{"id":498801,"date":"2020-07-06T12:24:23","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T19:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=108086"},"modified":"2024-08-25T00:34:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-25T00:34:13","slug":"rare-hispano-suiza-j12-to-highlight-salon-prive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/rare-hispano-suiza-j12-to-highlight-salon-prive\/","title":{"rendered":"Salon Priv\u00e9 (2020) – Rare Hispano-Suiza J12 to Highlight Salon Prive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salon Priv\u00e9 is renowned for attracting the world\u2019s finest motor cars to its Concours d\u2019El\u00e9gance, and this year more than a century of automotive history will be represented on the lawns of Blenheim Palace \u2013\u00a0from pioneering veterans to modern-day hypercars.<\/p>\n

Few marques capture the glamor of the inter-war years in quite the same way as Hispano-Suiza, and enthusiasts will be able to revel in the sight of one of its most coveted models. Introduced in 1931, the J12 represented the height of luxury and the pinnacle of Hispano-Suiza\u2019s automotive development, and the car that will be starring in the Concours d\u2019El\u00e9gance by AXA is one of only eight open examples ever built (pictured above). The Cabriolet coachwork was created by the famous Parisian carrosserie<\/em> Vanvooren, which also designed flowing, elegant bodies for the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bugatti and Bentley. Owned by renowned collector Peter Mullin since 1992, this spectacular J12 will be entered into the Pre-War Open Tourers Class.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Napier enjoyed a peerless reputation in the early years of the 20th<\/sup> century, and the British company pioneered the use of six-cylinder engines in production cars. Its performance credentials were confirmed via a successful competition programme and, when combined with exquisite coachwork, helped to make Napiers the original \u2018Best Car in the World\u2019 \u2013\u00a0long before Rolls-Royce adopted that line.<\/p>\n

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Discovered in an Argentinian barn along with two Bugattis, the 1904 Napier L49 that will be appearing at Salon Priv\u00e9 was eventually imported back into UK by the well-known racer, dealer and collector Colin Crabbe. After being sold to current owner Sirdool Singh, a painstaking \u2018nut and bolt\u2019 restoration was carried out in India at a facility owned by His Highness Rana Manvendra Singh of Barwani. Now finished in \u2018Napier Green\u2019 with maroon coachlines, the chain-driven semi-limousine will be entered in the Pre-War Closed Tourers Class.<\/p>\n

Bringing the story right up to date is a 2019 McLaren Senna, which will be entered in the Classics of the Future Class. Inspired by Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna \u2013 who won all three of his Formula One World Championships with McLaren \u2013 the 789bhp hypercar is the most track-focused road model ever built by McLaren, legalised for road use but not sanitised to suit it.<\/p>\n

The McLaren that will grace the lawn at Salon Priv\u00e9 is finished in a unique colour scheme. Having grown up watching Formula One racing during the 1980s, the owner decided to apply the iconic black-and-gold JPS livery worn by the Lotus in which Senna took his first victory at the rain-sodden 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n