Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

M

orningmistdriftsslowly

acrossthe tranquillakesof

the spectacularChantilly

estate.As the sun rises,the

longshadowscreepback

fromthe lofty Renaissance-

style château overthe

dew-ladengrass. The world’s greatest cars are

scatteredaroundthe spaciouslawns,some

shroudedin coverslike aChristosculpture

whileotherslook abandonedafter a party.

Earlyriserschat enthusiasticallyaboutrarely

seenmachineswhensuddenlythepeacefulscene

is disturbedby the roarof a supercharged

straight-eightengine.The judgesare alreadyat

workand the glamorousJaneTaylor busies

herselfwith her husband’s superblypreserved

1932 Alfa RomeoTipo Bmonoposto.The earthy,

raucousexhaustechoesacrossthe beautiful

groundsasTaylorgunsthecentrethrottleofthis

famousGrandPrixracer.Eventuallythemagneto

switchiscutandjudgesapplaudtheperformance.

Thisis just one of manysurrealmomentsat

the secondChantillyArts & Elegance.From

first light,the roadsaroundthe hugevenue

northof Parisare

packedwith classics

as club convoys

arriveto preparefor

the inspiredpicnic

competition.Within a

few hours,the woods

aroundthe châteauare

crammedwith single-marquegroupsas they

unpackhampersandrugsforthecombinedculi-

nary and car contest.In typicalFrenchstyle,

someclubsgo to amazinglengths,settingup

long tablesdressedwith candelabras,decanters,

and hamperspackedwith deliciousvictuals.

Elsewhere,vintagesteamlaunchesare stoked

for trips aroundthe lake, a tetheredballoonis

inflatedfor publicrides,and acrobatslimberup

for performancesaroundthe grounds.Model

yachts are launched and a wond erful rang e of

traditionalgamesis set up, whileautomotive

artistshangtheirlatestworksinaspecialgallery.

In the stables,stuntridersgroomtheirsteeds

for dramaticdisplayslater in the day.

The seedfor this eventwas sownduring

a chancemeetingat PebbleBeachin 2012

December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 119

CLASSICS

AT THE

CHATEAU

ChantillyArts & Elegancehas cementedits place as

a world-classconcours.MickWalshis your guide

PHOTOGRAPHYMICKWALSH,PETERAUTO

The prize-givingarena
allowed spectatorsto view
someexceptionalstyling.
Here,Louwman’s 500K
contrasts with the
Renaissancechâteau