Concours d'Elegance June 8 - Photos and Writeup!

Hey guys,

It was great seeing some of your cars at Concours today! I took a ton of photos so I thought I'd make a thread and give a summary of them and of the day... I only photographed my favorites, which will be annoying to some, since I have really weird tastes. Nevertheless it should give those of you who weren't able to attend a good idea of what was there.

Upon entering I headed right for BMW, which was up front... there were several rarer models (including a new M3 sedan), the highlights of which, for me, were a bone-stock E30 M3 in great shape, and an also-stock E24 M6 in even better shape (with the novel vanity plate "E24 M6"). Those two cars kicked off the concept of a "performance line" now continued by Mercedes (AMG), Audi (S), Chrysler (SRT), etc. Seminal cars in great shape; it's good to see them around.

Audi was next -- don't blame me, I own one! Several of Audi's more recent rare models were on display, including a manual R8 on temporary plates and, the highlight of the Audi area for me, an A8L W12, the flagship model. This car featured a rear-mounted refrigerator (unsurprisingly, with instructions in Arabic) and, of course, a ridiculously potent 6-liter W12.

To the east of Audi was Mercedes, whose highlight, for me, was the very cool 190E 2.3-16, a car which I only ever see at this show. These cars aren't incredible performers (185hp and 7.7sec 0-60) but they're super-rare and I was glad one made it out. Also in attendance were a ton of '63-'71 (W113) SLs, including my favorite, a 280SL with the over-the-counter license plate 280-MBZ. I later spoke to the owner who said that he knew the county clerk (of Garfield County, where he lives) and was able to get this regular plate "randomly" issued to his car.

I was a bit disappointed that no 300SL Gullwing was present in the Mercedes bunch, because the Gullwing is one of my "holy Trinity" of favorite cars (which actually includes four cars) and the only one that can be reasonably expected to show up here... fortunately I was ultimately not disappointed, as they had pulled the lone 300SL Gullwing, a 1954 model (and thus one of the early examples), into a special section intended to feature significant cars. This car was the highlight of the show for me (sorry Ferrari guys!) so I got a ton of photos:

- Exterior, driver's side
- Interior, driver's side
- Exterior, passenger's side
- Interior, passenger's side
- Exterior, passenger's side - all parts closed
- Factory luggage set
- Exterior, rear
- Tool (?) mounted in trunk next to spare tire
- Badge on rear

One of the other cars featured with the 300SL Gullwing was an all-black R8 with a carbon-fiber side panel. Very sinister-looking car.

The Ferrari section had some great cars, naturally. The stand-outs, to me, were furmano's red 308 GTB, a white 328 GTS, a red 348ts, a silver F355 GTS, a fiberglass black 308 GTB, a very original red F355 GTB and, best of all for me, a red 330 GTE. I've never been the biggest 330 fan, but this particular car was absolutely stunning and gave me a new appreciation for the line. Of course, the gorgeous dark red '63 330 America, which lives just a couple of blocks from me, was also in attendance, and picked up an award.

The standout Corvette - and the only one I photographed - was the 1996 Grand Sport, one of 1000 manufactured in 1996 only. If you follow Corvettes you know there aren't many C4 models with manual transmissions, but this Grand Sport was one of them. Its color scheme combined with its signature black wheels was incredible... that car is a true classic!

Among the Porsches, my favorite was a factory 930 Slant Nose in red. A very good replica was parked next to it, but the real thing is a great sight; factory Slant Nose models are very difficult to find so I was pleased to see this one in attendance. Here's a closer shot of the front end.

Among the final "late arrivals and classics" section, I had four personal favorites: a red 2003 Lamborghini Murcielago which looked absolutely stunning (but believe me, more stunning on the road!), a red 1967 Shelby GT500 with the vanity plate "67HEAVN", a white Ford GT with a great story about being pulled over on its windshield, and, most of all, a factory-stock and absolutely perfect Buick Grand National with the original window sticker laminated on the dash. Every detail was not only correct, but perfect, including the Grand National logo under the hood and all the correct emblems on the body. Interestingly the speedo in these cars only goes up to 85mph... I always wondered how it was so quick... perhaps short gearing is the culprit?

Lastly, I don't mean to take a holier-than-thou attitude, but once again there were a significant number of awesome cars in the parking lot that really should have been in the show. Money from the show goes to a great cause. If you're worried about it getting touched, trust me, it's going to have a much higher risk of getting touched in the parking lot where there are fewer other enthusiasts watching it (and where there are people parking "regular" cars!); if you don't have enough time that's fine - I promise even twenty minutes with that 275 GTB would have made a few peoples' days, and if you don't think your car is "special" enough you're just plain wrong... the owner of a "lowly" 400 parked his car in the parking lot and was one of the best cars I saw today, since I had never seen a 400 (or relatives 365 GT 2+2 and 412) in my entire life until then. Come on guys, pay the entry fee (it goes to charity!) and bring your cars inside! If a Saab 900 can do it, so can you! Photos of all the parking lot cars in the spotters' thread.

Here are some other miscellaneous photos:

- Jaguar D-Type replica
- Ferrari 456 with hood raised
- Lotus Elan M100
- Lotus Esprit Turbo
- Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Spyder
- "Murcielago" badge on door sill

Great show and I was happy to be in attendance. Nice to meet you, Bradley, and nice to see some F-chatters' cars. Best wishes to everyone; I hope you enjoyed the photos and writeup!

 

Nice pics....

One comment though....i actually would be very surpised if some of the owners of the cars in the parking lot were not in the show because they did not want to spend the money or were afraid of their cars getting touched. I saw a few folks walking the show today who were on the benefit drive/tour yesterday. Also, many folks are not able to spend 6 to 7 hours at the show due to other personal committments. Dropping in for a an hour or two may fit their schedule better on a Sunday. Is there a provision for someone to pay the entry fee to be in the show even it is for a couple hours? I think if you are in the show, the proper etiquette is to not move your car until the show is over.

 

Hi, Doug!

Great to finally meet you at the Concours this afternoon. You took some great photos. Sorry my own 308 couldn't make it.

The real standout for me was the 275 GTB in the parking lot - surely the single most valuable Ferrari present, and it sure looked genuine - but neither I nor the President of the Ferrari club knows who the owner is! A true mystery car, and very beautiful.

BTW, Furmano's red car is a 328 GTB, not a 308.

Looking forward to seeing you at future events. Hopefully, the exhaust problem with my own car is a small one, and I'll have it one the road and at future events very soon!

~Bradley

 

Well, it was a great show! Not as good as last year (maybe because of the rain in the morning), but it brought out some new cars. I tried to not post any repeating photos from Doug.
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Even "display only" cars? I saw a few guys leave long before judging took place... and as I was walking the show at around noon, a red Testarossa rolled up... frankly I think we'd all just rather see the cars, etiquette be damned!

 

Had a good time at the show, and was picked "Favorite Ferrari" I did get to talk to a few people, and am sorry I could not talk to more.

I have been "spotted" it seems:
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I have always thought that the 348 got an undeserved bad rap - perhaps because some considered it a "baby brother" to the Testarossa. My opinion is that, although the Testarossa is an impressive car both for looks and performance, it exhibits some design aspects that are, to me, a bit extreme and out of proportion.

The 348, in terms of design, seems very well-balanced, with striking lines combined with a definite elegance of shape.

I was delighted to hear that your car earned a "People's Choice" award. It's a lovely car. Congratulations.

 

Indeed, the 348 has aged better than the Testarossa. Yours, Imola2001, was a gorgeous example and unquestionably the nicest 348 I've seen. Honestly, I would have never guess that car was driven! The award was deserved.

 

Thank you both for the kind words!