Chantilly Arts & Elegance 2024: French Concours at its Finest

Images: Ameya Vikram Mishra, Anne Castagnos-Sen, Gautam Sen

The Chantilly Arts & Elegance may well be one of the younger concours events on the calendar, but in terms of quality, it is on par with the best in the world. Held against the backdrop of the gorgeous Chateau de Chantilly, the event is an aesthetic tour de force, fitting in perfectly with what one would imagine a typical French concours to be.

Two things about the Concours d'État at Chantilly stood out to me. First, the Best of Show prizes were divided into pre-war and post-war categories, which I feel is much needed. Otherwise, it becomes an ‘apples to oranges comparison’. Second, and more notably, was the nature and quality of the restorations. The American concours events have instigated a culture of celebrating ‘over-restored’ cars, which, unfortunately, has influenced restorations worldwide, including in India. The Chantilly event is a pleasant departure from this practice. The pictures in this article will demonstrate that elegance does not necessarily come from excessive and flamboyant restorations.

This year's Concours d'Etat (a competition for the condition of the car, which is what most concours d'élégance are all about) featured more than 80 cars in 15 categories.

Being a Formula 1 enthusiast, I went straight to the part of the chateau where Formula 1 cars from 1964 to 1972 were assembled. A Ferrari 312 from 1967, driven by Chris Amon in period, was coincidentally fired up almost immediately on my arrival, the roar of the naturally aspirated V12 welcoming me to the event.

This category also included the legendary ex-Jim Clark Lotus 33 from 1964, in which he would go on to win his second world championship a year later.

Another remarkable category that may not be very common at other events was the celebration of four-cylinder Porsche race cars, which featured some beautiful 550 and 718 Spyders. I call this remarkable because it celebrates this brand's humble origins, which started by using Volkswagen's modest 4-pot engines and has now firmly established itself as an automotive behemoth. This category was won by a tastefully restored silver-grey 1964 Porsche 904 GTS, which perfectly epitomised German motorsport heritage.

In my humble opinion, the most stunning cars were from the ‘Lancia: Post-War special coachwork’ category, which was judged by a panel headed by Andrea Zagato himself. I happened to catch him passionately describing - to owner Darab Khan and Rishad Kundanmal - how the design of a Lancia Flaminia built by Zagato (with Indian provenance: The Only Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato India Ever Had (derivaz-ives.com) came into being, and I have to say that was one hell of a lecture on car design!

The two 1952 Lancia Aurelia B52s by Vignale looked like they had been handcrafted to be parked against the backdrop of a chateau. But the duo could not keep me away from a 1955 Aurelia Florida Coupé by Pininfarina (owned by the legendary Corrado Lopresto), which, to my eyes, was the most elegant car at the event and deservingly won this category.

The event also celebrated 50 years of the Lamborghini Countach, and it was one of the most popular categories of the Concours d'Etat, with five spectacular examples competing (plus, two more on display by Automobili Lamborghini, including the very first series production Countach LP400).

This was special because earlier this year, we lost Marcello Gandini, and this category was an apt tribute to his groundbreaking design. The head judge for this category was none other than our editor, Gautam Sen.

It would be amiss for the most prestigious concours in France not to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Bugatti Type 35, the world's most successful race car. To mark this occasion, Bugatti displayed one of the first two Bugatti Bolide prototypes built to undergo testing, which was finished in a special livery as a tribute to the Type 35.

Notably, Indian participation was represented by Mr. Rajiv Kehr's 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental, bodied by HJ Mulliner, which finished as runner-up in its category. As well as the Indian-provenance Lancia Flaminia Zagato, originally raced in India by Cesare Rossi, and now owned by Darab Khan.  

Staying true to the French style of concours, a genuinely well-preserved 1928 Bugatti Type 35C won the Best of Show in the pre-war category. In the post-war category, a graceful 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Coupé won the Best of Show.

Running parallel to the Concours d'Etat was the Concours d’Elégance, which provided car manufacturers with a global platform to showcase their latest creations. The highlight of the Concours d’Elégance for me was Bugatti's latest hypercar, the Tourbillon, the successor of the Chiron, powered by Cosworth's bespoke V16 assisted by three electric motors, replacing the erstwhile W16. A solid contender for the Best of Show, along with the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, the DS SM Tribute concept, and the Lancia Pu+Ra concept, the Tourbillon attracted the most attention from young enthusiasts, who were awestruck by its captivating presence.

However, for all its innovative engineering and aerodynamics under the skin, the design is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Maybe that is why it was pipped by the Lancia concept for the Best of Show (to my disappointment).

To say this year's Chantilly Arts & Elegance was a massive success (with more than 28,000 thronging to the show on Sunday the 15th of September) would be an understatement. It was the perfect weekend getaway, one that I would like to attend every year!

And last but not least, a special thanks to the jury members and the team at Peter Auto, who serve as the backbone of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille!