUS G800, BRABUS GLS800, BRABUS Range Rover SV, BRABUS Porsche Turbo S 820, BRABUS AMGT 930 and the new BRABUS SL750 Performance with a 750bhp power output and carbon fibre aerodynamics.
Meanwhile, MG celebrated its 100th anniversary with the MG Cyber GTS, a sleek coupe inspired by the 1968 MGC GTC Sebring in classic British Racing Green.
Italy’s finest made an appearance as well, led by the Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo, a powerful 550bhp four-seat luxury cabriolet. Other Italian entries included the GranTurismo Trofeo PrimaSerie, marking 75 years of Maserati’s grand touring legacy, and the MC20 Cielo, the brand’s flagship supercar.
Other brands on display included Aston Martin, Electrogenic, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Lotus, Morgan, Mulliner, Oshe Automotive, Porsche and Zenvo Automotive.
Reflecting this year’s “Blue” theme, 16 stunning cars in shades of blue dazzled enthusiasts, among them a coveted 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Continuing Salon Privé’s tradition of colour-themed collections, The Blue Collection follows previous collections in red, platinum and yellow.
This year saw 26 car clubs taking part, with representation from the Aston Martin Owners Club, Ferrari Owners’ Club, Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, Lamborghini Club UK, Lotus Drivers Club, Maserati Club UK, McLaren Owners Club UK, Mercedes-Benz Club, Morgan Sports Car Club, Porsche Club Great Britain and the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Enthusiasts’ Club.
Supercar Saturday, the event’s biggest single day, featured 1,540 privately owned sports, super and hypercars, as proud owners vied for Salon Privé Club Trophies in a dazzling display on the North Lawn.
Salon Privé Chairman Andrew Bagley commented on this year’s event saying:
“Our new five-day Salon Privé format has proven to be an overwhelming success, with our guests and partners able to showcase their wonderful collections in country club style on the lawns of Blenheim Palace. With world debuts, along with European and UK first sees, the event continues to be a high-profile opportunity for brands to show their latest creations to our enthusiastic and elite guests. We saw notable motoring anniversaries celebrated, some of the world’s finest and rarest cars honoured in the Salon Privé Concours and with an overwhelmingly successful Supercar Saturday crowning the best cars from the UK’s finest car clubs, it was another memorable event to relish. Bring on the 20th Anniversary of Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace.”
As the Salon Privé 2024 Grand Finale wrapped up, over 12,000 attendees enjoyed Supercar Saturday, with landmark anniversaries marking Rolls-Royce’s 120th anniversary, 50 years of the Porsche 911 Turbo, 25 years of the Porsche 911 GT3 and 60 years of the Maserati Quattroporte. This year’s Salon Privé was a truly memorable celebration of automotive luxury and heritage, leaving enthusiasts eagerly anticipating next year’s 20th Anniversary event once again at the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace from 27th to 30th August 2025, with more information available from: www.salonpriveconcours.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs by Gary Harman
1 Trackback / Pingback