The UK’s most high-society car show returns this week. Taking place from Wednesday 31 August to Sunday 4 September, Salon Privé brings together hundreds of blue-chip classics and supercars on the lawns of Blenheim Palace.
If you like your chrome and carbon fibre with a side-order of champagne, it’s the place to be (and be seen). Here are a few of the highlights from the five-day event.
Electric dreams
Among the debuts at Salon Privé 2022 is the Deus Vayanne electric hypercar. Styled by Italdesign and developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, only 99 examples of the 2,200hp twin-motor EV – claimed to offer ‘comfort, practical storage and daily usability’ will be made.
Showgoers will also be first to witness the Engler Desat, a ride-on ‘Superquad’ that ‘delivers the tactility and visceral involvement of a superbike with the raw speed and drama of a hypercar’. With a 5.2-litre V10 engine – presumably sourced from Audi or Lamborghini – it sounds exciting and terrifying in equal measure.
If you’d prefer something more sedate, Salon Privé also promises an array of rare classics. A highlight is the three-car ‘French Revolution’ from Citroen, which comprises the SM Espace concept, a four-wheel-drive 2CV Sahara and a flagship DS 23 Pallas IE.
Vive la revolution
The unique SM was first displayed at the Paris Motor Show in 1971 and has a T-bar roof with slats that retract to allow open-air motoring. Polished alloy wheel covers and a dashboard swathed in green leather enhance its retro-chic appeal.
Bentley is also showing off the family jewels with EXP4, the last of its 3-Litre Experimental cars from the 1920s.
Originally used to prove the viability of four-wheel braking, EXP4 later raced at Brooklands – reaching 92mph on the steep banking of the Surrey circuit. Today, the car has been restored to 1930s racing spec, and is a hot tip for glory in the concours d’elegance.
Live on the drive
After the concours parades and judging on Wednesday and Thursday, Salon Privé hosts a Ladies’ Day on Friday, then a private event for car clubs only event on Saturday.
It concludes with a less formal Classic and Supercar day on Sunday (tickets cost from £50), with rally cars in action ‘live on the drive’ in the hill sprint.
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