I feel I’m sticking out somewhat. Which is weird, as unusually for me, I’m wearing a shirt with a collar and shoes that aren’t ludicrously bright hi-tops. And yet for some reason, I feel out of place in these surroundings.
Of course, the surroundings are Windsor Castle, weekend home of Queen Elizabeth II, and I’m in the company of some very well-to-do people with some very, very expensive cars. That probably explains things.
Let me explain. This is the Windsor Concours of Elegance, one of the most prestigious car shows in the world, where merely having a nice example of something decent is not enough to get your jalopy on display. No, it needs to be seriously rare and desirable to merit a place here.
As an example of how exclusive the show is, take a look at the cars not considered worthy of a place in the actual castle. Walking up the hill of the Long Walk towards the turreted entrance, sits the riff-raff of the show. Nothing worth talking about, really. Just the first showing of the new McLaren MP4-12C Spider…
…Bentley’s 2003 Le Mans-winning Speed 8 and a 1920s Bentley Blower (top). Pff. Too common.
Incidentally, check out this cool plaque on the Blower. It may not be good enough for the show, but I thought it was awesome.