THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE IS MARKED IN TRULY UNIQUE STYLE IN THE CARTIER ‘STYLE ET LUXE’ AT THE 2012 GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Now in its 18th consecutive year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Moving Motor Show (28 June – 01 July), the 2012 Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ vehicle concours d’elegance promises to be truly exceptional. For the first time ever, Cartier will focus on just one set of vehicles, but what a collection of vehicles they will be!
As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year, Goodwood and Cartier will gather together an astonishing selection of vehicles all personally owned or used by Her Majesty. None of these vehicles have ever been seen together as a collection in public, and the caliber, quality and variety of vehicles promised to be simply staggering.
Many vehicles will come from the personal collections of Her Majesty, including Sandringham and the Royal Mews. Others will be sourced from overseas governments and private collections, and all will have a genuine use and connection with The Queen.
The unique Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ Royal vehicle concours will be divided into six special classes, including Limousines, official Overseas State Visit travel, Working Cars, Personal Family Cars. Aviation, Rail and Horse-drawn vehicles, plus Royal Household Toy Cars.
Expect to see ‘formal’ state limousines, including Her Majesty’s 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V and 1929 Daimler Double Six 30hp Brougham. Foreign Travel will include cars used for overseas State visits, sent over to Goodwood specifically for the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ with official local government permissions. These include the striking Chapron-bodied Citroen SM Decapotable used for The Queen’s State visit to France in 1972, with the release of this car being personally signed-off by French President Nicolas Sarkozya. Expect to also see a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan ‘bubble top.’
Working cars are set to include an unique coachbuilt 1956 Ford Zephyr Estate and 1961 Vauxhall Cresta Friary Estate, the latter used to transport Her Majesty’s corgi dogs. Personal cars will include a Rover P5 used extensively by The Queen, plus Prince Philip’s 1961 Alvis TD21.
Two unusual vehicle classes will include a 1920s Royal Midland carriage from The Royal Train, plus a 1950s De Havilland Chipmunk aircraft. A 1928 Citroen C4 presented to The Queen, plus an Austin J40 pedal car and 1966 Aston Martin DB5 007-replica toy car will be included in a class of Royal Household Toy Cars.
Goodwood’s acclaimed Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance celebration of fine automotive design always attracts a distinguished panel of judges, and this year will be no exception, with the panel due to be announced in the coming week.
During the Festival weekend, a visit to the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ is made all the more enjoyable by a superb soundtrack of live jazz playing on the bandstand on Saturday and Sunday, making this is an unmissable occasion for anyone who appreciates the inherent creative magnificence of great automobiles.
