Supermachines were the focus of the Arts & Elegance Richard Mille event in Chantilly
Richard Mille could hardly have picked a more fairy-tale-like setting when he held the first Arts & Elegance Richard Mille in Chantilly 10 years ago. Located just outside Paris, the city is dominated by the Château de Chantilly, an imposing medieval castle that was rebuilt in the 1870s in the French Renaissance style. The dreamy setting is home to even dreamier machines for one weekend in September every two years when the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille is on; the most recent edition just took place on 14 and September 2024.
With about 100 four-wheelers from all over the world battling it out in the Concours d’Etat to be named the most beautiful car in the world in its respective category or perhaps best of show, the 28,000 spectators flocking to the castle’s grounds were not short of entertainment for the day. The 16 categories in which the cars were judged proved extensive and specific, ranging from the 100th Anniversary of the Bugatti 35 (Tribute to Peter Mullin) through Lamborghini Countach: 50th Anniversary of the Production all the way to Pre-War Unrestored Cars and even a selection of BMW “Boxer” motorcycles under the banner “History and Evolution of a Centenary Engine.”
Lamborghini, like other supercar manufacturers such as McLaren, Bugatti, and Maserati, had a corporate presence at the show, putting both current and heritage models on display for visitors to admire and providing a unique look into the evolution of the brand. As one of its most highly recognizable automobiles celebrated 50 years in 2024, Lamborghini brought the very first Countach LP400from the brand’s museum in Sant’Agate, Italy to Chantilly. Additionally, Lamborghini exhibited its first two hybrid production models, the Revuelto and the new Super SUV Urus SE, which together mark a new era for the Italian marque. Bugatti, who has been present for all seven editions of Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, naturally brought its newest hypercar, the Tourbillon, thereby also honouring this storied manufacturer with icons of the future in addition to those of the past that took part in several categories.
In addition, 10 concepts and supercars vied for the title in an exclusive Concours d’Elegance. Two winners emerged: the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE took home the jury prize, while the aforementioned Bugatti Tourbillon was awarded the public prize.
While this event is decidedly about automobiles, many interesting watches were found on the wrists of attendees, notably that of Olympic fencer and Richard Mille friend of the brand Miles Chamley-Watson, who sported a conspicuous white gold diamond-set RM 67-01.
The (s)hero watch of the weekend was, however, the RM 07-04 Automatic Sport, Richard Mille’s recently released smaller sports watch worn by six professional female athletes, including Aurora Straus, the 26-year-old American professional racecar driver, and Margot Laffite, French racecar driver and television host. This is a fitting timepiece to spotlight at an elegant automotive event such as this with its compact automatic skeletonised movement, ultra-lightness (sporting a total weight of only 36 grams including strap!), and bold styling in six variations based around the Quartz TPT (creamy white, green, mauve, dark blue, and salmon) and anthracite-coloured Carbon TPT cases.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by Richard Mille and Bugatti
