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London, 19-20 August, 2020
Within the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company in the heart of the City of London, a sense of near normality prevailed in these challenging times of the Covid-19 epidemic, for the London Concours presented by Montres Breguet on 19-20 August. Yes, there was self imposed social distancing, but other than that it was “business as usual”, so all credit to the organisers, the participants, the sponsors, the partners and the numerous trade stands, for a united stance and belief, that brought the show to fruition.
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On the first day it appeared that all their efforts would be, quite literally, washed away, as there was persistent rain virtually throughout the day, and umbrellas were definitely de rigeur. However, despite the precipitation there was a good crowd in attendance, the opportunity to get out to a show after a lengthy barren period was just too much to resist. In contrast the second day of the show enjoyed dry conditions with plenty of warm sunshine in the afternoon after a slightly overcast start to the day; such are the vagaries of the British weather.
The concours comprised of six classes, each with a different theme, such that they spanned from American hot rods to current supercars, like a Ford GT and a McLaren Senna, with a splendid mix in between.
Notable was the “Lancia Legends” class, which featured no less than four 037s in a range of iconic period rally liveries, together with a Stratos, but also included a 1929 Lambda 224 Lungo Cabriolet and a pretty 1934 Augusta “March Special”.
In the Aston Martin class examples ranged from a 1956 DB2/4 Coupé through a DB4 to a One-77 and a Vanquish Zagato Shooting Break, whilst the Lamborghini class included a 400 GT, a LM002 and an Aventador SVJ Roadster.
The Convertibles: The Golden Era class ranged from a Lotus Elan, through an Alfa Romeo Junior Spider to a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster and a Ferrari 330 GTS. Probably the most diverse class was the Lost Marques one, with examples as widespread as a Unipower GT, a Jowett Javelin, a Bizzarrini P538 Roadster, a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and a Facel Vega HK500.
At the end of a very wet day, the judges choice for Best of Show was the Ferrari 330 GTS of Sarah and Nigel Allen, unfortunately, but obviously, having to collect the trophy with the hood up.
Apart from the concours classes there were four display groups, one of which was for the Dino with nine examples on show. These included Kevin O’Rourke’s modern interpretation of the classic, featuring a heavily reworked Ferrari 328 engine and 360 wheels and brakes, amongst other modern upgrades. The other display groups were for “The Collector: Ian Callum”, the “Octane & Evo Paddock” and “The Coachmakers”. Within these groups there were cars from renowned car designer Ian Callum’s personal collection, which included a 1976 Jaguar XJC reworked by him, whilst the Octane & Evo paddock included a splendid 1935 Hispano-Suiza 312 Cabriolet by Vanvooren, and for diversity a pair of Subaru Impreza rally cars. In the Coachmakers display there was a Jaguar E-Type Coupé and a Bentley Azure Convertible amongst the featured cars. There were also a number of interesting automobiles on the partner and trade stands, including a Ferrari F50 and 599 GTO in Foskers display, a very original looking Dino 246 GT on Peter Wallman’s stand, whilst manufacturers Alpine and Lotus were also present, the former with their all-electric Evija supercar, and the latter with a classic A110 together with the new A110 to Légende GT specification.
Best of Show - 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
Class Winners
Great Marques: Aston Martin 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII
Great Marques: Lamborghini 1970 Lamborghini Espada
The Pursuit of Speed 1952 Jaguar XK120 FHC
The Era of The Supercar 2001 Lamborghini Diablo
Lancia Legends 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Group IV
Convertibles: The Golden Era 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
The Lost Marques 1961 Facel Vega HK 500
The Speed of Sand: The 100 MPH Club 1932 Ford Lakes Streamliner V8
Ferrari Entry Class – Convertibles: The Golden Era | 330 GTS | Red | 10359 | Class – In Pursuit of Speed | 365 GTB4 | Red | 16359 | F40 | Red | 90353 | Class – The Era of the Supercar | Testarossa | Black Met’ | 85718 | 348 Challenge, | Red | 94057 | 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE | Black Met’ | 173047 | 458 Speciale | White-Dark Blue & Gold Stripes | 202103 |
Dino Display 246 GT | Red | NJO 10 | 06766 | 246 GT | Grey Met’ | 246 NBB | 02636 | 246 GTS | Blue Met’ | RPF 4L | 06188 | 246 GTS | Silver | JKH 381L | 04824
| 246 GTS (US Version) | Purple Met’ | CDM 157M | 08306 | 246 GT | Yellow | DNO 246E | 02646 | 246 GT | Grey Met’ | BTJ 267L | 04348 | 246 GT | Blue | 3 DER | 05286 | 246/328 Evo | Red Met’ | CNF 226M | 06364 (steering column) |
Keith Bluemel 08/2020 |