From three wheels to 24 Hours: the stars of the 2023 Concours of Elegance

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Carefully arranged across the beautiful gardens of Hampton Court Palace, the cars which are hand-picked, directed by curators Flavien and Vanessa Marçais, from around the world for the annual Concours of Elegance never fail to make a wonderful spectacle, and this year was a particularly fine one, with no fewer than 100 cars competing for the honour of Best in Show.

One of the highlights for your writer was the 1897 Prinetti et Stucchi tricycle from the featured collection of Fritz Burkard. Like many other tricycle-makers, Prinetti et Stucchi built licensed copies of De Dion Boutons, but the twin-engined model exhibited was promoted as 'the first Bugatti', having reputedly been designed Ettore Bugatti who was then employed at the Prinetti et Stucchi factory.

The shapely 1925 MG 14/28 Super Sports Salonette by Carbodies was another car with considerable appeal, although much more understated than the coachwork we are accustomed to seeing at concours events. As well as being one of the oldest surviving MGs, it is also the sole-surviving Salonette.

We were additionally pleased to see the Mayfair-bodied 1937 Lagonda LG45 sedanca de ville commissioned by Frances Day, which has not been widely seen since its restoration was completed several months ago, as we reported on here. With its sweeping contours and sumptuously-appointed interior, the concours seemed to be its natural home.

A special display of cars celebrating the centenary of the Le Mans 24 Hours naturally included several vintage Bentleys, along with the 1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 which finished third in 1925, a 1926 Amilcar CO prepared for the 1933 Le Mans by a marque concessionaire, Earl Howe's race-winning 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato and a 1937 Peugeot 302 Darl'Mat.

With an award for one car from each decade, Best Pre-1920 went to a 1913 Hispano-Suiza 15/45hp Alfonso XIII, every bit the epitome of the Edwardian sports-car. The famous 1929 Bentley Speed Six Old Number One, which won Le Mans in 1929 with Barnato and Birkin and 1930 with Barnato and Kidston, took Best 1920s, while Burkard's exceptional unrestored 1934 Bugatti Type 59, which raced achieved third and first respectively in the Monaco and Belgian Grands Prix before being redeveloped for sports-car racing and owned at one point by Belgium's King Leopold, was named the Best 1930s car.

Words and photographs: Zack Stiling

Aggiunga un commento...