Heveningham Hall Concours
Suffolk, UK 30 June-1 July
UNLIKE ThE REST of the 5000-acre Heveningham Hall estate, the terraced lawn stretching up from the rear of the Grade One-listed Palladian mansion was not the work of landscape architect Lancelot Capability Brown. Instead it was dreamed up by Lois Hunt and brought to fruition by Kim Wilkie as the the perfect setting in which to show off 54 sublime and exotic motor cars. It is a rare modifcation that Lois and husband Jon have made since taking over the Hall in 1994, the bulk of their efforts dedicated to restoring the house and Brown’s 1711 vision for the surrounding estate.
This was the third year that the Hunts, aided by motorsport-mad sons Max and Harry, have used the steps at the Georgian manor house to host a sensational selection of cars ranging from trikes to track-day superweapons. The tranquility of this Suffolk concours provides a stark counterpoint to the bustling Country Fair that takes place simultaneously on the other side of the Hall, spotlighting such rural delights as Shetland pony-racing and herding ducks. Even in the fair there was plenty to entertain enthusiasts, with classic car displays, tractors, diggers and agricultural machinery, plus a Wall of Death and powerboats on the lake. Highlights outside the concours, however, were the display of 60 classic aircraft including wingwalkers, dogfights and other aerial displays, and the new-for 2018 Horsepower Hill, a sprint over in the blink of an eye but encouraging some enthusiastic showboating.
Highlights were plentiful in the concours, with the three major categories won by Peter and Merle Mullin’s 1939 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet (pre-war), Nick Mason’s 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO (post-war) and Henry Pearman’s 1987 Porsche 962 (supercar).
The two-day event was preceded by a tour in which many of the concours entrants participated, the lawns consequently graced by everything from 1903 Clément to Aston Martin Vulcan. Nick Mason supplied two cars, his Birdcage Maserati and that 250 GTO, while super-rarities included the only Pegaso in the UK, an Aston Martin Jet and a McLaren F1 GTR.
There was also a separate McLaren Formula 1 exhibition on the lawn in front of the motorsport concours, starring ex-Hunt and Senna cars as well as the MP4-23 that carried Lewis Hamilton to his first Grand Prix championship in 2008.
‘Our third concours has attracted record crowds to see our best-ever line-up yet,’ declared Max Hunt, chairman of the judging panel. ‘A huge thank-you to all the owners and visitors for making this year’s concours such a success.’
The cars were not alone in being judged, however. The aviation judges – Sir Tim Boughton, Lee Proudfoot and Vic Norman – awarded the Hanna Aviation Trophy to the 1952 Morane-Saulnier 315 out of a selection of aircraft dating back to 1936.
Most remarkably, every penny raised by these superb events is given to charity.