The Cartier Style et Luxe lawn featured a highly diverse selection of cars, from a number of Hispanso Suizas from the 1920s to a Pagani Huayra almost a hundred years their junior. It proved an incredible draw through the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, and things became more serious when the judging panel arrived on the Sunday afternoon.
The judging panel comprised of 13 people from the worlds of art, design, sport or media. They included renowned car designer Gordon Murray, model and presenter Jodie Kidd, the Earl of Snowdon, industrial designer Marc Newson and Extreme E competitor Catie Munnings. Here are 2021’s Cartier Style et Luxe winners…
Five cars formed the Hispano Suiza class, ranging from 1921 to 1929. For the judges, one car stood out head and shoulders above the other. The distinctive 1929 H6B Galle Twin Cockpit Boattail Torpedo Sport was the car to claim class honours.
Winner: 1929 H6B Galle Twin Cockpit Boattail Torpedo Sport
Entered by: private collection
Another class that came entirely from the 1920s was the Amilcar class. What these French-made cyclecars lack in physical stature they more than make up for in character. The charming cars were unlike anything else on the Cartier lawn, the 1926 CGS3.
Winner: 1926 CGS3
Entered by: John Foy
Big, brash 1950s Americana was the order of the day in this class. Entries came from marques as varied as Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Continental and Packard. Each has acres of chrome and generous proportions. It was the 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta Convertible that got the approval of the judges.
Winner: 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta Convertible
Entered by: Dream Cars
Gullwing doors have been an ever-present but rarely deployed element of automotive design since being pioneered by the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL. The class was perhaps the most diverse of all, with entrants including the Bricklin SV-1, DeLorean DMC-12 and Pagani Huayra. The judges’ choice? The 2006 Bristol Fighter.
Winner: 2006 Bristol Fighter
Entered by: Nick McGarvey
The Jaguar E-type celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion it had its own class in the Cartier Style et Luxe. It was perhaps the closest run class, but in the end the svelte lines of the ‘Lightweight’ Coupe won the judges’ affections.
Winner: 1961 E-type ‘Lightweight’ Coupe
Entered by: Shaun Lynn
The Renault 4, Volkswagen Beetle, Citroën 2CV, Mini and Fiat 500 were all responsible for getting their respective nations moving with affordable personal transportation. Fondly remembered by many, they now make for sought-after classics. It was the compact Mini that won class honours.
Winner: 1959 Morris Mini Minor
Entered by: Dave Rippard
Who doesn’t love a wedge? The form ruled dominated sports and supercar styling in the 1970s, and marques represented at the concours included De Tomaso, Maserati, Ferrari, Lancia, Lamborghini and Lotus. The iconic Countach, displayed in its purest early form, took class honours.
Winner: 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400
Entered by: Henry Pearman
As well as class winners, one car at Style et Luxe always takes the overall honours. For 2021’s event, it was the delectable 1974 Lancia Stratos that claimed the overall prize. It’s owned by industrial designer Marc Newson, who was excluded from the judging in this class, and has recently undergone a restoration to make it quite possibly the best road-going Stratos in the world.
Winner: 1974 Lancia Stratos
Entered by: Marc Newson
Photography by James Lynch.
Lancia
Stratos
Cartier Style et Luxe
FOS 2021
Festival of Speed
Festival of Speed
Festival of Speed
Festival of Speed