Use & Refinement
From the beginning, YF2186 was never intended to be a car that emerged from restoration only to spend its life on a concours lawn. The whole purpose of the project was to create a Big Bentley that could be driven: fast, comfortable, dependable and capable of covering serious distances.
Completion of the restoration was therefore the beginning of another process. The car needed to be used, understood and refined. Since completion, YF2186 has been driven on the road, taken part in tours and events, and appeared at a number of significant concours and motoring gatherings.
That use has been an important part of the project. It has allowed the car to settle, exposed the inevitable details that only reveal themselves through driving, and given us the opportunity to refine the finished Bentley rather than simply regard the restoration as complete the moment it left the workshop.
Bolesworth Concours - June 27th to 28th
YF2186 was invited to the inaugural Bolesworth Concours in June 2026, joining the Bentley Through the Ages display at Bolesworth Castle.
It proved to be a particularly memorable weekend for us, with YF2186 receiving a Best of Class award. After all the years spent developing, rebuilding and refining the car, seeing it recognised in finished form was enormously satisfying.
YF 2186 on display at Wilton House Concours Des Legendes - 19th to 21st June 2026
In June 2026 YF2186 formed part of the Skills & Craftsmanship display at the inaugural Concours des Légendes at Wilton House, presented in association with the Association of Heritage Engineers and Heritage Skills Academy.
The setting was particularly appropriate for the Bentley because the emphasis was not simply on finished cars, but on the traditional skills required to create and preserve them. YF2186 therefore became a way of showing the work behind the finished object as well as the car itself.
The Brooks trunk also formed part of the story. Brooks England participated in the display and produced three special bicycle saddles in honour of YF2186: one for its archive, one for charity and one presented to Anthony.
A perfect day out on ITINERIS Via: The Cotswolds
Sometimes the best thing you can do with a classic is exactly what it was built for: fill it with good company, point it at some great roads and drive.
Anthony and Sim took YF2186 on ITINERIS Via: The Cotswolds, starting and finishing at Bicester Motion and following a route through Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. It was a proper day out in the Bentley and exactly the sort of use we had envisaged when the project began.
There were no concours ropes and no pressure to prove anything. YF2186 simply spent the day doing what it was created to do: covering miles comfortably and enjoyably. The day finished with some relaxed track time back at Bicester Motion.
For a car whose restoration had consumed so much time, thought and effort, being able simply to get in and enjoy it was perhaps the most satisfying result of all.
Hampton Court Concours
YF 2186 was displayed in 2025 as part of the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) curated group at the Concours of Elegance held in the historic gardens of Hampton Court Palace.
Established by the Duke of Richmond in 1998, the GRRC is an exclusive motorsport and enthusiast club that sits at the heart of Goodwood’s world-leading car culture. Membership offers privileged access to iconic events such as the club-only Members’ Meeting at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, bespoke track days and curated car displays that bring cars together in settings befitting their heritage and engineering significance.
The Concours of Elegance is widely regarded as Britain’s premier concours event, showcasing a select assembly of the world’s rarest and most historically important motor cars against the remarkable backdrop of Hampton Court Palace.
Alongside judged classes and special displays celebrating significant marques and anniversaries, the Goodwood Road Racing Club display brings a motorsport-minded perspective to the concours field, uniting cars that reflect the club’s passion for performance, provenance and the aesthetic qualities that define the great historic road and race cars.
Having YF 2186 featured in this distinguished company reaffirmed the car’s place among a carefully chosen cohort of automotive icons, and provided a fitting public stage for a project that celebrates both competition-inspired design and meticulous restoration.
Goodwood Members Meeting
This evocative image of YF 2186 was painted during the Goodwood Members’ Meeting by Anna‑Louise Felstead, an internationally recognised artist best known for her dynamic motorsport and automotive paintings. Anna-Louise studied at Royal College of Art, graduating with a master’s degree after completing first-class honours at Central Saint Martins, and she is regarded as a ‘reportage’ artist because she begins with on-location sketches, often in ink on paper, which she then scales and develops into richly detailed oil paintings back in her studio.
Her work draws on her experiences at classic and contemporary racing events around the world, including Goodwood, Monaco, Le Mans, Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este, where she paints on site and captures the immediacy of engines, crowds and atmosphere before refining her compositions into large-format canvases.
Anna-Louise combines energetic brushwork with a keen eye for historic detail, producing work that conveys motion, colour and character rather than strict photographic precision. This balance of spontaneity and fidelity makes her automotive paintings especially prized by collectors and enthusiasts alike, and ensures her scene of YF 2186 at Goodwood is not just a record of the car, but a lively celebration of its presence at a great motorsport gathering.
Salon Prive - Blenheim Palace
YF 2186 was also honoured with a display at Salon Privé, the UK’s most prestigious automotive garden party held annually on the South Lawn of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Set against the dramatic backdrop of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salon Privé is a carefully curated five-day celebration of automotive excellence, combining a professionally judged concours d’élégance with exquisite hospitality, fine dining, luxury brands and a diverse assembly of both classic and modern cars from around the world.
Renowned for its elegant atmosphere and discerning participants, the event draws collectors and enthusiasts to enjoy rare and significant vehicles, parades, interactive displays and social occasions across late summer. Salon Privé has grown over nearly two decades to occupy a distinguished place in the international motoring calendar, making the inclusion of YF 2186 within its concours and show field a fitting recognition of the car’s engineering, restoration and historical resonance.
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