Salon Privé London 2022. A Spectacular London Car Show.

The inaugural Salon Privé London took place at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd April 2022. This event being the sister event to the more established Salon Privé that has become a regular must attend event in September and now takes place at the beautiful and historic Blenheim Palace.

With its centrepiece Concours de Vente, blue-riband manufacturer displays and luxury retail village, Salon Privé London made a triumphant debut and attracted 16,000 visitors to the picturesque grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea from 21-23 April.

The event opened on a glorious spring morning with no fewer than 12 automotive reveals from some of the world’s greatest marques. H.R. Owen Ferrari gave two Italian thoroughbreds their UK static debuts, with the Ferrari 296 GTB – the marque’s 819bhp plug-in hybrid supercar – being joined by the Daytona SP3. The third car in the limited-edition Icona series, the Daytona SP3 pays homage to the legendary Ferrari sports-prototypes of the 1960s.

Aston Martin Mayfair gave the DBX707, the world’s most powerful luxury SUV, its UK event debut at Salon Privé London – as did Jaguar Land Rover with its flagship Range Rover SV. The V12-engined Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost made its premiere, and Prodrive Chairman David Richards was on hand to unveil the company’s spectacular new Hunter. Developed from the Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car that was driven by rally icon Sébastien Loeb on the Dakar, the four-wheel-drive all-terrain adventure vehicle uses a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that develops more than 600bhp.

Caton chose Salon Privé London for the global launch of its first creation: an ultra-exclusive reincarnation of the Austin-Healey 100 that blends traditional craftsmanship with OEM-grade design and engineering. Nearby on the lawns was the hand-built, zero-emissions Electric Mustang by Charge Cars, which uses cutting-edge technology to redefine the revered 1967 Fastback model.

The Tushek TS900 Apex – the lightest hybrid hypercar on the market – was revealed by the company’s founder Aljosa Tushek, whilst Morgan Motor Company gave the new Super 3 its UK event debut as part of a display that showcased its entire line-up. Making its UK show debut, Alpine unveiled the new A110S alongside the entire range, which has been updated with three distinct new versions, uprated performance, and more equipment than ever before.

Genesis took the wraps off the G60 – its first dedicated electric platform-based vehicle – while at the opposite end of the motoring spectrum was the Alfa Romeo 12C Prototipo. This Italian thoroughbred was making its debut more than 80 years after it was first conceived, and was revealed by Progetto 33 alongside a brand-new book that explores its fascinating history.

Automobili Lamborghini was represented at Royal Hospital Chelsea with Lamborghini London presenting the sensational 770bhp Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae, the pinnacle of the model’s bloodline, along with new Huracán STO and the Urus Super SUV.

So what was Salon Prive London all about?

12 Car unveilings

12 cars made their global, European or UK debut at Royal Hospital Chelsea. The line-up covers everything from reimagined classics to next generation hypercars and EVs.

So what did we see…

Alfa Romeo 12C Prototipo

Making its public debut 81 years after it was first conceived, the long-lost Alfa Romeo 12C prototype was unveiled alongside a brand-new book telling the fascinating story of the pre-war racer.

Aston Martin DBX707

Aston Martin Mayfair gave the Aston Martin DBX707, the world’s most powerful luxury SUV, its UK event debut.

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport

H.R. Owen Bugatti presented the public debut of Bugatti Sur Mesure’s first customer project at Salon Privé London. The unique Chiron Pur Sport is inspired by the heroics of racing driver Louis Chiron, and features brand-new exterior paint colours as well as a number of ultra-bespoke interior and exterior styling additions.

Translated as ‘tailored’, Bugatti’s Sur Mesure builds upon the marque’s distinguished history of coachbuilding, handcrafted interiors, paint finishes, embroidery and bodywork. It harnesses the collective expertise of its skilled designers and engineers to form a brand-new programme to meet growing customer demand for ultra-customised designs, materials and finishes.

Electric Mustang by Charge Cars

The highly anticipated production-intent version of the Electric Mustang by Charge Cars made its global debut at Salon Privé London, with customers able to order the EV at the event.

A hand-built, zero-emissions design icon, the brand-new Electric Mustang uses cutting-edge technology to redefine the revered 1967 Fastback model. With a new steel bodyshell, complete with the blessing of Ford, and composite body panels to minimise weight, the car’s quad-motor configuration provides 536bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 3.9 seconds.

Caton’s Austin-Healey 100

The all-new and ultra-exclusive Healey by Caton made its global public debut at Salon Privé London, as the reincarnation of the iconic Austin-Healey 100 sports car arrives at Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Healey by Caton is a unique combination of 21st-century design and engineering with traditional techniques, all of which delivers a driver’s car for the modern age. Promising an immersive, intoxicating and emotional automotive experience, the first creation from the all-new luxury British brand Caton brings the Austin-Healey 100 up to date while still protecting the ethos of the 1950s original.

A bespoke one off car, you should think of this car as a resto mod. Quite a cool looking car, but not quite our thing.

Ferrari 296 GTB

The revolutionary new Ferrari 296 GTB made its UK static debut at Salon Privé London with H.R. Owen Ferrari. The first of Maranello’s road cars with plug-in (PHEV) hybrid architecture, the 296 GTB boasts an internal combustion engine integrated with a single electric motor. With an exceptionally wide V6 design helping contribute to the car’s compact dimensions, it’s efficient and responsive – and delivers 818bhp, resulting in a 0-62mph time of only 2.9 seconds.

In addition to the 296 GTB, a Tailor Made Roma was also on display, showcasing Ferrari’s exclusive programme for customers who want to create an unmistakable, one-of-a-kind vehicle.

Range Rover SV

The new Range Rover SV, the flagship of Land Rover’s pinnacle luxury vehicle, made its UK event debut at Salon Privé London, mixing modernity and aesthetic grace to create an exquisite interpretation of the iconic SUV. IT was certainly a beautiful car.

Morgan Super 3

The all-new Morgan Super 3 made its UK show debut at Salon Privé London, as the Morgan Motor Company showcased its entire range at Royal Hospital Chelsea. Recently revealed to the press, the Super 3 continues the 113-year legacy of three-wheeled Morgan vehicles yet introduces a new product family with a design language inspired by the Jet Age.

Prodrive Hunter

The spectacular new Prodrive Hunter will made its UK public debut. The world’s first all-terrain hypercar has been developed from the Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car that was driven by nine-times World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb on the world’s toughest motorsport event – the Dakar, on which he finished second overall this year

Developed by British company, Prodrive – which boasts more than 40 years of off-road competition success – the production version of the Hunter is even more extreme than the car driven by Loeb. The 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine has been refined and retuned at Prodrive’s Banbury HQ, and its power output has been boosted by 50 percent to more than 600bhp. In order to improve driveability, the competition car’s manual sequential gearbox has been replaced by a six-speed paddle shift that can change gear in milliseconds.

Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost

Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost the purest Black Badge yet. “After considerable internal debate, Rolls-Royce announced that it would create an officially sanctioned response to a new kind of client: a permanent Bespoke treatment to its motor cars named Black Badge. These products, which were launched in 2016, would be darker in aesthetic, more urgent in personality and dramatic in material treatment. “In the five years since Black Badge became publicly available, this bold family of motor cars has come to symbolise the pinnacle of a new type of super-luxury product, setting in motion a shift across the wider luxury industry. Subsequently, nearly all luxury makers create products that seek to capture the Black Badge spirit. “Today, we announce a product that represents a new kind of Black Badge motor car, one that seizes on the minimalist, Post Opulent design treatment that has recast the legend of Ghost but amplifies and subverts it with the application of black. Our most advanced motor car yet has been reengineered to characterise the alter ego of Rolls-Royce: assertive, dynamic and potent.

This is the purest Black Badge motor car in the marque’s history. This is Black Badge Ghost.”  Torsten Müller-Ötvös said, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Tushek TS900 Apex

Hailing from Slovenia, the updated Tushek TS900 Apex will made its global public debut for orders, as the hypercar manufacturer shows its revolutionary hybrid model.

An advanced evolution of the cars previously seen, and the lightest hybrid hypercar on the market, the Tushek TS900 Apex employs a new and patented electric drive system. Achieving perfect parity, the car possesses a power-to-weight ratio of one metric horsepower to one kilogram of mass (1:1). A landmark achievement, Tushek joins an elite handful of vaunted marques to have achieved such an engineering breakthrough.

Genesis GV60

The European unveiling of Genesis GV60, the debut of the new Korean brand’s first all-electric car. The car is on a dedicated platform, has a twin 160 kW electric motors mode and it has boost mode to add another 40 kW on demand. Genesis is a Korean brand that are extremely proud of their Korean heritage and they base a lot of their customer service around Korean hospitality, with their customers being thought of as their guests and they welcome them to their studios in Munich Zürich and London as they would welcome a guest to their home.

Car Range: 320 miles, 292 or 288.

Price: £75k, car on show. Fully spaced up.

Started at £47k to £65k

USPs: interior quality very high. You can plug in any of your home appliances, if you’d want to.

In my opinion this is a beautiful and luxury car for sure. If the customer service angle is to be believed, then being a customer should be a wonderful experience. I’m just not convinced that this car is big enough for the modern day family. You certainly couldn’t fit more than two adults in the back, maybe three small kids, but not big kids. So in short I believe this is a lovely car but it’s for a small family of 3 to 4 people.

For more information on all of the above cars go here, 12 Wonderful Car Debuts at Salon Prive London 2022.

Concours de Vente (cars for sale)

The innovative Concours de Vente was the centrepiece at this new motoring festival. This first-ever Concours de Vente attracted some of the world’s leading specialists, and they were united in their support for the innovative format, in which each of the 50 cars entered was also being offered for sale. The winner of the Prix d’Honneur was the Classic Motor Hub’s 1954 OSCA MT4 (above), which had competed in period at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Mille Miglia – on which it won its class in 1956 – and the Targa Florio. Second place went to the famous Barnato Hassan Bentley (below), which was entered by Vintage Bentley. Developed by renowned engineer Walter Hassan for Woolf Barnato, it broke the Brooklands lap record several times between 1934 and 1938, and holds the Class B record in perpetuity – Oliver Bertram having lapped the banked Surrey circuit at 142.60mph.

DD Classics picked up third place courtesy of its Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’ (below), which won the 1956 European Rally Championship in the hands of Walter Schock and Rolf Moll. Beautifully restored by Mercedes Stuttgart, it’s believed to be the only matching-numbers factory competition ‘Gullwing’ in existence.

The Chelsea Pensioners’ Choice went to Warren Kennedy’s 1954 Austin-Healey 100 (above), while a 2004 Ferrari Enzo (below) entered by Furlonger Specialist Cars was given the People’s Choice award. The success of the Concours de Vente was demonstrated by the fact that more than one-third of the cars presented on the lawns were ‘under offer’ by the time the sun set on Saturday. Nice work Salon Privé London.

Some of our favourite cars were:

1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster(Metallic green)

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