London Concours
The City, London 7-8 June
AN EMOTIONAL Duncan Pittaway was overwhelmed as his magnificent 1911 Fiat S76 record car was awarded Best of Show at the London Concours in the heart of The City on 7-8 June. Pittaway, who spent years rebuilding the car known universally as The Beast of Turin, and negotiated with Fiat to secure the monstrous 28.5-litre four-cylinder engine (more than seven litres per cylinder), didn’t expect even to win the class against some stunning restored road cars, let alone take the top honours.
Impressed by Pittaway’s enthusiasm and the way he uses this ‘challenging’ car on the road and at events, the judges decided it and its owner embodied so much that is great about the classic car hobby. The only shame was that noise regulations in the built-up area meant that the fire-spitting Fiat could not be started on the lawns of the Honourable Artillery Company, should any scepticism over its victory have needed to be dispelled.
Pittaway said: ‘I was amazed. I’m a novice at shiny car events and I turned up to see a Lamborghini with three people buzzing around it, polishing it. I thought I should make an effort so asked if I could borrow some polish, but they said it cost £800 a tub. In the end I popped across the road and bought some Mr Sheen in Tesco.’
The Beast was selected from the six class winners, all of which had a ‘speed’ theme. The 80-plus cars assembled for the concours were split into categories ranging from fast to hyperfast, plus era-defining, grouped according to performance and desirability in period rather than outright speed. This meant that every group was an eclectic mix of motoring greats: the fast selection, for example, ranged from 1911 Renault to 1964 Alfa Giulia SS via 1935 Lagonda M35R.
Class winners were the 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale, 1952 Ferrari 212/225 Inter Berlinetta, the winning Fiat S76 (good for 135mph in 1911), 2003 Lamborghini Murciélago, 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB ‘Comp’ SEFAC hot rod and 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The latter was a surprise victor in the era-defining class that included Lamborghini Miura, Jaguars E-type and XK120, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Ferrari F40 and McLaren F1, but the flawless condition of the Swiss-registered example was enough to convince the judges.
As well as the concours cars, there was a range of interesting special displays such as a jawdropping line up of modern supercars from the likes of McLaren, Mercedes and Ford assembled by Octane’s sister title Evo ,a grid of Global Endurance Legends, and a fine display from the Royal Automobile Club that included a 1900 Daimler Phaeton.
At the edge of the showfield – a five-acre oasis in the midst of the capital – as well as refreshments and hospitality, there was a selection of dealer stands from the likes of Nicholas Mee, Gregor Fisken and JD Classics, while Alpine displayed a righthand-drive new A110 beside an original and there was an outing for the new TVR, too.
Attendance was well up on the event’s debut and the quality of the content and interest from enthusiasts suggests that, if it can stabilise, the concours has huge potential. It’s hard to think of a more impressive city-centre garden party.