The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The London Concours, held on June 5-6, is now in its third year and held again at the Honorable Artillery Company’s headquarters in the City of London, often described as being the location of the second most valuable cricket pitch in London. [Read more…] about London Concours d’Elegance, 2019
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Arriving with this year’s invitation to the Heveningham Hall Concours was an additional invite to the Stonor Park Supercar Sunday event, held on May 19th, and which is now in its second year. With a location in a valley within the Chiltern Hills to the northwest of London, my wife and I felt it was worth a trip.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
May 4, 2019 Brooklands
Driving into the designated Alfa Romeo parking zone at the Brooklands circuit brought to my mind the long-term car park at Turin airport, except that the Turin long term car park nowadays is full of Kias and Volkswagens, not Fiats and Alfas.
Passing through the gate at Brooklands into the museum, this year we Alfa drivers had our own entrance, which avoided the queue at the Campbell gate. The Alfa section was 360 degrees of Alfas, so I placed my creaky old GT Blackline next to another GT. [Read more…] about Brooklands Italian Car Day, 2019
Story by Graham Gauld
Photos by Graham Gauld and Jonathan Sharp
As regular readers know, I have a great interest in coachbuilding. Though I believe the true high point in coachbuilding elegance was in the 1930s, I keep finding examples of post-war elegance that follow along the same lines. [Read more…] about Italian Coachwork on Jaguar Chassis
Captions and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Jonathan Sharp once again headed into the heart of the Costswolds for the magical affair at Blenheim Palace called Salon Prive. His report is encapsulated into the captions below, and at the end of the article are the complete results. The event was held from August 31 to September 2 2019. [Read more…] about Best of Salon Prive at Blenheim Palace
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Visible on the horizon, about 8 miles out from Brighton’s pebble beaches, is the new Rampion wind farm. It got me thinking of the progress that technology has made over the past 120 years or so. [Read more…] about The Brighton Run, 2018
Story by Paul Wilson
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
I just returned from watching the Brighton Run for the second time as a spectator. It’s a feel-good event that’s got much wider appeal than the races and car shows I often go to. It’s not competitive: there’s no prize for arriving first (in fact you’re told not to go too fast), the simple cars and fancier ones get equal appreciation from the crowds of cheering fans. Thousands of them line the 60-mile route, smiling and waving at the cars as they go by. I didn’t see a single participant who didn’t look delighted by the experience–though I have to say, this year it was sunny and pleasant, which is unusual in November in England. [Read more…] about A Tourist at the Brighton Run
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Let us take a walk along the gravel paths of William and Mary’s great fountain garden of 1689-1702, located on the east front of Hampton Court Palace. Enjoy with me a selection of world class automobiles entered in this years “Concours of elegance” held on August 31 to September 2. [Read more…] about Hampton Court Concours, 2018
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Silverstone Classic, July 20-22, 2018
This year at Siverstone, there were 100,000 spectators, 1000 plus entrants spread over 21 races from F1 to endurance legends of the 2000s; a host of tin tops from hulking great American V8s to Mini Coopers. [Read more…] about Silverstone Classic, 2018
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
The Heveningham Concours has a bit of everything but aside from cars, it always attracts a good entry of propeller-driven airplanes. Last week our man in the UK Jonathan Sharp presented a few of the cars in the show, and this week he continues with cars, then a selection of dramatic night shots, and finally a few of the more interesting aircraft, such as a Messerschmidt built by Hispano Aviacion with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine! We needn’t apologize for Jonathan’s excursions into the air – we always wondered where they got all the planes for the movie “The Battle of Britain”. [Read more…] about Sharp at Heveningham Part 2
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
On June 30-July 1, Jonathan Sharp once again attended the Heveningham Hall Concours d’Elegance. When he attended the inaugural event in 2106, he wrote, “Heveningham Hall is a 5000 acre estate deep in the heart of rural Suffolk with dramatic grass terraces designed by renowned landscape architect Kim Wilkie. [Read more…] about Heveningham Hall Concours d’Elegance 2018
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The Brooklands museum complex is like a nostalgic oasis surrounded by modern glass fronted corporate head offices and a Tesco’s supermarket. However once you have entered into the site the years simply drop away. Whether it’s just the 1930s music playing over the PA system, or the restored buildings, one feels (if you use a bit of imagination) that you are back in the 1920s. The feeling of nostalgia increases 10-fold when the VSCC (Veteran Sports Car Club) have an event there. [Read more…] about Vintage Sports Car Club at Brooklands