Bentley to showcase some of its most rare and valuable models at the Holyroodhouse Concours d'Elegnace.

• Historical Bentleys star at prestigious Edinburgh event
• 1952 R-Type Continental, ‘Blue Train’ and 8 Litre among line up
• ‘Bentley Sunday’ highlights best of British brand’s historic range

Scotland’s historical seat of power, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is playing host to the 2015 Concours of Elegance from 4 to 6 September, with an impressive array of Bentley models taking centre stage.

The prestigious, invitation-only event – which showcases 60 of the world’s rarest and most valuable cars – will feature six Bentley models ranging from a 1927 6 ½ Litre Vanden Plas tourer to a 1960 S2 Continental with H.J. Mulliner Fastback coachwork.

Not only is the Mulliner name still closely associated with Bentley today, but it also has historical ties with the Scottish capital. In December 1909 John Croall & Sons Ltd of Edinburgh purchased a controlling shareholding in H. J. Mulliner & Co, which it held until 1959, where after the coachbuilding company officially became part of Bentley Motors Ltd.

Other Bentley models on display at the Concours of Elegance include the famous ‘Blue Train’ Speed Six, the Team Blower, a 1930 8 Litre, a 4 ¼ Litre Vanden Plas tourer from 1937 and a 1952 R-Type Continental.

As Bentley is an official partner of the Concours of Elegance, Sunday 6 September is called ‘Bentley Sunday’. 

On the final day of the event a dedicated area in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse will display all of the Bentleys in attendance. A ‘Trophy of Elegance’ will also be presented to the best customer Bentley parked in the brand’s dedicated car park.

Continental R-Type

It was the R-Type which first brought the Continental name into Bentley lexicon in 1952. With a top speed of 120 mph this was the fastest four-seater in the world at the time. Many of the 208 examples produced were coach built by Mulliner.

‘Blue Train’ Bentley

This year is the 85^th anniversary of that most famous Bentley Boy adventure – the Blue Train race.

In 1930 Captain Woolf Barnato, Chairman of Bentley Motors, was staying in Cannes when he accepted a wager that not only could he beat the Calais-Mediterranée Express (or ‘Blue Train’) back to Calais, but that he could be at his club in London before the train even reached the English Channel.

He was, and the remarkable victory has resonated with Bentley enthusiasts ever since. 

The car that was believed to have accomplished the feat was the iconic Gurney Nutting two-door fastback coupe. In recent years evidence has emerged to suggest Barnato drove his Mulliner saloon-bodied Speed 6, however, it is the coupe that will forever be known as the ‘Blue Train’ car.

Team Blower

One of just five cars built for racing, the 4 ½ Litre Supercharged ‘Team Blower’ was used by the original Bentley racing team of the late 1920s, and is still performing over eight decades later.

This year marks the 85^th anniversary of the Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston Le Mans victory in 1930. While the Blower wasn’t the winning car that day, with Tim Birkin at the wheel its heroic performance embodies the true spirit of the vintage racing era.

8 Litre

Launched in 1930, only 100 Bentley 8 Litres were ever produced. Extremely luxurious, yet with a top speed of 100mph, the 8 Litre combines craftsmanship with performance, drawing parallels with Bentley’s current flagship, the Mulsanne.

Autoglym returns to the Concours of Elegance at Holyroodhouse Palace as this years car care supplier.

This September the world’s leading car care experts, Autoglym, will partner with the Concours of Elegance for the fourth successive year, ensuring the unique gathering of rare and exotic cars is presented to the absolute highest standard on the lawns of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.

Only 60 cars of the highest calibre are invited to take part in the Concours (60 being a reference to Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee which saw the event established at Windsor Castle in 2012), with the rarest cars from all over the world painstakingly selected by the Concours Steering Committee – among the most highly regarded and authoritative car experts. 

Supporting the 60 Concours cars will be many more from the show’s partner manufacturers Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, McLaren; and collectors and clubs from across Europe.

With two Royal Warrants, Autoglym will be in familiar regal surroundings in Edinburgh, with 20 highly qualified technicians on hand throughout the event to prepare and care for the vehicles during the all important Concours of Elegance judging.

The team will also be on hand to give technical know-how and practical car care advice to the thousands of visitors expected at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Paul Caller, chief executive of Autoglym, said: “The Concours of Elegance is one of the most prestigious classic car events in the UK and is now a fixture in the motoring world calendar, unique in that it is held in a sublime Royal Palace each year, and we are delighted to work with the organisers once more after the success of the previous three at Windsor, St. James and Hampton Court.

“Many of our products were formulated years after these cars were even built, so ensuring they suit the needs of an older vehicle is essential.

“Having close links with motor manufacturers, museums and access to historic car collections enables us to keep a catalogue of paint plates, rubbers and leathers to test on when carrying out development work.  This makes our products a very reassuring choice for car owners, no matter what the vintage.”

The three day spectacular motoring festival runs from the 4^th to 6^th September 2015.

Concours of Elegance 2015 will celebrate Sir Jackie Stewart, with a display of his F1 championship-winning cars.

• Concours of Elegance 2015 will pay tribute to Sir Jackie Stewart, with a display of his Formula One championship-winning cars
• Sir Jackie’s 1969 Matra MS80, 1971 Elf Team Tyrrell 003 and 1973 Elf Team Tyrrell 006 will all be on display – a world-first
• Alongside Sir Jackie’s cars, the helmets he wore when he drove them will also be displayed
• Concours of Elegance 2015 is raising money for various charities, including Sir Jackie’s Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People.

The Concours of Elegance 2015, held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, will pay tribute to one of Scotland’s finest racing drivers, Sir Jackie Stewart. On display will be all three of the cars that Sir Jackie drove to his three Formula One Driver’s Championships, along with the helmets he wore when he won them.

Sir Jackie raced in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning the Driver’s World Championship in 1969, 1971 and 1973. On display in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse from September 4-6 will be his 1969 Matra MS80, 1971 Elf Team Tyrrell 003 and 1973 Elf Team Tyrrell 006.

Throughout his career, Sir Jackie’s famous tartan-striped helmet became just as recognisable as the car’s he was racing, so each of the three helmets from his Driver’s Championship-winning years will be on display. It’s the first time this collection of cars and helmets has ever been shown in Scotland.

Sir Jackie Stewart, Vice Patron of the Concours of Elegance said: “I can’t think of a better place to showcase some of my championship-winning Formula One cars – the Concours of Elegance celebrates the best of the motoring world, and this year’s event does that at one of Scotland’s most picturesque venues – Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse.”

A main focus of the Concours of Elegance is to raise money for charity, with this year’s money raised going to Walking with the Wounded, Action on Addiction and Sir Jackie Stewart’s charity, Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People. Over the course of its three past events, Concours of Elegance has raised more than £600,000 for charity.

Concours of Elegance 2015 to raise money for three charities, with over £600k raised previously

• Concours of Elegance 2015 to raise money for three charities: Walking With The Wounded, Action on Addiction and Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People
• Concours of Elegance has already raised more than £600,000 over the course of its three previous events
• Walking With The Wounded will be funding a Scotland-specific project to retrain wounded soldiers at a facility in Glasgow

The Concours of Elegance has already raised more than £600,000 for charity over the course of its past three events, and this year’s event at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh is looking to build on that figure.

For 2015, Concours of Elegance will be working with Walking With The Wounded, Action on Addiction and Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People.

Walking With The Wounded is a charity that aims to retrain service veterans with physical, mental or social injuries and provide them with the skills and qualifications necessary to gain employment outside of the military.

The charity also works on a Scotland-specific project called Home Straight – Scotland. In partnership with Scottish Veterans Residences, this project will assist veterans in finding a new career pathway, organise work placements and source funding for any required training.

Action on Addiction is the only charity that works across the whole addiction field; that includes research, prevention, treatment, professional education, campaigns and support for families and children.

The charity aims to act on ways of preventing addiction in the first place by developing and testing interventions to help protect society from substance misuse. It also aims to rehabilitate and educate people at its treatment centres throughout the UK.

Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People is a charity based in Hackney, London, with Sir Jackie Stewart as its President. Springfield offers opportunities and inspiration to London-based youths by opening doors for them that they wouldn’t normally have access to.

Sir Jackie Stewart, President of Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People, said: “It’s a fantastic place that really does a lot for the people that visit. 

Our members find it difficult to get out of London so we take them on summer breaks and we also run a really successful evening with guests like Geri Halliwell, Greg Rutherford, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.”

Concours of Elegance celebrates Scotland’s historic racing heroes at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

• Concours of Elegance celebrates Scotland’s historic racing heroes at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
• Jim Clark’s 1963 F1 Championship-winning Lotus 25 will be on show, alongside his Lotus-Cortina and Lotus 43-BRM H16
• Andrew Cowan’s 1968 London-to-Sydney-winning Hillman Hunter and the Jaguar XJR-9 piloted by Johnny Dumfries to victory at Le Mans will also be displayed

The Concours of Elegance 2015 will be held at Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the organisers are planning a special tribute feature to some of Scotland’s most famous racing drivers and their cars.

As well as the main Concours event, featuring sixty of the world’s rarest and most elegant cars, the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse will host iconic cars driven by Scottish legends like Jim Clark, Johnny Dumfries and Andrew Cowan.

Representing Jim Clark will be a Lotus-Cortina he drove to victory in the 1964 British Touring Car Championship, the Lotus 43-BRM H16 that he won the 1966 US Grand Prix with and his 1963 Formula One Driver’s Championship-winning Lotus 25.

Also on display will be a Hillman Hunter driven to victory by Andrew Cowan in the gruelling 1968 London-Sydney Marathon, and a Jaguar XJR-9 piloted by Johnny Dumfries and his co-drivers to a win at the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours race.

Sir Jackie Stewart said: “Scotland has a very successful history of producing excellent racing drivers. When you consider that Jim Clark, Johnny Dumfries, David Coulthard and Allan McNish are all from Scotland – a country of just 5 million people – you quickly realise that there’s plenty of reason to celebrate Scotland’s racing heroes.”

The Concours of Elegance takes place between 4-6 September, showcasing 60 of the world’s finest cars alongside special Scottish motor racing features, including an Ecurie Ecosse display and a tribute to Sir Jackie Stewart.

Exclusive world first, features and unique cars, confirmed for the Palace of Holyroodhouse 2015 event.

Concours of Elegance 2015, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, 4-6 September

• Sir Jackie Stewart named Concours of Elegance Vice Patron, alongside Patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent
• Jackie Stewart to showcase three of his Formula One world championship cars on the lawns of the Palace
• Tribute to Scottish motor racing heroes and a world-first gathering to celebrate the Ecurie Ecosse racing team to be displayed in September
• World’s first Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame inaugurated at 2015 Concours of Elegance
• Main Concours event to be held alongside the Club Trophy, celebrating the best of the UK’s car club national winners
• History of motoring celebrated alongside modern day automotive legends from partners such as Bentley and Jaguar
• 2015 charitable beneficiaries confirmed, including a number of projects in Scotland

Concours of Elegance has announced further details of its 2015 event at a special preview held in Edinburgh, giving an early glimpse of one of the highlights: a priceless Jaguar D-type ‘Long Nose’ Ecurie Ecosse racer, which finished second at Le Mans in 1957, just behind the winning Ecurie car.

Running alongside the main Concours event, made up of 60 of the world’s finest cars, will be the largest ever collection of Ecurie Ecosse racers, ranging from the ‘50s to the modern day. Sir Jackie Stewart, recently named Vice Patron of the Concours of Elegance, will also display his three Formula One Driver’s Championship-winning cars to Holyroodhouse, in another world first.

There will be a separate homage to some of Scotland’s motor racing heroes, including two Formula One cars driven by Jim Clark and Johnny Dumfries’ Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-9. Concours of Elegance will also see the first members of the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame inducted at the event.

In the main Concours display, the organisers have confirmed a number of the stars of the show, which will include a 1933 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet and the 1911 London-to-Edinburgh Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.

The Club Trophy will also be held at the Palace in September, featuring hundreds of classic cars from across the UK and the best-of-the-best from the nation’s car clubs. Each club submits their individual Concours winner, which is then judged by a panel of Concours of Elegance experts, chaired by HRH Prince Michael of Kent and guest judges which in recent years have included David Gandy, Mark Knopfler, Jodie Kidd and others.  2015’s judging panel will be confirmed in the summer.  The Club Trophy winner car is then entered in to the Concours of Elegance in 2016.

Sir Jackie Stewart, Vice Patron of the Concours of Elegance, said: “This event already has an incredible history, beginning with the Windsor event in 2012, and it’s brilliant to see it heading to Scotland this year. The history, the roads and the scenery mean that Scotland is the perfect place to host our automotive festival of cars old and new here in Edinburgh.”

One of the primary aims of Concours of Elegance is to raise money for charity, and this year’s event will be generating funds for Walking With the Wounded – who will be establishing facilities for ex-military personnel all over Scotland – Action on Addiction and Springfield Motor Racing’s Club for Young People. So far, Concours of Elegance has raised more than £600,000 for its charities.

Concours of Elegance, supported by AIG, takes place between 4-6 September and has partnered with a series of exclusive brands for the event, including Autoglym, Bentley, Johnnie Walker, Hamilton & Inches, Jaguar, Pol Roger, RM Sotheby’s and Rolex. Tickets are available now from www.concoursofelegance.co.uk; an adult ticket costs £35, with a variety of discounts and concessions available (under 5s go free and under 17s £10). A variety of hospitality packages are also available.