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Salon Privé: the Blenheim Palace concours, its history and winners

28 October 2026

A dark green 1924 Lancia Lambda tourer with its hood up on the gravel of the Great Court of Blenheim Palace, an Aston Martin DB2 and a vintage sports car behind
A 1924 Lancia Lambda in the Great Court of Blenheim Palace on the Saturday of the 20th Salon Privé, 30 August 2025. Photo: MrWalkr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Salon Privé is a five-day concours d’elegance and supercar show held every late summer on the South Lawn of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. The brothers Andrew and David Bagley started it at the Hurlingham Club in London in 2006, moved it to Syon Park in 2011 and to Blenheim in 2015; the 2026 show, its 21st, drew more than 30,000 visitors and named two Best of Show winners, a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S and a 1995 McLaren F1. The 2027 show runs from 1 to 5 September, with entry tickets from £60.

Sports cars, a Formula One car and racing GTs on the lawn in front of the battlemented front of Syon House, with green parasols and Salon Privé banners
The show field in front of Syon House, Brentford, on 5 September 2012, the second year at Syon Park. Photo: The Car Spy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is Salon Privé?

Salon Privé is a judged concours for collector cars, run as a garden party alongside displays of new supercars, a Ladies’ Day, two days of car-club gatherings and stands for luxury brands such as the jeweller Boodles; the organiser’s home page bills the event as “the ultimate garden party”. The French name means “private room”; a 2012 SkiddMark report translated it so and called the show a public party that keeps its “privé” air by selling a limited number of tickets at a high price. The organiser, Salon Privé, describes its concours as the UK’s only professionally judged multi-marque concours: a jury of marque specialists scores each car in its class, where the other big British concours, the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, lets the entrants vote.

The cars on the concours field are privately owned and shown by invitation; in 2026 there were 70 of them across 12 classes, spanning about a century of motoring. Around them, manufacturers unveil new models to the press on the opening morning, specialist dealers show cars for sale, and at the weekend more than 1,000 club members’ cars fill the North and South Lawns each day. Since 2022 the same company has also run a spring show, Salon Privé London, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

History of Salon Privé

Salon Privé began in 2006 at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, spent four years at Syon Park in west London from 2011 and has been held at Blenheim Palace since 2015. The organiser’s own history says the Bagleys based the idea on what they saw at Amelia Island, Monterey Car Week in California and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como. Sports Car Digest’s report of the move to Blenheim dates the brothers’ plan to 2004.

Salon Privé venues and dates in selected years, from the organiser’s announcements and contemporary reports (listed under Sources)
YearVenueDatesEdition and notes
2006Hurlingham Club, LondonNot publishedFirst show
2010Hurlingham Club, London21–23 JulyFifth show; 1,200 public tickets a day, sold out two weeks early
2011Syon Park, London22–24 JuneFirst year at Syon
2012Syon Park, London5–7 SeptemberFirst September date
2013Syon Park, London4–6 SeptemberEighth show
2015Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire3–5 SeptemberTenth anniversary; first year at Blenheim
2020Blenheim Palace23–26 September15th show, moved back three weeks by Covid-19; GTspirit dates a media day to 22 September
2025Blenheim Palace27–31 August20th anniversary; five days
2026Blenheim Palace2–6 September21st show; more than 30,000 visitors
2027Blenheim Palace1–5 September22nd show (announced)

The Hurlingham Club years, 2006 to 2010

The first show was held in 2006 on the lawns of the Hurlingham Club, the private members’ club beside the Thames in Fulham. By 2010 it had outgrown them. Supercars.net’s report of the 2011 changes records that the fifth show, from 21 to 23 July 2010, reached its capacity of 1,200 public tickets a day two weeks before it opened, with a record 24 exhibitors selling everything from supercars to jewellery, boats and televisions; a 2010 SkiddMark picture report gave the same dates and called the club an “exquisite and exclusive” backdrop. Andrew Bagley told the same Supercars.net report that the show’s needs for tickets, display and hospitality space now exceeded what the club could offer.

Syon Park, 2011 to 2014

For 2011 the show moved to the 200-acre Syon Park in Brentford, the London home of the Duke of Northumberland, and forward to 22–24 June. After 2012 it settled on early September. Sports Car Digest’s 2013 notice quotes Andrew Bagley calling 2012 “the best Salon Prive ever” and saying September would become its long-term slot.

The 2012 show ran from 5 to 7 September. A 2012 SkiddMark report, which called it “motoring’s luxury lifestyle event”, noted that it had no straw bales, smoking tyres or racing to watch but “plenty of atmosphere”, and counted seven Bugattis on one display and an Aston Martin line-up of the V12 Vantage Roadster, One-77, new Vanquish and V12 Zagato, and noted that the concours had added a 21-mile Tour d’Elégance, a road run for the concours cars before the show.

In 2013, the eighth show, the tour started at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park and called at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands, Hampton Court and Bushy Park before reaching Syon. Hagerty’s report of the 2013 show puts the 50 cars on the tour, built between 1928 and 2013, at £25 million, and the concours field at £65 million, 22 per cent of it from abroad; a 2013 SkiddMark report gave the same two values. Thursday was Boodles Ladies’ Day, with the Royal College of Art’s Concours of the Future design exhibition, and Friday the Audemars Piguet British Super Car Day.

Blenheim Palace, since 2015

For its tenth anniversary in 2015 Salon Privé moved to Blenheim Palace, eight miles north-west of Oxford: the Duke of Marlborough’s seat, Winston Churchill’s birthplace and, by the palace’s own account, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. GTspirit’s 2015 preview describes the first Blenheim show: a concours of nine classes, two of them for motorcycles (Hagerty’s 2013 list already had a Sporting Motorcycles class at Syon), a new Prestige & Performance category for modern supercars and hypercars, and a sale of more than 50 cars run with Silverstone Auctions. Sports Car Digest added that the show gained a public day on the Saturday.

The 2020 show still went ahead. The organisers’ 2020 statement, carried by Supercars.net, moved that year’s 15th show back three weeks to 23–26 September, with 95 per cent of the exhibitor space already sold; David Bagley said 2019 had brought a record 11 debuts. For its 20th-anniversary celebration in 2025 it grew to five days and added the Automotive Gallery, a glass atrium for more than 45 cars that Octane’s 2025 preview describes as all-weather space. The organiser says it is the first car event to be certified as a B Corporation, with a B Impact Score of 91.2; B Corp is a certification of a business’s social and environmental standards, issued by the non-profit B Lab and reviewed every three years.

A silver Trident Iceni roadster with a red interior on the grass, with marquees, parasols and guests behind
The Trident Iceni, a diesel sports car from Swaffham in Norfolk, at its world debut at Syon Park on 5 September 2012. Photo: The Car Spy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New cars and debuts at Salon Privé

Salon Privé opens each year with a morning of car launches for the press, and makers use it for UK or world debuts. The organiser’s programme puts a supercar manufacturers’ parade on the main stage at 11:00 every day.

In 2012 Trident Vehicles of Swaffham, Norfolk, gave its Iceni roadster its world debut at Syon Park. A 2012 SkiddMark report listed its claimed figures: a front-mid-mounted 6.6-litre turbodiesel V8 giving 430bhp and 950lb ft at 3,250rpm in standard form, or 660bhp and 1,050lb ft (1,424Nm) when upgraded, 0–60mph in 3.7 seconds, more than 190mph, 68.9mpg and 2,000 miles on a tank, with a price from £75,000, built to order, and an engine that would run on mineral diesel, biodiesel, palm oil or linseed oil. The same year Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera showed its Disco Volante 2012, which SkiddMark’s report of the show described as a two-seat coupé on the chassis of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione with its Maserati-built 4.7-litre 444bhp V8, and Pirelli’s 2019 preview notes that the Rimac Concept_One electric car was first shown at Salon Privé in 2012.

The 2013 show had the world debuts of the BMW X5 M50d and Clark Abel’s Dakar Evoque, and European debuts for the Spyker B6 Venator Spyder and the one-off Icona Vulcano, according to Hagerty; a 2013 SkiddMark report adds the Ford Evos concept, the Lightning GT and Tauro Sport Auto’s Tauro V8 Spyder on the Concept Lawn, and Ginetta’s G40R and G60, with the launch of a new race series, the Ginetta Driver’s Club. The Evos won that year’s People’s Choice award.

In 2026 the organiser’s opening-day release listed UK debuts for the Lamborghini Revuelto SV, the Brabus Bodo and Brabus 800 Cabrio, the Polestar 4 SUV and the Giamaro Krafla. Electrogenic unveiled its electric conversion of the City of London’s 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI official limousine.

How the Salon Privé Concours is judged

The concours is judged in classes by a professional jury over the first two days, Wednesday and Thursday; class winners are announced at Thursday’s awards parade and Best of Show at a black-tie dinner in the palace that evening, which Octane called the Celebration Dinner in 2025. The organiser’s list of judges is a panel of marque specialists, curators and dealers, several of whom also judge at Pebble Beach and the Cavallino Classic, and the 2026 judges were led by Chief Judge Nigel Matthews and Assistant Chief Judge Chris Kramer. Octane reported that the 2025 field was judged to the standards of ICJAG, the International Chief Judge Advisory Group. Max Girardo, founder of the dealer Girardo & Co., presents the cars on the parade.

The concours carries a sponsor’s name. Aviva Private Clients has backed it since the 2021 show, and it is now the Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients; in 2020 GTspirit reported it as the Concours d’Elégance presented by AXA, and in 2015 and 2019 GTspirit and Pirelli called it the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance; a 2013 SkiddMark report named the road run that year the Chubb Insurance Tour d’Elégance.

Concours classes

The organiser’s concours page lists the classes, which change every year around anniversaries and themes. The twelve for 2026 were Grace & Elegance (the golden age of motoring), 80 years of Bristol cars, 100 years of Carrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, the air-cooled era, Time to go Racing, 60 years of the Lamborghini Miura, Gone with the Wind, Passione Ferrari, Poster Cars (icons from our youth), Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven. The 2026 field included a Bugatti Bolide and an Aston Martin Valkyrie, and a 2025 Rimac Nevera Time Attack was the first fully electric car to compete.

Two Best of Show awards: Elégance and Excellence

Since 2026 there are two Best of Show awards. The Concours d’Elégance goes to the best of the classic cars; the Concours d’Excellence, new that year, goes to the best of the limited-edition supercars and hypercars, judged under the M100 system, a 100-point scheme drawn up for modern collector cars. The organiser’s 2026 results quote Andrew Bagley: “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.” The first winners were the 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S of Amir Ravan and the RLC Collection, restored over four years by Tom Hartley Jnr, whose owner praised “Gandini’s extraordinary design”, and Terry Bramall’s 1995 McLaren F1, restored by Lanzante. One of the two goes on to the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best award in January 2027, against the winners of Villa d’Este, the Cavallino Classic and The Quail.

Other awards

Each year also has a Chairman’s Award, a People’s Choice voted by visitors, class runners-up and honorary awards such as Most Elegant, Best Interior and the Spirit Award (the Margaret Bagley Trophy). From 2018 to 2025 there was a Duke of Marlborough Award; in 2026 the Chairman’s Award went to Jane Dyke’s 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster by Reutter, and Most Exceptional Coachwork to Bill and Nichole Lyon’s 1935 Duesenberg SJ by Gurney Nutting.

A red 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza spider with a Scuderia Ferrari badge on its bonnet, a red Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupé behind and a Salon Privé sign on the left
A 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Spider by Zagato at Blenheim Palace on 5 September 2021, the same model as the 2020 Best of Show winner. Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Salon Privé Best of Show winners

The first Best of Show on the organiser’s list went to a 1954 Aston Martin DB3S in 2008; pre-war cars and Ferraris of the 1950s have won most years since. The list below is the organiser’s past winners record, which starts in 2008.

Salon Privé Best of Show winners, 2008–2026 (source: Salon Privé past winners record)
YearVenueBest of ShowPeople’s Choice
2008Hurlingham Club1954 Aston Martin DB3S/61960 Ferrari 250 California Spyder
2009Hurlingham Club1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder1973 Dino 246 GTS
2010Hurlingham Club1932 Alfa Romeo MonzaNot listed
2011Syon Park1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S BerlinettaNot listed
2012Syon Park1950 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta by Touring1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
2013Syon Park1959 Ferrari 250 California Spyder LWBFord Evos
2014Syon Park1954 Jaguar D-Type1953 Delahaye 235MS Coupé by Chapron
2015Blenheim Palace1952 Jaguar XK120 ‘Jabbeke’1937 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet by Figoni & Falaschi
2016Blenheim Palace1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa1954 Maserati A6 GCS by Pininfarina
2017Blenheim PalaceAlfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM ‘Superflow’ by Pininfarina1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider
2018Blenheim Palace1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster1964 Ferrari 250 LM
2019Blenheim Palace1948 Talbot-Lago T26 GS Fastback Coupé by Figoni & Falaschi1930 Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged by Gurney Nutting
2020Blenheim Palace1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Spider by Zagato1997 McLaren F1 GTR #28R
2021Blenheim Palace1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A1955 Aston Martin DB2 Monte Carlo Rally car
2022Blenheim Palace1956 Ferrari 250 GT TdF Berlinetta by Zagato1907 Lorraine-Dietrich 130HP ‘Course’
2023Blenheim Palace1937 Bugatti Type 57S by Corsica2022 Koenigsegg Agera S
2024Blenheim Palace1957 Ferrari 335 S by Scaglietti1996 Ferrari F50
2025Blenheim Palace1936 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Spezial Roadster by Sindelfingen1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica ‘Super Fast’ prototype
2026Blenheim PalaceConcours d’Elégance: 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S; Concours d’Excellence: 1995 McLaren F12019 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 prototype

Several cars have won more than one prize. A 1963 E-Type, the Lindner-Nocker Lightweight low-drag coupé, won Class D, Post-war Competition Greats, in 2013 and the Most Sensitive Restoration prize, and was third in Best of Show in 2021, the year the concours ran a class for 60 years of the Jaguar E-Type. Hagerty reported that the 2013 winner, which also won Class H, Wind in Your Hair, was entered by Sarah Allen and praised by the guest judge Sandra Button, chair of the Pebble Beach Concours. By Supercars.net’s 2015 results, the 2015 winner, the 1952 Jaguar XK120 ‘Jabbeke’ of Kurt Engelhorn, first won the Post-war Coachwork class; the same report gives the Pirelli Prestige & Performance prize for modern cars to George Bamford’s LaFerrari.

The 2020 winner was an ex-Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza raced in period by Tazio Nuvolari, GTspirit’s report of the 2020 event says, and that year the Saturday Classic & Supercar day sold out in seven minutes, with more than 1,100 cars in the procession into the grounds.

Which car won Best of Show in 2025?

The 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Spezial Roadster by Sindelfingen, shown by the Auriga Collection, won Best of Show at the 20th-anniversary show in 2025, from four finalists. The People’s Choice went to a 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica ‘Super Fast’ prototype by Pinin Farina, and the Chairman’s Award to a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa by Scaglietti.

An orange-red Lamborghini Miura on the grass beside the stone colonnade of Syon House, a Gulf-liveried transporter behind
A Lamborghini Miura at Syon House, 5 September 2012; a 1969 Miura P400 S won the Concours d’Elégance Best of Show in 2026. Photo: The Car Spy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What happens on each day of Salon Privé

Each of the five days has its own programme, from the concours on Wednesday and Thursday to two days of club cars at the weekend. The gates open at 10:00 from Wednesday to Friday and at 9:00 at the weekend, and close at 17:00, by the organiser’s visitor FAQs.

Wednesday and Thursday: the concours

Wednesday opens with the press launches and the concours cars set out on the South Lawn for judging; at 14:00 they parade past the stage while Max Girardo tells each car’s history. Thursday is the second day of the concours, with the awards parade for class and honorary winners, the People’s Choice and, from 2026, a Concours Style Award for the best-dressed man, judged by the tailors Clements + Church for “tailoring, craftsmanship and individual flair”.

Friday: Ladies’ Day by Boodles

Friday is Ladies’ Day, sponsored by Boodles: the day for fashion and style, for which the organiser publishes a guide to what to wear, with a Best Hat competition whose winner is announced at 16:30. The Concours de Vente begins the same day, with its cars paraded at 14:00.

Saturday: Supercar Saturday and the Club Trophy

Saturday is Supercar Saturday, when well over 1,500 privately owned sports cars, supercars and hypercars fill the North and South Lawns, by the organiser’s count. Clubs and makers put forward their best cars for the Club Trophy, presented by the insurance broker Lockton, whose 2025 round-up says its head judges Ian and Ben Barkaway chose a 1933 Invicta S Type as the overall winner. The organiser records that the 2026 trophy went to a 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster shown by Porsche Club Great Britain, one of 19 right-hand-drive cars.

Sunday: Supercar Sunday and the Lifestyle Club Trophy

Sunday brings more than 1,000 club cars and the Lifestyle Club Trophy, with prizes for the best single-model club car and the best multi-marque club car; the 2026 winner was Mitchell Orchant’s 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante, shown by Drivers Union. The day ends with the Concours de Vente awards. In 2019 the Sunday public day was called Salon Privé Classic & Supercar (formerly Blenheim Classic & Supercar), and Pirelli expected upwards of 3,000 cars on the grounds.

The Concours de Vente

The Concours de Vente is a judged concours in which every car is for sale and only classic car dealers may enter; at a conventional concours, a car for sale may not be entered at all. The organiser’s Concours de Vente page says entries must have been registered before 1 March 2011, that the cars, on show from Friday to Sunday, are judged in classes over the weekend under Amanda Stretton, and that the best wins the Prix d’Honneur. It started at Salon Privé London and came to Blenheim in 2025; the former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond judges it at the weekend. In 2026 the Prix d’Honneur went to Furlonger Specialist Cars’ 1994 Bugatti EB110 SS prototype, with Bruce Greatham Classic Benz’s 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL second.

A dark blue Bugatti Veyron on a carpeted stand beside the Club Trophy lectern and a row of silver cups, Blenheim Palace behind
A 2007 Bugatti Veyron beside the Club Trophy cups on the Saturday of Salon Privé, 31 August 2024. Photo: MrWalkr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Visiting Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace

Salon Privé is open to anyone with a ticket; there is no membership, and tickets for 2027 were on sale on the organiser’s website by October 2026. The 2027 show runs from Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 September 2027.

How much are Salon Privé tickets?

Entry tickets cost from £60 for 2027, with early-bird tickets held at 2026 prices until 4 October 2026, when that offer closed, by the organiser’s ticket page. On Sunday an adult ticket is £60, a child (5–16) £30 and a family ticket £150; Saturday child and family tickets cost the same, and children under five go free. Entry covers the South Lawn, the Automotive Gallery and the palace gardens; food and drink are extra. For dining without a hospitality ticket there is the Dining Village of street-food stands, and the bars and stands take cards only.

Octane gave the 2025 range as £55 for entry to £645 for hospitality, and the organiser pitches its dining packages at celebrations, family gatherings and corporate entertainment. The Spencer Pavilion (Wednesday to Friday) has a buffet lunch and free drinks; the Glass House (every day) has a four-course lunch on weekdays and three courses at the weekend, afternoon tea on weekdays and Pommery Champagne throughout; car-club members can book the Boodles Club Lounge at the weekend. Tickets are not refundable, the weekend sold out in 2025, and hospitality must be booked in advance.

Is there a dress code at Salon Privé?

Yes. On the weekdays men are asked to wear a jacket with a tie or cravat, and women hats or fascinators on Ladies’ Day; at the weekend the code is still smart, garden-party clothes, and shorts and ripped denim are not allowed. The organiser warns that the gravel paths and lawns are poor ground for stiletto heels.

How do you get to Blenheim Palace?

Blenheim Palace is in Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1UL, eight miles north-west of Oxford on the A44, signposted from junction 9 of the M40, and parking in the grounds is free with a ticket. The organiser’s travel page lists Oxford and Oxford Parkway as the stations, with direct trains from London Paddington and Marylebone; Hanborough is nearer but has no taxi rank. London Oxford Airport at Kidlington, which the organiser puts six minutes away, takes private aircraft, and helicopters can land at the palace by arrangement. Owners driving a classic car or supercar can apply for parking along the Avenue near the entrance.

Can you show your own car at Salon Privé?

There are three ways in. Owners of cars of rare history apply to the organiser to enter the concours, which is by selection; car-club members book a club ticket for Saturday or Sunday, which includes a place in the club paddock on the North Lawn and a chance at the Club Trophy; and dealers enter the Concours de Vente.

A red Ferrari 250 GTO with race number 22 roped off on the grass in front of a hospitality pavilion, beside a column of flowers
A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO in the GTO display at the 20th Salon Privé, Blenheim Palace, 30 August 2025. Photo: MrWalkr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Special displays

Besides the concours, each show has feature displays that stay for several days. For the 20th show in 2025 Octane listed three: a Green Collection for the emerald anniversary, including the sole surviving 1927 Bentley 3 Litre Vanden Plas Le Mans works car; a display of Ferrari 250 GTOs; and a display of McLaren F1 and F1 GTR cars for the 30th anniversary of the F1’s Le Mans win. Lockton counted three GTOs on the lawn. On the Friday more than 20 Bugatti Veyrons gathered for one day. In 2019 the theme was Bentley’s centenary, with 52 privately owned Bentleys from around the world, cars from Bentley’s own Heritage Collection including the oldest surviving EXP2 and the new EXP 100 GT, and more than 1,000 Bentleys around the lake, Pirelli reported.

In October 2026 the organiser’s programme page listed the White Collection of more than 20 white cars, five days of Koenigseggs from the UK importer SuperVettura, a Pagani against Bugatti display at the weekend, a Maserati Club UK display for 80 years of the grand tourer, and the UK’s largest gathering of Lotus Essex Turbo road cars; the organiser’s home page names the White Collection as the 2027 colour display.

Salon Privé London

Salon Privé London is a three-day spring show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, run by the same organiser since 2022. Racecar.com’s report of the 2024 show, the third, quotes David Bagley on displays of 50 Porsche 911 Turbos, 30 McLarens and a world-record 15 Aston Martin Valkyries, and names the first Koenigsegg Jesko shown in the UK. The 2027 London show runs from 15 to 17 April 2027, after the Sloane Street Concours on 10 April, the organiser announced on 21 September 2026.

How Salon Privé compares with other concours

In Britain, Salon Privé’s nearest equivalent is the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, held the same week as Salon Privé in 2026; Octane called the two the UK’s most prestigious motoring pageants. The difference is the judging. The Concours of Elegance says its Best of Show is chosen by the owners of its more than 60 cars voting on each other’s, where Salon Privé uses a jury; the Concours of Elegance began at Windsor Castle in 2012 and has been at Hampton Court since 2017. Among the concours events abroad, Salon Privé is one of the events whose winners go to the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best, with Villa d’Este, the Cavallino Classic and The Quail, and the 2013 show had the chair of Pebble Beach, Sandra Button, as a guest judge.

Questions

When is Salon Privé 2027?

Salon Privé 2027 runs from Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 September 2027 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Salon Privé London runs earlier in the year, from 15 to 17 April 2027, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Who owns and runs Salon Privé?

Salon Privé was founded by the brothers Andrew and David Bagley, who still run it: Andrew as chairman and co-founder, David as sales director. They held the first show at the Hurlingham Club in London in 2006.

What does Salon Privé mean?

Salon privé is French for “private room”. The concours d’elegance itself began in Paris, where aristocrats paraded their horse-drawn carriages on summer weekends, by the organiser’s history of the form.

Can you buy cars at Salon Privé?

Yes, at the Concours de Vente, held from Friday to Sunday, where every car is entered by a specialist dealer and is for sale on the day. The concours cars themselves are privately owned and shown for judging, not for sale.

Are children and dogs allowed at Salon Privé?

Children are welcome; under-fives go free and children aged 5 to 16 need a ticket (£30 at the weekend), and they must be with an adult. Pets are not allowed on the South Lawn show field, except registered assistance dogs booked in advance.

Is parking free at Salon Privé?

Yes. General parking in the Blenheim Palace grounds is free with an entry ticket, through the Hensington Gate main entrance, and hospitality tickets include palace parking. Club members at the weekend park in their club paddock on the North Lawn.

How many people go to Salon Privé?

More than 30,000 people visited Salon Privé over the five days in 2026, a record, with the Saturday sold out, according to the organisers. At the Hurlingham Club in 2010 the show was capped at 1,200 public tickets a day.

Sources

salon priveconcours d’eleganceblenheim palacecar showssupercarsclassic carssyon park