Moss, Hawthorn and Surtees Ferraris unite for Concours des Légendes - Octane Magazine
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Moss, Hawthorn and Surtees Ferraris unite for Concours des Légendes

Words: Elliott Hughes

A trio of classic Ferraris with direct connections to three of Britain’s greatest racing drivers – Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees – will take centre stage at Wilton House when the inaugural Concours des Légendes opens its doors from 19-21 June 2026.

The cars – and the men associated with them – are emblematic of motorsport’s most glamorous and dangerous era, and the upcoming concours offers a rare opportunity to see all three together in one place.

Headlining the trio is chassis 2119GT, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB commissioned by renowned British privateer Rob Walker for Stirling Moss to race in the RAC Tourist Trophy at Goodwood.

Finished in Walker’s famous dark blue with white nose stripe and Competizione-spec aluminium bodywork, the car left Maranello on 11 August 1960 – though it very nearly never made the race. Moss had broken both legs and crushed three vertebrae when his Lotus 18 suffered a mechanical failure at the Belgian Grand Prix in June. Miraculously, he recovered in time, won the TT outright, and went on to take further victories at Brands Hatch and the Nassau Speed Week.

After passing through prominent UK collectors’ hands over the following decades, 2119GT now resides with ex-Formula 1 team principal and technical guru Ross Brawn, who will also be talking about his remarkable career at Concours des Légendes. 2119GT remains one of the most valuable and historically significant Prancing Horses in private ownership.

The second car has an equally intriguing yet more poignant tale to tell. The 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé, chassis 1083, holds a unique place in British automotive history: it is the first Ferrari road car ever sold in the UK.

After winning the 1958 Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari, Mike Hawthorn struck a deal with Enzo Ferrari to import road cars to Britain through his Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham – becoming the country’s first official Ferrari dealer. The first two cars he imported were a pair of 250 GT Pininfarina Coupés, priced at £6500 each.

Hawthorn exhibited both at the London Motor Show that year, and chassis 1083 was sold to major Desmond Fitzgerald, a wealthy Irish landowner. Tragically, Hawthorn was killed in a road accident just three months after retiring from motorsport, aged only 29. The car is now cared for by the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset, making its appearance at Wilton a rare public outing for a genuine piece of British and Italian automotive history.

Completing the trio is chassis 6981GT, a 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 personally presented to John Surtees by Enzo Ferrari as a bonus for winning the 1964 Formula One World Championship – a title that made Surtees the only man in history to win world championships on both two and four wheels.

After leaving Surtees’ ownership the car disappeared, eventually spending 45 years in the US before being discovered in Bethany, Missouri, by its current owner, who returned it to the UK. What makes 6981GT particularly special is that it has survived in completely unrestored, barn find condition, still wearing its original Amaranto paintwork. A genuine time capsule, it offers a rare chance to see an unrestored Ferrari with a remarkable story etched into its bodywork.

Concours des Légendes takes place at Wilton House, Wiltshire, from 19-21 June 2026. Tickets are available here.