LONDON, England (14 December 2021) Three rare classic cars have been exhibited in London to announce next year’s new Concours on Savile Row, and to mark the opening of an exhibition that details the time-honoured partnership between car manufacturer and tailors from the Row.
The cars, the one-off Aston Martin Bulldog supercar, a Bizzarrini 5300GT and a Bentley Continental GTZ, were displayed on Savile Row throughout the day, sparkling under the Christmas lights.
The Bulldog was built by Aston Martin in the late 1970s and early ‘80s as one of Britain’s first true supercars. It has recently been restored by CMC, Classic Motor Cars Ltd, and is about to begin high-speed testing with the aim of achieving 200mph.
The Bizzarrini 5300GT is a Le Mans class-winning 1960s GT car engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini who was also instrumental in the development of the famous Ferrari 250GTO. This particular example is owned by the recently relaunched Bizzarrini company, which is to start offering new ‘continuation’ examples of the 5300GT.
The Bentley Continental GTZ is one of just nine created by the famous Italian coachbuilder Zagato, which celebrated its centenary in 2019. To date, the GTZ is the only collaboration between Bentley Motors and Zagato.
The all-new Concours on Savile Row will take place midweek on 15-16 June, when the street will be closed to traffic for the two-day event.
The current exhibition, which is free and open to all, is being held at The Service, 32 Savile Row, and is open until December 2021.
The Concours and exhibition is a partnership between Hothouse Media, the publishers of one of the world’s leading motoring magazines, Magneto, and the Pollen Estate, owners of much of Savile Row.
Savile Row tailors have a historic relationship with the automotive industry, from driving suits, to driving jackets and even car interiors. What propels this relationship are the attributes that the collector car world and custom tailoring share: craftsmanship, beautiful design, high quality materials, attention to detail, and very discerning customers. The exhibition will highlight these shared qualities by featuring disciplines intrinsic to the process of creation, such as weaving, leatherwork and woodwork.
Within the exhibition, a selection of tailors are displaying previous collaborations with automotive manufacturers. Some of the tailor and vehicle partnerships that will be displayed include:
- Cad & the Dandy X Bahrain McLaren, a driving jacket made from a wool and cashmere blend.
- Dege & Skinner X Bentley, a bespoke driving coat made from pure cashmere.
- Huntsman X Marc Newson, a driving suit when he raced the Mille Miglia.
- Henry Poole & Co X Range Rover, a 50 years celebration of Range Rover with a grey black dogstooth and Tuscan blue window check lambswool.
- Norton & Sons X Lotus, a bespoke driving jacket available exclusively to customers of the Lotus Evija hypercar.
A collection of artworks from Historic Car Art in a range of mediums such as art, prints, posters, and photography are also on show in The Service.
“The response to the launch of the Concours on Savile Row has been phenomenal and we are very excited to be able to bring some amazing cars to display on such a famous street,” said Geoff Love, managing director of Hothouse Media.. “There are many similarities between the bespoke world of tailoring and the craft of coachbuilding, and we will be celebrating the best of both worlds over two days in June 2022. It will be a unique event – intimate in nature but in the heart of Mayfair. It should be a lot of fun!”
Julian Stocks, Property Director of the Pollen Estate, said of the exhibition, “We are delighted to share this exhibition with visitors to the Row, giving an insight into the significant relationship between Savile Row tailors and luxury car manufacturers.”
The exhibition acts as an introduction to the Concours on the Row in June 2022. Viewers will be able to visit the exhibition, located in The Service, on 32 Savile Row, from 13th November to December 2021, between 8:30am – 4:30pm daily.
NOTES TO EDITORS
ABOUT HOTHOUSE MEDIA
Hothouse Media was born from the desire of its two founders, Geoff Love and David Lillywhite, to celebrate the best of the classic and collector car world through print, digital, and live event platforms.
ABOUT THE POLLEN ESTATE
The Pollen Estate owns 45 buildings in East Mayfair including the significant majority of both Cork Street, the London home of modern and contemporary art, as well as Savile Row, the global centre for luxury bespoke menswear tailoring.
ABOUT CAD & THE DANDY
Ian Meiers and James Sleater, two ex-bankers, established Cad & The Dandy in 2008. Despite having no prior expertise in tailoring, they chose to launch a tailoring business since they both had family links to the couture industry.
ABOUT DEGE & SKINNER
Dege & Skinner, founded 1865, is well known for business suits, overcoats, and professional attire; however, are frequently asked to create more relaxed leisure clothing, as well as equestrian clothing such as riding and hunting coats, and a variety of more unusual pieces such as opera capes and smoking jackets.
ABOUT HUNTSMAN
Huntsman, founded 1849, has long been proud of its rich history and reputation as one of Savile Row’s greatest and most imaginative tailors. For years, the Huntsman suit has represented honesty, perfection, and quality; characteristics that are sought after to maintain in their tailoring today.
ABOUT HENRY POOLE
Founded in 1806, the Poole family has happily served customers since James Poole started manufacturing military uniforms during the Napoleonic Wars. They continue to offer bespoke services, which represents all that is great about British tailoring.
ABOUT NORTON & SONS
Walter Charles Norton established Norton & Sons on the Strand in 1821 as a tailor for men working in the City. They ultimately made their way to Savile row as their clientele grew.
ABOUT HISTORIC CAR ART
Historic Car Art has been operating from its rural Derbyshire base since 2004. A business built over time from a passion for art, cars, automotive history and the racing exploits of drivers and manufacturers combined.
MEDIA CONTACT
Walker Drummond | Casey Conduct
Alpha Kilo
walker.d@alphakilocreative.com | casey.c@alphakilocreative.com
+ 44 (0) 7817946810 | +44 (0) 7743538505