If you love Mercedes-Benz then you’ll really appreciate this video.
Jonny Smith and his Late Brake Show is invited for a tour of a stunning private museum entirely populated by classic Mercedes. The man behind this beautiful obsession is Danny Lucas who, as you can imagine, is nothing short of Mercedes mad. Despite being called Lucas, he’s clearly more of a Bosch electrics man. This place is not a public museum, it is a completely private Car Cave that exists in plain sight behind blank roller shutter doors.
Danz Benz is the name of his collection, and Danny has channelled his adoration for classic Mercs and business of shop fitting to create a space like Jonny has never seen outside of Stuttgart. Open the door and we are greeted by resin floors, vivid spotlights and rows of curated cars from the 1960s to the 1990s. Actually, the earliest is 1880s, because Danny even has a functioning replica of the first car – the patented 1886 Carl Benz “vehicle powered by a gas engine”. Please see the chapters for each vehicle featured in this episode. This was a very special shoot, because Jonny was granted full access to the museum for the day. Danny’s enthusiasm for the cars he grew up seeing and aspiring to own bled through in every conversation. Each car in the museum was chased down and bought for its condition or backstory. Danny didn’t go down the predictable AMG path, instead he picked immaculate examples with odd specifications or back stories. He has Sir Stirling’s 1990 SL500, the founder of the Jubilee Clip’s S-class 450SEL, a 1970s SLC rally car that rekindled Merc’s racing division (more of which in a future episode), a line of early SLs and a mezzanine full of ’80s Mercs. This is how many of us dream of presenting our worshipped favourite machines, yet Danny ensures they are all on the button and road legal. He can even get any of them out within 20 minutes. The museum has glass cabinets with early MB artefacts and accessories. It felt like someone had bought the Stuttgart Mercedes museum and shipping it back to Kent. See this link for a tour https://www.danzbenz.com/collection
If you do not have the patience to watch the entire video here are the sections you can skip to, to hear about the specific cars featured:
This post is much later that I would have liked to have published it, but life is busy, when you are a workaholic like me. How else will I be able to earn enough money to buy all these cars I would like to own/ drive?
Anyway, we attended the 2022 Concours of Elegance on the Friday as we do most years. This year was the 10 year anniversary and this classic car show was as great as ever and will remain a must attend show for me. The 10th anniversary event welcomed a record number of guests to the immaculate Palace gardens, for the most spectacular display of rare and significant motorcars yet, cementing the event’s reputation as one of the UK’s top Concours d’Elegance event. A shame that this year there was no show poster to purchase, which was a shame in our opinion, we like to purchase and display on our garage wall.
Close to 1000 classic cars were on display across the three-day event. One of the highlights included:
75 years of Ferrari at Concours of Elegance.
Check out this video (below) which highlights the six Ferrari’s featured, what a beautiful collection of cars. Can you name them all?
You can see a great many more videos from the Concours of Elegance through the years here on our You Tube playlist.
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The Concours Winners
The Concours winners that I loved were as follows:
The Best in Show winner – uniquely chosen by the Concours car owners themselves – was the truly exceptional 1938 Delage D8-120 ‘de Villars’, which enchanted the voters with its elegance, beauty and 1930s design flair. You can see our walk around this car here.
For the 1940s and 1950s class, it was a very special Maserati that took the top prize – the stunning Zagato-bodied A6G. This was the ultimate evolution of Maserati’s A6 series, the marque’s first post-war sports car. Based on a lightweight tube-frame chassis, the A6G borrowed several features from the A6GCS sports racing car, including many of its motorsport-proven braking, steering, and suspension components. The all-aluminium twin-cam 150 bhp 2.0-litre six-cylinder engine originally designed by Gioacchino Colombo for racing was adapted by Vittorio Bellentani to create a dual-purpose car that blended GT civility with thrilling performance.
In the hotly contested 1960s category, the winner was a truly exceptional Aston Martin – to many the most beautiful of all: the hallowed DB4 GT Zagato. Combining the proven, high-performance DB4 GT mechanicals with a stunningly stylish – and light – aluminium body by Italian coachbuilding house Zagato – the DB4 GT Zagato represented the best of all worlds; the ultimate 1960s road and racing Aston Martin. The winning car, chassis number 1093/R, was the third of the MP209 ‘ultra-lightweight’ motorsport orientated examples, finished in the arresting hue of French Racing Blue. Built in 1962, the lightened special was delivered new to committed Aston Martin enthusiast and racer Jean Kerguen and raced at Le Mans, where the 3.7-litre straight-six powered machine could hit 170mph on the Mulsanne straight.
In the 1970s class, it was perhaps the most iconic supercar of all, a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV, that won the hearts of voters. Unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, the futuristic supercar – penned by Marcello Gandini – was, predictably, a sensation. Gandini’s seductive shape went into production in 1966, using the 3.9-litre V12 from the 400GT. This first model, the P400, ran from 1966 to 1968, and delivered a peak output of 345bhp. The ultimate version of the Miura – the SV – appeared in 1971, with altered Weber carburettors and different cam timing, which pushed output to 385bhp and torque to 295lb ft. In total, just 150 SVs were built out of a total Miura production run of 764.
There was another fierce contest in the post-1980 category, with a special RHD Bugatti EB110 SS from 1994 taking the top prize. The Lamborghini Countach’s crafter, Marcello Gandini had a meaningful influence on how the EB110 looked, with the design refined into its finished form by Giampaolo Benedini. The brutalist yet sleek aluminium-carbon body cloaked truly cutting-edge mechanicals. Power from an outlandish quad-turbo, 60 valve 3.5-litre V12 was sent to all four wheels via a manual transmission. The EB110 also featured innovative double wishbone suspension front and rear – it was a real technical tour de force; a certain Michael Schumacher even bought one. This example is perhaps the most special of the 139 EB110s built – the only right-hand drive example, built for the 1994 British Motor Show. It was fitted with a prototype ‘SuperSport’ engine as well as prototype SS body parts, and was used to develop the higher-performance variant. It left the factory with 603bhp.
For 2022 the Concours was celebrating the 75th anniversary of Ferrari with a very special category, assembling perhaps the finest selection of machines from Maranello ever seen in the UK. From the astonishing line-up, it was the one-of-two, nigh-mythical Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale – more commonly known as the ‘Tre Posti’ that took victory. The wide, low, and arrestingly sleek 365 P, originally conceived to form the basis of a Le Mans racer, was revealed to the world at the 1966 Paris Motor Show. It subsequently toured the globe, wowing audiences with its futuristic Pininfarina body, outrageous three-seater cabin, and mid-mounted V12 – the first Ferrari road-car to be so configured. With only two in existence, this highly significant Ferrari is also among the rarest and most valuable.
As always a truly exceptional event. Much respect has to go to all involved in the event organisation and those that bring their exquisite cars to show. I am looking forward to 2023 already, starting with the London Concours first, then the Concours of Elegance later in the year.
Here’s our walk around the show (below) in case you did not attend, or maybe you did attend the show and you’ll see yourself, your car or someone you know. Hope you like the video, and do subscribe to our YouTube channel and social media for more classic car, supercar and hypercar news, views, reviews, galleries, competitions and more.
You can see more Concours of Elegance news, reviews, videos and galleries here, including many featured cars and their history.
We are delighted to announce another competition for you, this time we have 3 pairs of tickets to give away. The London Classic Car Show could be your first Classic Car event in 2023, and what an event this looks to be. The London Classic Car Show will be returning to London Olympia which last hosted the event in 2020. The 2023 London Classic Car Show will take place from the 24th – 26th February 2023.
Now in its ninth year, the London Classic Car Show is the must attend event for any discerning classic car owner, collector, expert or enthusiast. You can read all about previous years at the London Classic Car Show, and watch videos here. Bringing together an international celebration of the very best dealers, manufacturers, car clubs and products it’s the perfect day out for all.
As well as creating the perfect ‘purchasing’ environment for classic car collectors, The London Classic Car Show has become synonymous with great content that allows enthusiasts and collectors alike to celebrate the fascinating history of classic cars in all its glory. You will be treated to a brand-new selection of carefully curated features and celebrations of some of the most exotic and exquisite marques from throughout the decades.
This year one of the main features of the show, will be what the shows organisers are calling, Generations, a tribute to legendary car models celebrating their anniversary in 2023. Featuring:
2023 marks 60 years since the launch of the legendary Porsche 911, one of the most significant vehicles in the Porsche marque’s history. The London Classic Car Show presents one of each of the eight generations as well as multiple iterations. A chance to explore the evolution of an icon, from the very first 911 Type 901 to the latest 911 Type 992.
The second Generations feature will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Corvette, which, for eight generations, has blurred the lines between American muscle and European sports-car characteristics, while remaining an unforgettable cultural icon. The London Classic Car Show is delighted to present each generation of this great marque.
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There will be plenty to keep classic car enthusiasts interested, in the seven hours the show is open each day. We cannot wait. Here’s a video from the show in 2017 where we walked around the Ferrari Tribute Collection. Wonderful stuff. I was in my car heaven.
So how do you win a pair of tickets to this great event?
To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to the London Classic Car Show 2023, these are your three ways of entering, and you can enter in all three ways should you wish to improve your chances of winning:
Option 1: Leave a comment below and tell us what is your favourite classic car and why. For additional points if you own a Classic we’d love to hear all about it.
Option 2: Follow us on Instagram, find our competition post and follow the entry criteria.
Option 3: Follow us on Facebook, find our competition post and follow the entry criteria.
Please spread the word to any car mad friends you have, the more people you know that can enter, the more you increase your chances of winning. Closing date for entries will be 10th February 2023. Good luck.
Mike Brewer’s big interview part 2 – the Wheeler Dealer’s Life In Cars. Known for being the frontman of TV show Wheeler Dealers since it began almost 20 years ago, Mike had already been the presenter of Driven, Deals on Wheels and numerous other shows. Following on from the Car Cave private garage tour of Mike’s workshop and Part 1.
This is the Idol Chat interview, where Jonny Smith brings his terrible brown chairs to ask personal questions to a prominent face in the automotive community.
If you do not have the patience to watch the entire video (which I urge you to do), here are the sections you can skip to to hear about the specific topics covered:
Mike Brewer big interview part 1 – the Wheeler Dealer’s Life In Cars. Known for being the frontman of TV show Wheeler Dealers since it began almost 20 years ago, Mike had already been the presenter of Driven, Deals on Wheels and numerous other shows. Following on from the Car Cave private garage tour of Mike’s workshop, this is the Idol Chat interview, where Jonny Smith brings his terrible brown chairs to ask personal questions to a prominent face in the automotive community.
If you do not have the patience to watch the entire video (which I urge you to do), here are the sections you can skip to to hear about the specific topics covered:
In 1970, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood drove the 917 KH (short-tail) with start number 23 and in the world-famous red-white Salzburg design to the first of (so far) 19 overall wins for Porsche at the circuit. The 917 was Porsche’s first time in the league of immensely powerful, large-capacity racing cars. Its 580bhp 4.5-litre 12-cylinder engine set new standards, and is still legendary today.
Changes in the regulations meant that prototypes were allowed a maximum engine size of 3.0 litres, and for sports cars 5.0 litres were allowed – but a series of at least 25 had to be built. The 1969 race season allowed the 917 to become fully race proven, with the result that the car entered 1970 with its reliability assured and improved aerodynamics to rectify its previously wayward behaviour at high speed.
For the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours the factory did not enter the cars directly, but via its partners, John Wyer Automotive and Porsche Salzburg. In a rain-soaked race, amid fierce competition from Ferrari, the 917s fought a close-won victory. Here’s the picture I took of it at the Concours of Elegance 2020.
This car, a Salzburg entry in the team’s red and white livery started with a disadvantage – driver Richard Attwood had opted for the smaller of the two engines available by 1970, the 4.5-litre instead of the 5.0-litre, and had chosen the 917 KH ‘short-tail’ version rather than the faster 917 1H long-tail. This was because the long-tail he’d driven at Le Mans in 1969 had been extremely unstable – but by 1970 the long-tail design had been made far more stable.
So, initially, Attwood and co-driver Hans Herrmann lagged behind the rest of the 917s and the Ferrari 512s. However, as rain started to fall in the evening, becoming torrential through the night, the car’s milder specification and the two drivers’ experience shone through – and to their great surprise they found themselves in the lead.
The heavy rain caused misfiring through the night, due to water leaking onto the ignition components, but the car kept going. After 24 hours it was still in the lead, despite the drivers being exhausted – particularly as Artwood later found that he had been suffering from the mumps.
Porsche 917 rear view at Concours of Elegance 2020
This was Porsche’s first-ever overall win at Le Mans, and another 917 finished second. Since then, Porsche has achieved a record total of 19 overall La Sarthe victories to date – but the first, in car 23, was surely the greatest of all.
The Alfa 6C 1750 was one of the sporting greats of the 1920s and ’30s. Introduced at the 1929 Rome Motor Show, it was technically virtually identical to its predecessor, the 6C 1500, except for an enlarged version of the six-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine designed by Vittorio Jano – who had been poached from Fiat by Enzo Ferrari, then of Alfa Romeo‘s racing department.
The idea of the larger capacity was for the model to be able to cope with heavier bodywork, and so the first versions had a long wheelbase. But, of course, a short-wheelbase Sport variant was soon also introduced, using a double-overhead-camshaft version of the 1750 engine. A more powerful iteration of the Sport, named the Super Sport, was then launched, with a 95bhp supercharged development of the double-overhead-camshaft unit.
Production of the Sport and Super Sport lasted for only two years before they were replaced by the naturally aspirated Gran Turismo and supercharged Gran Sport. These were the most powerful, as well as the shortest, of the series.
1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 at Concours of Elegance 2020
As was the norm in that era, these models were bought as rolling chassis to be bodied by the coachbuilders of the buyer’s choice. Most examples went to Italian coachbuilders － the bulk of them to Zagato and Touring, and a few to Castagna and Stabilimenti Farina. Zagato’s bodies were popular for the competition cars due to their light weight.
In 1933 the Gran Sport was replaced by the 8C 2300, essentially an eight-cylinder version of the Gran Sport. The Turismo was superseded by a series of six-cylinder cars that continued to be produced until the outbreak of World War Two. This car, chassis no. 0312867, which I saw at the Concours of Elegance 2020, was prepared for the 1929 Mille Miglia, and is one of the 52 Super Sports built on the third-series 6C 1750 chassis. It was completed in March, and soon after that it was driven to victory in the Mille Miglia by Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi. Prominent businessman Enrico Wax from Genoa then paid a premium to acquire the car, seeing the kudos of owning a Mille Miglia winner – and so it was cherished virtually from new, making it one of the most original surviving Alfa Romeos of its era.
ENGINE
1.75-litre, straight-six, DOHC, supercharger, 95bhp, single carb
CONFIGURATION
Front engine, four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, separate ladder chassis, aluminium body, live axle, semi-elliptic spring suspension, drum brakes
Near the top of any list of great classic road racers, you will find the Aston Martin DB4 GT. Competition-winning know-how inspired every facet of its design, and yet it also turned out to be effortlessly beautiful － two qualities that maddened its Modena competition. This model forced Ferrari to up its sports car game by breaking the famous Italian brand’s stranglehold on a discipline it had dominated since the early 1950s.
From the DB4 GT’s Perspex headlamp covers to its preposterously powerful (for the time) 302bhp straight-six engine, it was ready for Le Mans right from the showroom. In fact, one famous incident would prove this outright. At the 1959 Bahamas Speed Week, a works DBR2 was rolled just before its next race. The factory team had no choice but to pluck a customer’s stock DB4 GT from the car park and give it to Stirling Moss. He went on to win that race, cementing the model’s legend in the process.
1960 Aston Martin DB4GT at Concours of Elegance 2020
Simply upping the power would have been enough for most makers, but Aston Martin went so much further. Weight saving was taken to near-fanatical levels. The wheelbase was shortened by five inches, the rear seats were removed and the aluminium bodywork was thinner than that used on the road-going DB4. Even the quarter and rear window glass was swapped for lightweight Perspex. Borrani alloy wire wheels finished off a crash diet that saved 91kg (2001b) over the standard DB4. All this effort wasn’t wasted, with the car winning its opening BRDC Sportscar race at Silverstone, again in the hands of Stirling Moss.
This exceptional and unrestored DB4GT, that I got to see and photograph at the Concours of Elegance 2020, is thought to be the only car finished in this attractive shade of Wedgwood Blue from the factory. It’s also one of just 45 made in right-hand drive (from a total production of 75), and has remained in the UK ever since it rolled out of Newport Pagnell 60 years ago. For a time, the car belonged to prolific historic racer The Right Honourable Patrick Lindsay before passing to the equally well-known David Heynes. Now, in the hands of its current long-term owner, the car is once again used in anger on the circuit; just as Aston Martin intended.
Front engine, five-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, unitary body and chassis, coil-spring front with coil-spring live rear axle with Watt’s linkage, discs all round
UJB 140 is one of the four works Auston-Healey 3000s that were built by the factory for use in the 1960 Sebring 12 Hours. The car was used as a spare at that meeting, which at the time was the only American race on the calendar that counted toward the World Sportscar
Championship. Previously to this, British motor sport legend Jack Sears had driven the 3000 for BMC at Silverstone in order to test three-piston Girling brakes.
1959 Austin-Healey 3000 at Concours of Elegance 2020
Directly after the Sebring event the car was sent to Hambro Automotive Corporation, the New York importer of Austin-Healeys. From here in August 1960 it was bought by Richard Ecklund, the first actual owner of UJB 140. He raced the 3000 in SCCA events at Harewood Acres in Canada and Watkins Glen in New York state.
In 1986 Bob Deuell, a close racing friend of Richard’s who shared the car on occasion, bought UJB 140. At that stage, there were only 20,000 miles on the odometer. Bob prepared the Austin-Healey and raced it in Historic events until he sold it to Jerry Bensinger, a dealer friend, in around 2007. The 3000 then passed to Craig Hillinger, and on to Peter Jaye in 2009, who implemented an outstanding restoration to its 1960 Sebring configuration. The picture above is the one I took of the roadster at the Concours of Elegance 2020, with Racing Green paint and hardtop.
Very late in posting this, but life is busy, so I do what a can when I can. Here are 10 cars that really stood out to me at the London Concours 2022 that I’ve never seen before. In no particular order. Just wow on these cars, I love a rare and unique car.
Featured in the coachbuilt and concepts concours class. What a sleek and beautiful looking car. Revealed at the 1996 Paris motor show, the electro- transparent roof would be seen on the Maybach 62, the butterfly doors would be used on the McLaren Mercedes SLR and the active body control suspension system would eventually be introduced on the 1999 CL- Class.
I like this car a lot. Unique looking, very low, just cool, period. The Ghepardo concept was revealed at the 2005 Geneva Auto Salon, with an all-aluminium body – a Bizzarrini calling card – and the shape inspired by the legendary 5300 GT. The engine came from a Renault – derived GP2 engine capable of revving to 10,000 rpm. The car was said to be capable of 0 to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 225 mph.
I think that this Jaguar has to be one of the coolest Jaguar’s ever made and not put into full production. What a shame. Looks very cool dont’t you think?
Built to mark 50 years of the XK120, the XK180 caused a huge stir at the 1998 Paris motor show. It was designed by XJ220 stylist Keith Helfet as a modern interpretation of the D-Type and E-Type. Although enthusiastically received, only two cars were ever built: this example is owned by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.
Very elegant and a beautiful looking car. Just 60 A6G 2000 GT’s were built, with most being bodied by Zagato, Pininfarina or Frua. However, this particular example is one of 21 crafted by Turin- based Carrozzeria Allemano.
Featured in the coach built and concepts class. Another Zagato beauty.
The 1900 was Alfa’s first production-line car, but while upper management heralded the cost savings, general manager Iginio Alessio feared for the future of the Italy’s design houses and stylists. He instructed the car to be made so that five coachbuilders could use the unitary frame as the basis for their creations.
Zagato created this example for Joakim ‘Jo’ Bonnier, who won with it at the 1955 Swedish Grand Prix, and took a class victory at the Karlskoga circuit a week later. Bonnier then sold the Alfa to Carl Lohmander, who competed in it at Denmark’s Roskilde Ring before inviting Bonnier to drive it at Oulton Park’s 1955 International Trophy. Again he took class victory.
Lohmander raced the car at several events, such as the Avusrennen in Berlin, and the car was featured in the December 1955 edition of Motor-Revy. The car has since remained in Sweden and Norway, continuing to compete in many events.
Featured in the coach built and concepts class. Not a beauty in my opinion, but unique for sure.
Built on the principles of quality and correctness – and V8 talk – the Peterborough – produced and built Ronart Lightning was intended to be a leading grand tourer. The body is all carbon fibre, and the space frame chassis and monocoque were designed in house with bespoke suspension.
The engine and gearbox came from Ford’s Mustang SVT, and it’s 4.6-Litre V8 provided 320bhp. A 500bhp supercharged version was also offered. The car was ahead of its time, featuring sat-nav, integral cooling fans in the leather Recaro seats, and it also had detachable carbon fibre roof panels. Only six examples were built before production ceased, and this is one of justice three that are thought still to exist. The fifth car built, it was the Ronart demonstrator and specified by the company chairman.
Featured in the coach built and concepts class. Two phrases I never thought I would hear in the same sentence Rolls-Royce and pick up. Amazing that this car even exists and respect to the original owner for commissioning its creation.
The brief for this unusual conversion was simple: build the ultimate Goodwood Revival tow vehicle. The car’s owner, a prominent historic motorsport enthusiast, entrusted Essex based Clarke and Carter with transforming a 1967 Silver Shadow into an elegant pickup.
In fact, the example the specialist was given had already been converted, but to a rather lesser standard- so to attain the quality required the restorers virtually had to start all over again.
The result is befitting of the authentic cars ethos, with hand-crafted detailing applied throughout. Fun flourishes included the ‘pick-up’ badging, created in a script mimicking what you would find on an original Silver Shadow.
Featured in the great British history class. I just think this is a cool car, very unique looking and a unusual colour.
The SS1 offered extravagant looks for a palatable price, and was available in fixed head coupe, tourer, sports saloon and drophead coupe form. It was not intended as a performance car, with up to 20 BHP available.
The Airline coupe was styled to get the most out of the six- cylinder engine, with a smooth air-sparing design that reflected the art deco fashion of the time. Only 624 were produced, and this one was originally delivered in March 1935 to Captain S Clough by Glovers of Harrogate.
Featured in the great British history class. Vauxhall built its’s first car in 1903, making it Britains oldest car maker. Named after the Vauxhall area of Lambeth where the original works were located. In 1905 Vauxhall moved to Luton where between 1927 and 1933 less than 50 Hurlinghams were built. To date only 19 cars are known worldwide with 5 in the UK. The Hurlingham captured the art-deco spirit of the 20’s with a centre body line running from the speedbird mascot to cropped boat tail. Scuttle mounted marine style vents, twin window-screens and flip up mother-in-law dicky seat complete the design.
I hope you enjoyed seeing these cars as much as I did. Many of these cars I saw for the very first time at the London Concours, which is why I love this event so much and cannot wait for next years event.
Have you seen our video (below), where we take a walk around the London Concours 2022, if not, here it is (and don’t forward to subscribe to our YouTube Channel).
