The London Concours is an automotive garden party in the heart of the city, gathering together nearly 100 motoring icons, old and new, in one of London’s most beautiful historic hidden venues, the HAC (Honourable Artillery Company) estate. The cars sit at the apex of an event brimming with fine champagne and world-class gastronomy, enjoyed with a live music soundtrack and surrounded by pop-up boutiques from sought-after luxury brands. Held across three days, the London Concours opens up the world of top-end craftsmanship in automotive and beyond, with live panel discussions, awards ceremonies and roving comperes, shining a spotlight on the passion and the heritage of the brands and vehicles on display.  It is truly a wonderful event for anyone with a passion for cars.

In 2024 the London Concours had nine concours classes, namely Great British Racing, The Legendary V12, The Hypercars, Carnaby Street, Coachbuilt Greats – Zagato, Purple Reign, Corvette – A Design Icon, Areo – Front Enlightened and Wild Cards

Here we look at the Concours Class: Great British Racing – 1960s onwards

This concours class is a look at Britain’s defining motorsport legends from the last 60 years, cars that took the fight to established automotive marques – and won. In the hands of some of the great drivers, these machines flew the flag for Britain’s engineering ingenuity and ‘can do’ attitude, triumphing at iconic circuits and earning legions of fans in the process.  The cars assembled were automotive stars that tell the proud story of British race engineering – cars that brought home trophies and wowed the crowds at circuits the world over. From the heady days of 1970s Formula 1, through the thrills of rally and Touring Car racing, to the high-power, high-tech engineering of the late Eighties, this London Concours concours class charted the development of this country’s motorsport story from the 1960s to the present day.

Marking this year’s 60th anniversary of John Surtees becoming Formula 1 World Champion, the Great British Racing class was proud to display the TS9 car that he designed and which bore his name. The 1971 Surtees TS9B with its distinctive angular design is powered by a 3.0-litre V8 Ford Cosworth DFV (standing for ‘double four valve’), said to produce 450bhp at a heady 10,800rpm. It first saw action in the 1971 British Grand Prix at Silverstone with Derek Bell at the wheel, before Surtees drove it to victory in the Gold Cup at Oulton Park later that year. The following month, Mike Hailwood crossed the line in fourth place at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, while Andrea de Adamich achieved a similar placing in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama the next year.

Also featured was the Formula 1 car with a rather distinctive, very ‘70s, livery: the Penthouse sponsored Hesketh 308E. Designed by Frank Derne and Nigel Stroud, the 308E was powered by one of the greatest racing engines of the era; the Cosworth DFV 3.0-litre V8 allied to a Hewland FGA400 five-speed gearbox. It debuted at the 1977 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch where it finished ninth driven by Rupert Keegan who, despite qualifying for every race entered that season, managed only a seventh-place best when he raced it at the Austrian Grand Prix. However, it was the racy livery of the Hesketh’s sponsors that captured most attention, depicting a ‘Penthouse Pet’ from the popular men’s magazine, cuddling a packet of Rizla cigarette papers.

When Rover predecessor British Leyland approached Williams Grand Prix Engineering to build a machine for the Group B rally series, the Metro 6R4 was the rather astonishing result. Williams turned the diminutive ‘shopping’ car into a snarling, mid-engined, four-wheel-drive monster that could rocket to 60mph from a standstill in a fraction over three seconds. Shoe-horned into the tiny shell was a specially built 3.0-litre, double-overhead-cam V6 that, unlike its competitors’ engines, wasn’t turbocharged yet still managed to generate 410bhp in top specification. Tony Pond was at the wheel for the 6R4’s debut at the 1985 Lombard RAC Rally, where the car finished third overall, going on to win the Circuit of Ireland driven by David Llewellin the following year. More victories followed, before safety concerns signalled the end of the road for Group B rallying.

“Simplify, then add lightness” was the mantra of Colin Chapman, whose philosophy was embodied in a series of innovative road and race cars, such as the 1962 Lotus Elite in the Great British Racing collection. The Elite’s lightweight glassfibre monocoque construction was also very strong, supporting all the mechanical components, including its featherweight, overhead-cam Coventry Climax engine that squeezed 75bhp from just 1,220cc. The Lotus was streamlined, too, with a drag coefficient of just 0.29, all of which saw an Elite entered by Team Lotus and driven by Jim Clark finish first in class and eighth overall in the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours, at an average speed of 94mph. Built to a similar specification, the Elite on show competed in events across the US, where it became well known for the racoon tail hung on its boot lid by driver Bob Challman.

Ford’s Mk1 Escort became synonymous with racing and rallying in the Sixties and Seventies, yet perhaps no car was more easily recognisable than the Alan Mann Racing prepared ‘Works’ examples with their ‘bubble’ wheelarches and distinctive red and gold livery. Despite a capacity of just 1.6 litres, the Formula 2 Cosworth FVA engine with its 16 valves and double-overhead cams fitted to the Alan Mann cars generated around 220bhp, driving through a magnesium-cased 2000E gearbox. Underneath, was a specially designed multi-link rear suspension while, up front, the steering rack was enclosed in the engine crossmember. Driven by Frank Gardner and teammate Jackie Oliver, the AMR Escorts dominated the 1968 British Saloon Car Championship, winning it for Ford.

Jaguar’s glory days returned at the 1988 Le Mans, when three XJR-9s such as the one in the Great British Racing class howled over the finish line in first, fourth and 16th positions; the Big Cat’s first win at the circuit since its D-Types romped home in the top four places in 1957. Designed by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the XJR-9 featured a supremely aerodynamic body allied to a light but rigid carbon-composite construction, and was fitted with a beast of an engine. Fighting for space with the driver was a 6.0-litre Jaguar V12 producing 650bhp – or a colossal 750bhp in 7.0-litre form – good for a top speed of 245mph. It powered the winning car driven by Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries and Andy Wallace for 394 laps and 3,313 miles over 24 hours; a tribute to great British engineering.

The cars on show:

1951 Jaguar XK120

This prominent racing Jaguar XK120 featured in Competition by James Fraser and Paul Skilleter. It was raced from 1951 until the late 1990s, when a crash saw its chassis dumped and replaced. In more recent years, its history and rebirth have been documented as the car was reunited with its original, carefully repaired chassis. The XK120 retains many authentic features, and has been restored. In period, it was raced successfully by John Riseley-Prichard, most notably at Goodwood. Highlights included the seventh BARC Members’ Meeting in August 1951, the Goodwood International in September 1951, Castle Combe in April 1952 and the Eight Clubs at Silverstone in 1952.

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1962 Lotus Elite Type 14

Chassis 1928 was originally sent to Bob Challman, the agent for Lotus in LA and the West Coast of America. It was supplied as a factory race car, and had all of the Works modifications seen on the Team Elite cars entered at Le Mans in 1961.Challman raced no. 1928 under the Ecurie Shirlee banner throughout the ’60s, competing extensively across the US. He famously ran the Elite with a racoon’s tail hanging from the boot lid – the car became nearly as famous for this quirky feature as it did for its competition success.When Challman sold the Lotus, it remained in the US and went through a chain of owners, including one who shared the car with British racing driver Sir John Whitmore in the 1970s.The last American owner, John Delane, sold the Elite through Hall & Hall to the current owner in 2010. It has since been prepared by Neil Twyman and JRP Racing for selected events across Europe.

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1967 Ford Escort Mk1

This red-and-gold Alan Mann Escort was turned into a racing car in 1968, with a 210bhp 1600cc FVA Cosworth engine. The likes of Roger Clark, Jackie Oliver and Graham Hill would get behind the wheel for the British Saloon Car Championship. In 1969 it was run by the Frami Racing Belgium team, before being passed to the Dutch Racing Team in 1970. In 1971 it was run by BP Racing Belgium for Yvette Fontaine. Throughout the 1970s it passed through five owner-drivers, before joining the collections of the likes of Vic Lee, Mike Chittenden, ex-Alan Mann mechanic Jim Morgan and, in 2004, Alan Mann. The current owner acquired the car in 2006 and, after four years of research, set about an 11-year restoration. It still has its original shell, suspension, rims, steering rack and pedal box.

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1969 Chevron B16

Derek Bennett designed the B16 to replace the B8 for the 1970 2.0-litre Group 6 season. It used a spaceframe chassis with steel and duralumin sheeting added to form a monocoque central section. Wearing the Specialised Mouldings body, the car was just 36 inches high. Its engine was a 1.8 Cosworth FVX. This car first went to Denys Dobbie’s Dobbie Automobile Racing Team. Ex-Ecurie Ecosse driver Graham Birrell won its first race, the Lombank Trophy at Ingliston. In later life it changed hands and colours many times, and called Switzerland and Sweden home. It returned to the UK in 2002, before joining the owner’s collection in 2007. It is now raced in World Sportscar Masters.

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1971 Surtees TS9

Designed by seven-time bike GP champ and 1964 F1 World Champion John Surtees, along with Peter Connew, the TS9 featured a Ford-Cosworth DFV in an aluminium-alloy monocoque. The team could prepare only one chassis for the car’s debut, the 1971 South African GP, but Surtees had to retire the TS9 after a ’box malady. Chequered results were to follow, with Rolf Stommelen, Derek Bell and Mike Hailwood joining the team, but results continued in the mid-part of the top ten if the car didn’t retire. In the US GP, Sam Posey would retire, while Surtees and Hailwood were well out of the points.

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1972 Surtees TS9B

The competitive TS9 F1 package was adapted into the TS9B for 1972. John Surtees retired from driving to concentrate on team management, with Tim Schenken and Andrea de Adamich starting the season, and Mike Hailwood joining from the South African GP onwards. The season was pockmarked with retirements, with 15 non-finishes overall. However, Hailwood did provide some highlights, finishing fourth in Belgium and sixth in France, before coming fourth in Austria and second in Italy. TS9B would also be run by John Love (Team Gunston) and Sam Posey (Champcar Inc), although not with a great deal of success. The TS9B would be used only twice in 1973, as the team had moved on to the TS14A. Luiz Bueno finished 12th in Brazil and de Adamich finished eighth in South Africa.

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1978 Hesketh 308E

The most controversial Formula 1 car livery ever? Designed by Frank Dernie and Nigel Stroud, the 308E was the last Hesketh before the team folded in late 1978. Although its design was fairly conservative – an aluminium monocoque with a Cosworth DFV V8 – the paint scheme wasn’t: a Penthouse model embracing a packet of Rizla cigarette papers.The livery would turn out to be the most racy part of the package; while Rupert Keegan qualified the 308E for every F1 round in 1977, the highest he’d finish was seventh. The team stuck with the same car for 1978, although now sponsored by Olympus. 1978 would be even worse, with Divina Galica and Derek Daly failing to get the car onto the start line, and Eddie Cheever retiring from the only race it did, the South African GP, due to a cracked oil line.

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1986 Jaguar XJR-9

Tom Walkinshaw’s TWR team and Jaguar had seen great success in European touring cars, but Group C endurance racing was a whole new ballgame. Tony Southgate’s car sat at the cutting edge of carbon fibre monocoque design. While chassis 186 ended its career as an XJR-9, it debuted as an XJR-6 in 1986. Its first race ended in retirement, much like its assault on Le Mans that year, but it’d finish seventh at the Silverstone 1000km and third at the Norisring 100 Miles, before winning the Supercup Nürburgring Super Sprint. It was extensively revised for 1987. The V12 was taken out to 7.0 litres, at 720bhp. As the XJR-8 it was used sparingly during ’87, and would finish neither Le Mans nor the Silverstone 1000km. It would race once more, now in 750bhp XJR-9 spec, finishing fourth at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

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1986 MG Metro 6R4

Group B elevated rallying to new heights, and MG Rover turned to Williams to get involved. Unusually, its Metro 6R4 eschewed turbos in favour of a naturally aspirated 410bhp 3.0-litre V6, mounted in the middle, in order to avoid turbo lag, excess heat and reliability issues, and make the car nimbler and easier to drive.No. 22 was built for David Llewellin to use in the latter half of the 1986 British Rally Championship. After taking two victories, the car was driven to two second-place finishes in 1987 by Roger Clark. In 1990 it won the Camel Off-Road Rally in Tenerife, driven by Fernando Capdevila. It has now been returned to Group B spec.

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I hope that you liked are article. Which racing car here is your favourite?

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