The Peninsula has announced the eight finalists who will vie for its prestigious Peninsula Classics 2023 Best of the Best Award. Hosted this year on 3 September 2024 at The Peninsula London, this awards programme celebrates the world’s most exceptional classic cars.
All eight selected contenders were winners of the highest awards at major 2023 concours events. Included among the finalists is a 1935 Duesenberg Model J Speedster that won the coveted 2023 Best of Show award at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Of the 481 Duesenberg Model JS produced, only 38 were supercharged and just 30 chassis were delivered to European coachbuilders.
Only one of them – this particular car – went to Gurney Nutting. Equipped with a supercharged engine and a 153½-inch-long wheelbase chassis, this one-of-a-kind SJ was ordered by Maharajah Holkar of Indore, who was just 28 at the time.
Another standout selection in the running this year is a 1935 Voisin C25 Aerodyne, selected as Best of Show 2023 at The Amelia. Previously, it also won the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. First displayed in 1935 at the Lyon Fair and at the Concours d’Elegance at the Place Bellecour, the Aerodyne was considered avant-garde even in an era of progressive design.
With its two-tone paint, wraparound pontoon fenders, low-faired-in headlights, high beltline, skirted rear fenders, and automated retractable roof, it is today recognised as an Art Deco masterpiece. In total, 28 C25s were produced, including six Aerodynes. It is believed that only four such cars survive today.
Another finalist is a 1937 Bentley 4.25-litre Rothschild Sedanca Coupé, which won Best of Show at the 2023 Goodwood Cartier Style et Luxe Concours of Elegance. It was originally commissioned in 1936 by La Comtesse Yvonne Lydia Cahen d’Anvers, Madame de Rothschild.
Designed by Gurney Nutting’s newly appointed designer, the 23-year-old John Blatchley, the chassis was presented to him at the Derby factory with a build card marked “Rothschild,” and tasked with interpreting the commission. He submitted his drawings to the Countess, who delightedly approved them. The resulting design took nearly a year to build.
The only Bugatti in this year’s finalist group, a 1937 Bugatti 57S Roadster with coachwork by Corsica was awarded Best of Show at the 2023 Salon Privé. In 1969, when engineer William Turnbull became the car’s fifth owner, he discovered during restoration that the chassis was not a standard 57S. Instead, it had the same specifications as the Grand Prix cars. Since just one of these racing cars is known to exist, it is believed to be the missing “Tank” chassis from the 1936 Grand Prix Team.
The 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster, won Best of Show 2023 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. According to a copy of the original Kommission document, the car was ordered for King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan in May 1937 and was delivered to him in Kabul that September. At the outbreak of World War II, the car was sent to France and stored at the Afghanistan Embassy in Paris, where it remained until 1948. The king then gave it to his son-in-law, who brought it to England in 1950 and drove it only occasionally in London until 1952.
Three iconic Italian mainstays are also included on this year’s list of contenders. The first, a 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Berlinetta, was deemed Best of Show at the 2023 Cavallino Classic. In 1953, the car was driven in the Mille Miglia by Count Bruno Sterzi, as well as in other races such as the 12-hour Pescara and the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti. Later, the car was modified with a split windshield, rear window vents, roll-down windows, a central single hood latch, and chromed stripes below the doors before being returned to its original configuration by the current owner.
Also in the running is the 1955 Maserati A6GCS/53 Spyder, which won Best of Show 2023 at Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace. The car is one of only three Maserati A6GCS/53 Spyders coachbuilt by Pietro Frua. In 1960, after coming into the possession of its first U.S. owner, Jack Eubank, it was shown at numerous concours in California, including Pebble Beach in 1964.
The final 2023 contender is the 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica “Superfast” Coupé, Best of Show winner at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering 2023. With a one-off body by Pinin Farina sporting futuristic tailfins, and a bespoke 4.9-litre V-12 engine with twin-ignition and 24 spark-plugs – which was developed by Aurelio Lampredi for the long-distance Ferrari racing 410 Sport, it was the original “Superfast” and was one of the fastest grand touring cars of its time.
Judges for The Peninsula Classics 2023 Best of the Best Award include numerous automotive design luminaries, such as former Design Director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ian Cameron, Ferrari Chief Design Director Flavio Manzoni, Mercedes-Benz Design Director Gorden Wagener, previous Chief of Design at BMW Chris Bangle, and venerable designers Fabio Filippini and Peter Brock.
The judge’s panel also includes royal and celebrity motorsport enthusiasts such as HRH Prince Michael of Kent, His Highness Rana Manvendra Singh of Barwani, fashion icon Ralph Lauren, renowned architect Peter Marino, and acclaimed late-night television host Jay Leno.
