Salon Privé 2019: A Full Round-Up

Held once again at the stunning Baroque-style stately home of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, no less – this year’s event was a 55-field strong field for its Concours d’Elegance.

The cars featuring in the Concours were divided into 16 classes, ranging from Pre-War Sports Racers right through to Classics of the Future, with special categories celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Brough Superior and 60 years of the Ferrari 250 GT ‘Short Wheelbase’. 

No fewer than six of the Pininfarina-styled ‘SWBs’ were present at Salon Privé, including the ‘SEFAC Hot Rod’ resplendent in Scuderia Serenissima’s eye-catching shade of burgundy.

Other standout cars from the Concours included the unique Aprile-bodied 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Spider from the Lopresto Collection, a 1946 Talbot Lago T26 GS, and a 1939 Bentley Corniche.

Salon Privé’s standing in the automotive world was demonstrated by the presence of no fewer than 12 manufacturers, ranging from small start-ups to established industry giants, who used this year’s event to reveal or debut their latest models.

In its centenary year, Bentley gained much of the attention with its EXP100 GT concept, while the Automobili Pininfarina Battista concept also grabbed plenty of limelight, along with the 1,887bhp Rimac C_Two, which made its UK debut at Blenheim Palace. 

Christened ‘Bentley Masters’, the focal point on Saturday was another concours competition for 50 of the opulent models built by Bentley over the last 100 years, including the 1920 EXP 2, the oldest surviving Bentley and the first to win a race, the 1932 Barnato Hassan Special and the 1952 R-Type Continental.

A further 1,000 Bentleys from across the UK and Europe then descended on the palace for Sunday’s Salon Privé Classic & Supercar for the Bentley Drivers Club Concours.

The 2019 edition of Salon Privé took place from 5-8 September.