Ever heard of a Concours de Vente? It has nothing to do with the size of your take-out coffee cup (besides, that’s venti, not vente). Instead, it will be introduced April 21-23 at the inaugural Salon Privé London on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
The Concours de Vente, we’re told, is “a groundbreaking concept that will feature 60 of the finest automotive classics — all of which will be for sale.” (Vente translates from the French as “sale.”)
The cars are coming from specialist dealers in the UK and Europe and include the first Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona to arrive in the UK. Reportedly, Ronnie Hoare of Marnello Concessionaires was so eager to get an early car (No. 15 off the assembly line), that he accepted one with left-hand drive. Later, when a right-hand model was available, chassis 12545 went to Belgian Ferrari distributor Garage Francorchamps. Recently, it has been restored by Nicholas Todt, son of Jean Todt, former Ferrari F1 racing team head.
Other early consignments include a one-owner 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT driven less than 34,000 miles in 50 years and a 1925 Bentley Super Sports
Carlisle outdoor season starts April 20
Carlisle Events starts its outdoor car season at its Pennsylvania fairgrounds venue with the Spring Carlisle marketplace, scheduled for April 20-24. In addition to the massive swap meet, Carlisle Auctions will offer a docket of more than 400 vehicles, as well as items from the personal automobilia collection of Carlisle Events co-founder Bill Miller.
London Concours features Mercedes
The sixth London Concours, scheduled for June 28-30, will celebrate (among other things) “the greatest marque of them all: Mercedes-Benz,” it reports in a news release.
Among featured vehicles will be the 300 SL Gullwing, the SL “Pagoda,” the SLS coupe, and the 600 LWB “Pullman,” a limousine of which only 428 were produced and which, the concours notes, were purchased by “a diverse list of owners ranging from Saddam Hussein to David Bowie.”
