Best of Salon Prive at Blenheim Palace

This 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Tipo Le Mans was imported into the UK by Thompson and Taylor of Brooklands in 1937. It is a matching numbers lungo chassis car that was built to the same specification as the Sir Henry (Tim) Birkin/Lord Howe Le Mans winning car of 1931.

Sold new to NSU of Nerkarsulm of Germany this Alfa Romeo SZ dates from 1960 and is fitted with original and rare aluminum-magnesium wheels. Always privately owned and never used on a race track. A multi class and best in show concours winner.

This 1967 Fiberglas bodied Bizzarrini 5300 GT America BA4 is believed be one of just 10 examples built.

This Bugatti Type 13 example retains her original chassis, engine, clutch, gearbox, prop shaft, back axle, radiator, pedals and brake linkages. A class winner at Prescott and a participant at Pebble Beach and the Colorado Grand with a known history since 1946.

This Bugatti Type 44 Gangloff Profile Aerodynamique was sold new to Jean Pryli, vice president of the Automobiles Club du Rhone and the Federation International de Course Automobiles. With a documented history from new this is believed to be the only surviving example of the Aerodynamic Gangloff bodywork fitted to a Type 44 chassis.

With less than 50,000 miles covered from new, this 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster chassis 55234 is widely considered to be the most original unrestored example of the 16 built, of which only five examples still retain their original coachwork and mechanics, which were derived from the Type 51 Grand Prix model.

Shelby Cobra 427, chassis CSX3309 was shipped to Shelby America in October 1964. Following ownership by six enthusiastic owners this very original but rather tired Cobra was returned to the UK where in 2012 she received some much-needed attention with strict instructions to retain the originality of the car to include its Rangoon Red paintwork, seats and roll bar mounts.

I know we have featured this Delage before when she was one of the stars at this year’s Heveningham Hall concours, but at Salon Prive as the weather was not as hot as it was in July, which would have damaged the original interior, the Delage was able to be displayed with the roof down.

Winner of the people’s award, this 1964 Ferrari 250LM chassis 6105 was purchased through Maranello Concessionaires by noted privateer racing driver and descendant of the Fry confectionery family Ron Fry, who traded his GTO chassis 3869, in which he had campaigned during 1963 and 64. Ron continued to compete in hillclimbs, sprints and circuit races. Displayed at the 1966 London Motor show by Maranello Concessionaires the LM then passed through several owners who continued to race her. In 1984 the LM was sold, becoming part of the Hayashi and then the Matsuda collections in Japan. The current owner purchased the car in 2015 and commissioned DK Engineering to restore the LM to concours condition.

One of only five examples imported into the UK by Maranello Concessionaires, this 1968 Dino 206GT was ordered by Colonel Ronnie Hoare from the factory for use as a dealer demonstrator. He requested a car finished in the same red (Rosso Dino) as the Dino that was displayed at that years Brussels Motor show. It then purchased by Edward Gates of the Gates Ford dealership in Woodford London. In May 1970 the Dino was purchased by guitar legend Eric Clapton, who whilst returning from an evening spent with Patti Boyd, the then wife of George Harrison, managed to crash the car. Now fully restored the current owner purchased the Dino in 2017 and nicknamed her Layla in honor of Mr Clapton.

A line up of Dino’s to celebrate the cars 50th birthday.

Ferrari 275 GTB Long nose chassis 08423 was sold new in the USA to Alex Rotelle of Minnesota in 1966. Fitted with the 6 carb option and high lift cam shafts Alex raced the car during 1966 and 67 before he turned his attention to breaking records running marathons, having first bricked the car up in his house. Approximately 20 years later she was purchased by Karl Dedolph in Minneapolis. Sold on again she then became part of a collection for 10 years. In the past 52 years she has only covered 15,000 miles and is in totally unrestored condition.

1989 Ferrari F40 LM chassis 80742 was one of seven examples converted to GT specification by Michelotto to compete in the 1993 Campionato Italiano Super GT series. Entered by Jolly Club wearing the Monte Shell livery and driven by Marco Brand it won the championship winning nine of the ten race’s that season. Further uprated, ultimately to LM spec, and raced with great success for many years. The car was purchased by the current owner from DK Engineering in 2017 and was returned to the track in May 2018.

Originally displayed at the 1926 London Olympia Motor show, this Hispano Suiza H6B has many unique features including an ivory covered dash panel, polished fittings and a bell installed so that one is able to summons a footman if one wishes to avail oneself of his services. This car won many pre-war Concours d’elegance shows in Monte Carlo, Cannes, Le Touquet and Bournemouth. First registered to Lt Commander Montague Graham White, the brother of the famous aviator Claude Graham White. You can read of the Lt Commanders exploits in the Hispano Suiza in Roy Bacon’s book ‘The Golden Age of Motoring

Of the 413 ISO Grifos built only 90 were right hand drive and only seven of the restyled MK2 versions came onto the UK market. The owner of this beautifully restored seven liter example became fascinated (like me) with the ISO after being given a Matchbox model of the Grifo.

This 1971 right hand drive Lamborghini P400S Miura was purchased new by Rod Stewart who also owned a later SV example, both purchased (it is believed) from the proceeds of his hit record ‘Maggie May. Recently restored and returned to her original color at the Lamborghini factory by Polo Storica.

This is believed to be the sole survivor of just three 4th series Lancia Astura Cabriolets that were bodied by Carrozzeria Boneschi of Milan. Originally owned by a Belgian coal magnet, the Astura was laid up throughout the war, and then kept in long time secure storage by the owner’s widow during the 1950s. Other than a repaint in the original dark grey this 1938 Astura is still totally original.

This 1955 Porsche 550 RS Spyder was originally delivered to Swiss racing driver Walter Riggenberg, who with his co driver Richard von Frankenberg, set several International records at Montlhery and also raced the Spyder at Avus and Le Mans. Swiss engineer and racer Michael May later acquired the car, and being an early exponent of aerodynamics, set about fitting the Spyder with an adjustable inverted wing above the cockpit to enhance grip.

Built in November 1938 as a bare chassis at the Steyr Daimler Puch factory in Austria, it was then transported to Glaser Karosserie in Dresden to be fitted with this streamlined cabriolet coachwork. Leaving the Glaser works in March 1939 the car was then displayed at that years Berlin Motor show. The Steyr was purchased directly from the show by the Austrian consul for Latvia. Purchased after the war by a famous Russian surgeon/politician before being acquired by the current owner in 1994. The all steel Steyr then underwent a 20-year restoration with every single component being restored strictly in accordance with the original documents and designs. A unique and great looking motor car.

Launched in 1969 with a price ticket of £2500, the MV Agusta 750 Sport was based on Mike Hailwood’s World Championship winning GP bike, hand built with a dohc four-cylinder engine rated at 70hp with a quoted top speed of 120 mph. This example dates from 1974 and is one of less than 340 built. Behind the MV is a 1979 Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica. It is one of 300 built to celebrate Mike Hailwood’s triumphal return to bike racing and winning the F1 Isle of Man TT. This one owner example was supplied by Hailwood and Gould, the Birmingham motorcycle dealership owned by former World Champion Ron Gould and his partner Mike Hailwood.

“Pierce Motor Cycles are not built to compete on price but to surpass in quality,” ran the Pierce ads of the day. This 1910 Pierce Four is believed to be one of less than 500 example built. The Pierce was a two speed, shaft driven, four cylinder with a large diameter trapezoid-shaped tubular chassis containing not just the fuel and oil but also all of the bike’s control cables. Unlike Pierce Arrow Automobiles, the motor cycle production ceased in 1914. A very rare motor cycle, this example belongs to a rather well-known racing drive, Sebastian Vettel.