Salon Privé Crowns Ferrari and Pagani at Blenheim Palace Spectacular

With over 200 display cars across the three-day event, spanning 76 different marques, the jaw-dropping 1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa took the Best of Show crown at the prestigious Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance, meanwhile in the modern-day concours the Pagani Zonda 760RS drove away with the overall winning silverware for the Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition.

Showcased on the South Lawn of the World Heritage Site were a number of exciting UK debuts, including the striking Lamborghini Centenario Coupé, the British-made Bristol BULLET and the global reveal of the Morgan EV3 1909 Edition made in association with Selfridges alongside the exclusive debut of the Koenigsegg Agera RS 'Naraya'.

The highly popular Boodles sponsored Ladies’ Day on Friday 2nd September saw a selection of high-fashion pieces and wonderful women’s couture complementing the automotive-themed backdrop. The Boodles Prize Draw was awarded to a lucky Jane Warner with a Classic Circus Pendant from the headline sponsor. Jane herself was visiting the show for the very first time from the United States.

The jury, led by five-times Le Mans Winner Derek Bell MBE, deliberated throughout the day’s proceedings, as the Concours Show Lawn fielded its toughest competition to-date. Wowing the crowds, the judges finally crowned the extraordinary 1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa, owned by Bruce Lavachek and David Cottingham, as Best of Show. In spite of stiff competition from the other 75 competitors, the Ferrari also took home silverware from the Racing Improves the Breed class alongside the ultimate Best of Show honours.

Taking 2nd place overall in the Chubb Insurance Concours was the majestic 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental with Hooper & Co. coachwork, owned by Michel Doret.
The exceptionally well-informed guests always play a pivotal role during Salon Privé, in voting for their People’s Choice, this year going to the stunning 1954 Maserati A6 GCS owned by Timm Bergold. With beautiful Pininfarina coachwork, and one of only four remaining, this Maserati was shown at the 1954 Paris Auto Salon before going on to compete in the Mille Miglia the following year. The only one to be in totally authentic and original condition, this Maserati stole the hearts of the crowd with relative ease.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Lamborghini Miura, a stand-alone Miura-only class attracted eight fantastic examples of the supercar on the South Lawn of Blenheim Palace. Taking the overall win was the Lamborghini Miura P400SV of Adrien Labi, which had recently returned to the road following restoration by Lamborghini’s historic PoloStorico team.

Also on display was the one-off Miura Roadster, the Bertone-styled concept, developed for the 1968 Brussels Auto Show. Other winners included Andrew Smith’s Porsche 911 3.0RS in the Porsche Racing Pedigree Class, with over 200 races under its belt including the famous Tour de France, coming 3rd in 1975 and then 2nd in 1976, along with a 4th place in Le Mans 24 hours in 1975. A beautifully restored 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT also won the European Grand Tourers category.

Commenting on the day’s proceedings, Andrew Kendrick, regional president for Europe at Chubb said: “Thursday’s event was absolutely world-class in every way – from the entrants and the attendance to the sumptuous location, the impressive line-up of judges and of course the beautiful cars. I can’t thank enough the entrants, visitors and the Salon Privé and Chubb High Net Worth business teams alike for making it such a success.

"It was a particular pleasure for us to have the opportunity to engage with so many of our private clients and broker partners and celebrate 20 years of our Masterpiece insurance proposition in the UK. We look forward to working with them and protecting their cars, homes and valuable assets for many more years to come."