68 Jaguars, 39 Rolls-Royces, 31 Bentleys, 24 Austin-Healeys and 23 Aston Martins – these were the top five marques represented at the start of the 2012 British Classic Car Meeting. The sheer volume of British classics – which, of course, also included such marques as Alvis and Riley – created an imposing sight in front of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, the starting point of Saturday’s rally.

Even registration and scrutineering, on the Friday, was a sight to behold. During the afternoon, more and more great classics of the British automotive industry rolled up at the small town in the Engadin. From the rare Bentley R Type by Graber, to an original Jaguar C-type from Jaguar’s own collection, the quality of this year’s participants was better than ever.

Traditionally, the BCCM consists of two parts: a rally through the Engadin and a concours d’elegance in front of the Palace Hotel. Saturday’s rally saw the British armada head from St. Moritz over the Fluela Pass to Davos, through Bergun, and then over the Albula Pass back to St. Moritz. Unfortunately, the Engadine weather was not at its best, and the early stages of the rally was something of a challenge to the open-topped cars. But the skies gradually brightened, and rally victory went to Swiss entrant Marco Trevisan, and co-driver Maya Trevisan, in their Austin-Healey 100 S ‘Sebring’. Just 22 points behind came Benno Zehnder’s Jaguar XK 140 OTS, with Harry Landis’s Jaguar XK 120 SE in third place.

Much more relaxed for man and machine is the second day of the British Classic Car Meeting: concours day, when all 204 classics were cleaned and preened and presented in top form. An expert panel awarded points based on the condition and originality of the participating cars and a total of eleven classes were awarded prizes in this way. To download a pdf of all the concours winners, click here.

Meanwhile, the next British Classic Car Meeting will be a very special event indeed, thanks to two important anniversaries: 20 years of the British Classic Car Meeting and Aston Martin’s 100th birthday. What birthday surprises are in store are, for the moment, a secret: but those wishing to take part in the 2013 British Classic Car Meeting should register early, as places are limited and demand is bound to be high.

Photos: Classic Driver, Swiss-Image