Friday, June 30, 2017

Contemporary Sports Cars At the Concours

As is always the case, this year's 40th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance offered up a brilliant collection of 1960 to 1958 cars in the Contemporary Sports Class. Included was a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette which had been restored as part of the concours. (I've written an article about the shop that did the restoration which will be out in the July issue of Cincinnati Profile: https://cincinnatiprofile.com/.)
The same owner showed a 1967 Vette convertible. While the top one sported the famed 427 cubic inch V8, this one was powered by the 300 horse power 327.
A third C2 Corvette was also on hand, this one a 1964 fulie that ran on the same 327 V8. This was one of only 1,325 fuel injected models made that year.
One of only 288 documented factory 1988 turbocharged Porsche 930 S Coupes made was also on display. This beauty runs on a 3.3 liter six cylinder boxer engine that pumps 282 horse power to the real wheels.
A stunning 1968 Mercedes Benz 280 SL was also on the lawn in Ault Park. Famed for its "pagoda" top, this Mercedes runs off of a 2778 cc single overhead cam inline six engine that generates 158 horses.
This 1964 Triumph TR 4 was designed by famed Giovanni Machelotti. It sports a 2.1 liter inline four that only generated 105 horses but that was more than enough for this small, light weight cruiser.
Named Best in Class, this 1966 Jaguar E Type has the famous 4.2 liter dual overhead cam inline six engine. The owner of this car did the mechanical restoration.
This 1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spyder is one of only 2255 built during the seven year run of this car. Designed by Touring using their Superleggera (meaning super light) design meant that the 2584 cc dual overhead cam inline six engine was more than enough power.
My personal favorite car in this class is this 1973 Dino 246 GTS. I've written several times about the Dino brand and how it was built around the six cylinder engine (originally 2.0 liter but the one in this car is 2.4) designed by Dino Ferrari. The line of cars is named after Dino but is because his father, Enzo Ferrari, didn't want his name on anything that wasn't powered by a V 12 engine.








Thursday, June 29, 2017

Hemmings Newsletter

If you don't already get the Hemmings Classic Car Newsletter I would suggest that you subscribe. It, like their magazines, is full of some great information and enjoyable stories. Here is a link to the latest issue: https://www.hemmings.com/newsletter/pubnewsletter?nl=1&id=504&tv=1

Later Pre-War Classics At the Concours

The late Pre-War Classic class at this year's Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance represents those Classic Car Club of America cars made between 1935 and 1948. Included in this class is a 1936 Pierce Arrow 1601 Sedan. Only 45 of the 320 ever built are still in existence.
Gordon Buehrig is responsible for the innovative design of this brilliant 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Phaeton. These were the first American cars built with front wheel drive and an independent suspension.
A 1937 Packard Twelve 1707 Formal Sedan was also on the Ault Park lawn. The name partly comes from its engine, a 473 cubic inch, side valve V 12 which produced 175 horse power.
Taking both Best in Class and Best of Show is this 1938 Delahaye 135MS Coupe Figoni et Falaschi. The last part of the name is for the makers of the gorgeous coach work. This car was hidden away during World War II and not found until 1968.

There was also a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr Continental Cabriolet on display. Of the 350 of these cars originally manufactured only 30 still exist.
Looking quite similar is this 1940 Lincoln Continental convertible. This was the first year for the Continental with only 404 being built. All but 54 were convertibles. This is one of only 60 believed to still exist.
Finally here is a 1937 Packard 1508 Twelve LeBaron All Weather Town Car. It's the only one known to exist. This is the only one known to exist. It is a past winner of the CCCA Senior Award at Pebble Beach.







Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Pre-War Classics At the Concours

The Pre-War Classics as recognized by the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA), those dating from 1925 through 1934 presented a fine class collection at this year's 40th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance.Included in this group was a beautiful 1929 Duesenberg J LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton. Fewer than 300 were built. You could buy 40 Model A Fords for the cost of this car.
This 1935 Auburn 851 Phaeton came at the tail end of the Cord years. As such, it had a spectacular design by Gordon Buehrig and sported the muscular 280 cubic inch, 115 horse power eight cylinder Lycoming engine.
A 1934 Bentley 3 1/2 Liter Drophead Coupe was a fairly early example from the marquee after it was taken over by Rolls Royce. With coach work by Park-Ward Ltd., it was powered by a 3.5 liter inline six engine.
A slightly larger 3.7 liter inline six engine was used in this 1932 Rolls Royce 20/25 Saloon. This example was "clothed" by Gurney Nutting.
On the domestic side is this 1935 Packard 1208 Convertible Sedan. This is one of only 33 extended chassis examples that was bodied by Dietrich. It is powered by the huge 445 cubic inch Packard V 12 (more commonly called a Twin Six at the time) engine that pushed 175 horse power.
Another Packard "dressed" by Dietrich is this 1931 840 Convertible Sedan. Originally owned by King Gustov of Sweden this is one of only three over made and one of only two still in existence. It got 120 horse power from its 385 cubic inch straight eight engine.
The winner of both Best in Class and Esprit de Show is this 1935 Delahaye 135 M Competition. A 3557 cc inline six engine sits under the hood.








Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Foreign Collector Cars At the Concours

As always this year's 40th anniversary of the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance had a beautiful collection of foreign collector cars starting off with a 1959 Mercedes Benz 220SE Coupe. This car was originally purchased by one of the owners of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team and was rescued from a garage after sitting idle for 40 years.
This 1952 Mercedes Benz 220 Cabriolet B has been in the same family since it was purchased in Munich, Germany for the equivalent of $700 in 1958.

Another German beauty was this BMW 1600-2 Cabriolet which was converted from a sedan while in Stuttgart. This fabulous car has added Best in Class at the Cincinnati Concours to its Best in Class at last year's Hilton Head Island Concours.
Keeping with the German theme is this 1972 BMW 3.0 CS. It gets its name from the 2986 cc straight six engine that produces 180 horse power.
The least sporty of the German cars in this class is this 1970 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. This was the first year for Beetles to have sealed headlights, a 12 volt electrical system (which still had a tendency to fail), an oval driver's side mirror, and a nearly 1500 (1493 cc four cylinder boxer) engine.
A rarely seen 1965 Iso Rivolta was also on display. Sporting a factory installed 5.4 liter Corvette engine this car, number 097, was penned by famed Italian designer Giotto Bizzarrini with coach work by Bertone.
Fewer than 100 of these 1972 Alfa Romeo GTA Jr. Stradales were ever produced. They were made for racing in the under 1.3 liter class. With a 1290 cc 110 horse power twin plug dual overhead cam (DOHC) four cylinder engine they obviously had the right build.






Monday, June 26, 2017

Most American Made Vehicles

What are the most American made vehicles? Well it's no longer Toyota according to Cars.com. Here is a story in USA Today to fill you in.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/06/26/jeep-tops-cars-com-list-american-made-vehicles-ousting-toyota/422907001/

Takata Bankruptcy News

Here is an interesting article in USA Today about the affect of the Takata bankruptcy on car owners affected by the recall.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/06/26/takata-air-bag-recall-lista/427828001/

Asian Collector Cars At the Concours

The Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance was the first concours show to include a regular class for Asian cars. While this year's collection may be small there are some very nice vehicles that were on display.The Nissan Heritage Museum in Tennessee brought a 2009 GT-R right hand drive show car. This car was built strictly as a show car and does not have a VIN.
Also on display was a 2017 Acura NSX Coupe. This is number 171 of a limited run of 800. It has a 3.5 liter plus three electric motor all combining for 573 horse power.
This first generation 1974 Toyota Celica GT Coupe was built to go up against the Ford Mustang. But with a small 1968 cc four cylinder engine it was a bit under powered. Still it managed to snag Best in Class.
This 1966 Honda S-600 is one of the first cars from Honda. This car came from Canada as they were never officially sold in the USA.
The Nissan Heritage Collection also brought a 1965 Datsun 320 pick up truck. The truck has a half ton capacity and is powered by a 1200 cc four cylinder engine.






Friday, June 23, 2017

American Collector Cars At the Concours

Today, as part of the 40th anniversary of the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance I'll be taking a look at the American Collector class. These are US cars made between 1946 and 1968. Starting it off is a 1947 Crosley Bubble Side Pick Up Truck. It's 44 cubic inch four cylinder engine produced 26.5 horse power.
A totally unrestored Oldsmobile 98 convertible was on display. It has been driven just a hair over 20,000 miles.
Another car with very low actual mileage (about 26,000) is this unique 1954 Hudson Italia Coupe which was made in conjunction with Touring of Italy. Only 26 were made and each cost $28,000 to build but had a sticker price of only $4800.
A 1958 Edsel Pacer convertible was also in attendance. Often synonymous with abject failure, only 120,000 Edsels were sold during its slightly more than three year run.
Offering up a slice of muscle (outside of the performance class) was this 1967 Chevy Impala SS convertible. With a 327 cubic inch V 8 engine this car could churn out 275 horse power.
The owner of this 1956 Chevy Bel Air convertible has had the car for 39 years. This car has been voted one of the top five 1956 Chevys by the Classic Chevy Club.
This 1960 Lincoln Continental MK V convertible was the largest unibody automobile produced after World War II with a wheelbase of 131 inches and a total length of 227 inches.
Famed designer Virgil Exner penned this 1957 DeSoto Firesweep Sportsman two door hardtop. Only 73 of these "forward look" jet age designed cars remain in the USA.
Named the very best Avanti by the Avanti owners group is this 1963 Studebaker. The Avanti was the first mass produced fiberglass bodied four passenger car.
The earliest known example of a 1965 Buick Riviera GS was also on display. With its options and color scheme it is a one of one car.


The Best in Class winner was this 1948 Tucker Torpedo Sedan. This was the last Tucker ever built.
Finally there was a 1963 Ford Falcon Sport Convertible Coupe. This was the last of the first generation of Falcons.










Thursday, June 22, 2017

Antiques At the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance

Today I'm starting my coverage of the 40th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance (formerly Ault Park Concours d'Elegance) with a collection of antiques. Starting us off is a 1912 Maxwell AC Messanger. Maxwell was manufactured between 1904 and 1925 and was a predecessor to the Chrysler Corporation.
This class also showed a 1916 Buick D 44 Roadster which is one of only 10 known to still survive. Originally purchased by a member of the Anheuser-Busch family, the car sports a 225 cubic inch inline six engine that pushed 45 horse power.
The Western Reserve Historical Society Museum brought a 1920 Jordan Model M Playboy Roadster for display. Jordans were produced in Cleveland starting in 1916. This particular model was awarded first place by the Antique Automobile Club of America.
The Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond, IN brought a 1922 Pilot Sportster to the concours. Pilots were manufactured in Richmond between 1909 and 1924. This car was awarded Best in Class for this year's event.
The only electric member of this year's Antique class was this 1919 Detroit Electric 95B. Powered by 14 six volt batteries this car could run at an average speed of 13 miles per hour in either forward or reverse.
A 1920 Cleveland Model 40 was also on display. The Cleveland Automobile Company produced cars from 1919 until 1926 when it was acquired by General Motors.
There was also a 1916 Willys-Overland Model 86 seven passenger convertible on the Ault Park lawn. Prior to World War I only Ford outsold Overland in the United States.