We attended Salon Privé 2013

Last week we had the opportunity to attend Salon Privé, one of the most prestigious motoring events in London. It has been held annually since 2005 at Syon Park, a park of around eighty hectares located sixteen kilometres west of the British capital, surrounding Syon House, the home of the Duke of Northumberland’s family.

There, collectors, dealers, owners of exotic motorcycles and cars, distinguished guests and motoring enthusiasts gather to admire everything from prototypes unveiled as world premieres and novelties making their European debut to unique classics. Admission is not cheap (the most “affordable” ticket costs 231 euros), but neither are the vehicles on display: the total value of the listed models exceeded 77 million euros.

World and European premieres

Although the public presentation of the new BMW X5 M50d takes place these days at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Bavarian firm wanted to show it first, exclusively, to the attendees of Salon Privé. We brought you its most important details a few days ago. Although in person one appreciates the aesthetic details inherited from the latest BMW models, the changes have been quite conservative and this X5 barely varies from the previous M50d.

Another model making its debut on our continent is the new Maserati Ghibli. It was presented at the Shanghai Motor Show in April. Its range and prices, which you can read here, were made official in July. The unit displayed in the space reserved for Maserati was parked next to a Quattroporte, and the difference in size is considerable. The Ghibli is less flashy to the eye, but that does not mean it dispenses with the sporting traits of the flagship saloon. It revives both a name and a vehicle concept that Maserati abandoned in the 1990s. With the new diesel engine, it has a good chance of helping the manufacturer reach its ambitious sales targets.

Like the Ghibli, the Icona Vulcano hybrid supercar had its debut in Shanghai. Its pronounced wheel arches, sharp edges and fiery orange hue dress an even more brutal car. The version exhibited at the London event was the top-spec one, powered by a V12 combined with an electric motor whose total output approaches 1000 CV. Its price is equally astronomical: around 2,800,000 euros. A sum that probably wouldn’t unduly bother some of the guests at Salon Privé either.

Fresh from Monterey, California, the Spyker B6 Venator Spyder Concept landed in Europe at an event that suited it perfectly. The Dutch brand’s signature remains very present in this camouflaged Artega GT despite having lost the characteristic glass roof of the coupé we saw in Geneva. Up close, its exaggerated front spoiler, the large rear overhang and the meticulously finished interior catch the eye. These distinctive features will need to work hard: even if its V6 producing 375 CV fails to bring it close to the Porsche 911, as Spyker intends, at least it can offer an original alternative to customers of an Jaguar XK Convertible or a Maserati GranCabrio.

Spyker’s compatriot, Vencer, used Salon Privé to announce the definitive version of its Sarthe sports car after two years of work. The body design, made of carbon fibre, has remained practically identical to the prototype presented at the Top Marques in Monaco. It is very long and sharp, as according to the company it draws inspiration from the Le Mans cars of the 1980s. It is powered by a 6.2 V8 from General Motors that produces 510 CV and 650 Nm of peak torque, enabling it to reach 326 km/h. It weighs 1390 kg and only a handful of units will be built, all by hand, at Vencer’s facilities in Vriezenveen.

The Mexican manufacturer Vühl arrived in London with its homework done. Its first model, the 05, earned the necessary acclaim at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to secure its production. This sports car, with 185 CV and a weight of 725 kg, is an ideal toy for the track days so popular in the United Kingdom, one of Vühl’s main markets. Its aggressive stance is created by the contrast of its half-silver, half-dark bodywork, the intimidating headlights and the large air intakes.

The final premiere was the Radical RXC, the first closed car launched by the British firm. Curiously, on the day we visited Salon Privé, we did not see it inside the venue but rather in one of the outdoor car parks. Its 3.7 V6 producing 380 CV and its weight of 900 kg translate into an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 282 km/h. It targets a type of customer similar to Vühl’s, although in the case of the Radical, of which 50 units will be built per year, its development was partly due to the desire to build something resembling the Peugeot car at Le Mans.

The Concours d’Elegance and the classics

The eighth edition of Salon Privé brought together more novelties than any previous one. However, the heart of the event remains its Concours d’Elegance. Judges of the calibre of racing drivers Derek Bell and Murray Walker, the head of design at McLaren, Frank Stephenson, and the chief executive of Zagato, Andrea Zagato, attest to its importance. 95 cars and motorcycles took part, distributed across eleven categories in this year’s edition.

Some of the most notable themes of the competition were the 50th anniversaries of the Porsche 911 and of Lamborghini, the centenary of Aston Martin, the eye-catching “Streamliners” of the early twentieth century, the history of the “Berlinetta” or the legacy of Sergio Pininfarina, whose Lancia Flaminia 3C 2.8 Speciale, a unique unit created for him as his personal car, drew many glances as it made its way up to the podium.

Nevertheless, the favourite model of both the judges and the public was this Ferrari 250 California Spyder LWB from 1959. Its proud driver, Sarah Allen, collected the competition’s top prize to the sound of Right Here Right Now by Fatboy Slim while journalists and guests gathered to take a closer look at one of the most beautiful convertibles of Ferrari. The award has earned this 250 the honour of featuring on the Salon Privé promotional poster for 2014.

The Lime Avenue car park

Attendees of Salon Privé have several places to park. But one stands out above the rest. It is the car park on a road known as “Lime Avenue“, directly opposite the main entrance to the event. The most expensive and rarest vehicles belonging to visitors are kept in this space, bounded by a rustic-style fence to the south-east and by the English countryside to the north-west. The pieces usually found here are so valuable that Salon Privé awards a prize each day to one of the cars chosen by judges who discreetly inspect them in the mornings. A look along the row that fills up towards midday is almost obligatory for any visitor.

Photos | Guillermo Arnal and A. Presa

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadBMW X55 versions · from 96,150 €