Race Cars At the Concours

 

One of the most highly charged classes at the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance is always the Racing class. Filled with cars that have sped various tracks in various division all over, this class always garners a great deal of attention. This year's 47th concours held in Ault Park was no different. It featured one of only seven Argo JM-16 racers ever built. This original condition 1984 won its class at the 1985 24 Hours of Daytona as well as Road America GTP Lights.

 

This 1954 Kurtis 500 C not only qualified for the 1954 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 500 mile event but managed to finish fifth. It has a famed 270 cubic inch inline four cylinder Offenhauser engine. Offenhauser built engines have won 27 Indy 500 races.

 It is rare that a car that has been raced its whole life is still standing. But this 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II R023 is just such an animal. Only 55 of these were ever built. It has a 426 cubic inch HEMI V-8 that punches out 425 horse power.

This 1972 BMW 2002 GT-1 not only won the International Motor Sports Association championship in 1973 but then turned around and repeated it in 1975. It has a 1990 cc inline four cylinder engine that generates 205 horse power and reportedly has a red line of 7300 rpm.

 

This 2004 Dodge Viper Competition Coupe is one of only 125 competition racers the company built. With an 8.3 liter V-10 that cranks out 520 horse power, this car can sprint from zero to 60 in a mere 3.1 seconds.

Pre-War Vintage Cars At the Concours

 

For the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance the Pre-War Vintage class was small but had some brilliant automobiles. One was this 1942 Studebaker  President Deluxstyle. 1942 was the last year the President was the halo model for Studebaker. This particular car has twice won the Antique Automobile Club of America Grand National Award.

 

This is a 1937 Buick Model 40-C convertible. Fewer than 1700 of these beauties with Art Deco styling hints were ever made.

 In 1930 Ford introduced the DeLuxe which would serve as a sort of bridge between their base model cars and the upscale Lincoln. This 1930 DeLuxe has a 200 cubic inch inline four cylinder engine that generates 40 horse power.

 

British Racers At the Concours

 

 The 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance featured the Icons of British Motoring. Among those icons was a class set aside for British racing machines. And there were some beauties such as this rare 1966 Ford of England Anglia Super. The Super Anglia was based on a small family sedan but this survivor of the 1967 Trans Am Series sports a 1300 cc four cylinder Holbay Racing engine that cranks out 200 horse power.

 The first rear engine car to complete the Indianapolis 500 was this 1961 Cooper Climax Type 54. It ran the race in 1961 as well as 1963. This five time guest at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is powered by a 2.7 liter inline four cylinder engine.

This rare 1934 MG NA Evans Wilkinson Special is one of three cars Wilkie Wilkinson built for his daughter to race. The car has a 120 horse power supercharged inline six cylinder engine.

This 1971 Jaguar E-Type Competition has notched up several class wins at races all over. Driven by a 5.8 liter race prepared V-12 engine that can turnout 605 horse power it is little wonder.

Dropping a 289 cubic inch V-8 engine good for 307 horse power into the small, lightweight body of a sports car seems either genius or insane. In any case, this 1966 Sunbeam Tiger was designed partially by the famed Carroll Shelby.

 

Another Indy veteran is this 1965 Lotus Ford which competed at the Speedway from 1965 through 1968. It was driven by Bobby Jones, Jim Clark and A.J. Foyt. Only eight of these were ever made and it sports a 255 cubic inch V-8 engine good for 560 horse power.

Among the highlights of this 1950 Allard J12's career are runs at Pebble Beach in 1951 and Sebring in 1958. The car has a 330 cubic inch Chrysler V-8 HEMI engine. It is a class winner at a previous concours event.
 

Post War British Saloons Were At the Concours

 

As part of the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance's celebration of Icons of British Motoring there was a class dedicated to post war saloons. No, it's probably not what you're thinking. In Britain they call what Americans call a sedan, a three box car with a compartment for the engine, the passengers, and the cargo, a saloon. Among the saloons on hand was a 1971 Rover P6 3500. This car was named Europe's Car of the Year.

 

This small saloon is a 1974 Triumph Dolomite. These cars were never officially imported to the United States. Only 20 have recently been imported making this a very rare site in America.

 Owned by the same family since new, this 1961 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II is currently in the possession of a third generation owner. It has a 6.2 liter V8 engine that generates 180 horse power.

 Originally owned by Frank DuPont of the multinational chemical company fame, this 1935 Bentley 3 1/2 liter Vanden Plas/Derham tourer was one of the early cars that could top 100 miles per hour. It did so with the use of a 3.5 liter straight six cylinder engine that produced 110 horse power.

 This 1953 MG YB has a few unique features such as rear hinged front doors (casually called suicide doors) as well as a built in jack to lift the car. This car is totally original and unrestored.

 Here is a 1973 Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 luxury car. Though it was filled with the latest creature comforts the car was powered by the famed XK engine, in this case a 2.8 liter inline six cylinder that was good for 140 horse power.

 

 

Later Post War British Sports Cars At the Concours

 

What would a celebration of the Icons of British Motoring be without a class dedicated to the later post war sports cars from the U.K.? The 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance featured just such a class as part of their greater look at British automobile history. Among the cars in this later post war sports car group was an iconic 1967 Lotus Elan. Lotus cars were famed for being light weight and very, very quick. This Elan sported a fiberglass body to "add lightness."

 

This 1971 MG MGB GT Coupe had a body styled by the famed Italian firm Pininfarina. This particular car has only 50,000 original miles on it 1798 cc inline four cylinder engine that manages to hit 100 horse power.

This 1966 Austin Healey 3000 MK III model has been dubbed the "Big Healey" because of the larger engine providing the power. It sports a 2912 cc inline six cylinder motor that generates 150 horse power.

This 1971 Triumph TR6 has had the same owner for 50 years and is driven regularly. The car has a 2.5 liter inline six cylinder engine that cranks out 152 horse power. In addition, it has an electronic overdrive for the second, third and fourth gears.

 This 1968 Triumph TR 250 was a single year model. Called the TR5 in the UK, this was the first TR model with a six cylinder engine. In fact, this is driven by a 2498 cc inline six that is capable of 201 horse power. 

 

The Best of Class was this 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series One fixed head coupe. This is an all numbers matching car that has been judged Best in Class at a previous concours event. The car is powered by the famed 3.8 liter inline six cylinder engine that could pound out 265 horse power and propel this car to a top speed of 150 miler per hour.

A total of 639 Morgan 4/4 Series V cars were ever built with only 270 being the Competition Roadster like this 1966 model seen here. These cars have a steel body and steel chassis but use an ash wood frame. It is powered by a 1498 cc inline four cylinder engine that can generate about 100 horse power.

This is a beautiful 1966 Triumph Spitfire that was actually featured in the motion picture "Miles Ahead" about famed jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. The Spitfire was named after the famous fighter plane from World War II and was designed by Italian maestro Giovanni Michelotti.

Post War British Sports Cars At the Concours

 

The Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance is the second oldest such event in the United States. This year, for its 47th anniversary, the featured exhibit centered around Icons of British Motoring. There were seven different classes highlighting the various British automobiles including a popular one about Post-War sports cars. Among the cars in that group was a 1958 Triumph TR3 A. About 58,000 of these cars were made and only about 9500 survive.

 

This 1954 Jaguar XK 120 was an extremely popular model manufactured between 1948 and 1954. This two seat sports sedan was powered by a 3.4 L inline six cylinder engine that generated 180 horse power.

Here is a 1948 MG TC Midget. These cars were the first cars the company made following World War II. They were designed to be exported to the United States so all were made as right hand drive models. 

This 1952 Aston Martin DB 2 sports saloon is one of only 309 of these coupes ever made. A Best in Class concours winner in 2018, it is powered by a 2.6 L inline six cylinder engine that can make 105 horse power.

 Here is a matching numbers 1959 MG MGA 1500 roadster. It has a 1500 cc straight four cylinder engine that turns out around 70 horse power. The car was restored in 2022 using available stock pieces.

This 1957 Jaguar XK 140 drophead coupe is one of only 47 dropheads made in this final year of 140 production. The car was rescued from an overgrown field and restored in 2024. It utilizes a 3.4 L inline six cylinder XK engine that puts out 190 horse power.

The follow up to Jaguar's XK 140 was the XK 150 which was introduced in 1957. This 1959 model represents the first car released with four wheel disc brakes. It has a 3.4 L version of the inline six XK motor. It generates 250 horse power.

This 1956 Austin Healey 100 was a surprisingly quick little two seat sports car. Despite having just a 27 L inline four cylinder engine that cranked out a mere 110 horse power, this car had a top speed of 102 miles per hour.
 

Pre-War British Sports Cars Showing Off At the Concours

 

Icons of British Motoring was the main theme of the 47th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance. The second oldest concours in America brought seven different classes of British automotive to the lawn of Ault Park to showcase these cars. Pre-War sports cars featured some of the most iconic British cars, including a 1935 MG Pa. Only 1973 of this two seater were made. It has an 847 cc inline four cylinder engine that churnes out 36 horse power. 

 

Only 745 examples of this 1935 MG NB were ever made. This particular car was found in a pasture in the Georgia countryside in the late 1980s before being restored. It has an ash wood frame and an aluminum skin and is powered by a 1400 cc inline six cylinder engine that generates 85 horse power.

 The winner of this class was this 1932 MG M-Type Boattail Roadster. The M-Type designates that this is a Midget automobile. This is actually the second concours class win for this particular vehicle.

Finally we have a 1935 Riley MPH Sprite. Riley first created motorcycles and bicycles starting in 1880. Only 16 of these were ever made as they were developed solely for racing. It is powered by a 1496 cc inline four cylinder engine that creates 140 horse power.