With PistonHeads.com reporting that the Salon Privé organisers have predicted that “this year’s do is going to be the best yet”, the heat is now on to transform the famous lawns of London’s Hurlingham Club. With “a flurry of big-name super and luxury car brands confirming their attendance”, the event promises to be a huge success.

The classic car event, held between the 21st and 23rd July, is now in its fifth year and holds the title of being the UK’s “ultimate Super Car Event and Concours d’Elégance”, according to The Salon Privé London website. This unique event offers an opportunity to see the most exotic modern and vintage super cars in the world, with the exquisite and exclusive Hurlingham Club as a backdrop.

This year’s Salon Privé will play host to a selection of luxury manufacturers, with Jaguar celebrating its 75th birthday.  The event is “on track to thrill the public more than ever”, according to ClassicAndPerformanceCar.com, with Jaguar revealing they will be using the event not only to celebrate turning 75, but also to showcase its latest product range from its Heritage Collection – some of which will be competing in the Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance.

This prestigious event has rapidly become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the English Social Calendar, as highlighted by the Salon Privé website, which is no surprise due to the high profile guests and array of entertainment.

Rolls-Royce is also returning to Salon Privé with the production version of its new Ghost after “previewing the car at last year’s event, as the 200EX Concept”, reports ClassicAndPerformanceCar.com.

Salon Privé co-founder, David Bagley, said: “It’s immensely gratifying to have so many prestige brands on board, recognising the value of Salon Privé”.

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What could be better than bunking off school and spending the day cruising around in someone else’s Ferrari 250GT Spyder? Well that is exactly what Ferris Bueller (played by Matthew Broderick), and his friends did in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Usually bunking off school involves lying low, but there is nothing discreet about driving around in a Ferrari Spyder – even if it is only a replica.

Ferrari-Daytona.co.uk reported that the late 80s saw classic car values rocket, with Daytona values going through the roof. The surge in value led to the creation of affordable cars, known as replicas. In the original Miami Vice, Detective Sonny Crockett drove a midnight black Ferrari Daytona Spyder, which complemented his low key, high living identity. What most viewers didn’t realise at the time is that the Daytona was in fact a kit replica based on a 1980 Chevrolet Corvette C3 chassis. It just goes to show that the Ferrari-shaped body panels were all it took to give the car its reputable reputation.

Miami Vice spurred a new craze of Daytona’s with McBurnie replica Daytonas (as seen in the TV show) leading the way. As one of the most expensive replicas, the Daytona convertibles have been collected through the years and are a great addition to anyone’s garage, and the best part is that they come with an affordable price tag.

The RAC website has reported that “Paramount commissioned the red Ferrari 250GT Spyder replica for the film because the original cars were too rare and expensive to be crashed as the script demanded”. The replica that was used in the 1986 film is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £40,000 at auction, which goes to show they might not be the real deal but they could save you a fortune.

ClassicCarsForSale.co.uk have reported that a genuine 1963 Ferrrari 250GT Spyder is being sold by Coys Auctioneers for £298,500, which will cost far more than the replica that Ferris Bueller and his friends drove around in while bunking off school, which is apparently in a “ready-to-drive” condition, according to the RAC website.

The replica will be going under the hammer at Bonhams Collectors Motor Cars and Automobilia auction on April 19th 2010 at the RAF Museum, Hendon, North London.

At some point in your life you would have wished for the ground to open up and swallow you whole, but for one unfortunate driver this actually happened while driving along a motorway in China. The Daily Mail website has reported that a motorist had a “lucky escape after being swallowed by a sinkhole as he travelled along a busy motorway in Nanchang City, China”.

Shocking images of the scene show a 13ft-wide hole, which appeared when the vehicle’s front wheels sunk into a chasm on the busy road. This isn’t however the first glorified pothole story to emerge in China recently, there have been another seven sinkholes discovered in the past two weeks alone.

There are some holes you just can’t dig yourself out of, and I think this might have been one of them. The motorist had no choice but to wait in his car until he was rescued and his vehicle was lifted to safety. Can you imagine waiting for that perfect summer day to get your classic pride and joy out and take it for a spin along the motorway, and then from out of no-where a huge pothole opens up and swallows up your pride and joy! That’s when you sit then waiting to be rescued praying you remembered to take out breakdown cover with your classic car insurance.

A spokesperson for the freeway management office said “experts on site suspected that the sudden collapse of an underground cave created by eroded limestone caused the sinkhole”, which doesn’t really help the poor motorist who was performing a balancing act with his car.

Us Brits moan about potholes causing havoc on our roads, but according to these recent events, China has it a lot worse!

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