NEWPORT BEACH, CA (October 7, 2007) – As the leaves start to change and thoughts turn to pumpkin carving there’s still an opportunity for one last fling of collector car worship before the onslaught of winter makes us all long for summer. The annual Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance gives local car lovers one more day filled with glimmering autos before the car show cycle starts again in June.
This year marked the 25th edition of this glamorous but accessible event that drew an outstanding field of cars to the Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine, California.
While this event draws mainly from the garages of local collectors, holding a concours in Southern California comes with some advantages over, let’s say, Joliet, Illinois (no disrespect meant to the home of one of Illinois’ finest prisons). Not only is Southern California the trend setting epicenter of the new car business, it’s also home to some of the greatest private and public (museum) auto collections in the world.
This year’s event produced a stunning array of vehicles with a staggering breadth that ranged from Antiques to American Classics, European Classics, Auburn/Cord & Duesenbergs, Luxury European Touring cars (Post War European and those with Custom Coachwork), Sports Cars (of various sizes including a few special classes for Jaguar, Porsche and Ferrari), Mercedes and hold onto your surfboard – Woodies and Wagons. Since 2007 is the 75th anniversary of the Ford Flathead V8 there was a special “Display” only array of ’32 Ford Roadsters and one Convertible Victoria.
Proximity to noted collectors, and to the Southern California design studios of the world’s major automakers, also provides this event with a stellar cast of judges. The Chief Judge, Ford Motor Company’s very knowledgeable regional PR head, John Clinard is joined by Ken Eberts, noted automotive artist; Henrik Fisker, former head designer of Aston Martin; Chip Foose, TV star and designer extraordinaire; Chuck Jordan, former VP Design at General Motors; Freeman Thomas, the creator of the new VW Beetle and Audi TT; Frank Saucedo, GM’s Director of West Coast Design and several other equally talented and influential automotive experts who fill out the Honorary Judges’ ranks.
They’re part of a team of Class Judges and Scorers whose job is to render a decision about which cars deserve the honors.
These auto connoisseurs give the gleaming competitors a thorough once over before rendering their decisions.
This can’t be an easy task considering the high level of care the owners have showered on their showpieces.
But decisions must be made.
Here’s a list of the winners for 2007.
|
1931 Cadillac Sport Phaeton
(1 of 3) |
Weiss |
Best of Show – Pre-War |
|
1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster |
Bau |
Best of Show – Post-War |
|
1950 Ferrari 166 Roadster |
Betz & Fred Peters |
Most Elegant Award |
|
1950 Ferrari 195 S Coupe
(3 of 3) |
Croul |
Best of Show – Ferrari Class |
|
1930 Duesenberg Disappearing Top Torpedo Conv. (1 of 2) |
Wm. Lyon Family |
Briggs Cunningham Award & Meguiar Award |
|
1931 Duesenberg J437 Boattail Speedster (2 of 2) |
Wm. Lyon Family |
Autoweek Award |
|
1937 Delahaye 135M 2-seat Roadster |
Mullin |
Design Achievement Award – Open |
|
1963 Corvette Stingray Coupe |
Rieger |
Design Achievement Award – Closed |
|
1972 Lamborghini Miura SV Coupe (3 of 3) |
Simon Car Collection |
Hester Family Award |
|
932 Ford 18 VE Convertible Victoria |
Tibbot |
Katherine Theyen Award |
|
31 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Savoy Town Car (3 of 3) |
Weiss |
Brand Kircher Award |
If you need a break from ogling glittering paint and chrome, you can duck into the Automotive Art Gallery tent and admire the work of some of the most prominent automotive artists in the world.
If you’re hooked on this experience you might want to consider the charity gala that happens the night before the Concours. An evening of music, food and drinks in the company of fellow car enthusiasts, all surrounded by a sea of classic cars, will set you back $250. If you want the Gala, Concours and a nice lunch, that’s $350. But remember it’s for charity.
Here are the prices for those who just want to mingle with the cars at the Concours.
Tickets: General Admission $30 (advance purchase), at the gate $40
Parking $10
Barbecue Lunch $20
Special Package $145 (entrance fee, and elegant catered lunch)
For more information:
www.Nbconcours.com
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