As the long hot summer of 2026 drew to a close in Europe our founder and curator, James Nicholls, was lucky enough to be involved with three amazing concours events in England and France.
First stop was Salon Privé in its 21st year once again at the magnificent Blenheim Palace near Oxford. 70 incredible cars competing across a selection of classes were vying to catch the Judges eyes. James was part of that Jury, along with such luminaries as Paris Brosnan son of the erstwhile James Bond actor, which voted for the stunning 1969 Lamborghini P400 S finished in Argento Indianapolis Metalizzato fittingly in the model’s 60th anniversary as Best of Show, whilst another iconic car, a1995 magnesium silver McLaren F1 took the prize for Best of Show in the Concours d’Excellence for modern vehicles.
Next stop was to another of Britain’s favourite Palaces and the home of Henry VIII at Hampton Court on the outskirts of London. The summer weather was back for James’ visit as a spectator where he saw many old acquaintances including the Sydney Harbour Concours M/C Amanda Stretton, and James Elliott, Editor-in-Chief of Octane magazine who is also a judge for our Sydney event.
The third and final event of James’ Grand Tour finished in France at the amazing Chantilly Arts et Elegance Concours d’Etat held at the stunning Château de Chantilly not far from Paris. Here James took part in a 1953 Delahaye in the Le Nôtre Rally through the beautiful countryside and historic villages of the region before resuming jury duty and judging alongside some of the very best in choosing the strawberry and cream 1933 Delage D8 4-seater sport tourer as the Best of Show pre-war. The amazing one-off 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Superfast by Pinin Farina took the laurels for Best of Show post war.
Highlights of the trip, besides the amazing cars, were the generous hospitality and black-tie dinners in Blenheim Palace, and the Grand Stables at Chantilly!
