Supercars are go
Supercar spotters will be out in force in London on the first Sunday in September. Their prey? A host of rare breeds, which will be taking to the streets as part of the Chelsea AutoLegends motoring extravaganza.
The PistonHeads Supercar Run in association with The Sunday Times will set off from the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall at around 10am on Sunday 4 September. The cars will be aiming for the Sunday Times Supercar Paddock situated right at the heart of Chelsea AutoLegends on the South Grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea… but the cavalcade won’t be taking a direct route.
Instead, around 30 supercars will take a pre-planned route past many famous London landmarks turning thousands of heads along the way. The trip will reach Sloane Square and the Kings Road around noon, before arriving at Chelsea AutoLegends.
Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Motoring Committee at the Royal Automobile Club, said: "As the Pall Mall clubhouse celebrates its centenary year, the Royal Automobile Club is delighted to support the Chelsea AutoLegends event, and continue a long history of welcoming and supporting motorists as they embark on their automobile adventures."
Among the potent machines seldom seen marques are promised such as Spyker, Pagani, Henessey, Mosler and Koenigsegg. They will be rubbing shoulders with rarities from Aston Martin (One-77) and Jaguar (XJ220 and XJR-15) as well as the latest mouth-watering machines from Alfa and Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, Bugatti, Mercedes and more.
The Supercar Run unites two very different types of media. PistonHeads (pistonheads.com) was created in 1998 as a community website for owners and fans of performance and supercars: today the site is crammed with daily news, forums and tantalising classified adverts.
“We are proud to be associated with Chelsea AutoLegends. The show is a wonderful addition to the motoring calendar and captures the motoring excitement our readers enjoy. The fact that we can showcase a spectacle through central London is fantastic: seeing the cars being used is what PistonHeads is all about,” said Paul Garlick, PistonHeads brand manager.
Over the years The Sunday Times has become synonymous with high performance machines, thanks to the creation of the Supercar Paddock at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed. Now the leading quality Sunday paper brings its supercar connections to Chelsea AutoLegends.
“It’s not often that so many desirable, rare, and downright expensive supercars are assembled in one place – unless you include Jeremy Clarkson’s drive – so it’s well worth a trip to the Sunday Times Supercar Paddock,” enthused Nick Rufford editor of The Sunday Times ‘InGear’.
Chelsea AutoLegends, now in its second year, is a feast of motoring nostalgia. Held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this year’s extravaganza will be packed with motoring memories. As well as great names from motor sport – patron is Sir Stirling Moss OBE and he will be joined by eight times world motorcycle champion Phil Read among other stars – some of the world’s most famous cars will be on show.
Special displays will feature more than 30 Le Mans racers, plus a selection of Group B rally cars from the 1980s. Tributes will be paid to the Jaguar E-type and the Mini Cooper – both celebrating 50th birthdays this year – while the PistonHeads Run and Sunday Times Supercar Paddock will be matched by a classic bike run to the show, organised by the famous Ace Café.
Other displays include a special tribute to the some of the British ‘Patrons’, the private race team entrants of the Fifties and Sixties, who took on the factory teams… and often won.
As well as providing plenty of motoring excitement for all the family, Chelsea AutoLegends will also raise money for the Chelsea Pensioners, the veterans who have given over their grounds for the day.
Tickets for this year’s Chelsea AutoLegends are now on sale either via the event’s new website (ChelseaAutoLegends.com). Those pre-booking before the end of July can take advantage of considerable savings with adult tickets priced at £15 in advance rather than £20 on the gate, and £10 rather than £20 for 12-16 year-olds. Underlining the event’s family entertainment values, accompanied children aged under 12 will be admitted free of charge.
