Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Stately Home number two on my three part ‘Grand Homes’ tour is Hampton Court Palace, a location I feel to rival that of Ville d‘Este and Pebble Beach. (See Stately Home number 1)
This event is a bit unusual in that the best in show winner at the concours is chosen by the owners themselves. Each owner is granted one vote to choose the car (other than their own of course) which they believe to be the finest motor car entered into the Concours. I also understand that each owner is also asked to select a vehicle from each decade that they consider to be the finest motor car entered in the event from that decade.
Then on the Saturday 20 rare and exotic cars, all owned by women, join the concours to compete in the Levitt Concours, named in memory of Dorothy Levitt, a woman recognized as the first female racing driver, who during her life time, set both land and water speed records, introduced the idea of the rear view mirror, and in 1905 drove a De Dion Bouton from London to Liverpool and back over two days at a time when tarmacked roads barely existed. It was not surprising that she was dubbed ‘the fastest girl on earth’. The winner of the Levitt Concours is chosen by a panel made up of modern racers, style icons and national editors.
On the Sunday the ‘30 under 30’ entrants to join the party. Described as being designed specifically for the next generation of motoring enthusiasts, it is open to anybody under 30 owning a motor car manufactured between 1900 and 1999. It was also the time for the ‘Junior Concours’, an event to celebrate the best of hand-built half-scale pedal, electric and petrol-powered cars of all ages.
The grand finale of the weekend is the ‘Grand Depart’, where late on the Sunday afternoon the participants drive the vehicles of the show field and out of the Palace grounds. I managed to attend both on the Friday and Sunday so was able to also capture some of the arrivals and also the ‘Grand Depart’. I am pleased to say that, unusually for the summer of 2024, the sun shone on both days. The following is but a selection of the delights on display.
Italian
French
The Others
Charles Meschter says
Almost as if you were there. Many thanks