I recently attended the London Concours - an exhibition of exclusive cars in the surrounding park The Honorable Artillery Company near the City of London. The event spanned two days and was primarily aimed at the business world. The park became an arena where business associates, colleagues or the entire office could meet for breakfast, lunch or Champagne in particularly beautiful surroundings. I myself invited the wife and our London-posted daughter for Champagne and Ferrari.
Fords in the Ferrari class?
The cars near the champagne tent weren't really Ferraris - "just" Fords. But when we talk about the new Ford GT, we are actually in the Ferrari class. One might wonder if EcoBoost will do? The engine is beautiful, sitting under the rear window with two separate, recessed exhaust pipes. The 3,5-litre V6 actually looks small compared to the Ferraris beyond. The performances are nevertheless impressive. 646 turbo horses, torque of 678 Nm and top speed of 347 km/h. This is undoubtedly a supercar. A privately owned car. The owner was very sympathetic and let us study his car in detail.
Classic Ferrari for sale
The Ferraris were a little further behind. The majority belonged to one of London's Ferrari dealers. A new Ferrari ticks all the boxes of features an exclusive car should have. V8 and V12 engines. A blue F150 LaFerrari caused a stir. It looks like it's eating the road – even when it's standing still. I would characterize it more as raw than beautiful. I don't know what lies behind the model designation LaFerrari, - but interpret it as a kind of "this is it - definitive Ferrari", or something like that. The engine is – not unexpectedly – a V12. A 6,3 liter that produces 800 HP and provides a torque of 700 Nm at 6750 revolutions. Performance is delivered at high revs in pure sports car spirit without turbo. But the LaFerrari is equipped with a so-called KERS system (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which recovers braking energy to give extra boost when needed. Together, it is possible to extract a boost effect of 963 HP and a torque of 900 Nm.
Of classic Ferraris, the Ferrari 250 GT from the 50s and 60s is perhaps among the most beautiful. It was clear that the crowd really liked them, especially the Lusso variety. And while we're on the topic of sex, we can also bring the yellow 275 GT. All models are true representatives of the Gran Turismo concept.
The world's largest Miura collection?
It's not every day you can study the Lamborghini Miura, - one of the world's most beautiful cars - and among the most expensive. On a French auction earlier this year sold a barn wreck with rotten interior for €560 plus fees. I would argue that the Miura must be one of the world's most preservation-worthy cars.
Among the 7 Miuras at the exhibition, one could find the same car that was used in the opening scene of the movie "Italian Job" - the original from 1969 ( - not from 2003). In the film, the car and driver end up in a fatal crash inside a tunnel. The car is then mercilessly pulled out by a bulldozer and pushed off a cliff into the river below. Many believed that the film company had scrapped a well-functioning Miura until one day it appeared to the public. In 2015, it was put up for sale at $1,5 million. And now the orange Miura was on display at the London Concours! The car that was sent off the cliff was a wreck someone else had crashed earlier…
Bugatti's first resurrection
In the late 80s, some Italians decided to buy the rights to the Bugatti brand and create a new model. The EB-110 was named after none other than Ettore Bugatti, and was produced from 1991 until the company was liquidated in 1995. The EB-110 is in every way a supercar. It has a quad-turbo V12 engine which in the EB-110 Super Speed produces 612 HP.
The first re-creation of Bugatti did not end so well, in terms of business. The few cars that were made were obviously too expensive for the market. Everyone knew that New Bugatti was actually a completely new player. You had to be either rich or naive - or both - to buy a copy of this model. In retrospect, it has turned out that the cars are alright. Today, they are classics that sell for high sums. If you own such a car, you are unlikely to meet the same car on the road.
In retrospect, Bugatti has been resurrected again under the Volkswagen group. This has probably been a positive for EB-110 owners, although the "All-New" Bugatti is unlikely to have any obligations to original EB customers.
The world's toughest Aurelia?
The Lancia Aurelia from the 50s is one of the world's most beautiful cars. Especially the coupe version. A company has specialized in making a hot rod variant of the Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. They call it "Outlaw". Each car is made to order and designed in consultation with the customer. A typical styling involves cutting the roof as shown in the pictures. The drivetrain is based on Flaminia. It therefore probably works with two classic cars to create one. In any case, the result is breathtaking.
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