Salon Privé 2026
Salon Prive 2026
Other commitments kept me away from Salon Privé this year, so here's a full roundup of everything that happened, from the historic double Best of Show to every major debut on the lawn.
Salon Privé marked its twenty-first edition in 2026, cementing its reputation as the United Kingdom's most prestigious luxury automotive event and one of the world's premier gatherings for classic car collectors, supercar enthusiasts, and connoisseurs of automotive craftsmanship. The year brought two major events under the Salon Privé banner: the flagship show at Blenheim Palace in September, and the reimagined Salon Privé London, which returned to the Royal Hospital Chelsea in April with an entirely new companion event called the Sloane Street Concours. Together, these two shows offered one of the most complete pictures yet of where the collector car world is heading.
Salon Privé London and the Sloane Street debut.
The year began in April, when Salon Privé London returned to Royal Hospital Chelsea for its main three-day showcase, running from the sixteenth to the eighteenth. What set this year apart was the introduction of the Sloane Street Concours, a brand new one-day curtain-raiser held on Saturday the eleventh of April. This event took the show out of the palace grounds entirely and placed twenty-five hypercars, classic cars, and restomods directly on Sloane Street, set against the backdrop of luxury retailers including Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Berluti, Dior, and Bottega Veneta.
The Sloane Street display drew significant attention for its eclectic mix. Highlights included the new Aston Martin Valhalla and the Ferrari SF90 XX shown alongside true classics such as a McLaren F1 GTR and a Ferrari 250 California. Joe Macari's collection featured prominently, with a Maserati M-C-12 GT1 racing car, an ex-Soper McLaren F1 GTR, and a striking Ferrari 250 duo comprising a short-wheelbase model and a 250 California. D-D Classics also brought a 1961 Jaguar E-Type in flat-floor specification. Notably, a panel of Royal College of Art automotive design students chose the winners of the Sloane Street Concours, giving the event a fresh, design-forward judging perspective rarely seen at traditional concours.
The main Salon Privé London event carried a strong McLaren theme throughout, celebrating the marque's Formula One World Championship victories with Lando Norris and McLaren's constructor's title. The London event has built its identity around the phrase "the concours in which every car is for sale," distinguishing it from the more traditional judged concours format at Blenheim.
Salon Privé Blenheim Palace: the 21st edition.
The flagship event returned to Blenheim Palace from Wednesday the second of September through Sunday the sixth of September, marking the show's 21st year. This followed what organisers called the largest attendance in the event's 20-year history the previous year, with over twenty-eight thousand visitors attending the twentieth anniversary edition. Building on that momentum, the 2026 edition welcomed more than thirty thousand guests across the five days, making it a sell-out event once again.
Founded in two thousand six by brothers Andrew and David Bagley, who launched the show at London's Hurlingham Club after touring global events including Amelia Island, Monterey, and Villa d'Este, Salon Privé has grown considerably over two decades. It moved briefly to Syon Park before settling permanently at Blenheim Palace, drawn by the venue's scale and heritage. The show remains the United Kingdom's only professionally judged multi-marque concours, and it holds the distinction of being the first automotive event worldwide to achieve B Corp status, reflecting an ongoing commitment to sustainability.
New categories and major debuts.
2026 introduced two landmark new concours classes: Limited Production Supercars covering the years 1996 through 2026, and a Hypercar Heaven category. The concours field featured 70 cars competing across 13 classes in total, ranging from the Golden Age of Motoring to a class marking eighty years of Bristol Cars, a tribute called Passione Ferrari, and a class celebrating sixty years of the Lamborghini Miura called The Italian Job.
Opening day brought a wave of UK debuts to the Automotive Gallery. Among the standout unveils were the Lamborghini Revuelto S-V, the Brabus Bodo, a carbon fibre-bodied supercar powered by a 5.2-litre biturbo V12 and limited to just 77 examples worldwide, along with the Brabus 800 Cabrio, the Polestar four S-U-V, and the Giamaro Krafla hypercar, which made its first UK appearance. Organisers described this as the largest number of supercar and hypercar unveils in the event's 21-year history.
Beyond the concours lawn, the show featured an extraordinary five-day Koenigsegg showcase presented by Super Vettura, described as the largest Koenigsegg display ever assembled in the UK. This was complemented by the Battle of the Hypercars, an exclusive weekend display bringing together Bugatti and Pagani hypercars spanning models from the Zonda and Huayra through to the Veyron, Chiron, and Bolide. Ferrari Challenge driver and collector Paul Hogarth commented on a broader shift in collector sentiment, noting that cars such as the Pagani Utopia and Ferrari Daytona S-P-3 have become milestones in automotive history rather than simply high-performance machines.
The White Collection, Salon Privé's curated annual colour-themed display, put the spotlight on white for 2026. Up to twenty rare and outstanding automobiles gathered on the South Lawn, including a beautifully restored 1968 Lamborghini Miura finished in Bianco, often credited as the world's first true supercar. Also featured was a 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster finished in Speedster White, a 2023 Aston Martin Valiant prototype showcasing the marque's latest track-focused engineering, and a 1963 Auto Union one-thousand S-P Roadster nicknamed the Baby Thunderbird.
Richard Hammond returned to Salon Privé across Supercar Saturday and Supercar Sunday, judging the Concours de Vente, hosting question-and-answer sessions, and meeting visitors throughout the weekend before taking the stage for the Grand Finale on Sunday.
A historic double Best of Show.
The most significant story to emerge from the 2026 concours judging was a first in the event's history:
Two Best of Show winners were crowned on the same weekend. This marked the first time Salon Privé introduced two distinct Best of Show awards, one recognising the great classics of the past and a new one recognising modern collector cars increasingly shaping today's market.
The Concours d'Élégance award, honouring the classic winner, went to a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P-four-hundred S, owned by Amir Ravan and the R-L-C Collection. The car was shown as part of The Italian Job class celebrating sixty years of the Miura.
The second award, a brand new prize called the Best of Show Concours d'Excellence, was awarded to Terry Bramall's 1995 McLaren F1. This car competed in a dedicated class called Poster Cars, Icons of Our Youth, celebrating early supercars, and was selected as the finest modern collector car on the show lawn. This marked the first time in Salon Privé's 21 year history that this particular honour had been presented.
In Class A competition, the winning car was a Mercedes-Benz 630 K Drophead Coupé Sport Touring by Thomas Harrington, owned by Nick Schorsch. The runner-up in that class was a Bentley 3.5 litre Airline Saloon by William Arnold.
Salon Privé's judging methodology remains one of its defining features. It is the only UK multi-marque event judged by single-marque specialists using what is known as the M-one-hundred system, under Chief Judge Nigel Matthews, who also judges at Pebble Beach, Villa d'Este, and the International Chief Judges Advisory Group. Best in Show winners at Salon Privé automatically qualify for consideration in the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best award, connecting the event to the highest tier of global concours recognition.
Looking ahead.
Following the record turnout and the historic double Best of Show moment, organisers have already confirmed that Salon Privé will return to Blenheim Palace in September 2027.
Co-founder David Bagley noted that after raising the bar with the twentieth anniversary edition, the team knew they needed to find new ways to build on that success, a challenge the 2026 show appears to have met. Between the expanded concours categories, the record hypercar showcases, the new Sloane Street Concours in London, and the historic dual Best of Show crowning, 2026 stands as one of the most consequential years in the event's history, reinforcing Salon Privé's position at the intersection of concours tradition and the modern collector car market.
See you next year…
Scott.
SALON PRIVE 2024
Salon Privé 2024 was a special one for me. I was in partnership with Lockton Insurance to cover the event for them.
Held at Blenheim Palace, this established event, brings together automotive passion and luxury, offering an exquisite blend of high-end cars, stunning architecture, and a world-class atmosphere. For a photographer, it’s a paradise: a meticulously curated setting where history, craftsmanship, and design collide in a stunning visual feast. The challenge lies in capturing the essence of the event, balancing the elegance of the venue with the dynamic spirit of the automobiles on display.
One of the first things that strikes a photographer at Salon Privé is the sheer scale and variety of vehicles. From rare pre-war classics to the latest hypercars, the event brings together some of the world’s most coveted machines. The natural light of Blenheim Palace grounds, complemented by the soft English skies, provides a unique opportunity to experiment with various lighting conditions throughout the day. Early morning or late afternoon light creates dramatic shadows and soft highlights that make each car's curves and lines come alive.
The cars themselves are a study in design, and I have to demonstrate my ability to translate their intricate details through the lens of my cameras. Whether it’s the gleam of a chrome bumper or the finely sculpted bodywork of a Ferrari, every element offers an opportunity to tell a story. detail shots of engine bays, reflections in the polished bodywork, and the interplay of shadows on a hood are often as captivating as the wide-angle shots of cars in motion.
But capturing the essence of Salon Privé is not just about the cars. The atmosphere of the event—the elegantly dressed guests, the timeless architecture, and the polished lawns—forms a backdrop that elevates the cars into the realm of art. As a photographer, you have to have your wits about you to capture fleeting moments that blend the human experience with the machines. A wide shot of a Rolls-Royce parked against the grand columns of Blenheim Palace, or an attendee admiring a rare Aston Martin, is as important to the story as a shot of the cars themselves.
What sets Salon Privé apart from other automotive events is its exclusivity and intimacy. Unlike larger car shows where the cars are often displayed behind ropes or in vast exhibition halls, Salon Privé offers an environment where visitors can interact with the vehicles up close. This accessibility allows for more dynamic and personal photographs, often featuring owners and enthusiasts in candid moments. The challenge, however, is capturing these interactions in a way that feels authentic, without disrupting the serene luxury of the event. Being the enthusiast I am as well as a photographer I know how precious I am about the safety of my own cars, having a 3 million pound car on display with those in attendance to paw at it would certainly make me just a tad nervous.
The lush greenery of Blenheim Palace’s grounds offers excellent natural framing, but it also requires constant attention to composition. Managing reflections from the surrounding environment can be tricky when photographing shiny surfaces, especially under direct sunlight.
Salon Privé is not just an event; it’s an opportunity to tell a visual story that celebrates the intersection of automotive engineering and art. Each frame is a moment to reflect the elegance, precision, and passion that define this prestigious gathering, making it a photographer’s dream assignment. Whether you’re shooting from a distance or getting up close to the details, Salon Privé is a spectacular canvas for any lens to capture.
Aston Martin 177 at Salon Prive 2024