Salon Privé 2025: McLarens, restomod Jaguars, Best in Show and everything else you might have missed

The supercar circus rolled into Oxfordshire this week, with the 2025 Salon Privé once again gracing the manicured lawns of Blenheim Palace. One of the highlights of the global Concours d’Elegance calendars, and following (relatively) hot on the heels of Pebble Beach, it’s a chance for us to see some classics, some new launches, and everything in between. I went down on Wednesday to have a look around, and report back with seven things I found quite interesting.

Who were the winners?

It’s always tricky to tell what a judge does at a Concours event, and Salon Privé is no exception. Dressed immaculately, they glide around the grass with clipboards in hand, moving from car to car, nodding, peering, sniffing and touching. Marks are approved, and on they move, like a middle-class tumbleweed, to their next victim.

I am not a car judge, but it’s always fun to make personal lists and see how they stack up against the pros. So, having done a bit of judging myself, I was delighted to find out that ‘things I thought were cool and good’ lined up pretty well with the things the judges thought ‘were cool and good’.

One of my favourites from the displays was the Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupe ‘Super Fast’ prototype by Pinin Farina. I like Ferraris, I like cars with fins on them and fun little details and anything with a scoop on the bonnet tickles the American child in me. The judges seemed to agree, awarding the car the overall runner-up spot, as well as the overall Ferrari Class winner. It’s a stunning specimen.

The overall ‘Best in Show’ winner was the 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Spezial Roadster by Sindelfingen, which was a delightfully villainous piece of coachbuilding and presented in supreme condition. Many congratulations to owners The Auriga Collection, who also scooped up third place with their 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C Monza by Carrozzeria Touring.

My unofficial ‘Best in Show’, and therefore Country Life’s unofficial ‘Best in Show’, was the banana yellow McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, which is currently up for sale. An entrant in the 1997 Le Mans 24hr, it is the 9th of 10 GTR Longtails built, and has been retro-fitted to become road legal. Yours for a reported $20 million, in case you are interested.

Walk down through Electric Avenue

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Not even the classics are safe from the impending wave of electrification, but I suppose that’s a good thing. Plenty of exciting examples of electric classics were on display, but I was particularly impressed by the work of Steve Drummond and his team at Electrogenic.

It’s not easy to take a classic and make it battery powered, and his business has been busy manufacturing ‘drop-in’ kits that can take an internal combustion classic and make it fit for the 21st century, without cutting, slicing or damaging any of the original bodywork. Revealed at the show was Jimmy Carr’s 1967 Aston Martin DB6, which looked absolutely outstanding.

A modern classic?

It is a tricky proposition to take a classic model and re-launch it for the modern world. Sometimes it goes well (see: BMW’s relaunch of the Mini in the early 2000s) and sometimes it goes not so well (see: all of the new MGs currently on the road).

For many a petrol-head, the AC Shelby Cobra is one of the most iconic designs in motoring history. This week was the first time I saw the new AC Cobra GT Roadster, and was immediately smitten. It looked absolutely perfect, updated in all the right places, but retaining the perfect amount of heritage in its styling. I wanted to jump straight in and drive away.

McLaren W1 catches the eye

From the F1, to the P1, to the Senna, McLaren always need something world-beating in their range (or, as they call it, their Ultimate Series). When the W1 was revealed in October last year, it was pretty obvious that the Woking-based firm meant business. The stats made exciting reading — 1,258bhp from a hybrid V8 powertrain, an estimated top speed of 220mph and a 0-200km/h (124mph) time of just 5.8 seconds.

This year’s Salon Privé was only the second time the car had been shown to the public, and it dominated the gallery. I loved how McLaren have gone for much harsher lines on the external bodywork compared to the more rounded flow of the P1 and the Senna. It looks very settled and like it wants to drive fast.

It’s important that us Brits produce a world-beater, and it seems that McLaren have delivered both in looks and performance.

More whitewall tyres please

One of the joys of Salon Privé are all the pre-Second World War classic cars, and their ridiculous whitewall tyres. It’s hard not to think of Bugsy Malone and Al Capone when you see them. Who doesn’t like a whitewall tyre? Why have we stopped putting them on cars? More please.

How to do a restomod right

Everyone loves a classic car, but not everyone loves living with a classic car. They are old, so they break down a lot. Parts are expensive. Some aren’t actually that nice to drive. From these gripes, comes the restomod community, which takes the body of a classic and puts it on something that actually works.

One such business is Thornley Kelham, who revealed their sublime Jaguar XK European GT Roadster, which is a jaw-dropping example of a restomod done right. Based on the XK120, the car takes more than 6,000 hours to build, is 15% lighter than the original and boasts 360hp (compared to 160 in the original). It is as tasteful a re-build as you will ever see, and if you want one, you better move quick as only 25 will ever be made.

‘Modifying or enhancing any iconic design should always be approached with the utmost care. One must be respectful of what was originally created in what was a very different time using very different methods,’ says Paul Howse, chief designer of the Jaguar XK European GT.

‘The Jaguar XK European GT Roadster combines the same time-honoured craftsmanship that first brought the XK120 to life with cutting-edge design tools and technologies to reimagine and redefine the elements that made it so breathtakingly beautiful. It remains instantly recognisable as a Jaguar, but more muscular and more assertive – something that could have emerged from Browns Lane in the late 1950s as a ‘skunkworks’ project.’ I agree. Very much on my list for Santa this year.

Three silly guilty pleasures

Here are three more cars that I loved at Salon Privé, purely because they were a bit silly. First up, the absurdly French and fantastic Citroen SM by Opron, which was a delightful dark orange, boasted completely absurd interiors and reminded us all that more rear wheels should be covered.

Second, this Ruf CTR 3 Clubsport. For those who don’t know, Ruf are a German manufacturer that produce absolutely ridiculous Porsche-based cars. This CTR3 Clubsport is based on the 987 Cayman, but boasts 766bhp and a top speed that doesn’t bear thinking about.

Lastly, I was delighted with the sinister styling and shapes of the Bentley Batur Convertible by Mulliner. It’s the perfect combination of mean looking yet gentlemanly. Produced to a very limited run, I have it on good authority that ‘one or two’ might still be available to buy…