Here come the Judge
I am really looking forward to a couple of late summer events in Europe. First up will be the concours at Blenheim, Britain’s greatest palace, where I will be a member of the Jury at Salon Privé https://www.salonpriveconcours.com/about-concours/ on the 2nd and 3rd of September.
This to be followed on Sunday 13th at another stunning venue, the Château de Chantilly not far from Paris, at the revamped Chantilly Arts et Elegance where I shall also be judging. https://www.chantillyartsetelegance.com/en/
If my previous year’s experience of both events and the long hot summer weather holds it should be rather special. Wonderful hospitality, incredible stately venues, fantastic motor cars, like minded people, chilled Champagne, who could ask for anything more!
The Planet’s Hottest Concours Experience
The planet’s hottest concours experience with the warmest welcome, the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance returns on the 26th – 28th February 2027 for the 9th edition on Cockatoo Island.
The Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance https://sydneyharbourconcours.com.au/ is the leading event of its kind in Asia Pacific and the Southern Hemisphere with judging conducted by an international panel of experts. A celebration of the automobile, it is a journey through motoring history with the many marques and models on display.
Your amazing car is your passport to this fabulous occasion as we gather a show field of exceptional motor cars. With a variety of classes from pre war through to the latest hyper cars there is something suited to every kind of automobile and we invite you to enter your car for consideration by the selection committee. In the initial instance please submit a photograph and some details of you car to james@sydneyharbourconcours.com.au
“Si, mi chiamano Mimi”
Mimi maybe the female protagonist of one of Giacomo Puccini’s greatest operas La Bohème (1893-1895) but it is also the name of the Neapolitan shipyard creating new waves in Australia, Cantiere Mimì.
Drawing on Italy’s heritage of refined design and meticulous craftsmanship, the three-cabin, two-bathroom Libeccio 13.5 Cabin represents the pinnacle of the Naples-based shipyard’s modern ‘gozzo’ philosophy. Twin Yanmar 370 hp engines deliver relaxed 15 to 25 knot cruising and a top speed of around 30 knots.
Founder of Boatology and exclusive distributor, Zain Moloobhoy is thrilled to present the flagship of the Mimì range, the highly-specced Libeccio 13.5 Cabin, alongside the versatile Libeccio 11 Cabin. “Feedback from seasoned boaties is that the Mimi ‘gozzo’ style is one of the prettiest designs they’ve ever seen. Coupled with their incredible sea-keeping capabilities, excellent on-board amenities and high-tech equipment, these hand-crafted boats have really struck a chord with the public.”
About Cantiere Mimì
Cantiere Mimì was founded in Naples in 1975, born of the Senese family’s love for the sea and named for the nickname of Director, Domenico “Mimì” Senese. Over the past 50 years, the shipyard has transformed a small family business into a leading name in artisanal Italian boatbuilding, producing 100 boats a year, with steady turnover growth and more than 3,000 units sold. Cantiere Mimì has active dealers in 10 countries, with new agreements in the pipeline.
About Boatology
Building on decades in the shipping and charter industries, Boatology brings carefully curated European luxury craft to Australia, pairing design excellence with a local owner experience. Boatology represents the Cantiere Mimì, Evo Yachts and Lancia Aprea range in Australia and is committed to providing technical support and guidance at all stages of an owner’s boating journey.
Special Offer
A special offer to a world class celebration of automotive excellence:-
The Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance – Haute automobilisme on the edge of the Pacific!
Welcome to 2026
Happy New Year to one and all. Hopefully you have had good holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a great start to 2026.
I ended working 2025 in my usual fashion by covering the 80th edition of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s legendary Rolex Sydney Hobart ocean yacht race on Boxing Day.
And as usual it made for an interesting image or two, particularly as I was lucky enough to be photographing from eventual winner Master Lock Comanche‘s support boat The Ute. It was a grey and unseasonably cold day, but great fun nonetheless.
It’s that time of year
It is that time of year when I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and wonderful holidays. Thank you all for following Marina Marini each month – it’s good to keep in touch.
Looking forward to 2026 I plan on being at the following happenings along with hopefully some classic motor boat events where they fit the calendar.
February – Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance (26/2 – 1/3)
April – Anantara Concorso Roma (16-19) + Grand Prix de Monaco Historique (24-26)
Early April – Halcyon Auctions sale of motor cars at the Royal Automobile Club of Australia, Sydney
August – Pebble Beach 75th Concours (16) + Monterey Car Week
September – Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace (2-6) + Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille (12-13)
November – Retromobile New York (19-22)
Coming soon
Keep up to date with all that is happening in the auction world including results from our very own https://halcyonauctions.com
To preorder please contact james@marinamarini.com.au
Happy Birthday to Salon Privé
This 20th birthday party was a truly memorable event, a truly special occasion, and one I was proud to be a small part of.
Salon Privé’s 20th Anniversary Concours on Thursday 28th August named its 2025 Class winners following an intense day of judging at Blenheim. With 60 of the world’s rarest and most historically significant motor cars, the event showcased pre-war icons, post-war thoroughbreds, and modern masterpieces in breathtaking style. Twelve class titles were awarded, alongside Honourable Mentions for entries of exceptional merit. With cars arriving from across Europe, the US and beyond, this year’s line-up was truly world-class. I was honoured to be a member of the Jury, and I and my fellow judges managed to narrow it down to four cars from this incredible field to be nominated for Best in Show.
The 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Spezial Roadster took out the top honour ahead of the amazing, jaw-dropping 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupé ‘Super Fast” Prototype by Pinin Farina, the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C Monza by Touring, and the bewitching 1933 Duesenberg SJ Dual Cowl Phaeton by LaGrande – incredible motor cars all. The 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Spezial Roadster by Sindelfingen was shown by The Auriga Collection, the rare pre-war Roadster also received the Most Exceptional Coachwork Award, impressing the judges with its sweeping long-tail design and concours pedigree. Sixty cars from 13 countries competed across 12 classes, with Anne Brockinton Lee’s Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupe “Super Fast” Prototype named Runner-Up and also People’s Choice.
Bragging Rites!
In my last post I was waxing lyrical about my latest little book celebrating the Citroën DS. Having just received the review copy of another book on a French marque from my good friends Dr Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson, I now, like my book offering, feel rather humble.
What a truly incredible work is Joseph Figoni, Le Grand Couturier de la Carrosserie Automobile: Bugatti. Having taken more than four years of intense research it is a signed and numbered limited edition of just 600 copies.
Brace yourself for the fascinating story about how the Carrosserie Joseph Figoni worked closely with Bugatti in Paris in the 1920s as well as the first showings of Figoni coachwork at the Paris Salons and concours d’élégance. It is an absorbing account of how French luxury cars were built, sold and marketed in the City of Light before the tsunami of the Great Depression. Who the movers and shakers were, and the conflicts that arose when business interests clashed.
Also explored is the Bugatti sales empire built by businessman Étienne Bunau-Varilla, an empire that for some crucial years regarded the Carrosserie Joseph Figoni as a favored coachbuilder, thereby putting Figoni on the map as a leading carrossier in Paris. But it was also an enterprise that grew to the point where Ettore Bugatti could no longer live with the power that Bunau-Varilla exerted over the factory in Alsace.
The resulting divorce is described in detail, including how things subsequently fell apart in Paris due to the rickety sales structure which Ettore Bugatti then established. The casualties were many. Not least Joseph Figoni and his coachbuilding operation, as well as a number of his competitors. All copiously illustrated with period images, documentation and brochure material.
Extraordinary source material from the Figoni and Bugatti archives has provided a wealth of new information. As a result, many previously unknown Bugattis have been identified. Many never-before-seen images are included, including engaging and detailed profile renderings by the late Gerrit-Jan Caviët.
It is a gripping panorama across three volumes with chassis-by-chassis descriptions of 113 Bugattis that passed through the Figoni works from 1925 to 1939. Born of the jazz age, these were extraordinary cars of a bygone era. Figoni finished the last Bugatti carrosserie mere months before the outbreak of World War II. Nothing would ever be the same.
PLEASE NOTE: in the Figoni series, Volume I was Alfa-Romeo. The three volumes in the Bugatti set are therefore numbered Volume II, III and IV.
Published by Moteurs! the books can be purchased directly at https://www.moteurs.dk/bugatti
Machine – Goddess – Myth
Well, it has taken me a while but just in time for the 70th anniversary of its launch and a half century since the final one rolled off the production line here is my latest book, MACHINE – GODDESS – MYTH, THE CITROËN DS!
Published by Vivid Publishing, the book featuring some 100 images, with many of the photographs taken by myself, takes a different look at the motoring icon that is the DS. Not an ordinary book about a car by any means, it is part personal recollection, part social commentary, and always an homage. Priced at Aus$35 plus postage and packing to any where in the world, pre orders are available directly by sending an email to james@marinamarini.com.au
