They used to meet at the Mulberry Inn, Chris Evans’s famous pub in Surrey; but when the P1 Club’s supercars started to outnumber the guests’ in the pub car park, head of P1 Supercar Club Michael Breen knew it was time to look for another venue.

This year, the meeting was held at the rather delectable Horsley Towers in East Horsley, Surrey: the De Vere Group venue accommodated a supercar event which was substantially boosted by the 96 Club Rendezvous, adding a touch of class(ic) charm to the impressive supercar display.

The P1 Supercar Club is now over ten years old. The brainchild of Damon Hill and Michael Breen, it was the first club (back in 2000) to substantiate the concept of an exclusive share of access to a fleet of supercars, catering for affluent members with a thirst for the fastest and finest driving machines, whilst absorbing the running costs, depreciation, servicing, insurance and maintenance.

They brought a healthy contingent of Italian supercars, from the sultry Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder and its bigger brother Murciélago to the daintier Ferrari 599; latest fleet additions, a Ferrari California Spider and a Bentley Supersport, were parked next to British marque Morgan with the current Aero 8 model.
Club members’ Ferrari Enzo, 550 Maranello and Daytona did not look out of place side-by-side with ‘guest of honour’ Lamborghini Aventador.

For the first time, the gathering included a healthy contribution from the 96 Club Rendezvous members. The Club, founded in 1976, is no stranger to prestigious motoring events, as it organised the first ever UK track day at Silverstone  with two suitably fast patrons, racers Derek Bell and Sir Stirling Moss. Founder Michael Scott is the propelling force behind London’s summer season classic car event of the year, Chelsea AutoLegends.

Thanks to 96 Club’s classic car liaisons, rare, priceless and timeless cars such as a Ferrari 275 GTB ‘naso lungo’, a menacingly black Shelby Cobra G.T 500, and a veteran Berliet Curtiss Racer climbed up the gravelled drive gingerly and parked next to a less esoteric (but perhaps more urban) cheeky original Fiat 500 called ‘Luigi’.

‘I recently asked Chris Evans whether he kept an eye on his classic Ferraris as an investment,’ recalls Michael Breen, MD of P1 Supercar Club. ‘He told me that classic cars are wonderful only if used, shown at events and generally enjoyed by as many people as possible.’

Motoring events where diverse eras of automotive engineering and design achievement overlap and co-habit are inspired by that principle.