Renowned for assembling the most stunning line-up of rare, classic and collector cars, the 2022 London Concours, presented by Montres Breguet at the Honourable Artillery Company, provided a backdrop for super and hyper car royalty; rock and roll classics from Ford, General Motors and Chrysler; a collection of Japanese Jewels; and a display of one-off concept cars, prototypes that never made it into production and unique customer commissions.
Taking place over three days in June, the event included a brilliant array of rare cars in the heart of the City, in an unparalleled show of automotive indulgence. The Coachbuilt & Concepts class focused on the unique projects – either by design or by circumstance – that continue to captivate the automotive world decades after they first appeared.
Among the eclectic gathering of rare and exclusive exhibits in the class were:
A 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS. Raced with great success in-period by Joakim ‘Jo’ Bonnier, this lovely two-tone machine was bodied by Zagato specifically for racing and was one of a select few bespoke examples of Alfa’s first production-line car. The Italian styling house was long famed for producing light, aircraft-inspired coachwork, and the 1975cc CSS is a prime example of its sublime craft.
A unique 1974 Lotus Elan Shooting Brake, known as the Estralle. The Mediterranean Blue car originally started life as a 1974 +2S 130/5 coupé, and in more recent times Lotus specialist Paul Matty Sports Cars was approached to oversee the project of making it into an estate car of the kind originally sketched by Lotus designer Ron Hickman but which never reached factory production. Shapecraft, which was famous for producing fastback versions of the Elan in the 1960s, fabricated the aluminium roof to bond to the glassfibre body, while the glass windows were specially made by Pilkington. Three years of bespoke design and fabrication went into the creation of this one-off wagon – and the hard work and ingenuity certainly show in the finished car’s superb quality and clean lines.
The Mercedes F200 Imagination was a concept study unveiled by Daimler Benz at the 1996 Paris Motor Show. Only two were built, and this particular example, in all its sleek, futuristic glory is the only driving and working example. The German manufacturer’s aim was to showcase its latest innovations in control, design and comfort – many of which were to debut on the S-Class and CL-Class models eventually launched in 1999. The F200 prototype featured butterfly doors, video cameras in place of rear-view mirrors, voice recognition, electro-transparent glass in its panoramic roof and many other high-tech features that only now, more than two decades later, are prevalent in luxury cars. Of most interest are the ‘sidesticks’, via which either the driver or the front passenger could drive the car.
The 1998 Jaguar XK180 concept car was revealed at the 1998 Paris show after an incredibly short gestation period of only ten months, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the iconic XK120. Created by the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) workshop, the all-aluminium-bodied XK180 was based on a shortened XKR platform, and featured a 450bhp supercharged 4.0-litre V8 and new-for-the-era steering-wheel push-buttons to allow sequential gearchanges. The styling was developed under the direction of senior designer Keith Helfet, who saw the concept as a modern interpretation of the classic Jaguar themes seen in the Le Mans-winning D-type of the 1950s as well as the E-type of the 1960s.
Andrew Evans, London Concours Director, said:
“This class celebrates rarity and exclusivity by focusing on the unique projects and collaborations that captivate the car world. We have gathered an eclectic grouping of one-off concepts, prototypes and unique customer commissions that were created either by design or by circumstance, but which ultimately never made it into full-scale factory production. London Concours 2022 offers a special opportunity to see these machines in one place – and to dream about what might have been.”