Salon Privé 2026: McLarens, Duesenbergs, Miuras and more from Blenheim's best garden party
Now in its 11th year, Salon Privé still sets the standard for a discreet and delightful car show.
Do supercars sparkle in the rain? The answer, somewhat sadly, is no not really. But they still stand out, especially when presented on the lawns of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. For the aspiring aesthete, you would struggle to find a trinity quite as holy as the Vanbrugh designed palace, the Capability Brown gardens and some of the finest cars ever made. We are, of course, at Salon Privé.
Regardless of the rain or the shine (and on Wednesday, it was very much rain), this was still the place to be last week, and the lineup of four-wheel wonders was as sublime as ever. Here are five takeaways from the show.
Form is temporary, class is permanent
So the old saying goes, and the McLaren F1 certainly has the latter. Some 34 years after it first rolled out the doors of the factory in Surrey, the F1 still turns heads wherever it goes, and Terry Bramall’s example from 1995 was a worthy first winner of the new joint top prize, the Concours d’Excellence.
Restored by Lanzante to its original factory specifications, Bramall’s silver F1 held pride of place in front of Blenheim and was never without a crowd of fans desperate to have a look inside the record-setting three-seater hypercar.
One thing that ever gets old about the F1 is how modern it looks. Even today, it looks profoundly more aerodynamic and futuristic than its modern counterparts. As Salon Privé chair Andrew Bagley said: ‘In an exceptional field, this particular F1 stood out as a superb example of a car that fundamentally changed our understanding of what a road-going supercar could be.’
The other top-prize winner was Amir Ravan and his Lamborghini Miura P400 S, which took home the esteemed Best of Show Concours d’Elégance. The first true supercar, this was a glorious example in gun-metal grey.
The Miura is often considered the first 'supercar', and this P400 S is a fine example.
‘For me, the Miura represents a genuine turning point in automotive history,’ Ravan said. ‘The engineering, the proportions and Gandini’s extraordinary design came together to create something that still feels remarkably special nearly 60 years later.’
Either the F1 or the Miura will carry the flame for Salon Privé at the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best in January 2027, against winners of other concours such as Villa d”Este, Cavallino Classic and The Quail.
The F1 has been restored to its factory specification by specialists Lanzante, meaning it looks exactly the same as when it rolled off the production line in 1995.
Big does indeed mean beautiful
The first thing you notice about the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Gurney Nutting Speedster is its sensational black and orange colourwork, which pairs beautifully with its whitewall tires. The next thing you notice is the size. In true American fashion, she is larger than life.
Every Duesenberg is special, but this one is certainly more special than others. A one-off commission for Maharajah Holkar of Indore, it is the only chassis bodied by the celebrated coachbuilder Gurney Nutting. It was a winner of the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best in 2023, continuing a rich tradition of picking up top prizes, after it was awarded a 99.5-point score at the Eastern Grand Classic in 1963.
Image credit: Scott Williamson Photos
Image credit: Scott Williamson Photos
Highlights among the whitewall tires, the covered wheel arches and sensational bodywork are the red and blue lights mounted on the front wings to indicate whether it was the Maharajah or his wife travelling in the car. In a surprise to absolutely no-one, the car also won this year’s prize for Most Exceptional Coachwork.
Polestar position
I’ve long been a fan of Polestar and their delightful mix of speed and practicality. Salon Privé was the first time I laid eyes on the new 5, their extra-sporty Grand Tourer, and I was suitably impressed. It’s muscular in all the right places, sits on a gigantic pair of wheels and features a full four-door layout. It’s aggressive but chic, everything a proper GT should be. I’m looking forward to seeing a few on the road sooner rather than later.
Silent style for the Lady Mayor
One of the great joys of Salon Privé is that there’s always a surprise lurking around the corner. You expect the McLarens and the Lamborghinis and the Ferraris, but who could possibly expect to see an electric 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI created for Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley DBE — the 697th Lady Mayor of the City of London.
And yet, that is exactly what Electrogenic turned up with. The Rolls is the official limousine of the City of London Corporation, and its electrification is part of the Corporation’s drive to achieve net-zero emissions from its own operations by 2027. It comes with, among other things, a 120kW electric motor, 310Nm of torque and a 62kWh battery pack, as well as a dedicated ‘ceremonial’ driving mode for ‘slow-and-stately progress’. Quite right too.
‘We were honoured to be asked to electrify this significant motor car, and to play a part in the City of London Corporation’s journey to net zero,’ said Electrogenic CEO Steve Drummond. ‘When it was launched in the late 1960s, the Rolls-Royce VI was the most refined and dignified limousine on the road. Now, thanks to electrification, its core character has been enhanced further: it is whisper quiet, effortless to drive with swift performance, and emits zero tailpipe emissions.’
Bristol is back
It’s not easy to make a lot of noise at a show like this, but the return of Bristol Cars made a racket in more ways than one. Metaphorically, the unveiling of a newly completed Fighter was quite something, and was more than a reasonable birthday present for the company’s 80th anniversary. Physically, the machine is powered by an 8.0-litre V10 engine from a Dodge Viper, produces up to 600bhp and a claimed top speed of 210mph. Noisy stuff indeed.
The Fighter was originally conceived in the early 2000s and was the firm’s final production model before manufacturing ended in 2011. The chassis on display at Salon Privé is one of five that were preserved and are now confirmed for a limited continuation programme. Each car will be hand built in the UK, available in either left or right-hand drive, and if you want to know how much it costs, you can’t.
‘Bringing Bristol Cars back is about far more than reviving a name; it is about bringing back the spirit of a marque that has always stood apart,’ Paul King, director of Bristol Cars, said. ‘Bristol has a remarkable story, from its roots in aviation and engineering to the extraordinary and exclusive cars it crafted. We want to honour that heritage while giving Bristol a future that is every bit as distinctive. To bring Bristol back to making cars in Britain, and with Richard Hackett returning to the company, we have brought together an exceptional combination of heritage, knowledge, engineering and craftsmanship. This is the beginning of Bristol’s return, and there is much more to come.’
We very much look forward to seeing it.
