Bentley Blower No.1 claimed Best in Show at the 2026 Heveningham Concours, as another impressive gathering of cars, motorcycles and historic aircraft returned to the Suffolk estate.
Held alongside the long-established Heveningham Country Fair, the concours has established a reputation for bringing together an unusually broad selection of machinery, with this year’s display spanning almost 130 years of motoring. The oldest entrant was an 1898 Peugeot Type 15 Double Phaeton, while the concours lawns also featured everything from significant competition cars and post-war grand tourers to modern performance machinery.
Among the standout exhibits were Richard Tuthill’s 911K alongside the Tuthill-built Porsche that recently claimed victory on the Safari Rally Kenya, a remarkably preserved 1973 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser showing just 400 miles from new and a beautifully restored 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC with a fascinating ownership history stretching from Switzerland to Venezuela before returning to Britain. Motorcycle enthusiasts were treated to the sight of Barry Sheene’s 1978 Suzuki RG500 XR22A, displayed by his son Freddie.
As ever, aviation formed an integral part of the weekend, with two Douglas DC-3s dominating the approach to Heveningham Hall, while flying displays and the ever-popular Horsepower Hill ensured visitors could see and hear a selection of the weekend’s concours cars in action.
Judging was overseen by Max Hunt and supported by an international panel that included Peter Stevens, Marino Franchitti, Mai Ikuzawa, Roger Bennington, Romulus Rost and Harry Charlesworth. Entries were assessed on historical significance, originality, provenance, craftsmanship and presentation.
The panel selected Bentley Blower No.1 as Best in Show, while category honours went to a 1928 Bugatti Type 37A, a 1964 ATS 2500 GTS from the Audrain Collection, Christy Chiltern-Hunt’s Ferrari 330 GTC and Harry Hunt’s Porsche 911 RSR Safari. Nick Mason’s Ferrari F40 shared the Performance Supercar & Hypercar honours with a 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, while Freddie Sheene’s Suzuki RG500 XR22A claimed the motorcycle category.
Beyond the concours itself, the event continued its long-standing support of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, with proceeds helping fund the charity’s planned new operational base near Newmarket.
‘A huge thank you to our distinguished panel of judges, as well as to all our car owners and visitors. They all make the Concours what it is today, and their presence is instrumental in ensuring that we can donate generously to community organisations like the East Anglian Air Ambulance: a hugely valuable organisation that is raising money to build a new facility near Newmarket,’ said Lois Hunt, the Chairman and Founder of Heveningham Concours.
For more information, see heveninghamconcours.com
Gallery
Heveningham Concours 2026 class winners
Pioneers & Pre-War
1928 Bugatti Type 37A owned by Catherine Coar
Mid-Century (1946–1965)
1964 ATS 2500 GTS, owned by Nick and Shelley Schorsch of the Audrain Collection
Post-Modern (1966–1999)
1966 Ferrari 330 GTC, owned by Christy Chiltern-Hunt
Performance Supercar & Hypercar
1989 Ferrari F40, owned by Nick Mason
2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, owned by Chris Wilson
Race & Rally
1973 Porsche 911 RSR ‘Safari,’ owned by Harry Hunt
Motorcycles
1978 Suzuki RG500 XR22A, owned by Freddie Sheene
Special Awards
Best in Show
1929 Bentley Blower No. 1
Chairman’s Choice
1932 Bentley 8 Litre Saloon by HJ Mulliner
1990/2026 Singer DLS Turbo, owned by Jason Barron
Hanna Aviation Trophy
Runner up: 1944 North American Aviation – P-51D Mustang, owned by Richard Tyrell and Flown by Lee Proudfoot
Winner: 1944 De Havilland – DH.89A Dragon Rapide, owned by Ben Cox
Horsepower Hill
Porsche Taycan Weissach at 127MPH, driven by Gary Lambert
