London Concours closes its doors after spectacular record breaking 2023 show
The London Concours, presented by Montres Breguet, closed its doors yesterday following three sold out days, with over 10,000 guests and fabulous cars in a glorious setting. Hosted at the Honourable Artillery Company, a five-acre oasis of green close to Bank, the event played host to over 100 of the finest privately owned vehicles, spanning over 100 years of motoring vehicles.
The final day of this year’s event was the ever popular ‘Supercar Day’, delivered in partnership with Drivers Union. On its third day, the show welcomed the exclusive supercar owners club, which brought along 50 of its members’ finest cars, gracing the HAC lawns alongside 70 of the world’s rarest and most collectible cars. Cars on display ranged from the extreme McLaren Senna GTR, Lamborghini Gallardo Balboni Edition and Ferrari 355 Spider – along with everything in between. The overall Supercar Day winner was the outrageous Senna GTR – recently converted for road use by Lanzante; as extreme and dramatic a supercar as you’ll see.
The second day saw 50 Porsche RS examples from through the ages arrive at the HAC, the perfect way to celebrate Rennsport’s 50th anniversary. The display included everything from the seminal ‘70s 2.7 RS and stripped out 964 RS of the ‘90s to the modern 997 and 991 generation cars. The overall winner, judged by a panel of Porsche experts was a 991 GT2 RS, a machine that combines motorsport honed handling with mind-bending turbocharged performance.
In all, around 100 cars were on display across eight classes. The main concours event classes included the ‘Make Green Great Again’, ‘Built to Race for The Road’, ‘Evolution of Aero’ and ‘Golden Age Coupes’. Each of the classes was packed with rarities, from the Ferrari 250 GT SWB to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’ and to the Porsche Carrera GT Zagato, but as ever there could only be one ‘Best in Show’.
After much deliberation the London Concours’ expert committee of 17 judges settled on the 1991 Schuppan 962 CR P1 as the overall winner, rising to the top of an exceptional field. Ultra-rare – one of just 6 cars built, and just two CRs one of just 6 cars in existence. The ambitious Schuppan project was led by Australian racer Vern Schuppan, a winner at Le Mans back in 1983 at the wheel of a Porsche 956. His creation was based on the carbon-fibre chassis of the Porsche 962 racer, giving the Schuppan 962 a feather-weight kerb weight of just 1,050kg. Thanks to a 3.3-litre type-935 twin-turbo flat-six, putting out 600bhp, performance was wild – 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, and 230 mph flat out. The victorious example was the project’s prototype and development car, and based on a racing machine that actually competed at Le Mans in 1990.
Elsewhere, the prestigious Chairman’s Award – given each year to the car that the London Concours’ chairman would most like to take home from the event – went to the stunning Jensen CV8 MKIII. The CV8 combined British style with American muscle – under the Eric Neale- shaped body lies a Chrysler V8. It was one of the fastest cars of the 1960s, with a 6.7-second 0-60mph time. The matching numbers car has recently been brought back to its former glory, with a painstaking four year nut and bolt restoration – a collaborative process involving a network of Jensen owners.
Other show winners included the Subaru Impreza WRC S12C in the ‘Built to Race, For the Road’ class, the supremely elegant Facel Vega Facel II in the ‘Grand Tourisme’ category, a Lamborghini Miura taking home the top prize in the ’60 Years of Lamborghini’ celebration, and the Lancia Fulvia Zagato – owned by Harry Metcalfe of popular YouTube channel Harry’s Garage – winning the ‘Wildcards’ class.
Outside of the main concours event, there were plenty of other astonishing cars on display. A special feature celebrated ‘The Cars That Built Land Rover’, including a 1948 L07 pre-production prototype, missing since the 1960s and found in 2016, and the 1954 Series 1 that covered 25,000 miles on the Oxford & Cambridge Trans-Africa Expedition.
Andrew Evans, London Concours director, said: “As the sun set on the 7th edition of our event, and the guests dispersed after a sun-filled third day of London Concours 2023, we can reflect on yet another highly successful show. The Supercar Day, presented in partnership with the ever-supportive team at Drivers’ Union, was once again extremely popular, with 50 of the finest supercars adding to the already fantastic line up of 100 rare and collectable, privately owned concours cars.
“With everything from stunning 1960s coupes to wild homologation specials at this year’s show, there really was something for everyone. I’d like to thank all our partners for making the London Concours such a resounding a success. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Hampton Court Palace for the Concours of Elegance in September, and back to the HAC in the June of 2024.”
Visitors to the London Concours were also treated to pop-up boutiques from luxury retailers like Presenting Partner, Montres Breguet, and pink diamond specialists Calleija, as well as some of the nation’s top automotive specialists. McLaren London is in attendance alongside Koenigsegg London, Alpine, Rodin Cars and both Jaguar and Land Rover Classic brands. Norton Motorcyles represents the best of two-wheeled creations.
The London Concours dates for 2024 are already confirmed. The show will run from 4th-6th June.