Britain’s Finest Car Clubs to Descend on Hampton Court Palace for Concours of Elegance 2026
The Concours of Elegance is delighted to confirm that seven of the UK’s most distinguished car clubs will take part in this September’s Car Club Displays at Hampton Court Palace, bringing hundreds of rare, beautiful and historically significant machines to the grounds of the Palace.
Each year, the Car Club Displays form one of the most celebrated and well-attended elements of the Concours of Elegance, offering visitors the opportunity to see remarkable privately owned cars gathered in one place, attended by the enthusiastic owners and club members who know them best. The 2026 edition promises to be the most varied and impressive yet, with clubs representing everything from pre-war British sporting cars to the full sweep of Alfa Romeo’s extraordinary history.
The Vauxhall 30-98 Car Club will return to Hampton Court on Sunday 6th September, having already been confirmed as one of the standout displays of the weekend. Members will bring a carefully selected gathering of these rare and formidable Vintage-era sporting cars, many with fascinating individual histories, offering visitors a rare opportunity to see a significant number of survivors in one place. With around 140 of the approximately 600 cars believed to have been built still in existence, seeing so many together is a genuinely special occasion.
Club Lotus will mark the 60th anniversary of the iconic Lotus Europa with a curated display of examples charting the car’s evolution since 1966. As the oldest and largest Lotus club in the world, and celebrating its own 70th anniversary in 2026, Club Lotus brings particular significance to its appearance at Hampton Court. The Europa holds a unique place in the sports car story as the first mid-engined Lotus road car, and its appearance in numbers at Concours of Elegance 2026 is not to be missed.
The Alfa Romeo Club will present a display spanning the full breadth of the marque’s history, from the elegant pre-war cars of the 1910s through to the Alfa Romeos of today. Few manufacturers can claim a heritage as rich or as passionately followed as Alfa Romeo, and this display, covering more than a century of Italian automotive art and engineering, is certain to captivate visitors of all generations.
The Maserati Car Club, the Jensen Car Club, the Rolls-Royce Car Club and the Mercedes-Benz Car Club complete the outstanding line-up. Between them, these clubs bring some of the most desirable and historically significant cars ever built, from the thundering grand tourers of Maserati’s golden era to the supreme craftsmanship of Rolls-Royce, the bold British character of Jensen, and the engineering excellence that has defined Mercedes-Benz across more than a century of motoring.
Alongside the Car Club Displays, the Club Trophy, one of the most keenly contested awards of the weekend, will see the UK’s leading clubs present the rarest and finest examples from their membership. An independent panel of expert judges will select an overall winner, and the triumphant car will go on to be invited to take part in the main Concours the following year, joining the very finest motorcars in the world on the famous lawns of Hampton Court Palace.
Together, the Car Club Displays and Club Trophy represent the very heart of what the Concours of Elegance stands for: a celebration of motoring dedication and craftsmanship, shared openly with visitors in one of the most spectacular settings in Britain.
Concours of Elegance 2026 takes place at Hampton Court Palace from September 4-6. Further announcements will follow in the coming months as we count down to what promises to be another unforgettable edition of Europe’s premier concours event.