Salon Privé preview - Telegraph You either get the Salon Privé or you don't. This is an automobile event where barely an engine is heard, tyres are polished rather than warmed and most of the day's action consists of polite chatter, the putting on of sunglasses and the chink of Champagne flutes. But then the traditional race-meeting menu of stentorian exhausts, burning rubber and exhausting hikes through mud or dust is not for everyone. Concours events such as Salon Privé are the sort of places where you can invite a loved one without experiencing the sinking feeling that they might not be enjoying themselves at all. Here you can look at the rare and highly polished cars, or simply get on with the quaffing and hobnobbing that is the standard fare of Salon Privé and its foreign rivals, Pebble Beach in California and Villa d'Este in Italy. Like most event hosts, Salon Privé organisers Andrew, David and Sarah Bagley are feeling the pinch this year - calendar, rather than financial, that is. The Olympics, Queen's Diamond Jubilee and a football match or two means everything is crushed into the beginning and end of the season. Which would have been fine were it not for a bit of renovation going on at the Salon Privé's home, Syon Park in west London, where owner the Duke of Northumberland is getting the builders in over the normal June dates of this event. It's on September 5 to 7. Indian summers notwithstanding, the Bagleys will be keeping a nervous eye on the skies this autumn. Not only did it bucket down on Jay Kay, who rolled up to open the press day in spite of a heavy cold, but last year a series of vicious thunderstorms fired umbrellas so high in the air you wondered if they would interfere with Heathrow's final approach path that runs close overhead. And the grand entrance tunnel was blown completely flat. So have they bought more tent pegs? David Bagley grins. "This year we're having nothing here that is capable of taking off," he says firmly. While the traditional running order for this six-year-old event, which was previously held at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, hasn't changed, the exhibits certainly have. "We've done a bit of lateral thinking this year," says David, "and we're bringing in a couple of one-model classes." And what models they are. Headline appearances will be a paddock filled with at least 10 examples of Ferrari's F40, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Now that's going to be interesting, if only to see who has fitted their car with a load of embarrassing extras in the interim. Another set of exhibits worth a dekko are Adrian Hamilton's collection of Gulf-liveried race cars. This the first time this collection has been seen in public and the 18-strong, blue-and-orange-liveried line-up includes the first 1967 Mirage, the latest Lamborghini Gallardo GT2 cars and the team transporter. There will also be a display of Mercedes-Benz SL Gullwing cars which, along with the Queen, are celebrating their 60th anniversary. Plus exhibits from the Italian coachbuilding house of Touring of Milan and a couple of motorcycle classes; V-twins and important competition machines. When to go? It's all good, but my tip is Ladies' Day on Thursday September 6 as one of the highpoints, especially as the Bagleys are working on a catwalk combining high fashion and the quintessence of automotive design. "Bella figura," as we Italians like to say. Tickets start at £234 and are inclusive of your body weight in Champagne, lobster lunches, cream teas and general dolce vita. Go to www.salonprivelondon.com or call the ticket hotline +44 (0) 808 100 2205.