SALON PRIVÉ BECOMES PARTNER CONCOURS WITH ELITE ‘THE PENINSULA CLASSICS BEST OF THE BEST AWARD’

SALON PRIVÉ BECOMES PARTNER CONCOURS WITH ELITE ‘THE PENINSULA CLASSICS BEST OF THE BEST AWARD’

2018 Salon Privé - Bugatti Type 55 Best of Show Winner

Long considered as one of the world’s most coveted concourses event, Salon Privé has finally attained the ultimate recognition for its continued pursuit of excellence with-the announcement that the event has been invited to join ‘The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award’ as one of its partner concours.

The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award is among the top automotive awards in the world. In its milestone development of the international motoring world's top accolade for most exceptional classic car, The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited, launched the award in 2015 with Co-founders William E. Connor, Bruce Meyer and Christian Philipp set, to celebrate the best of what defines the automotive world. Each founder shares a common passion and appreciation of fine motor cars, the preservation of their heritage and immaculate restoration projects. The award, sponsored by The Peninsula Hotels, Brings together the concours circuits' elite best of show winners from around the globe.

The car selected is a 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster, awarded ‘Best of Show’ at this year’s Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance at Salon Privé.

The Bugatti Type 55 Roadster, introduced in 1932 as a replacement for the Type 43, was the Molsheim factory’s response to a few wealthy amateurs’ requests for a ‘competition’ model with elegant coachwork for road use. Exquisitely styled by Ettore Bugatti’s eldest son, Jean, around 16 examples of the Type 55 Roadster were made, with just five cars still retaining their original coachwork and mechanicals, the latter derived from the Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix 2.3-litre eight-cylinder engine, detuned to 135 bhp for road use. This particular Type 55 Jean Bugatti Roadster (chassis no. 55234) is widely considered to be the most original specimen as it is the only unrestored example, with a genuine sub-50,000 mileage.

Managing Director & Concours Chairman, Andrew Bagley commented “It is an honour for us to be invited to join The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best which celebrates the best cars from the best events in the world. Over the years, we have built up a fantastic following of Owners and enthusiasts from around the world who’ve become great friends of the event and this is as much recognition of their support as it is honouring the event itself. Salon Privé grows in international stature every year with 17 of the 55 cars entered from abroad this year and in fact, it was an American, Bob Bishop, who won this year’s Best of Show with his beautiful 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster. Together with Bob and his Bugatti, we greatly look forward to attending The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Awards Dinner in Paris next February.”

Owner Bob Bishop and The 12th Duke of Marlborough