It is only 9 am on this sunny yet fresh Sunday morning but the traffic is slow on the départementale road which crosses the small towns with typical French names of Luzarches and Lamorlaye. Among the cars, some Ferrari and Porsche rolling at 20 kmph before stopping at the next red traffic light. Still a few kilometers before arriving at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance concours d’élégance which took place on September 15th 2024, like every two years. Let’s have a walk on the Chantilly castle’s lawn (laid out by André le Nôtre) for a selection of post-war GT and racing cars.
Some Jim Clark vibes to start with a 1964 Lotus 33, part of a 1964-1971 Formula One category which also featured a 1966 BRM P83 and an uncommon 1969 Cosworth 4WD. Sharp like a knife, this car was designed by the formula one engine supplier as a four-wheel drive to improve the traction of cars powered by the British company, but failed to be competitive during the tests and had never been engaged in any race.
Among the rakish coupés and berlinettas presented at the contest, a class gathered a fine selection of Maserati featuring some special bodyworks designed by Pietro Frua, Serafino Allemano or Zagato. The organizers also invited several Mercedes SL, including two 300 SL gullwinged coupés, to highlight the evolution of the model from the mid-1950s to 1970.
As far as motorsport is concerned, some classes were dedicated to 4 & 6-cylinder Ferrari (see the Dino 196S on the cover picture or the 500 Mondial above) and 4-cylinder Porsche racing cars (Devin D Spyder or 550 Spyder above). Other categories honored the Italian car and engine designer Carlo Chiti (1924-1994)(notably with this Ferrari 250 GTO from the N.A.R.T. Racing team below) and the Ferrari of the Charles Pozzi racing team.
For the 50th anniversary of the production of the Lamborghini Countach, several exemplaries of the model designed by Marcello Gandini were presented, including a LP 5000 QuattroValvole. Conceived as a response to the Ferrari Testarossa and its 390 hp, the LP 5000 QV was unveiled at the Salon de Genève in 1985 and considered as a ‘super-Countach’ with its 455 hp and a four valves per cylinder engine (hence its name quattro valvole in Italian).
The name of Giotto Bizzarrini (1926 – 2023) is linked to the Ferrari history as chief engineer who contributed to develop the 250 series. As he was working on the prototype of the 250 GTO, he followed the rebellion that broke out in October 1961 and left the company. Then he collaborated with Renzo Rivolta, an Italian industrialist who wanted to launch touring cars powered by an American V8 engine under the brand Iso, including the Grifo A3C. However, the impulsive Bizzarrini disagreed with Rivolta about the homologation in GT championship, that led him to commercialize his Bizzarrini 5300 GT under his own name, until his company eventually went to bankruptcy in 1969. Few Bizzarrini’s cars have been produced, so the presence of the Iso & Bizzarrini Enthusiasts Club was a rare occasion to admire these typical 1960s Italian coupés.
Sources :
- List of the competitors – Chantilly Art & Elegance 2024
- ‘Quand l’Iso Grifo A3/C devient Bizzarini 5300GT‘
Photos credits: @elegantinparis
Elégances Parisiennes 