On Friday we paid a visit to the inaugural Classic and Sports Car The London Show at Alexandra Palace in north west London. The setting was suitably grand for the UK based magazines first ever London classic car show and there was an equally grand and impressive selection of cars on display. Some of the UK’s top classic cars dealers were present and were offering everything from classic Ferrari’s to Maserati’s and Aston Martin’s.
There was enough under one roof to fill any petrol heads top 10 classic car bucket list. Or maybe top 20 classic car bucket list… you get the picture. And speaking of pictures, we took quite a few on the day and have chosen some of the best below.
The highlight of the event for us was getting to meet former Ferrari F1 Team Principle and former owner of Brawn F1, Ross Brawn. He took part in a live interview on the shows interview stage and later signed copies of a new book about the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB he has owned for the past five years.
Once driven by Sir Stirling Moss, the book documents the cars racing history right up to the present day. We decided to splash out and get a copy for ourselves and were lucky to get it signed by Ross himself. So it was well worth the trip to Ally Pally. He also actually mentioned in his interview that he recently took the 250 down to the shops which caused a bit of a stir. Not sure we’d be brave enough to do that in a car worth many millions!
Another highlight of the show was seeing co-presenter of the TV show “For the Love of Cars” Ant Anstead. His interview on the stage was very entertaining, especially when he was pressed on who his favorite Top Gear presenter was. Guess we’ll have to wait for the official announcement!
Overall we think the show was a great success, we hope it returns next year and we hope it stays at Alexandra Palace as it is a wonderful venue for the event.
The entrance to the show had a display to honour the late Lord Montagu of Beaulieu who passed away in August. The choice of a Bentley Blower from the Beaulieu Motor Museum was a very fitting tribute to the great champion of motoring.There was a definite feeling of James Bond in the air at the show with a very fine selection of Aston Martins on display.This 1963 Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spider was simple wonderful.This Lancia D24 racer is one of 4 examples built to the exact spec of the 1950s original D24s. Under the bonnet sits an original Lancia racing 3.8ltr quad cam V6 with produces 100BHp per litre. Which was a record in its day. Impressive stuff!Ant Anstead, star of the TV show “For the Love of Cars” on the interview stage. It was a fun interview with the man behind Eventa Cars.Ross Brawn on the interview stage. It was very interesting listening to him reminisce about his time in F1.In the queue for the book signing.The book itself which looks a great read. We can’t wait to sit down and leaf through it and find out all about one of our favorite Ferrari’s.Signed as well! Very cool!The Ferrari F40. Our favorite poster car of the 1990s. Just brilliant! It was one of 2 on display at Ally Pally.
A stunning and very classic looking example of a Ferrari 288 GTO. With so few built prices of this rare Ferrari have skyrocketed in the past few years.Alexandra Palace was a stunning backdrop for the event with its wonderful Victorian and Edwardian architecture proving just as eye catching as the classics on display. The main halls stained glass rose window was a delight to see.One of the all time great British supercars, the Mclaren F1. Scary to think how much it is worth.We drooled over this gorgeous Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS. This is on the list!Not 1 but 2 Ghibli’s at the show!! This one looked fantastic in yellow.There were quite a few Ferrari’s on display, representing the current market demand for high quality classic Ferrari’s. The 330 GT in the distance was owned by former F1 driver Chris Amon.One of our favorite cars of all time the Lamborghini 400 GT. The ultimate classic Italian gentleman’s cruiser.A rare and very fine example of a Lamborghini Jamara. Very different when compared to the 400 GT.Another of the great poster era supercars, an impressive Lamborghini Diablo VT. It is amazing looking back at where the firm started with their luxury GT and then comparing with the rampaging monster that is the Diablo.The VT badge stands for “Viscous Traction”, in other words it has 4 wheel drive. It helps to control the 492BHP from the mighty V12.I would really like this Aston Martin DB4 for myself. I’ll get my coat….This 1959 Maserati 3500 GT is a rare early model with the opening side wing vents.This Alfa Romeo Montreal is totally original and unrestored. It was in exceptional condition.Another one of our favorite cars of all time, the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso. Just gorgeous. The kind of car that leaves us speechless.A superb looking Ferrari 275 4 Cam. Silver really suits it and makes a nice change from the traditional Ferrari red.One of the stars of the show for us was this beautiful Bertone designed 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia SS. It’s design was extremely elegant with Bertone injecting a 1960s futuristic look. Sometimes seen as a controversial design, we just love it.
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