Concours of Elegance to bring together ‘future icons’ at 10th anniversary show

MANILA: The Concours of Elegance, presented by A. Lange & Sone, will be having its 10th-anniversary show from September 2 to 4 at the Hampton Court Palace in the UK.

The event will gather the rarest and most innovative vehicles from recent times, assembled by the Concours’ panel of internationally renowned experts. The “future icons” will be displayed alongside over 70 of the world’s most spectacular cars from the world’s leading collections.

A limited-run Bugatti Divo is included in the lineup. This is one of just 40 units produced worldwide. The first coach-built Bugatti of the 21st century debuted in 2018 at the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach. It used the Chiron as a base but added a bespoke carbon body and other detail modifications. The Chiron, a sort of hyper-GT car, was tuned for top-end speed, whereas the Divo, while also incredibly speedy in a straight line, was tuned with handling and agility in mind.

Attached to the rear of the all-new body is a six-foot wide wing, which was a part of a completely redesigned aero package that produced significantly more downforce. To improve handling precision, lighter, Divo-specific wheels were added and the suspension settings were tweaked. Unsprung weight was also reduced.

The Bugatti Divo is powered by an 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine that produces 1,479 bhp and 1,180 lb-ft of torque. It can accelerate from a standstill to 100 kph in just 2.4 seconds. Even with the increased downforce, the Bugatti Divo is still capable of reaching 379 kph flat out. All 40 Bugatti Divo units were sold shortly after they came to market.

The Bugatti EB110 high-tech supercar will also be featured at the Concours of Elegance. Lamborghini Countach designer Marcello Gandini had a strong influence on the Bugatti EB110's styling, and Giampaolo Benedini polished the concept into its final shape. State-of-the-art mechanicals was concealed by the brutalist yet elegant aluminum-carbon body.

The Bugatti EB110 is powered by a 3.5-liter 60-valve quad-turbo V12 engine mated to a manual transmission.

The unit that will be featured at the Concours of Elegance is the only right-hand drive Bugatti EB110, built for the 1994 British Motor Show. It is equipped with a prototype “SuperSport” engine and body parts. This particular unit generates 603 bhp and sprints from a standstill to 100 kph in just 3.2 seconds. It is considered as the most special among all the 139 Bugatti EB110 units produced, and it has been restored with new pistons and turbos by Dauer.

The recently launched Ferrari Monza SP1 will also be present at the show. The Ferrari Monza SP1 is a single-seater that was launched in 2018. It was the first of the ultra-exclusive “Icone” special series cars, which commemorate the pivotal moments in Ferrari’s history with cutting-edge mechanicals.

The Ferrari Monza SP1 was inspired by the racing Barchettas of the 1940s and 1950s, specifically the 1948 166 MM, the 750 Monza, and the 860 Monza. It is powered by a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine that produces 799 bhp at 8,500 rpm. It was the most powerful modern Ferrari when it was launched, being capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 kph in just 29 seconds.

Based on the 812 platform, the Ferrari Monza SP1 weighs just 1,500 kg, thanks to the use of carbon fiber and other weight-saving techniques, such as the removal of the windscreen. The design received positive feedback, making Ferrari Styling Center win the Compasso d'Oro industrial design award for the SP1. Only 500 units of the Ferrari Monza SP1 will be produced.

The Concours of Elegance will also feature the exceptional Porsche Carrera GTZ. A sleek, all-carbon coupe body for the Porsche Carrera GT, which had been in production from 2003 to 2007, was commissioned in 2013 and designed by the renowned Italian styling house Zagato. Zagato, famous for their work with Aston Martin and Alfa Romeos among others, designed a carbon body that was more aerodynamic than the original Porsche Carrera GTs, with a gradually sloping coupe roofline that included the signature Zagato double-bubble design pattern.

The Porsche Carrera GTZ is powered by a 5.7-liter V10 engine mated to a manual gear shift. It can sprint from a standstill to 100 kph in 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 329 kph. Only six of the 1,270 Porsche Carrera GTs have reportedly been transformed into the Zagato version.

Also gracing the show is the McLaren F1 in its ultimate iteration, the GTR “Long Tail.” Only 10 units of this special iteration were produced for the 1997 racing season.

The McLaren F1 GTR is powered by a V12 engine developed by BMW. Its race trim produces 600 bhp and weighs 910 kg.

The McLaren F1 GTR won the British GT Championship at Silverstone in 1997 when Chris Goodwin, a future McLaren test driver, was behind the wheel. The McLaren experts at Lanzante modified it for road use, making it undoubtedly one of the most extreme road-registered cars in the world.

The Concours of Elegance will gather over 1,000 more cars outside the main exhibit for a series of special features and displays, as well as a live collector car auction.

“We are delighted to have brought together such a stand-out selection of future icons for our fast-approaching event. As it’s our 10th-anniversary show, it feels an appropriate time to look to the future. The carefully curated line-up will showcase the rarest and most spectacular motor cars from recent times – machines that are destined to be at the forefront of Concours events for the decades to come. With these and so many other standout cars on display, we really can’t wait to welcome guests to Hampton Court Palace in a week’s time,” Concours of Elegance Chief Executive Officer James Brooks-Ward said.

Aside from the car displays, Concours of Elegance will once again be a celebration of sheer luxury, with champagne provided by Charles Heidsieck, picnics by Fortnum & Mason, champagne, and a collection of art, jewelry, and fashion displays.

Photos from Concours of Elegance

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