Once in through the castle’s main entrance, past the bearskinned guard, I’m faced with 60 of the world’s most sought after vehicles. They range in age from the 19th century through to more modern fare, but nothing here is younger than 40 years old. Above, we have a 1918 Straker-Squire X/2 Prototype, replete with awesome paint job and kick-ass side pipes. Developed as a racing car in the very early days of UK motorsport, it’s powered by a 4.0-litre, six-cylinder engine and develops around 115bhp, which was good for almost 180kph.
One of my favourite features of older cars is the complete reliance on analogue, mechanical features. You don’t get dials like this on modern machines. Nor do you have them in the footwell, next to the steering column, unlike in this 1913 Sunbeam Tourist Trophy.
For the racier among you, here are some luminaries of the sports car world. From left to right, a 1957 BMW 507, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe from 1954 and a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Berlinetta. Drool.
The interior of the 300SL isn’t too shabby either.
This was my car of the show. It’s a 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom that was rebodied in 1934 by Belgian coachbuilder Jonckheere in the incredible style you see here. It looks like the kind of machine Batman would have cruised Gotham in if he was around in the 30s. Check out the circular doors and the covered rear wheels, as well as the enormous grille at the front. Oh, and some awesome jewellery inside.
