Salon Privé London made a welcome return to Royal Hospital Chelsea, with over 4,500 guests in attendance. For three days only, the main South Lawn of the Grade I and II listed property has been overcome with the finest super and classic cars in the world, accompanied by luxury brands and exquisite hospitality to form the UK’s Most Exclusive Motor Show. Salon Privé’s line-up covers literally everything from reimagined classics to next-generation hypercars and EVs.
The day 1 highlights included TV presenter Richard Hammond unveiling the latest creation from his restoration show, The Smallest Cog, a Chapron-bodied Delahaye and then taking selfies with guests.
Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and whisky expert George Kotusakis launched their limited release Coachbuilt Whisky x Rolls-Royce. American hypercar and high-performance brand Hennessey showcased their sensational new Venom F5 Roadster, announcing that the 1,817bhp open-top hypercar will be sold in partnership with H.R. Owen. The all-new Maserati GranTurismo will be making its UK debut.
The exciting Abarth 500e Scorpionissima charged into Chelsea and made its UK public debut at Salon Privé London. The first ever electric Abarth was presented in vivid Acid Green paint, with its ULEZ-friendly zero tailpipe emissions combined with 155bhp to serve up city centre acceleration a full 50% faster than the existing Abarth 695 petrol car.
In total, more than 20 automotive brands will showcase their latest models at the festival. The Ferrari Roma Spider is making its UK debut on Friday and Saturday, as will the thrilling Wiesmann Project Thunderball electric roadster. Theon Design will give its latest creation, ITA001, its public debut ahead of shipping to Italy for its new owner. Everrati will display the world’s first electric redefined Porsche Wide Body 911 964 alongside its flagship electric supercar, the GT40.
Salon Privé also offers the chance to visit the Luxury Retail Village. This specially selected collection of brands covers the gamut of a lavish lifestyle, with everything from helicopters, motorbikes, boats and guns, right the way through to milliners, tailors and even helicopters – the village has something for everyone.
Salon Privé London is the sister event to the globally renowned Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace which is now in its 18th year. Whereas Blenheim Palace’s traditional Concours d’Elégance is open exclusively to privately owned cars and it is forbidden to enter a car that is for sale, at Salon Privé London the complete opposite is true. Instead, everything you see at the event is sale.
The new ‘Concours de Vente’ features 75 of the very best collector cars and newest models from the UK and Europe’s most prominent specialist dealers, with all of them available to potential owners. Another distinguishing feature of Salon Privé over Blenheim Palace is two sets of parades – Supercar Manufactures Parade and Consours de Vente Parade showcasing classic collectible cars.
The new show is primed to be a must-visit party, whether you’re a supercar enthusiast or prefer to simply admire a retro car while quaffing champagne.
Expect the most glamorous days festival in the automotive calendar, complete with galas, cocktail parties, parades and more. For example, Ladies’ Day by Boodles returns tomorrow bringing a touch of glamour to the lawn with its Boodles Best Hat Competition; an excellent opportunity to win a classic diamond set pendant worth £2,600.
Tickets for day 2 and day 3 of the event are still on sale via official website and a limited number of tickets will available at the gate.
Image credits: Simon Winson / Salon Prive
