Foreign Collector Cars At the Cincinnati Concours

Despite a rain soaked morning that kept many vehicles away as well as people in attendance, the 45th Annual Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance held in Ault Park and supporting the fight against juvenile arthritis managed to bring in some pretty rare and amazing cars. That was obvious by the Foreign Collector cars that braved the elements and showed up to be admired. 

That is obviously the case with this Czech made 1938 Tatra T-97. Brought to the event from the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN, the T-97 was a smaller version of the company's T-87. Tatra began making automobiles in 1897 and was a pioneer in aerodynamics. The T-97 has a 1749 CC air cooled rear mounted four cylinder engine that generates 40 horse power.

Another import to brave the weather was this 1971 Mercedes Benz 280 SE 3.5 coupe. 1971 was the end of an era for Mercedes as that marked the last of the hand built automobiles. This version of the 280 SE is powered by a 3.5 liter fuel injected V8 engine that generates 200 horse power.

This 1975 Jaguar XJ12-C is one of only 821 built for that model year. There were only 1855 of this Series 2 automobile ever made. The seats in this car were designed by the Slumberland mattress company. But the 5.3 liter, 244 horse power V12 was all Jaguar.

Not everyone is familiar with the Italian manufacturer Iso Automoveicoli S.P.A. So here is a 1974 Iso Rivolta Lele Sport to get you acquainted. Only 285 of these cars were made with only 10 being imported in the USA. Marcello Gandini from the famed design house Bertone penned this beautiful design. This totally unrestored gem is powered, not by an Italian motor, but by a 5.7 liter, 325 horse power Ford Cleveland V8.