British Pre-War Classics On Hand For the Concours

 

For the 47th Cincinnati Concour d'Elegance the main feature was Icons of British Motoring. In all, the organizers of the event laid out seven different classes of British metal to be enjoyed. The first is British Pre-War Classics. These are some of the finest and most historic non-sports cars of Britain's early automotive period. Among the cars on display was a 1923 Swallow Sidecar Limited SS Jaguar 2.5 L Saloon. The company began making motorcycle side cars before moving into cars. The SS initials of their name became a problem when the Nazi party rose to power in Germany and the Shutzstaffel came to power as something of an enforcer group for Hitler. The Swallow Sidecar company changed their name to one used for their first really successful car, Jaguar.

  

This is a beautiful 1937 MG SA Tickford bodied drop head coupe. There are 50 of the original 2739 made still known to exist and only 10 of those are in the United States. 

This class winner is another Swallow Sidecar offering. This is a 1935 Airling Saloon. Of the 624 built only 16 of these amazing automobiles are still known to exist.

Here is a 1924 Bentley 4.5 Liter Vanden Plas Tourer. This is the same model (but not the same car) that won the 24 hour race at Le Mans in 1928 though this particular car completed the Colorado Grand Rally n 2022.

Cincinnati Concours Honored Jeff Lane

 

The Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance has established the practice of honoring an outstanding collector with a special exhibit. For its 47th incarnation the concours chose Jeff Lane, owner of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN (https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/). This is a must see museum as it boasts a large collection of European vehicles as well as an impressive assortment of micro cars and a number of vehicles you won't see anywhere else. As an example, here is a 1932 Helicorn Propeller Car. This car is actually propeller driven through its 1000 cc four cylinder Citroen engine. It has rear wheel steering and, believe it or not, is road legal in its native France.

A slightly more conventional design is this 1960 BMW 700 coupe. Powered by a 697 cc air cooled flat twin engine that generated 40 horse power. This low cost car is often credited with helping BMW survive following World War II.

Over nine million 2CVs were manufactured by Citroen in France between 1948 and 1990. Yes, the cars did come with a body as this one is in the midst of a restoration. They were driven by a 602 cc flat boxer two cylinder engine that cranked out 32 horse power.

 

The Czech vehicle manufacturer Tatra began operations in 1850 making it the third oldest continuous vehicle manufacturer in the world. This is a 1958 T-603 Saloon. The cars were made from 1957 until 1975 and only members of the Communist party were allowed to buy them. The car has a 3.5 L V8 engine in the rear.

 

The first rotary powered car manufactured by Citroen was this 1970 M-35. Only 267 were ever produced and the factory tried to buy them all back. Sixty survived and this is the only one known to be in North America. It has a 497.5 cc rotary engine that produces 49 horse power.

 This is 1964 Peel P50. This British micro car is the smallest passenger car in the world. It has a single cylinder engine and weighs in at 250 pounds. While it has three forward gears there is no reverse. What there is, though, is a handle in the back for people ti pick it up and move it themselves.

 

On a more conventional note here is a 1955 MG TF which I believe was the very first car Jeff Lane ever bought and restored. These cars were heavily exported world wide following the end of World War II. They have a 1250 cc inline four cylinder engine that churns out 57.5 horse power.

This 1957 Aurora Safety Car was designed and built to be the safest car in the world. Built by Branford, CT based Juliano Custom Cars it sported such features as seat belts, puncture proof tires, side impact protection, a padded dash board, and even a roll cage. It does have a 264 cubic inch V8 engine that makes 143 horse power. This is the one of one concept and cost $300,000 in 1950s dollars. Safe it might be but it's not going to win any beauty prize.

Future Classics At the Cincinnati Concours

 

As in the past, the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance presented a class of modern super cars made after 2010 in the Future Classics Class. In honor of Chrysler's 100th anniversary (see the related post on the blog), there were four Dodge Vipers presented. These cars were made from 1991 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2017 all using a V10 engine.

 

Also as part of the Chrysler celebration the concours committee included a 2016 Dodge SRT Challenger Hellcat. This is the most powerful production muscle car with a 6.2 L supercharged V8 that generates 707 horse power. 

 In addition to the Chrysler products there was a 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. The first Lambo with a chassis made entirely out of carbon fiber, the Aventador had a mid mounted 6.5 L V12 engine good for a mere 770 horse power. Oh, and a sticker price of $606,265.

 The most powerful naturally aspirated Ferrari V8 ever made is this 2014 458 Speciale. Its 4.5 L engine generates 597 horse power. These cars were the performance version of the 458 Italia model.

Fewer than 2000 of the 2024 Porsche 911 S/T were made to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the famed 911 sports car. It has a 4.0 L flat/boxer six cylinder engine that churns out 518 horse power.

Also for Chrysler's anniversary is this 2023 Dodge Charger Scat Pack. This was the last year for the HEMI V8 engine. In this case it is a 6.4 L version that gnaws out 485 horse power which can jettison this car to a top speed of 182 MPH.

2019 was the only year Chevrolet brought back the ZR1 version of its Corvette. Its front mounted engine is a 6.2 L 755 horse power V8.
 

Contemporary Sports Cars On Display In Alt Park

 

The Sport Contemporary Class at the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance held in Alt Park presented a large selection of amazing automobiles made between 1960 and 2010. Among them was a 1974 De Tomaso Pantera GTS. De Tomaso was an Italian firm created by former Argentine Formula One racer Alejandro De Tomaso and built in conjunction with Ford. 

 

This second generation, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe achieved a score of 97 out of a possible 100 from the prestigious National Corvette Restorers Society. 1963 was the year of the coveted split rear window.

The 2006 Ford GT was built to celebrate the 100th year of the Ford Motor Company. It was built to emulate the famed GT 40s that achieved great success in Formula One racing in the 1960s, knocking off Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

 

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, this 1980 Maserati Merak is a 2+2 sports car meaning that it has a rear seat. That seat buts up against the mid mounted two liter V6 engine.

The third generation or C3 Chevy Corvette was one of the most radical designs at the time. Boasting a shape based on the Mako Shark II concept car this Vette's fiberglass body was hurled down the road by a 454 cubic inch V8 that pounded out 270 horse power.

 

There are a number of different kit versions but this is the real deal, an authentic 1965 Shelby American Cobra. Powered by the famed Ford 289 cubic inch V8 that was modified by Shelby to generate 306 horse power.

With a total of slightly over 1900 miles, this 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi is in original factory condition. Powered by a mid mounted 2.9 L V8 that punched out 252 horse power this beautiful Pininfarina design was made famous by appearing in the popular television show Magnum P.I.

This is a 1986 Ferrari Testarosa. The Testarosa, named for a famed Ferrari 250 Testa Rosa race car from the late 1950s. The name means "red head" and the original got its name for the bright red cam covers the engine sported. This version has a 4.9 L boxer 12 cylinder engine that grunts out 385 horse power.

The class winner was this 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider. Only 122 spiders were made by the factory. The Daytona moniker isn't official. It was a name given to the car by the media following Ferrari's success on that track.
 

Late Pre-War Classics At the Concours

 

The Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) has over the years determined that certain vehicles are considered true classics. It's a stringent course of criteria that these models have to meet before earning the coveted title of true classic. For the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance a number of CCCA classics made between 1936 and 1948 were on hand for the Pre-War Classic Late class. Among them was a beautiful 1936 Packard Eight 1401 Sedan.  This is number 93 of 100 of this model ever made.

 

Here is a 1941 Packard 160 Super 8 Convertible Coupe. These cars sported a 356 cubic inch 160 horse power eight cylinder engine. They also had hydraulic brakes.

Master designer Harley Earl penned this 1939 LaSalle Series 50 convertible. The LaSalles were some of the first cars Earl designed. In fact, this was the first mass produced car designed by a stylist. It was powered by one of General Motor's top engines at the time, a 322 cubic inch 125 horse power Flathead Cadillac V8.

This 1941 Packard 180 convertible Vitoria Darren is the only model Darren designed that has side mounted spare tires and running boards. This car is in all original condition, including the 356 cubic inch 160 horse power inline eight.

 Here is a 1940 Buick Limited Phaeton. Only 230 of these cars were produced and sold originally for just under $2000. This was Buick's flagship mode from 1936 to 1942.

Early Classics At the Cincinnati Concours

 

The Early Pre-War Classics class at the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance was filled with amazing vehicles. In order to qualify cars had to be considered full classics by the Classic Car Club of America which has stringent rules for selecting models to fit their criteria. A perfect example is this 1931 Packard 840 Eight Roadster which has dash adjustable hydraulic shocks.

 

This is a stunning 1927 Cadillac V8 Victoria Coupe. Only three of these are known to still exist. This one was a 16th birthday present to the purchaser's grand daughter. The unique colors were factory correct as there were 500 different interior/exterior combinations offered.

 Here is a 1930 Duesenberg Model J-288 convertible with a body by Berline. This is the only Berline bodied model with a six window configuration. There is a rear seat speedometer for the passengers.

Named Best In Show, this 1931 Packard 840 convertible sedan is one of only three made to this specification. Previous owners included Swedish royalty and the publisher of the L.A. Times.

Here is a 1930 Packard 733 2/4 coupe. As it aged this car was used as a wrecker before being put in storage in 1958. In 2007 it came out and was restored. It is an award winner at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance.

This 1931 Packard 840 Deluxe Eight roadster is one of only 154 ever made. It is powered by a 340 cubic inch inline eight cylinder engine that generated 120 horse power.

 This is a 1931 Cadillac 355 A seven passenger sedan. The 355 moniker is for the 355 cubic inch V8 engine that carried it along with 95 horse power.

 

Chrysler Celebrates A Birthday At the Concours

 

This year marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Chrysler. To help celebrate, the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance had a special display of automobiles from the Chrysler Corporation. Among them was a 1960 Chrysler Windsor, a car that was completely original and sported only 50,000 miles.

    Here is a 1948 Town and Country convertible. This "woodie" sports all original wood and chrome. 

Also on display was a 1956 Chrysler New Yorker. Designed by the legendary Virgil Exner, this car actually has a factory installed hifi record player.

 

This is a 1934 Chrysler Airflow. These were the first cars to be designed to be aerodynamic and were even tested in a wind tunnel.

 Here is a 1930 Chrysler 70 Royal coupe. The car was introduced in 1926 and got its name from the top speed it could attain.

This 1932 Chrysler CL Close-Coupled sedan is currently owned by the Gilmore Museum in Michigan. It is one of only two of these that is partitioned. 

 

Here is a very rare 1929 Chrysler open two seat race car. It is believed to be a one off build and has an all aluminum body.

 This 1933 Chrysler Imperial CL Roadster is part of the collection at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. Only six of these are known to still exist.

This is a special 1970 Chrysler France Henri Chemin Group 1 Hemi 'Cuda. It was branded a Chrysler because France did not have the Plymouth line.

Here is a 1956 Imperial Crown Limousine. This was the last year Chrysler designed limos in house. This particular car is fully original except for one re-paint.

 

This is a 1963 Imperial convertible. Only 526 of the company's halo car were made that year.