- Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva will open Salon Privé Week on 1 September
- Elegant Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport pairing reunite at the Concours d’Elégance
- Design legends set to judge Churchill Cup for ‘Most Exceptional Design’
- Evocative new display for 2021 with announcement of The Red Collection
Salon Privé is delighted to announce that it has entered into a long-term partnership with Aviva. The multinational insurance, savings and investment firm will be a platinum sponsor of not only the prestigious Concours d’Elégance, but also Tour Privé, which takes place on the eve of Salon Privé Week and takes drivers on a 120-mile route through the beautiful Cotswold countryside.
Simon Mobey, Head of Private Clients at Aviva, said: ‘The Aviva Private Clients team is excited to be making our Salon Privé debut in September, supporting Tour Privé and the Concours d’Elégance as Platinum sponsors. Salon Privé has a well-deserved reputation for quality that is perfectly aligned with our values at Aviva, and we can’t wait to enjoy the unique atmosphere at Blenheim Palace.’
Salon Privé Director Andrew Bagley said: ‘We’re honoured to announce our long-term relationship with Aviva and look forward to welcoming them to Blenheim Palace. The Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance is already recognised as being the most prestigious of its kind in the UK, and the new partnership could not be starting at a more exciting time.’
The announcement comes in the run-up to this year’s much-anticipated Salon Privé Week, which returns to Blenheim Palace from 1-5 September. The Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva opens proceedings on Wednesday 1 September and will welcome more than 100 of the world’s finest cars to the South Lawn. They will be assessed by a panel of ICJAG judges who are each acknowledged experts in their respective fields, many of them reuniting judges at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
This year’s Churchill Cup for ‘Most Exceptional Design’ will be presented on Thursday 2 September with the coveted Best in Show award on Friday 3 September. Named in honour of Sir Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace, it will be judged by some of the most respected automotive designers in the world, including Marek Reichman, Peter Stevens, Fabrizio Guigiaro and Ian Callum. They’re set to be joined by Event Patron the Duke of Marlborough, Le Mans legend Derek Bell as Chief Judge and supermodel Yasmin Le Bon.
Among the entries being judged in the Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva will be an exceptional pair of Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sports. These exclusive Grand Routiers used a 4.5-litre six-cylinder engine that boasted an impeccable motorsport pedigree – variants of it won in both Grand Prix racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours in the early post-war years.
The first of the Talbot-Lagos that will grace Blenheim Palace is chassis number 110151 – a short-wheelbase T26 that was bodied by the flamboyant Jacques Saoutchik of Neuilly-sur-Seine on the western fringes of Paris. The one-off shape combined the post-war ‘pontoon’ style at the front with a rear end that evoked the revered ‘teardrop’ style of the 1930s, and the car has recently been treated to an extensive restoration.
It will be joined by chassis number 110121 – a star of the post-war French concours d’elégance scene. Fitted with unique Franay cabriolet bodywork, this Talbot-Lago was first shown at the 1949 Paris Salon, where it was photographed with screen icon Marlene Dietrich. Having been awarded the 1er Grand Prix d’Honneur at the 1950 Concours d’Enghien, it returned to Franay to be repainted black and given a simpler grille design, before being displayed on the Talbot stand at the Brussels Auto Show.
As well as the Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva, there will be a brand-new feature for this year’s Salon Privé Week – THE RED COLLECTION, which will be presented on the hallowed Blenheim Palace cricket pitch. The exclusive curated display will be kept under wraps until being unveiled on the opening day of the event, but will include last year’s Best of Show 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Zagato Spider. The pre-war thoroughbred will line up alongside other automotive greats, including a Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’ and a Ferrari F40 – a spectacle not to be missed.
There will also be first-class hospitality and retail therapy courtesy of the most exclusive luxury brands, and all the elements are in place for another unforgettable Salon Privé Week.