Luxury car line-up makes UK debut

The three-day event, Salon Privé London, is now open at Royal Hospital Chelsea. It features new machinery, a selection of classic cars for sale in its Concours de Vente (a display of 50 automotive classics), and some of the world’s most desirable luxury brands, including the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

In addition, a host of automotive reveals took place in the capital’s new event this morning.

E&T gives you a breakdown of the event’s global debuts:

The first car revealed was all-new luxury British brand Caton’s first creation: a reincarnation of the iconic Austin-Healey 100 sports car. Fusing traditional craftsmanship with OEM-grade design and engineering, Caron says the car “promises an immersive, intoxicating and emotional automotive experience”. Caton brings the revered Austin-Healey up to date while still protecting the ethos of the 1950s original.

Next up, Charge Cars revealed its hand-built, zero-emissions Electric Mustang. Deploying innovative technology to redefine the revered 1967 Fastback model, Charge Cars has used a new steel body shell and composite body panels on the electric vehicle to minimise weight and deliver 536bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 3.9 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Aston Martin DBX707 by Aston Martin Mayfair also made its debut – a car which the firm describes as the world’s most powerful luxury SUV. According to Aston Martin, it is an “SUV like no other” and “elevates Aston Martin to the pinnacle of the segment with a unique combination of blistering performance, supreme dynamics and unmistakable style”.

HR Owen Ferrari then treated us to two Italian thoroughbreds, with the Ferrari Daytona SP3 joining the Ferrari 296 GTB on display. With car enthusiasts already calling it “one of the most beautiful cars of its generation”, the Ferrari Daytona SP3 is the third in the limited edition Icona series. It pays homage to the mid-rear-engined Ferrari V12 sports prototypes that earned the famous marque its motorsport status.

Known for being the lightest hybrid hypercar on the market, the founder of Austrian/Slovenian manufacturer Tushek, Aljosa Tusek, revealed its TS900 Apex. Employing a new and patented electric drive system to achieve perfect parity, the car possesses a power-to-weight ratio of one metric horsepower to one kilogram of mass (1:1). Tushek joins a handful of vaunted marques to have achieved such an engineering breakthrough.

Morgan Motor Company also gave guests a sneak peek of its new Super 3 model, as the Malvern-based manufacturer showcased its entire range. Recently revealed to the press, the Super 3 continues the 113-year legacy of three-wheeled Morgan vehicles, yet introduces a new product family with a design language inspired by the Jet Age.

Also making its UK show debut was Alpine’s New 110 range, which the French company has updated with three distinct new versions, uprated performance and more equipment. Faithful to Alpine’s principles of lightness, compactness and agility, with the promise of driving pleasure, the brand has a rich motorsport heritage, fully embraced in the modern era with representations across Formula 1, World Endurance and Rally Competitions.

The new Range Rover SV was also revealed, “mixing modernity and aesthetic grace to create an exquisite interpretation of the iconic SUV”. According to Land Rover, it is the first vehicle to wear the distinctive ceramic SV roundel, it represents the apex of design and engineering expertise from the firm’s in-house Special Vehicle Operations team and provides customers with a new level of craftsmanship and greater functionality.

Making its European debut was the Genesis GV60, the brand’s first dedicated electric platform-based vehicle. It’s paired with a luxury design and delivers the technology of a high-performance electric car as a sleek and athletic coupé crossover utility vehicle.

As the oldest car making its debut, 81 years after its conception, Alfa Romeo revealed its long-lost Alfa Romeo 12C prototype. The world’s greatest automotive marques (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Porsche) reunited to restore this car, decades after they first abandoned the project.

Banbury-based company Prodrive then unveiled the world’s first all-terrain hypercar: the Prodrive Hunter. Developed from the Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car – and driven by nine-times World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb in the world’s toughest motorsport event, the Dakar Rally – the four-wheel-drive, all-terrain adventure vehicle uses a 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 engine that develops more than 600bhp.

The last car to make its premiere at Salon Privé London was the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost. The British firm has re-engineered the model’s drivetrain and chassis “for more urgent performance”. It also features a 6.75 litre V12 engine, which delivers increased power (600PS) and torque (900NM).