A 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S and a 1995 McLaren F1 have taken the two Best of Show awards at Salon Privé 2026, following the introduction of a separate title for modern collector cars. It was the first time the concours at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire had awarded two overall winners in its 21-year history.
The Miura, entered by Amir Ravan and the RLC Collection, won Best of Show Concours d’Elégance. Meanwhile, Terry Bramall’s McLaren became the inaugural recipient of Best of Show Concours d’Excellence, a new award open to entrants in the event’s limited-edition supercar and hypercar classes.
Salon Privé 2026 brought together 70 cars across 12 classes. Judging took place over two days from September 2, 2026 led by chief judge Nigel Matthews and assistant chief judge Chris Kramer. The wider event ran until September 6. The distinction between the two overall awards was introduced to give contemporary performance cars their own route to a Best of Show title. Salon Privé co-founder and chairman Andrew Bagley said the change reflected the increasing presence of modern supercars and hypercars in collections, while retaining the established concours award for older machinery.
“Introducing the Concours d’Excellence award was a big step for us this year,” Bagley said. “The great classics will always be at the heart of the Salon Privé Concours, but there’s no question that modern supercars and hypercars are now hugely important to collectors, too, and they deserve to be recognised in their own right.”
Ravan’s Lamborghini competed in The Italian Job – 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura, a dedicated anniversary class. It won ahead of another P400 S, entered by Richard Moat, before securing the overall Concours d’Elégance award. The winning car had undergone a four-year restoration, with Ravan crediting Tom Hartley Jnr and his team for the work.
“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. True credit goes to Tom Hartley Jnr and his team for their meticulous attention to detail with restoring this car over four years.”
Bramall’s McLaren F1 competed in Poster Cars – Icons from Our Youth, in which it finished ahead of James Dunkley’s Ferrari F50. The class victory put it in contention for the newly created Concours d’Excellence award, which it subsequently secured.
“I am so thrilled and overwhelmed to have won the inaugural Salon Privé Concours d’Excellence at such a prestigious event,” Bramall said. “The F1 is such a fabulous car and a testimony to its designer Gordon Murray and its restorers Lanzante.”
The runners-up for the overall honours also came from separate parts of the concours. Billy Hibbs’ Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale finished second in Concours d’Elégance, while Gregor Piech’s Porsche 918 Coupé Sonderwunsch was runner-up in Concours d’Excellence. Both had already won their respective classes. The Maserati took Class D ahead of Christy Chiltern-Hunt’s Ferrari 330 GTC by Pininfarina. The Porsche won Class K, with Paul Hogarth’s Ferrari Daytona SP3 taking second place.
Two further awards at Salon Privé 2026 recognised cars outside the overall winning pair. Jane Dyke’s Porsche Pre-A Speedster by Reutter received the Chairman’s Award, while Most Exceptional Coachwork went to the Duesenberg SJ Speedster by Gurney Nutting entered by Bill and Nichole Lyon.
The class structure covered almost a century of cars, with themes encompassing pre-war coachwork, Italian grand tourers, competition machinery and recent hypercars. Alongside the Miura anniversary, the programme marked 80 years of Bristol Cars and the centenary of Carrozzeria Touring. Other class themes included Grace and Elegance – The Golden Age of Motoring, La Dolce Vita and Passione Ferrari – Masterpieces of Maranello.
Peter McGough’s Arnolt-Bristol Deluxe won Class B, with Gale Barton’s Bristol 406S second. In Class C, Bob Bishop’s Pegaso Z-102 Touring Coupé took the award ahead of Steve Turner’s Aston Martin DB5. Among the earlier cars, Nick Schorsch’s Mercedes-Benz 630K Drophead Coupé Sport Touring by Thomas Harrington won Class A. Thomas Reah’s Bentley 3.5L Airline Saloon by William Arnold was runner-up, giving the class’s leading places to two examples with British coachwork.
Porsche entries secured several class awards. Shazad Malik’s 356 Split Window Coupé by Reutter won Class E, ahead of Martin Block’s Porsche 901 Coupé, also bodied by Reutter. Block subsequently took Class H with his Porsche 356 B Cabriolet by Glaser, while J M Barry Gibson’s Mercedes-Benz 280 SL finished second. Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin DB3S won Class F, with the Louwman Museum’s Maserati 8C 3000 taking the runner-up position.
Elsewhere in the field were an Armstrong-Siddeley Special Six, an Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a Bizzarrini 5300GT and a Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet. The Ferrari class was headed by Dennis Garrity’s 212 Coupé Speciale by Ghia. The Auriga Collection’s 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti finished second, with the two leading entries representing different coachbuilders’ work on Ferrari chassis.
At the more recent end of the entry list, Michael Korecky’s Bugatti Bolide won Class L ahead of Mark Manton’s Aston Martin Valkyrie. The Bolide, one of 40 produced, was among the cars competing in the expanded contemporary field, alongside entries including an Aston Martin Valiant Prototype, a Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 Prototype 1 and a Bugatti EB110 Prototype, while a 2025 Rimac Nevera Time Attack became the first fully electric car to enter the Salon Privé concours.
Away from the concours judging, Salon Privé 2026’s Automotive Gallery hosted several UK debuts. Lamborghini presented the Revuelto SV following its international unveiling at The Quail, while Giamaro Automobili gave the Krafla its first British showing, finished in the company’s GC livery with exposed carbonfibre detailing.
Brabus brought two UK premieres: the Bodo, a carbonfibre-bodied grand tourer named after company founder Bodo Buschmann (you can read our interview with the Brabus CEO here), and the 800 Cabrio. Limited to 77 examples, the Bodo uses a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12. The 800 Cabrio, meanwhile, converts the current Mercedes-AMG G63 into an open-top model complete with a folding fabric roof, with production restricted to 50 cars.
Polestar launched the Polestar 4 SUV in Britain, offering additional luggage capacity and utility over the coupé version. Electrogenic, meanwhile, unveiled its electric conversion of the City of London’s 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI ceremonial limousine. Commissioned by Dame Susan Langley, the project forms part of the City of London Corporation’s programme to achieve net-zero emissions from its own operations by 2027. Petroyle, Talos and Theon Design also presented cars during the opening-day programme.
The wider Salon Privé 2026 programme included a five-day Koenigsegg showcase presented by UK representative SuperVettura, alongside the White Collection, this year’s colour-themed display. The weekend added a Pagani and Bugatti gathering and a dedicated Lotus Essex Turbo display, with grid walks giving visitors a closer look at the cars.
Saturday’s programme combined the Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton with manufacturer parades and a Maserati Club celebration titled 80 Years of the Grand Tourer, culminating in a late-afternoon departure. Richard Hammond’s weekend appearances centred on the Concours de Vente, the separate competition for collector cars offered for sale by participating dealers and specialists. Its programme concluded on Sunday, alongside the Supercar Sunday and Lifestyle Club Trophy activities.
More details about Salon Privé 2026 can be found here.
