concours

Fairfield Concours to Showcase 1939/47 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Vutotal

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Events

The star car at this year's Fairfield Concours d'Elegance will wears the Spirit of Ecstasy on her hood and no less ecstatic design all along her body. The 1939/47 Rolls-Royce Phantom III "Vutotal" Cabriolet by Labourdette, now in the John Rich Museum collection, started off as a standard Phantom III designed by Henry Royce. It was re-envisioned by coachbuilder Hooper and Co. in 1938 with a Sedanca de Ville for the chassis, then showed off in Europe before being tweaked for the U.S. market.

When that show car ended up in the Parisian studio of Henri Labourdette in the forties, he threw out everything but the running gear and rebodied the car gold-plating-and-brass-adorned aerodynamic bodywork that swooped back into a boattail. He also got rid of anything that identified it as a Rolls, save for its mascot and a couple of interior trim pieces. The final detail: the Vutotal windscreen, a thick slice of glass that appears to support itself. The conversion cost $44,000 at a time when the average price of a home was about $4,000.

Elsewhere on the Concours docket, featured judging classes will include Porsche, Bugatti, Period Hot Rods and Custom Cars from 1948 – 1964, there'll be regional vintage club gatherings, an auction conducted by Bonhams, and photographer Jesse Alexander will be the featured artist. The Barn Find category is a new one this year and is still accepting submissions to go with dusty, rusted hulks including the 1949 Willys Panel Wagon and 1961 AC Greyhound. The seventh annual Fairfield Concours opens its lawn on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

Gallery: Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance

Gallery: Fairfield County Concours celebrates Jesse Alexander

Tags: coachbuilder, coachbuilding, Concours, Concours delegance, connecticut, fairfield concours delegance, Fairfield County Concours dElegance, henri labourdette, rolls-royce, rolls-royce phantom iii, rolls-royce phantom iii vutotal

Rodeo Drives: Announcing the Inaugural Greystone Mansion Concours d'Elegance

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Events, Charity

Beverly Hills' Greystone Mansion wants to show itself off, and it'll be doing so this year with the help of classic cars and Gooding & Co. The inaugural Greystone Mansion Concours d'Elegance will happen April 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature more than 100 cars and motorcycles, including Fred Astaire's 1927 Rolls-Royce and Rita Hayworth's 1953 Cadillac. Among the selection you'll also find a 1938 1938 Talbot Darracq T23 Drop Head Coupe, a 1959 Ferrari 250GT Series 1 Cabriolet and a 1927 Bentley 6 1/2 Litre Tourer by Vanden Plas from David Gooding's personal collection.

Tickets for the show are a very Beverly-Hills-esque $100, which gets you a full day of action and a contribution to charity – and a pretty good assurance that you'll be in the right company...

Gallery: Gooding Selections for the Greystone Mansion Concours d'Elegance

Tags: beverly hills, california, Concours, Concours dElegance, Gooding and Company, gooding co, gooding company, greystone mansion

Motorcycle Concours Canceled

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

There are plenty of automobile concours events but motorcycle concours d'elegance are rare. One of them, the Legend of the Motorcycle, has canceled the 2009 event. The show, which takes place at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay down the coast from San Francisco each year, is a charity event highlights classic motorcycles owned by collectors and includes displays of modern, custom and concept bikes. The event is being postponed because of "the effect the world economy has had on many sponsors," the concours's organizers said in a statement. It should be back on for 2010.

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Tags: concours, motorcycle

Rocky Mountain Concours D'Elegance

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

The latest resort spot to host a Concours 'Elegance is Colorado Springs. The inaugural Rocky Mountain Concours d' Elegance at the The Broadmoor hotel is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend. The two-day event begins with the "Tour of the Gods" with a parade of automobiles and motorcycles to Glen Eyrie Castle. That evening there is a gala dinner which includes a display of rare cars and motorcycles as well as a live auction. The Concours is scheduled for Sunday at the Broadmoor's West Golf course. The event will include selections from the Otis Chandler collection, Rudyard Kipling's 1916 Pierce–Arrow limousine, author Clive Cussler's 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K, John Lennon's 1965 Rolls Royce Limousine and "The World Fastest Indian," the 1920 Indian Scout built by Burt Munro of New Zealand, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the recent movie. Admission to the Concours is $40 at the gate. Tickets to the gala dinner are $175.

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Tags: automobiles, collectible cars, colorado springs, ColoradoSprings, concours

Vintage Cars Auctioned Off For Charity

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Charity

The American Concours Foundation, a not-for-profit auction community, has put four classic automobiles up for sale on eBay with the benefits going to various concours-related charities. All four cars are now on eBay. They are a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, a 1954 Jaguar XK 120 Drop Head Coupe, a 1933 Lincoln KA V-12 Model 513A Convertible Roadster, and a 1967 Jaguar E Type Vintage Roadster OTS. The cars are all in concours-ready shape and the auctions end today through March 13.

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Tags: concours, ebay, gullwing, jaguar, lincoln, mercedes, vintage cars

1928 Mercedes Torpedo Roadster Could Bring in $3 or $4 Million

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

This year's annual Christie's sale in Monterey, California features a variety of expensive cars and one that is truly astounding. The sale, which takes place on August 17 before the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance features 50 cars and is expected to realize in excess of $10 million. Most amazingly, $3 to $4 million of that total could come from one car, this 1928 Mercedes-Benz Torpedo Roadster. The car is one of only 124 Type S models built in 1928. It was ordered by Mrs. Charles Levine from Mercedes-Benz, but when Mr. Levine lost all his money in the stock market crash the car remained in the Mercedes showroom until it was bought by Mr. Bedford. The car has stayed in the family ever since. Other treats in the sale include eight Porsches from a private collection, a 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder and a 1947 Bugatti Type 73C racing car.

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Tags: christies, concours, exotic cars, mercedes