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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

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In the Paddock at Goodwood

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Vintage Goodwood!

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

The Goodwood Revival is renowned for its attention to detail, and the ability to get up close and personal to the cars and drivers across the site. However, between the track fence and race track, obviously, and the tow road and assembly area are places which are considered to be less safe for the general public and are only accessible to the teams and accredited members of the press.

I hope the following photos give you a small taste of what goes on in those two areas and if, in some of the shots, it looks like chaos, let me tell you that it is all beautifully choreographed thanks to the skill and dedication of the hard-working marshalls. Oh and just a thought with regards to attention to detail, each year the Driver’s Club is built around a theme. Last year it was the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, this year it was a jungle theme even down to the weather which was tropical to say the least. [Read more…] about In the Paddock at Goodwood

Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court: French and others

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Entered by the Musee des 24 Heures du Mans, 1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3/6 Sport Torpedo.

Photos by Jonathan Sharp

We continue with a selection of French and others that appeared this year at Hampton Court on September 1-3. Hampton Court is another British movable feast, and the proper name is the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. As Graham Gauld pointed out back in 2014, note the British use of the word ‘of’ rather than the French ‘de.’ Of course the event is not always held at Hampton Court, located on the side of the river Thames just under 12 miles southwest of the center of London. According to the official website, “The Concours of Elegance began at Windsor Castle in 2012, before moving to St James’s Palace in 2013, Hampton Court Palace in 2014, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Her Majesty The Queen’s official residence in Scotland) in 2015 before returning to Windsor Castle in 2016 and Hampton Court Palace in 2017.”

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Salon Prive at Blenheim Palace

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My favorite entry.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

Salon Prive events in the UK can be a bit confusing. The Bagley brothers, Andrew and David, now organize two events annually, both under the name of Salon Prive. The most recent of the two is the

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VSCC Prescott 2023

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1922/30 Austin Maggot.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

I had not visited an event at the Prescott Hill climb since 2016 so I decided it was time for another visit on August 5-6. The event, the VSCC (Vintage Sports-Car Club) speed championship round 5 ‘Vintage Prescott.’ So has the place changed over the years? Not that I could tell, it is still a lovely setting in the heart of the countryside and in the quieter moments it is possible to hear the distant sound of a steam whistle from the nearby Heritage steam railway above the sounds of the birds.

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Cartier Style et Luxe at the Festival of Speed

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Entered by Ferrari Classiche, a 1966 330 GT 2 plus 2

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

As mentioned in my previous reports, after completing all the necessary requirements in the press room at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, my first port of call is to try to capture the entrants in the Cartier Style et Luxe concours before they get buried in a sea of people. As in previous years the classes were a diverse and eclectic mix covering everything from early cyclecars to Low Riders and GT1 Homologation specials. The weather on Friday was not so good and as you know Saturday was cancelled, but I managed to grab a few extra shots on Sunday once the sun had come out.

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A Walk in the Paddock with Jon

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1958 Ferrari 250TR, chassis 0732TR, known as Lucybelle and raced as a private entry at the Le Mans 24 hour race by Ed Hugues and Ernie Erickson, finishing fourth in class and seventh overall. Later returned to the US and raced extensively in SCCA events.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is now held over four days, plenty of time to cover all the action and maybe spend some time just enjoying the show. Unable to attend day one (Thursday) due to a family commitment was no problem I thought, as it still leaves three days, more than enough time. Friday dawns cloudy and grey, weather forecast not so good. Leave the house a 5:40am as lots to do and I do not like to queue.

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Heveningham Concours 2023

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1960 Bristol 406 Sports Saloon by Zagato. This example is chassis 5299, one of six constructed, that was sold by Tony Crook to Richard Robinson, a well-known Bristol owners club member, who retained the car for three decades. Compared to a standard 406, the Zagato Sports Saloon is shorter, lower, and lighter to the tune of 260kg giving the car a top speed in the order of 120 mph. Between 2002 and 2005, 5299 was restored as to how it appeared at the 1960 Earls Court Motor Show.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Information provided by event organizers

I am writing this intro to the Heveningham show on what has for me become a free Saturday (July 15) as day three of the Festival of Speed at Goodwood has just been cancelled, meaning I can stay home. The sun is shining but it is very windy, not kind to tents and other temporary structures built on the Goodwood Estate. What a change to last Saturday (July 8th) when I was in Suffolk at Heveningham Hall for the Country Fair and Concours where the sun shone down but the heat and humidity were to put mildly…yuk!. So here is our report from that somewhat better weekend.

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London Concours, 2023

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In the Wild Card class, Harry Metcalfe’s 1972 Lancia Fulvia 1600 Zagato. It was this actual car that Harry saw outside his parent’s house in 1973 that first fueled his interest in cars.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

Tuesday, June the 6th, time for my annual trip to the green oasis in the City of London that is the Honourable Artillery Company for the seventh running of the London Concours. As it is held in the heart of the financial district the event is held midweek as that part of London is nigh on deserted at the weekend. So what were this years classes? Eclectic as usual, from Land Rovers to Lamborghinis with a bit of bespoke and a few wild cards to boot. The sun shone (eventually) and everybody went home happy. The following is just a selection of the beauties on show.

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Sharp and Friends at Savile Row

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Keynote speaker on the Thursday of the event was none other than Jackie Ickx, a very interesting speaker and a cool dude to boot. Here he is being interviewed by the Journalist Simon Taylor.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

Thursday May 25th and it is off to the heart of London’s Mayfair for day two of the second Savile Row Concours. It has grown a bit with cars displayed not just in the home of British Tailoring, Savile Row, but also in the street outside the Royal Academy of Arts. The idea behind the event is to tie in the art of fine automobiles with the art of fine tailoring and to that end most of the tailors in the street had thrown their doors open to the public for presentations and exhibitions, and all of the vehicles entered were hosted by the tailors located nearest to their display spot. Being a free event and slap bang in the heart of London, it was crowded, but fine tailoring was very much in evidence amongst the attendees.

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FuoriConcorso 2023

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The view from my window! (I wish.)

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

A holiday to Lake Como in late May for an old car enthusiast usually means you plan to attend the concours at Villa d’Este/Villa Erbe, but since 2019 there has been a third event to tempt you. The FuoriConcorso, held on the lake shore on May 20-21, was created by Guglielmo Miani to celebrate automotive culture both old and new. Curated by Andrea Luzardi and now expanded across three Lake Shore Villas, this year’s event celebrated the art of aerodynamics featuring more than 30 cars from the 1920s to today’s hypercars.

Fiat Abarth record car, outside for a change.

[Read more…] about FuoriConcorso 2023

Salon Prive London, 2023

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Details below

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

I doubt if you will ever see a for sale notice on any entrant at the Pebble Beach Concours, but every entrant at Salon Prive London, held again in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea on April 22-23, had one. Agreed it was a much more discreet QR code on a board in front of the car rather than a hand written note blue tacked to the rear screen, but they are for sale never the less.

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