Ferrari Portofino M: a voyage of rediscovery

The Ferrari Portofino M, the evolution of the Prancing Horse’s 2+ GT spider, the Ferrari Portofino, was unveiled today. In a move unprecedented in the Maranello marque’s 70-year-plus history, the new car’s premiere took place entirely online. The build-up to the unveiling included the sending out of a series of newsletters to clients over recent weeks at the end of which they were given access to a platform containing exclusive videos illustrating the concept behind the car, its restyling and main technical contents.

Great marques choose Salon Privé to unveil their latest models (Photo ARES S1 Project)

As well as showcasing iconic machinery from decades past, this year’s Salon Privé will offer a glimpse of motoring’s future by hosting more than 20 new-model debuts in the pristine grounds of Blenheim Palace. 

Bentley Mulliner Bacalar

Bentley is set to return to the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace from 22 to 26 September for this year’s Salon Privé, to unveil a three-strong showcase handcrafted by Bentley Mulliner.

As Bentley’s in-house bespoke and personal commissioning division, Bentley Mulliner now operates a trio of portfolios to deliver exceptional craftsmanship across the Bentley model range – and beyond. All three portfolios will be represented together for the first time at Salon Privé. A new member of the Mulliner Collections family will be unveiled, alongside the public debut for the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar and a post-restoration debut for one of the most famous Bentleys in history.

Maserati MC20: the Brand's new super sports car

Maserati enters the new Era with MC20, the new super sports car that combines performance, sportiness and luxury in the unique Maserati style. MC20 was presented to the world in Modena on 9 September during the “MMXX: Time to be audacious” event.

The New Rolls-Royce Ghost

In 2009, Rolls-Royce announced a new addition to its portfolio that offered something entirely different to its flagship Phantom. This product resonated with a new group of men and women who responded to the marque’s relentless pursuit of perfection in design, engineering and craftsmanship, but sought a more modest and minimalist expression of Rolls-Royce. The execution of the first Goodwood Ghost, and its laser focus on meeting the demands of its clients, was an unmitigated success, and over the course of its ten-year lifecycle, this transformative motor car became the most successful product in the company’s 116-year history. Ghost’s formidable success was vital in enabling the brand to scale up production, invest in its capabilities and establish Rolls-Royce as the truly global brand it is today.

Additionally, Ghost’s decade-long market presence enabled the marque’s Luxury Intelligence Specialists to gather vital information about developing behaviours in how Ghost clients use their motor car, how they commission it and how they perceive Rolls-Royce. These highly successful and diverse entrepreneurs and founders, who selected this product to celebrate their ongoing ascension, were citizens of the world – they had been educated abroad, they travelled extensively and experienced Rolls-Royce in many cultures.

Due to Ghost’s energetic, dynamic personality, these clients came to realise that the Rolls-Royce brand could offer more than a chauffeur-driven experience. Indeed, in the United States of America and areas of Europe, clients were self-driving their Ghost from the very early stages of its introduction. Meanwhile, in Asia, clients were engaging heavily in the connected technology on board, be it for business or pleasure. 

Across all markets, when clients commissioned their Ghost they asked the marque’s representatives about the driving experience, even if they had selected an extended wheelbase. During the weekend, this business tool morphed into a discreet celebration – clients would switch to the driver’s seat and relish a trip to a restaurant or second home with their friends and family. They celebrated this breadth of character, and this reflected in less formal colourways and more personalisation in the driver’s eyeline. These were profound learnings.

Meanwhile, at Goodwood, significant advances were being made with the marque’s proprietary aluminium spaceframe architecture. First used on Phantom, then Cullinan, this spaceframe is unique to Rolls-Royce and enables the brand’s designers and engineers to develop an authentically super-luxury product, free from the constraints of platforms used to underpin highvolume vehicles. As Ghost clients required even more of their motor car, Rolls-Royce used its architecture to respond, incorporating technology such as all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering in Ghost, unlocking an entirely new, purposeful personality.

Concurrently, the design team were tracking an emerging movement that came to define Ghost’s aesthetic treatment. It spoke of a shifting attitude among Ghost clients in the way success is expressed. Named ‘Post Opulence’ internally, it is characterised by reduction and substance. In service to this, exceptional materials must be selected and celebrated. Design must be limited, intelligent and unobtrusive. This philosophy is the antithesis of ‘premium mediocracy’, a term coined by the fashion cognoscenti. This refers to products that use superficial treatments, such as large branding or, in the context of motor cars, busy stitching and other devices that create an illusion of luxury by dressing products lacking in substance in a premium skin.

The collective result is new Ghost. This is a motor car precisely tailored to its clients, that appears perfect in its simplicity, that is underpinned by remarkable substance, that is less but better.

2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition

The Ford GT is America’s only Le Mans-winning supercar, and taking this pinnacle of Ford Performance even further for 2021, Ford is revealing two new enhancements today – the first-ever Heritage Edition inspired by the original model’s first endurance win at the 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Continental race, plus an all-new Studio Collection package offers even more exclusivity and design enhancements.

Bentley’s new Bespoke Continental GT model – A collector’s delight

The Continental GT is the crowning achievement of Bentley’s modern design portfolio. Now reimagined as an intricately detailed model replica, exquisite customisable features range from mock veneers and carpets to seat quilting and fluting.

Meticulous attention to detail and thousands of hours of work go into crafting the exquisite models, available in a number of scales from the remarkable 1:8 collectors piece to the detailed 1:43 and miniature 1:64 models. The 1:8 scale model is offered as a bespoke product, allowing customers to commission their own unique replica car in the perfect size to proudly display in an office or home. This could match the car in their driveway, an iconic Continental GT racecar or the future car of their dreams, thanks to a suite of customisable options.

Yema Flygraf Pilot Automatic Watch

The aviation world has been a great source of inspiration for YEMA since its creation in 1948, specially for its iconic FLYGRAF collection. Being a historic partner of the CNES (French National Center for Space studies) since 1982 and after obtaining, once again an oficial partnership with the French Air Force in 2020, YEMA now welcomes a new ambassador, Samy Mason. The French watchmaker and this talented professional aerobatic pilot from California introduce the Flygraf Pilot.

Gordon Murray Automotive T.50: Global premiere

Gordon Murray Automotive has unveiled its T.50 supercar in full for the first time, showing the finished exterior and interior design and confirming its ground-breaking technical specifications. The T.50 has been engineered to be the purest, lightest, most driver-centric supercar ever.

All-new Koenigsegg Gemera

Koenigsegg has announced that its sensational world’s first ‘mega GT’ will be making its UK debut at this year’s Salon Privé Week. Long renowned for pushing the performance envelope, the Swedish brand will be presenting the all-new Gemera – its first four-seat model – in the magnificent surroundings of Blenheim Palace.

World-renowned car collector, Michael Fux, becomes first US customer for Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne

World-renowned car fanatic and businessman, Michael Fux, has commissioned a striking Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne to add to his collection, and in doing so becomes the first US customer for the Spanish brand in the modern era.

Ducati e-Scrambler: The e-BIKE to move freely and with style

Moving in city traffic and exploring the open country roads in safety, without sacrificing the style and feeling of freedom typical of the Ducati Scrambler world, is possible on an e-Scrambler, the trekking e-bike built by the Borgo Panigale manufacturer in collaboration with Thok.