Concours of Elegance 2024 to Welcome the Best of British
The Concours of Elegance 2024, presented by A. Lange & Söhne, is set to welcome a selection of spectacular vehicles that represent the very best of British design and engineering. The event will run from August 30 to 1 September, at Hampton Court Palace in west London, UK.
A century’s worth of cars created by an industry that was once the envy of the world form the proud centrepiece of the Concours of Elegance, which takes place every summer. Visitors will be able to admire some of the highlights of British engineering excellence, from an unrestored 1925 Rolls-Royce and a 1938 Bentley status symbol, to the 1939 Rolls-Royce once owned by British composer Benjamin Britten. Then there is the aerodynamically avant garde Aston Martin Speed Model Type C of 1940, and the Italian makeover of the marque’s 1960 DB4GT by Zagato. And rounding up almost 100 years of innovation is the GMA T.50 supercar of today.
1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost ‘barrel-sided’ tourer
It is almost 100 years old, with its four owners covering 130,000 miles between them, yet – apart from fresh paint, upholstery and some engine work – this 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost has never been restored.
It’s actually the last-ever Silver Ghost built for a UK customer: one Henry Thomas, who wanted a replacement for his old Silver Ghost rather than Rolls-Royce’s Phantom which had since superseded that model.
Built alongside the Phantom in Rolls-Royce’s Derby factory, the Ghost’s sleek ‘barrel-sided’ body, with its curving flanks created by renowned coachbuilder Barker & Co, hides many of the upgrades incorporated in its successor. These include a 4.5-litre version of the trustworthy six-cylinder engine, a four-speed gearbox and better brakes.
A keen photographer, Thomas used the car to explore and document the scenery of the Cotswolds – and he also kept a log of every journey he made since 1929. The habit was to be continued by the Ghost’s later owners after Thomas passed away in 1954.
The car has taken part in a number of tours of Europe in recent years, clocking up thousands of miles in the process. It was also involved with the re-enactment of Rolls-Royce’s 1911 publicity stunt, the London to Edinburgh Trial, in 2021 – with the entire 440-mile trip completed in top gear.
1938 Bentley Brougham de Ville
The sole example of its type, this 1938 Bentley Brougham de Ville is the actual car that wowed the crowds when it was displayed at the same year’s Earls Court Motor Show. Built especially for the event by select coachbuilder James Young, its ‘razor-edge’ styling has been attributed to AF McNeil, one of the most influential coachwork designers of the time.
Those sharp lines and de Ville styling obviously caught the eye of the Bentley’s first owner, the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, in the days when servants knew their place – in this case, the exposed front seat for the chauffeur, whose employer sat in the cosy rear. However, this grand car wasn’t all about keeping up appearances.
Underneath the Brougham’s sleek exterior lay a 4,257cc six-cylinder engine that, in keeping with Bentley’s racing heritage, was treated to twin carburettors, higher compression and a sportier camshaft for more power.
Equipped with a four-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox with overdrive, this long-distance tourer could reach 100mph – in style. Little wonder period ads dubbed it the ‘Silent Sports Car’.
1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith
This glamorous Rolls-Royce Wraith convertible spent its early life wafting around literary and music circles, starting with its first owner, English writer Robert Sheriff. He took delivery of the Thrupp & Maberly-bodied four-door car in 1939, owning it until 1954, when he sold it to composer, conductor, pianist and fellow countryman Benjamin Britten. It was later bought by British novelist Elleston Trevor.
By 1964, the Wraith was living in Holyoke, Massachusetts, US, owned by newspaper distributor Martin Zanger. He sent it back to England in 1969 to be restored, and he eventually put it up for sale in 1986 having covered some 5,000 miles.
The Rolls-Royce was bought by car collector Louis Wright, and driven back from Holyoke to Summit, Illinois – a journey of over 900 miles – suffering nothing more than a broken fan belt.
Not bad for a then nearly 50-year-old car – but it was a Rolls-Royce, after all. Powered by a 123bhp 4.3-litre straight-six engine featuring hydraulic tappets for quiet running – as befitting a car whose name means ‘ghost’ – it was capable of 85mph. Fortunately, it was endowed with servo-assisted brakes.
1940 Aston Martin Speed Model Type C
Just one of eight, this Speed Model Type C grew from Aston Martin’s motor sport aspirations. So excited was the company at the potential of its new 2.0-litre engine that, with an eye on the Le Mans 24 Hours, it designed a new chassis especially for the car, featuring an advanced, dual-circuit braking system by Lockheed.
Fitted with a high-lift overhead cam and twin carburettors, the dry-sump engine produced 125bhp in ‘Works’ trim. And matched to a completely new, close-ratio gearbox that allowed lightning-fast changes, it was the racer’s dream.
Its aerodynamic body – complete with flowing wings, and twin headlights set behind an oval radiator grille – meant the wind-cheating Type C was nearly 20mph faster than its open-wheeled stablemates. And if proof of such a heady combination were needed, the car came first in class in its inaugural race, at Donington.
Competition regulations demanded the manufacture of a number of road-going versions of the Speed Model, which were produced in a variety of bodystyles – with the final eight cars built pre-war being the super-slippery Type Cs.
Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato
As if Aston Martin’s DB4GT wasn’t already beautiful and quick, Italian styling house Zagato made it jaw-droppingly so.
Under Zagato designer Ercole Spada’s magic touch, the DB4 became smaller, sleeker and more aerodynamic, and also lost more than 100lb in weight. Various steel components were swapped for lightweight aluminium ones, the windows were replaced with Perspex versions, and anything deemed non-essential, such as the bumpers, was dispensed with.
Meanwhile, increasing the compression ratio on the Aston’s 3,670cc double-overhead-cam straight-six engine upped power to 314bhp.
On the road, Zagato’s attentions saw the car able to accelerate to 60mph from a standstill in just 6.1 seconds, and charge on to a top speed of 154mph.
The Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato’s debut at the 1960 Earls Court Motor Show must have set pulses racing, yet sadly only 19 cars were built in period. However, demand in later years saw the marque sanction the conversion of a number of existing DB4s by Zagato.
GMA T.50
Rocketing us from the past to the 21st century is the futuristic-looking GMA T.50 built by British supercar manufacturer Gordon Murray Automotive.
The super-svelte T.50 weighs in at a mere 986kg thanks to its carbonfibre monocoque and panels. Yet it boasts an excess of brawn, with a peak of 664bhp available for those brave enough to push the pedal that far.
Power is courtesy of a 3.9-litre, naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 able to hit more than 12,100rpm, making it the fastest-revving engine on the road. Allied to a six-speed gearbox made by Formula 1 specialist Xtrac, the T.50 is capable of 226mph thanks to highly advanced aerodynamics.
And that fan on the back? It might look like something off the Batmobile, but it’s genuinely very functional, generating 220kg of downforce at 155mph to improve the car’s stability.
Piloted from the central seat while passengers sit either side, the T.50 has been described as one of the most driver-centric supercars ever built, and it was named 2023 Hypercar of the Year at the BBC TopGear.com awards.
And of all the cars in the Best of British collection at the Concours of Elegance 2024, the T.50 is the only one available as a current production car. Want one? It’ll cost you £2.8 million.