Monday, June 17, 2013

Ault Park Concours

It's always a challenge in how to cover a show as large and filled with amazing cars as the Ault Park Concours d'Elegance. For me, the easiest way is to simply follow the layout of the event. Now I won't be able to get to all of the cars in order; there were over 200 on display. What I'll do is give a sampling of some of the cars from a given category and then, when things slow down for me with no new shows, say come late fall, I'll come back and re-visit the cars I haven't posted as yet.

To start with will be some pre-war vintage, like the 1933 SS Jaguar 100 Roadster at the top of this post. The company wasn't technically known as Jaguar then. The original name was the Swallow Sidecar Company but with the advent of World War II the initials SS were rather frowned upon. This is one of only 117 roadsters built.

Next is a 1938 Lincoln Model K convertible. This is a one of a kind car with custom body work by Brunn. It sports a 416 cubic inch V-12 engine.
A 1939 Packard Super 8 Victoria convertible with body work by Darrin was one of only 16 such cars to be manufactured. The Super 8 featured a straight eight cylinder motor that pre-dated the famed Packard Twin Six.
Also sporting the straight eight engine was this 1940 Packard 1806 model that featured 356 cubic inches and 160 horse power.
A 1937 Packard model 1508 had just completed a 4400 mile, coast to coast tour that honored 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway. It was one of only four cars to complete the trip without needing a repair.
Also on display was a 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster. Powered by a 280 cubic inch straight eight this car was first sent to England to have its drive shaft fitted and then sent on to its owner in Australia. It is one of only seven right hand drive cars built in Auburn, IN.
Robert Stranahan, the president of Champion Spark Plugs back in the 1930s bought one of only three Cord 812 coups. This is that car. It had a 289 cubic inch supercharged Lycoming V-8 engine that pumped out 170 horse power.
The last for today is a 1938 Oldsmobile L Series convertible coup. Only 407 of these cars were built in the last year for General Motors to offer a rumble seat and the first year the company shared body designs among Olds, Cadillac, LaSalle, and Buick.








No comments:

Post a Comment