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In Pictures: A very British take on the Concours d’Elegance at Hampton Court Palace

The Concours d’Elegance at Hampton Court Palace plays host to some of the very finest automobiles of all time. We check it out

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The Concours of Elegance, now in its seventh year, is one of the finest car events held globally

The Concours of Elegance, now in its seventh year, is one of the finest car events held globally, and attracts a quality of automobile that you can’t help but admire.

It’s a very British event, though. Held in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, it encapsulates the grandeur of Tudor times and is perhaps the best backdrop you could ask for from a car event.

We headed along to see what all the fuss is about.

It seemed a bit more than a coincidence that Aston Martin had left its latest flagship – the new DBS Superleggera – on display in the ‘VIP’ car park.
While frequently concours events are all about classics, this event also focuses on the brand new. Including this, the radical-looking McLaren Senna – this one being chassis 001
The one-off Rolls-Royce Sweptail took over five years to complete, and was inspired by the want to make a car look like a yacht. It’s the first in-house coachbuilt Rolls-Royce created in over 50 years, and set back the owner around £13mil. It even has a glovebox which can only fit in a bottle of the owner’s favourite tipple – Dom Perignon vintage champagne.
This stunning Aston Martin DB2 HHC ‘First Sanction’ was first delivered to a Swedish prince, and was an early production model of what would be Aston Martin first ‘DB’ sports car – the naming strategy still used today
The GTC4 Lusso was the newest car entered into the concours, and is quite common in comparison to the rest of the cars on display. That said, it is a fantastic ‘Tailor Made’ car finished in a custom colour – Arancio Rik – which is named after the owner
The 288 was only the second car to ever use the GTO nameplate, and this example is particularly special as it’s the oldest prototype of the 288 GTO, and was also a present from Ferrari’s founder, Enzo, to one of his representatives
Just four Mercedes-Benz CLK LMs were built to compete at Le Mans. They featured the same engine as the C11 race car, and were capable of over 200mph down the Mulsanne straight at the iconic circuit
The Project 8 is the latest car to come out of Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations division. It’s based on the XE Saloon and packs almost 600bhp. This car is the first customer car to roll off the production line, and was assembled as part of a display of the best super saloons
The 500 TRC is one of the most beautiful racing cars ever produced, and was built to rival Maserati’s domineering racing cars in the ‘50s. The car here is the last one ever produced, although just 19 were ever made
McLaren Special Operations (MSO) announced its new F1 certification scheme at the Concours of Elegance, which aims to bring originality to one of the fastest cars ever produced. This incredible F1 GTR is the first car to be go through the new programme
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