Ferrari’s 70th birthday celebration was one of the features of the London Classic Car Show held last week at the ExCeL London. Of the 800 collector cars on display, a featured group of 21 bore the Prancing Horse emblem. Show organizers said it was the largest such gathering of historic Ferraris ever in London.
Among those cars — valued at $150 million — were examples of the Daytona, 275 GTB, Dino, 250 California, F40 and F50, including two 250 GTOs. Also showcased were a 1955 250 Testa Rossa, and a 250 GT Competition Berlinetta Sport Special reportedly commissioned for movie star Ingrid Bergman.
The London Classic Car Show drew more than 37,000 spectators who also were admitted to the inaugural Historic Motorsport International, an event staged to celebrate England’s role in historic racing.
In addition to featured displays and parades of cars along The Grand Avenue, independent vendors (classic car dealerships) showed and sold their vehicles.
A special tribute to the career of racer Jacky Ickx also was staged. Some consider Ickx to be the best all-around driver in history, with victories included Grand Prix, Le Mans and even Paris-Dakar. Six cars Ickx raced were displayed, and three of his Le Mans co-drivers — Jackie Oliver, Jurgen Barth and Derek Bell — joined him in the celebration of his career.
“Whether it’s in size, the number of exhibitors or the amount of visitors, the London Classic Car Show just keeps growing and growing,” Bas Bungish, the event director, said in a news release.
“The Ferrari tribute obviously has been a big success, but it’s equally pleasing to know that dealers have sold cars and to see just how popular the addition of Historic Motorsport International has proved to be. There’s a huge synergy between classic cars and historic motorsport – now we will grow both shows in 2018.”
Among the highlights of the historic motorsport gathering was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Cosworth DFV Formula 1 engine featuring one of the original 1967 Lotus 49 racers in which the engine posted the first of its 155 F1 race victories.
Organizers confirmed dates of February 15-18 for the two London shows in 2018. The same organizers also put together the inaugural Classic Car Show that took place earlier this year in Los Angeles.
