A wonderful motoring garden party - London Concours 2021

As the sun slowly dipped behind the ancient buildings surrounding the historic Honourable Artillery Company grounds just outside the City of London, it drew to a close another brilliant edition of the London Concours and a great three days of entertainment by Footman James.

Now in its fifth year, and in a true return to form (in a COVID-compliant manner), the London Concours once again provided a wonderful three days of sights, sounds and the subtle scent of petrol, in one of London’s most historic locations. The five-acre gardens belonging to the HAC, the oldest regiment in the British Army, proved itself once more as the perfect backdrop for around 100 special cars and 7500 guests.

For the main Concours, judging classes included ‘Young-Timers’ for modern classics, ‘Great Marques, Lotus and Porsche', ‘Italian Berlinettas’ and ‘The 200 MPH Club,’ which this year was judged by none other than David Bond, Managing Director of Footman James.

A tough category over which to preside, ‘The 200 MPH Club’ was packed with exotica from a 1990 Lister LeMans, through to a LaFerrari and even a Bugatti Chiron. Such a wonderfully diverse selection of cars made for a tricky decision, but the winning example was the iconic Ferrari F40, a wonderful example of the turbocharged, carbon fibre racing car for the road which set the bar for all supercars which trailed in its wake.

With a sponsorship of the owners’ enclosure in partnership with Azur, Footman James were delighted to welcome members of the Chrome Collective to enjoy lunch alongside the Concours entrants in the hospitality area, which was co-managed by Searcy’s and Veuve Cliquot. With a large open-sided marquee from which to escape the sunshine, the combination of smooth service and a relaxed atmosphere made for memorable lunches. It was a huge pleasure to enjoy the daily company of Footman James’ favourite classic car expert and media mogul, Harry Metcalfe, who was on hand to provide insight and commentary on the vehicles spread out across the grounds.

Footman James was particularly delighted to receive so much positive feedback on its ongoing sponsorship of Harry’s Youtube channel, ‘Harry’s Garage.’ The overwhelming reaction from many was that over a year with little to look forward to, and few excuses to use old cars, the fun, informative and engaging content from Harry had kept many classic car fans going during the winter months of 2020/2021.  

Having kicked off yet another motoring summer in style, Footman James is already looking forward to more events to come. With COVID restriction being eased within weeks, and Coffee and Chrome dates shortly to be announced, we are looking forward to seeing many more of you at events across the country soon.

Which events will you be attending? Let us know in the comments below.