Salon Privé recently made an announcement regarding a long-term partnership with Aviva, a multinational insurance, savings, and investment firm. Aviva will become a platinum sponsor of the prestigious Concours d’Elégance. They will also be a platinum sponsor of Tour Privé, which is scheduled on the eve of Salon Privé Week, which takes the drivers through the beautiful Cotswold countryside, on a 120-mile scenic drive.
“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,” shared Aviva’s Head of Private Clients Simon Mobey.
“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,” stated Salon Privé Director Andrew Bagley.
The announcement was made before the much-anticipated Salon Privé Week, which is scheduled to return on September 1-5 to Blenheim Palace. On Wednesday, September 1, the Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva will be opening the proceedings and they will welcome to the South Lawn more than 100 of the finest cars in the world. A panel of ICJAG judges will be assessing the cars. The judges are known experts in their respective fields and a lot of them are returning judges at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
On Thursday, September 2, the Churchill Cup for ‘Most Exceptional Design’ will be presented, while the most desired Best in Show award will be presented on Friday, September 3. The event was named in honor of Sir Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace, some of the most respective automotive designers in the world will be in attendance to judge the event. Some of the names include Marek Reichman, Fabrizio Guigiaro, Peter Stevens, and Ian Calum. The Duke of Marlborough, the Event Patron, will also be joining the judges, as well as supermodel Yasmin Le Bon, with Le Mans legend Derek Bell as the Chief Judge.
One of the entries in the upcoming Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva is a gorgeous pair of Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sports. The Grand Routiers is equipped with a 4.5-liter 6-cylider engine which have a history of impressive motorsport pedigree, similar models have claimed victory in both Grand Prix racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours during the early post-war years.
Chassis number 110151, the first of the Talbot-Lagos, will be visiting the Blenheim Palace. The flamboyant Jacques Saoutchick from Neuilly-sur-Seine in Paris made the body for the short-wheelbase T26. The one-off shape of the body put together the post-war ‘pontoon’ style for the front, matched with a rear that is reminiscent of the ‘teardrop’ style from the 1930s. The car just recently had an extensive restoration done.
Joining it is chassis number 110121, which was popular for the post-war French concours d’elégance. It has a unique Franay cabriolet bodywork. It made its debut at the 1949 Paris Salon, where screen icon Marlene Dietrich took a picture with the example. In 1950, it was also awarded the 1er Grand Prix d’Honneur at the Concours d’Enghien. It was then returned to Franay, where it was repainted black and equipped with a simpler grille design. It was then sent to the Brussels Auto Show to be displayed at the Talbot stand.
This year’s Salon Privé Week also have a brand-new feature – THE RED COLLECTION. The exclusive curated display, which will be presented on the revered Blenheim Palace cricket pitch, will remain undisclosed until its unveiling on the opening day of the event. What is known is that it will definitely feature the reigning Best in Show, a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Zagato Spider.
The pre-war thoroughbred will be showcased along with other automotive greats, which includes an exquisite Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’. An iconic Ferrari F40 will also be featured, it has only 2,371km on the odometer and has the collector’s preference specification (non-cat and non-adjust). THE RED COLLECTION is truly something to look forward to.
The most exclusive luxury brands will be there to provide first-class hospitality and retail therapy. All other elements are already in place to ensure another memorable Salon Privé Week.
Salon Privé Week 2021
1 September – Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva
2 September – Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva
3 September – Salon Privé Ladies’ Day presented by Boodles
4 September – Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton
5 September – Salon Privé Classic & Supercar
Those interested to attend can purchase the tickets through the website: www.salonpriveconcours.com or through the Ticket Hotline: 0808 100 2205.
