A CONCOURS LOVE STORY

The exquisitely detailed 1927 Rolls-Royce 'Phantom of Love' captured Best in Show at the Concours of Elegance, held at Hampton Court Palace from 5-7 September. Commissioned by Woolworth's financial director in the UK, Clarence Gasque, for his wife, the heiress of the American retail company, the Phantom I was bodied by Charles Clark & Son Ltd of Wolverhampton to an extravagant specification that took 10 months to complete, at a cost of £6500. Its showpiece interior trim remains remarkably intact, complete with French tapestries and neat details such as hidden lights in the ceiling's gilded cornice. After Gasque's untimely death in 1928, at the age of 54, the car was put into storage and only sold on in 1952 to collector Stanley Sears. Careful ownership since has preserved it in the condition that won the approval of its fellow concours entrants to take this year's overall crown.

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This result meant that the 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Boulogne Short Chassis Saloon stepped up to take the 1920s class, continuing its deserved recognition after an epic restoration by Jonathan Wood. Originally belonging to Lieutenant Glen Kidston RN, the car was located by his nephew, Simon, in New Zealand in 2018, along with its original Hooper bodywork specifications for the meticulous rebuild. It was further honoured with the Spirit of Motoring Award.

Another resurrection of history was victorious in the pre-1920s category, with the 1914 Bugatti Type 13 discovered in pieces by collector Uwe Hucke in Nice, then sympathetically rebuilt by Walter Heale with original parts to its highly patinated current state.

The '30s class brought arresting elegance, including a 1936 Bentley 3½-litre, one of three cars built to Curvilinear Coupé specification by Gurney Nutting; the ex-Eva Braun 1939 Horch 855 Spezial Roadster by Gläser; and a beautiful 1936 Delahaye 135M Convertible with Alphonse Guilloré coachwork that was runner-up in the class. However, they were all eclipsed by the 1939 Lagonda V12 Rapide dhc fitted with the Sanction IV competition engine and a James Young drophead coupé body.