This September, Hampton Court Palace will trade tales of kings and queens for something altogether more intoxicating: the spine-tingling growl of two of history’s rarest—and rather spellbinding—Aston Martins at Europe’s most exclusive garden party, the Concours of Elegance.
Leading the roll call of royalty—on wheels, mind you, not coronets—will be the 1955 Aston Martin DB3S Coupe. Picture this: only three of these coupe variants ever existed, and today, just two carry the torch. The DB3S/119, resplendent in “Battleship Grey” paired with a red leather interior as bold as a Bond bottle, is a marriage of athleticism and grace. Crafted with Frank Feely’s curves (think less Jane Austen, more Michelangelo’s “David” on the Mulsanne Straight), the DB3S was the hypercar of its day, dueling the likes of Mercedes’ gullwinged legends. Underneath its svelte shell lies a 2.9-litre straight-six engine serving 225 brake horsepowers—not the kind you ride, but the kind that’ll race you from 0 to 60 mph in a breath-snatching 6.5 seconds, pressing on beyond 140 mph. Sadly, the Coupe—perhaps too beautiful and brilliant for its own good—was denied a racing dynasty by budgetary woes, leaving automotive history with the rarest of symbols for British “what might have been” bravado.
Warming up in the paddock is the 1932 Aston Martin LM8, an artifact from an era when British grit marched onto the global racing stage with brass, optimism, and not a little bit of duct tape. The LM8 was among three “second series” works racers built jaw-clenchingly fast by Aston Martin’s race department—completed in just eight weeks, incidentally, because racing drivers and patience have never been compatible. Not just an engineering marvel, LM8 also boasted hard-won glory, clinching the illustrious Rudge Whitworth Cup at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1932 and finishing seventh overall—a Cinderella story, if the slipper was a snarling British racecar.
Both will be star attractions at the 2025 Concours of Elegance, which assembles the crème de la crème of the automotive world—60 of the rarest cars, each with stories as glittering as the Palace’s gold leaf, alongside hundreds more classic cars from the finest clubs. Astons may get their own royal treatment, too, with the Aston Martin Owners’ Club hosting a display worthy of gasping spectators on Saturday, September 6.
But this is more than just a car show; it’s a lavish celebration—picnics by Fortnum & Mason, champagne by Charles Heidsieck, fashion, art, jewelry, and the ineffable thrill of brushing elbows (or perhaps grilles?) with vehicles that turned corners in history before most of us could walk. If you’re after petrol, pedigree, and pomp in equal doses, tickets are already available—assuming you can resist the urge to smuggle a DB3S home in your picnic basket.
So this September, prepare to bow before a different kind of British royalty: two Aston Martins, gloriously restored, gleaming, and making the most coveted garden in England their palace for a weekend. After all, dynasties fade—but legends on wheels always make a comeback.
