I have to congratulate Stephen Owens and Simon Smith of the FastLane Club for organising one of the best concours events, not just in Yorkshire but in the country. In my view it is now on par with the London Concours in both the quality and rarity of the cars on display.
The success of Yorkshire Elegance is even more remarkable when you consider it has been achieved in just a few short years. Backed by a number of prestigious brands the event is well supported by owners of rare and beautiful cars which you will not see anywhere else.
Held in the grounds of Grantley Hall, a luxury Hotel near Ripon, it is the perfect setting for these astonishing cars. How rare where these cars? well let me tell you about just a few of them.
Two very early cars where the 1894 Panhard-Levassor which produced 6 horsepower, a huge figure at this time. This car was purchased by Charles Stewart Rolls in 1896 inspiring him to move into the automotive industry himself.
The 1902 Decauville was the inspiration for Henry Royce to build his own car. Inspired by the advanced engineering he felt he could improve the refinement of the car and built his own.
We all know the rest of the story as the two men combined forces to create one the most prestigious car brands in the world.
If you are a Ferrari fan then there was plenty to interest you. But you couldn’t do better than stare in amazement at the 1950 Ferrari 166MM, Le Mans Berlinetta, one of just five existing today. Quite small in size it was stunning in red and for me a contender for car of the show.
The racing theme continues with the Aston Martin LM4 built in 1930. Designed purely for racing it features a 1.5 litre four cylinder engine and achieved considerable success. Restored in the 1990’s the car was loaned by Mr. and Mrs. Lupton.
There was an extensive gathering of Ford GT40’s from early models through to the last modern interpretation built by Ford in 2005. Porsche 911’s were also present with an emphasis on the 70’s and 80’s models. Then there were the pre war cars that I didn’t really know much about but am now inspired to find out more. An outstanding car was an SS One Coupe built in 1933 (SS of course later renamed as Jaguar). We plan to bring you more about this car in the near future.
I could go on listing the cars but that would turn this article into a small book. So we have decided to feature some cars in more detail over the coming months. But to keep you interested we have put a picture gallery down below.
If your passion for classics is at the prestige end of cars and events then I highly recommend that you check out the Fast Lane Club. They can take you to events such as The Mille Miglia and the Coppa Delle Italia. But its not just international events, you can also join them at Harewood in a non competitive hillclimb experience (pre 2000 cars only). Take a look at their website and see if they might be the club for you.
http://www.thefastlaneclub.com
email: info@thefastlaneclub
