After a determined effort to ensure it went ahead, a wealth of multi-million-pound exotica was gathered in the heart of the Capital for the London Concours 2020 event on August 19-20.
Rare performance and luxury vehicles were displayed on the five-acre lawns of London’s beautiful Honourable Artillery Company gardens, with a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS Spider crowned as Best in Show.
Hundreds were in attendance over the two days for the socially distanced event, despite soggy weather on the Wednesday. They were able to witness over 100 cars in total, spread across nine classes. These included ‘Speed of Sand,’ plus ‘Convertibles: The Golden Era’, ‘Lost Marques’ and ‘Lancia Legends’. Each of the classes was packed with rarities, including a line-up of four Lancia 037 competition cars, one of just 54 Lamborghini Silhouettes ever built and an ex-Stirling Moss Jaguar XK120, which took honours in ‘The Pursuit of Speed’ class.
Outside of the main concours, there were plenty of other intriguing displays. A celebration of the Ferrari Dino saw 10 examples on show, each finished in a different colour, while ‘The Collector’ was dedicated to famed automotive designer Ian Callum. The six cars on display from his collection included a modified Jaguar XJC, his Triumph TR6, his Rover Mini Cooper and his custom Porsche 993.
The show’s headliner, however, was the Ferrari 330 GTS. Shown at the 1967 Torino Motor Show, it made its way to the UK and was purchased in the mid-’70s by Carl Cantera, who owned it for over two decades and had the body restored to concours level.
Further attractions at the London Concours 2020 event included a watch boutique, luxury hospitality and a champagne tent, which were indicators of the event’s target audience, but there was nonetheless plenty for all classic fans to enjoy, regardless of budget, especially after such a long hiatus from shows.
