Wilton House Concours 2026

Wilton House

Brian Johnson of AC/DC fame, ever the gentleman, and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd greet Amanda Stretton, a Broadcaster and racer.

Andy Green OBE, the fastest man on earth, current holder of the Land Speed Record, 763.035 MPH

Brian Johnson of AC/DC fame, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, and Ron Maydon founder and President of ‘Masters Historic Racing. The talk was moderated by Amanda Stretton a Broadcaster and racer.

Wayne Carini

Simon Taylor gets Valentino Balboni to sign his book

L to R, Amanda Stretton, Peter Stephens, Frank Stephenson, Ian Callum, Kevin Rice.

Part of the Earl of Pembroke’s personal car collection. 1932 Invicta S Type, ex Raymond Mays Shelsey Walsh and Brooklands Mountain Circuit class record holder. with a Jeep behind.

Created by Sir Jackie Stewart and his ‘Race against Dementia’ charity. This unique crash helmet carries the signature of every living Formula One World Champion.

1957 MF EX181, as driven by Stirling Moss to 245.6 mph at Bonneville in 1957, and by Phil Hill to 254.9 mph (with a larger 1506cc engine) in 1959.

An oh so elegant 1965 Lamborghini 350GT.

1972 right hand drive Lamborghini Miura SV, ex-Rod Stewart.

2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni. Rear wheel drive, one of only 250 examples constructed.

Now owned by the designer Peter Stephens, this is the 1925/1932 Ford Alexander Special. The Alexander ‘Aristocrat overhead-valve four cylinder was made by ‘Colonel’ Alexander in the 1930s as an aftermarket racing modification for the Ford Model A & B side valves. Only about seven were produced. This engine was first installed in a 1932 B Roadster that was raced by Glen Curtis at Muroc and other dry lakes in 1934. The motor was then fitted into a much modified 1920s Ford Model T chassis by Alexander and Cramer. Carrying a minimalist body so as to run in the Modified racing class in which a 40 inch body width was mandated. In the 1950s the motor was installed in a 1929 Ford Model A Coupe by Roy Creel and was raced at Muroc and Bonneville, as confirmed by a timing plate from the period showing a 105 mph top speed. The motor was later reunited with the T chassis and rebuilt in 2002.

Sarah Bradley’s 1929 Ford Model A Roadster, a car she drives extensively at home and abroad including a 2500 mile trip from London to Sweden, and for the past 13 years, an annual trip to Pendine Sands in Wales for the renowned Pendine Sands Races.

Built by owner Ian Walker as a traditional 1940s style hot rod as raced on the dry lakes and salt flats in period this 1931 Model A Roadster is powered by a four cylinder engine is based around a 1931 block machined to receive insert style bearings, replacing the original Babbitt units. Ian has drag raced the Roadster on Pendine sands with a best speed to date of 81.92 mph

The 1959 Trans-Africa Land Rover that Australian adventure drove solo from Cape Town to London in 1960

Having already entered the record books by completing the 15,000 km 2025 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge event solo in a 3.0 litre Bentley HERO-ERA CEO Tomas de Vargas Machuca will be tackling the next edition of the event in this Itala which is of the type that Italian Prince Scipione Borghese and his mechanic Ettore Guizzardi dominated the original 1907 event.

This 1926 Bentley 3 Litre Speed is the Bentley that Tomas de Vargas Machua’s drove solo on the 2025 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Over 37 days Machuca covered 14,899 km from China to Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, then onward to Turkiye and the European leg through Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, German, Switzerland and finally France. 10 border crossings and six nights under canvas and despite driving the whole rally solo, finishing 14th overall.

1978 Daimler Double Six Coupe, a more luxurious version of the Jaguar XJ12 Coupe. Looks so much better without the factory fitted vinyl roof.

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost ‘The Silver Dawn’, one of the oldest Silver Ghosts in the World. Built in 1908 and first registered as R 562 in March 1909. All parts including the chassis, gearbox, engine and front and rear axles are original and all stamped 1908.

1936 Rolls Royce 25/30 Sedanca de Ville by Hooper.

Simon Taylor’s 1937 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sedanca Coupe by Gurney Nutting. Commissioned in 1936 by Vicomtesse Yvonne Cahen d’Anvers in a style similar to her husband Anthony Gustav de Rothschild’s Hispano Suiza. Being a design in marked contrast to Gurney Nutting’s more reserved offerings it took so long to construct that the Vicomtesse lost interest and bought something else. HR Owen then sold it and after 20 years the car headed Stateside before being purchased by Simon in the 1990s and brought it home to the UK.

This 1925 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, known as the ‘Kenya Ghost’, has a part to play in the start of conservation in Africa. The owner Captain Archie Ritchie was described simply as a great Gentlemen who had strong connections with Royalty. After being exposed to Safari’s in Kenya with HRH Prince Edward VIII he lobbied Parliament for an act to control hunting in Kenya and East Africa from which the Professional Hunters Association was formed. Cpt Ritchie, as Chief Game Warden, used his Ghost as his everyday car between 1925 and 1950. It is said that apart from the Governors car, Ritchie’s car, complete with a Hippo Tooth bonnet mascot, was the largest in Nairobi.

Kenya Ghost engine

Lord Bamford’s 1954 Bentley Type R Continental. Chassis BC34D was first delivered to JY Sangster who at the time was both the owner of Triumph and the chairman of BSA and is one of only three factory cars fitted with the sleek C series bodywork and the powerful D series engine.

Lord Bamford’s 1954 Bentley Type R Continental.

1957 Bentley S1 Continental with coachwork by Mulliner.

1950 Cadillac 60 Series Special, ordered by the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson when they resided at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and specially modified during production by the coachbuilder Derham. Changes included a small oval rear window for added privacy and an electric glass divider to separate the couple from their chauffeur. Also added were special storage compartments for Wallis Simpson’s jewelry and a roof mounted blue light as befits British Royalty. These modifications probably doubled the original cost of this top of the line Cadillac.

2026 Wood & Pickett Mini by CALLUM.

1958 Fiat Abarth 750 DB Zagato, completed on the 3rd April 1958 and first registered in California in July of that year to John Sheet, a director at Desilu Film Studios Los Angeles, well know for his work on the early Tarzan films. He kept the car until 1980 when it was purchased in a non-running condition by Glen Neyenhuisa Fiat collector in Scottsdale Arizona. During his ownership the car remained garaged but untouched until 1989 when Mr Neyenhuis and his son decided to strip the car of paint and remove the interior. No further work was undertaken and the car remained stored until Mr Neyenhuis passed away in may 2012. In 2017 the current owner purchased the car, shipped it to the UK where a full bare shell restoration was carried out.

Now that is what you call a pick up, I would love to take the garden rubbish to the tip in that! Lord Bamford’s 1967 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow pick up/surf wagon.

2004 MG X Power SV-R, designed by Peter Stephens the SV-R is in essence a redesigned Qvale Mangusta which in itself stems from the earlier De Tomaso Bigua. Powered either by a standard 4.6 litre Mustang V8 or tuned 5.0 litre 32 valve V8 and bodied in carbon fibre this particular example was the company car of John Towers, chairman of MG Rover and one of the infamous’ Phoenix Four’ who formed the Phoenix Consortium which purchased the ailing MG Rover car company from BMW in 2000 for a symbolic £10.

1958 Austin Healey ‘Bonneville’ Sprite. Following construction this car was sent directly to the Donald Healey Motor Company to be outfitted for racing with a supercharger, adjustable dampers, 120 mph speedo and a hard top. One of very few original supercharged Sprites it was homologated with the FIA under the name ‘Bonneville.’ The car was used in various UK rallies and was later uprated to sprint spec with an uprated engine but still with the Shorrocks supercharger. Sold to its third owner who then stored it in a warehouse and never drove it. The current owner purchased it in 2020 with just 15,000 miles showing on the clock. They carefully preserved its originality while restoring the mechanicals to make it roadworthy. In 2024 it won the ’30 under 30′ award at the Concours of Elegance, Hampton Court.

This 1959 Aston Martin DB MKIII was originally sold by Roy Salvadori’s Langley Motors, fitted with a DBA engine and twin exhausts which uprated the power from 162 bhp to 178 bhp giving a top speed of 120 mph and a 0 to 60 time of 9.3 secs, quick for that time. In 1963 the Aston was shipped to New Zealand where it was to remain for the next 50 years. Now owned by Roy Bertuello, who purchased it in 2019 in proper barn find condition, it has since had a bare metal repaint, a re trim and extensive mechanical work. Since completion Roy has used the car extensively for European touring- most recently driving it solo to Malta to attend the classic concours where it gained several awards.

1963 Sunbeam Alpine Harrington, one of approximately 20 ‘Series C’ Harrington Alpines built by Thomas Harrington Ltd of Hove.

Dr Tom Rollason’s lovely 1949 Delahaye 135M with coachwork by Guillore. Chassis number 801428 is considered to be a one off that reflects early post war experimentation. Powered by 3557cc straight six ohv engine producing approximately 130 hp combined with the Cotal electromagnetic, semi automatic gearbox making it a genuine 100 mph Grande Routier. First registered in Marseille, then Reims, before spending some time in Holland. Subject to a sympathetic older restoration and a previous winner in European concours including that at Schwetzingen. Dr Rollason has owned the 135M since 2016 with this event being the first time that the car has been shown whilst in his care.

Dr Tom Rollason’s 1949 Delahaye 135M.

Dr Tom Rollason’s 1949 Delahaye 135M interior.