The Classic Motor Hub Coffee & Classics Day
On Sunday 7 October I was invited by The Classic Motor Hub in Bibury, Gloucestershire to be a part of their final Coffee & Classics event of the year, and what a fabulous event it was! With over 250 vehicles and over 500 visitors arriving in their pride and joy to share and display with other collectors and enthusiasts.
The Classic Motor Hub is more than just a showroom, it’s a classic motorist’s dream. Based at the site of the historic RAF Bibury, The Classic Motor Hub has something for everyone, set in a five-acre site dedicated to classic motoring sales, events, classic cars & bikes, modern performance machines and all manner of automotive ephemera on offer.
I arrived at 8am to display a selection of limited edition photographs from my exhibition called ‘A Drive Down Memory Lane’ in one of the showrooms. I was in good company amongst some very prestigious cars including - a silver Ferrari 275GT convertible, a Mercedes CLS AMG in satin silver and a beautiful 1937 Delage D8 120 cabriolet which won “Most Opulent” at Salon Privé on 30 August and quite righty so.
Right on cue the first of the cars arrived at 10am with a steady flow arriving soon after, it was a lovely sunny morning with a nip in the air and the smell of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon, an ideal welcome.
I can see why the event was fully booked, these events are proving to be very popular, not only is there the opportunity to see other cars and bikes, it’s a chance to mingle and explore the showrooms, to shop and to tuck into a bacon roll and enjoy a cup of coffee from the barista. With the choice to purchase other goods and services from local vendors.
I enjoyed meeting many new faces and hearing about their love of cars and to have been given the opportunity to showcase my photography of other collectors cars and to gain new commissions in a fitting setting.
The next Coffee & Classics events is on New Year’s Day 2019 with other dates soon to be published, to find out more about The Classic Motor Hub just click on the link.
To take a peek at others photographs taken at the event click here.
Thanks
Stella
The Classic Motor Hub - ‘Stella’ Photography Exhibition on Sunday 7 October 2018
I have some exciting news to share with you, on Sunday October 7th I have been invited to showcase my automotive exhibition of limited edition photographs called ‘A Drive Down Memory Lane’ at The Classic Motor Hub in Bibury, Gloucestershire as part of their Coffee & Classics event, from 10am - 1pm.
Some of you may remember this exhibition from the inaugural event at Chartwell in Westerham in October 2014. Since then it has featured at many events including the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, in Mayfair and at an exclusive day at Bremont in South Audley Street, Mayfair. Since then there have been additions to the collection with further exclusive photographs included, each photograph is limited to editions of 25.
There will be an opportunity for all visitors to enter a competition to win one of the limited edition framed photographs, by identifying a key element of different prestigious cars.
The Classic Motor Hub is more than just a show room and has something for everyone in a five-acre site dedicated to classic motoring, including events, classic cars & bikes, modern performance machines and all manner of automotive ephemera.
I hope you can make it, it promises to be a fabulous event with visitors arriving in their classic cars & bikes to mingle and enjoy the atmosphere and to visit the showrooms of wonderful cars where I’ll be waiting to greet you with my exhibition.
Visitors are invited by pre-registration only, I have been advised that capacity is full for vehicles post 1990 and there is limited availability for vehicles pre 1990. Further details to register your attendance can be found here, but please hurry to avoid disappointment!
Stella
Images below supplied courtesy of The Classic Motor Hub, thank you.
Salon Privé 2018
I had the pleasure of photographing this unique, glamorous and relaxed event for the 3rd consecutive year.
Salon Privé is one of the world's major Concours events, closed to the public and limited to just 2,500 guests per day. Presenting the finest collection of supercars, hypercars, classic cars and motorbikes.
This year’s prestigious event marks a particularly special milestone as Salon Privé relocated to the foot of Blenheim Palace to become the first event ever to be located on the Palace’s famous Cricket Pitch. I felt this was the perfect place to position the event with the Palace as the ideal backdrop, it really did feel like a garden party, and it wasn't too far to walk from the car park.
I was commissioned to photograph on Thursday 30th August, the first day of the show when the judging and presenting of the trophies takes place during the Chubb Insurance Concours d'Elegance official parade.
The expert panel of 17 judges was chaired by Derek Bell MBE, and included Ben Barkaway, Matthias Bartz, Keith Bluemel, Henry Cole, Yasmin Le Bon, Louis de Fabribeckers, Marco Makaus, John Mayston-Taylor, Hugo Modderman, Cecelia Muldoon, Steve Parrish, Jeff Smith MBE, Harvey Stanley, Giles Taylor, Marcus Willis and Tony Willis.
During the course of the morning the judges carefully inspected and spoke to the owners or representatives of each of the 53 cars – 17 of them international entries – plus 20 motorcycles.
The star-studded Concours comprised of three motorcycle and ten car classes, including ‘Preservation at its Best’; ‘Pre-war Bugattis’; ‘Pre-war Luxury Tourers’; ‘Grand Tourers of the 1950s & ’60s’; ‘Wind in Your Hair’; ‘Best of British at Blenheim Palace’; ‘Streamlined Closed Sports Cars’; ’50 Years of the Dino’; ‘Supercars of the ’70s’ and ‘Competition Cars’, all competing for the prestigious Best of Show, Best of Show runner-up and individual Class prizes.
The photographs I took show the day unfolding, starting with the European Debut of the new Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, with 770 bhp and 720 Nm of torque at 6,750 rpm, the Aventador SVJ is Lamborghini’s most powerful, naturally-aspirated V12 ever produced: SV standing for ‘super veloce’ meaning superfast, and the ‘Jota’ suffice referencing the car’s potency on both track and road.
This year the weather was wonderfully warm and dry unlike last year when there was a downpour during the parade.
Before the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance official parade & trophy presentation a wonderful lobster luncheon was served with champagne by this year's official sponsor Pommery.
The parade was an eclectic mix of automobiles and motorbikes spanning the last century, driven by their proud owners onto the red carpeted stage under a canopy for all the audience to admire. The Master of Ceremonies – the highly knowledgable Max Girardo – gave a brief history about each one. On hand to present the trophies were His Grace the 12th Duke of Marlborough and Andrew Bagley Salon Privé co-founder.
The day concluded with a quintessentially English afternoon tea and many trophies and rosettes taking pride of place on the winning automobiles and motorbikes.
Last but not least, the camera kit I used comprised of two Nikon D700 bodies, one Nikon D750 body, one Nikon 70-200mm lens, one Nikon 24-120mm lens and one Sigma 15-30mm lens and one Nikon 910 Speedlight, fortunately I wasn't holding all the cameras at the same time!
To view additional photographs from the day please follow this link to the events section of the website.
Stella
Sergey Sirotkin 'Under the Helmet'
On Thursday 5 and Friday 6 July - the pre-race days at the British Grand Prix, I had the pleasure of photographing Formula One racing driver Sergey Sirotkin, for an exclusive feature about this up and coming Russian 22-year-old from the Williams Martini Racing team.
Before any of this could take place, I had to apply to the FIA to ask for accreditation, the criteria is notoriously strict. I wanted to somehow get behind-the-scenes to photograph the intricate and precise world of Formula One, working with one of the world’s leading Formula One teams, Williams Martini Racing.
By photographing Sergey, I was aiming to appeal to a younger generation and to gain exposure in the emerging markets, such as Russia, China and the USA. I pitched the idea of a story called 'Under the Helmet' to various well known glossy magazines in the hope that the feature would appeal to one of them to spread the word, after a lot of time, effort and rejection, a Russian magazine called Rútage London Lifestyle Magazine, replied to my email invitation saying they would love to feature Sergey and had been looking for an opportunity such as this for some time. At last my journey was on the right track.
The photographs above show Sergey 'walking the track' - a ritual that happens on the Thursday morning before each race, when the driver walks the full length of the track with the engineers so they can get a feel for it, and to discuss any issues they may have. The Silverstone track measures 5.891 km (3.660 miles) and has 18 turns, this took place on the hottest day of the year and proved to be quite a trek, phew!
The Thursday before the race is also traditionally media day. On this particular Thursday, Sergey took part in pre-arranged interviews including the one for Rútage London Lifestyle Magazine, autograph signings and fan-based interaction fun with his team mate Lance Stroll.
It was an eye opener for me as I didn't quite realise the number of people who were involved in the finest detail of the sport and the intricacies and technology of the cars. It is a physically and mentally challenging sport and the drivers have to be in tip-top condition to compete at this level.
My accreditation gave me access to the Paddock, I was also welcomed into the Williams motor home to photograph Sergey during interviews and whilst he was relaxing, I got to know the media team and to see just what goes into the pre-race days to make sure the drivers are in top form, physically and mentally for the challenge ahead.
I was also given access to an engineers’ briefing which carries highly confidential information, all the engineers (at least 20) and the drivers sit at desks in front of computer screens with headphones on, due to the sensitivity of the information I was only able to photograph close up of Sergey during the briefing, this takes place in a room above the tyre store, although the engineers are whispering very quietly into their microphones, it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop! I was so grateful for the silent electronic shutter on my Fuji XT-2, any noise or distraction would not have gone down well and I'm sure I would have been asked to leave!
The precise timings and dedication from all involved in the Williams Martini Racing team goes a very long way into developing this engaging, hard-working and most of all focused young man on his journey in Formula One.
I think you’ll find the photographs speak for themselves!
It was a privilege to have been given access to the 2018 British Grand Prix and to see first-hand how much work and money is invested in this wonderful sport. I wish Sergey and the Williams team all the very best for the future.
Before I go, a very big thank you to all at Williams, especially Sophie, Jacques, Emma and Ann for making this possible and for welcoming me into the Williams family. To Anna at Rútage London Lifestyle Magazine for taking the story and of course to Martin Turner, former SKY Sports F1 chief, for showing me the way, I'm very grateful!
Stella
Silverstone Classic 2018
What an eventful day it proved to be at Silverstone Classic on Saturday 21st July, the morning started at the Media Centre to collect my media pass and Official Photographers bib which gave me access track side. Some very nice Tesla owners gave up their day to drive media people and VIP's to designated points during the event.
The first 5 races took place at the National Paddock during the morning with the remaining 7races taking place at the International Paddock in the afternoon.
The variety of photographs from the days events show track side activity, World GP Bike Legends before an exciting demonstration. On the podium there was happiness and victory for the likes of Christophe D’Ansembourg, William Nuthall, Jake Hill, Steve Tandy and Nick Padmore amongst others.
For those of you who are interested in my kit, I used Nikon bodies D750 and D700 with prime lenses 18mm and 50mm and zooms 70-200mm and 24-120mm with a Nikon Speedlight SB-910, I also introduced to the mix a Fuji XT-2 body with a16-55mm lens for when the other bodies became too heavy!
I hope you enjoy the photographs and the story they each tell of an action packed day, scroll down to see the link to further images and the results of the day.
Thanks for reading.
Stella
British Grand Prix 2018
I gained accreditation to attend the pre-race days at the Silverstone British Grand Prix on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th July to photograph Sergey Sirotkin.
Sergey is the young Russian driver currently competing with Williams-Martini, one of the worlds leading Formula One teams, to give a behind-the-scenes look at what this up and coming racing driver does in the Paddock before a race. The photographs will feature in a Russian, London Lifestyle Magazine called Rutáge, which is due for publication in August, once this has taken place I will be able to share my blog about Sergey next month.
Whilst I was in between photo-calls I managed to capture other Formula One racing greats, including Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas from Mercedes AMG Petronas; Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkonen; Team Principal Christian Horner of Red Bull Racing and drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Vijay Mallya, Team Principal of Sahara Force India and drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Others to look out for are Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso from the McLaren Formula 1 Team, and Brendan Hartley and Pierre Gasly from Scuderai Toro Rosso, also George Russell currently competing in Formula 2.
The Paddock was a hive of activity with drivers, technicians, engineers, media teams and crews, Team Principals and visitors, including tours for small groups of school children and children from Great Ormond Street Hospital - there were racing heroes from the past including Damon Hill signing autographs.
The photographs above are a selection from my two days, showing the Sky Sports F1 live broadcast on the grid featuring fun and games in front of the fans in the grandstands, autograph signing and interviews. To see a wider selection of images simply click here to the events section of the website.
To obtain media accreditation to the British Grand Prix I had to apply to the FIA requesting permission, stating the nature of my intended visit, once permission was granted I was able to bring my ideas together for the feature on Sergey Sirotkin.
The scrolling photographs above show the different passes that all media accredited people are given for security purposes, and to make their time and workflow efficient, these include car parking, media room, Pit Lane and Paddock access.
It was a fascinating and fully engaging experience which opened my eyes to the wonderful world of Formula One.
Thank you to the FIA for issuing me with a Paddock Pass, Williams-Martini for their hospitality and co-operation, Rutáge for commissioning the story, and the other people behind-the-scenes at my studio, but not forgetting a very big thank you to Martin Turner for steering me in the right direction, without him this would not have happened!
I interviewed and photographed Martin last month for an 'In Conversation with..' blog which can be read here.
Coming in August my blog about Sergey Sirotkin 'Under the Helmet' ...
Thank you
Stella
Masterpiece London 2018
I photographed at the Preview Day on 27 June at Masterpiece London which majestically sits for the duration of the fair in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. This is like no other art fair and is a wonderland of treasures. The 160 international exhibitors are selected by reputation to give buyers confidence, while everything on display is vetted by specialists.
I found it a wonderful learning opportunity and saw works of art from paintings by L.S Lowry and Picasso to Meissen Porcelain. There was also the Henry Moore, Mother and Child bronze, edition 4 of 9 with a price tag of over £3m. It really is an art lovers paradise to be able to get so close to these works of art and to talk to the experts about them.
The show is on until 4 July, more details from the Masterpiece website and to see additional images from the event please follow this link.
Stella
In Conversation With: Martin Turner
This month's In Conversation With... is with Martin Turner, Former Head of Formula One - Sky Sports & Sky Europe, BAFTA winner.
Martin is Sky’s longest serving employee with 33 years at the coal face!
The photographs above show Martin at home in his garden with his beloved dog Sherman and in his games room with two much prized Bafta masks, one belonging to him and one to his father.
Q. What was your childhood dream?
A. To play any sport for England and tennis at Wimbledon.
Q. What did you play?
A. I was a tennis coach and an aspiring badminton player, Captain of Kingston Polytechnic and played for Woldingham.
Q. What did you do when you left school?
A. I went to Kingston Polytechnic to study French and English. At the age of 22 I was a tennis coach for Club Med and when I came back I realised that I wanted to become a director in sports television.
Q. How did you get your first job at Sky?
A. I worked as a trainee video operator at Molinare, we were broadcasting SKY channel in the early days in the early 1980’s - I got to know the people working there and when a position became available I went for the interview as assistant transmission controller.
Q. How did you get into Formula One?
A. When Sky surprisingly got the rights to broadcast Formula One in 2012 I was asked by the MD of SKY Sports, Barney Francis, if I would create a specific sports channel for Formula One.
Q. What was it like winning a BAFTA and what category did you win it for?
A. The BAFTA was for rugby union for England vs New Zealand 26-26 in1997 when I was 39 years of age. I mirrored my father's achievement for the 1966 world cup when he was 39 as well.
Q. What did your father do?
A. He was head of outside broadcast for Rediffusion and Thames Television.
Q. Now that you have left Sky how are you spending your time?
A. I consult for Formula One management (the people who run F1) at Biggin Hill working with young producers in a mentoring and creative ideas role.
Q. Why did you retire?
A. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the end of 2014, over the following two years my wife and I discussed how to re-evaluate the work life balance and we made the decision that the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix would be my last Grand Prix. Having worked full on for 33 years achieving a comfortable life balance was essential to our well-being.
I’m currently working with Parkinson UK on an ambitious project to lobby government for more research funds into this incurable neurological disease. This link tells you more.
The photographs below show Martin during his Formula One days looking very relaxed and at home.
Many thanks to Martin for taking the time to tell me about his career, I very much enjoyed talking to him and hearing about his fascinating career, the above is just a snippet about this illustrious man. I wish him well with his retirement which I’m sure will be just as fascinating.
Stella
The London Motor Show 2018
On Thursday 17 May The London Motor Show at ExCel opened it's doors to an exclusive afternoon to the press, trade and VIP's to showcase all the event has to offer.
HRH Prince Michael of Kent officially opened the show with an entertaining mix of cars and interviews with professionals in the industry. I enjoyed photographing the afternoon at it's new venue having previously been in Battersea Park from its beginnings three years ago.
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok interviewed DriveTribe CEO Jonathan Morris and Chief Marketing Officer Jim Murray-Jones as well as interviews hosted by Steve Nash (CEO IMI) with guests David Williams - Technical Director at AXA and Fuzz Townshend from TV show CAR S.O.S
Below are a few of the highlights from the evening. The show is on until 20 May with doors closing at 5pm this is the link to their website. To see additional images from the event please follow this link.
It was a fun afternoon and good to meet old friends, make new ones too and of course to see what's new in the world of cars. Enjoy!
Stella
The London Classic Car Show 2018
On Thursday 15 February, I packed up my camera and headed over to London’s ExCel’s Exhibition Centre for the fourth annual London Classic Car Show. For those of you who have not been, the show celebrates beautiful, classic motoring nostalgia in a dramatic setting and it is one of the highlights of my year!
This year’s show was opened in a dramatic fashion by three well-known TV motoring presenters; Alex Riley (BBC One Show), Jonny Smith (Fifth Gear and Mud, Sweat & Gears) and Quentin Willson (BBC Top Gear, Fifth Gear and The Classic Car Show). It was clear right from the opening that the show was going to be bigger and better than ever before.
Once again, an enormous indoor race track, known as the ‘Grand Avenue’, ran through the centre of the ExCel, enthralling visitors and allowing them to see – and hear – some of their favourite classics in action. The car above is a 1907 Stanley H4 Gentleman's Speedy Roadster, the hypercar of its era.
Getaway Cars
The show paid homage to ‘Getaway Cars’. This was an evocative tribute to those vehicles made famous in movies or used in headline grabbing real-life robberies and was curated by Philip Glenister, aka DCI Gene Hunt from BBC police dramas Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.
Alongside the vehicles made famous for dramatic escapes, the show welcomed their very own celebrity drivers with actor Nick Moran of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels reliving various of his film roles at the special display.
Nick Reynolds, the son of Bruce Reynolds, was reunited with the very Lotus Cortina that his late father used to stake out the Great Train Robbery in 1963. The Lotus has just 3,500 miles on the clock and is still fitted with the same tyres that helped the police to hunt down the gang!
Nick Moran with the Italian Job Mini Cooper brought to London.
Nick Reynolds with his father Bruce Reynolds' Lotus Cortina used in The Great Train Robbery.
RAF Red Arrows and Aston Martin Owners Club
Squadron Leader Adam Collins from the RAF Red Arrows was on the Aston Martin Owners Club stand with a Vanquish S Red Arrows limited edition model, which was recently raffled for a huge £1.5m, earning for the RAF Benevolent Fund. He was joined by Humphrey Bradley from south east London – the lucky man who won the car.
Lister Thunder Launch on the Grand Avenue
The opening evening witnessed a pair of major global car launches with two of Britain's most iconic marques unveiling spotlight-stealing new models. First Morgan took the wraps on its latest +4 Club Sport and then Lister revealed its never-seen-before Thunder.
This year’s theme was ‘Specials’, which put the spotlight on an eye-catching gathering of road and race cars steeped in history and mystique. No fewer than 60 hand-picked classics were fired up for jaw-dropping, not to mention very noisy, displays on The Grand Avenue.
As the dramatic live show came towards its conclusion, the show opening trio of Riley, Smith and Willson selected four stand-out cars with a combined value of more than £3m to join the parade: a 1931 Bentley 8-litre; a highly-original 1961 Jaguar E-type; a 1992 Jaguar XJ220 and a 2015 McLaren P1 hypercar – a classic car of the future.
The trio was joined by former Blue Peter and GMTV presenter Anthea Turner for the photograph next to the Lister Thunder.
The Morgan latest +4 Club Sport takes its place on the Grand Avenue.
Presenter Alex Riley with the 1961 Jaguar E-Type and 1931 Bentley 8 litre.
A 1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Gurney Nutting - a shimmering silver masterpiece of the coachbuilders' art.
A 1989 Lotus Judd Type 101, Chassis no 3 - an aerodynamically ambitious Camel.
Nigel Mansell CBE, closes the show
On Sunday, the racing legend Nigel Mansell CBE arrived at the show to talk about a special collection of his racing cars and to provide a fitting close to the event.
The 1992 F1 World Champion wowed Sunday crowds with some wonderful driving displays on the Grand Avenue, which included a wheel-spinning entrance behind the wheel of a Jaguar E-type inspired Eagle Speedster.
He later returned in a red Ferrari 246 Dino F1 front-engined F1 car from the late fifties and was also reunited with some of the cars which he raced during his roller-coaster career.
At the end of his performance on the Grand Avenue, Nigel was awarded the 2018 London Classic Car Show Icon award.
My closing thoughts
All in all, this year’s show was a brilliant experience from start to finish. Nigel Mansell CBE was a real highlight for me, especially his performances on the Grand Avenue, his interview at the Supaguard Theatre and his presentation of the London Classic Car Show Icon award.
I hear the show attracted over 38,000 visitors and featured close to 700 of the world’s finest classic cars worth more than £300m. Next year’s dates for your diary are 14-17 February 2019 - I am looking forward to it already!
To see a variety of other photographs from the event please click on this link to the 'Events' page.
Please follow me on Instagram for new pictures and stories of future events on @stellasms and @stellascordellis.
Thank you.
Stella
