Two iconic institutions met up in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea on Sunday, as more than 50 Le Mans 24 Hour Race cars showed off at the inaugural Chelsea AutoLegends show, to the delight of the resident Chelsea Pensioners.

The multi-million pound line-up, spanning almost 90 years of history, embraced many of the true greats such as Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, Ford GT, Jaguar, McLaren, Porsche and a host of other equally evocative machines.

Five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell MBE, Sir Stirling Moss OBE, and Richard Attwood, the man who gave Porsche its first victory 40 years ago, were among those sharing their memories with show-goers.

Broad collection of sports cars

Other famous faces enjoying the atmosphere included TV chef James Martin, music stars Jay Kay of Jamiroquai and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.

While Le Mans cars were on pole position, the Royal Hospital’s spectacular South Grounds were adorned with hundreds of classics and supercars, the majority driven to Chelsea by enthusiastic owners from around the UK.

Specialist manufacturers such as Abarth, AC, Ariel, Bristol, De Tomaso, Lagonda, Lola, Marcos and Tesla were also out in force, the result producing one of the broadest collections of sports cars ever assembled in UK.

Brought back happy memories

Maj Genl APN Currie CBE, of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, said: “I think it is fair to say the first Chelsea Auto Legends event was a triumph, bringing the ‘best of the best’ to the grounds of this famous old institution.

“I know I speak for the Chelsea Pensioners as a whole when I say how much they enjoyed the day.

"For many it brought back happy memories, while for others it was just wonderful opportunity to enjoy a rare display of some of the greatest cars ever made.

“The icing on the cake is that Chelsea Auto Legends is raising money for our appeal, for which we are very grateful. I very much hope we can host this event again, as our experience this year has been so positive.”

Raising funds for the Pensioners

Sir Stirling Moss OBE, who officially opened the event, said: “I’m very honoured to be opening such a fantastic event. I’ve lived in London all my life and have always believed it to be the greatest place in the world.

“There’s no other city like it even more so now it finally has a high-class motoring event like this. I do feel a bit of a fraud, though, as I never won Le Mans!”

Michael Scott, Chelsea AutoLegends founder, said: “It’s clear we have created an event that now can grow over the years and become a regular diary date in early September.

“I’d like to thank all those who’ve made Chelsea AutoLegends possible, not least the public for turning up in their many thousands and playing their part in helping us to raise funds for the Pensioners.”

More than 5,000 visited the show to savour the spectacle and help to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Chelsea Pensioners’ home. Two auctions overseen by Bonhams raised more than £11,000 in donations.