concours | New England Auto Museum

03 Dec

Early Offerings at RM Auctions Paris February 3 – 4, 2015

Joseph Paul and Marcel Mongin drove the Delahaye 135 S to second overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 (photo: Collection Jean Paul Tissot)

London – RM Auctions will return to Place Vauban in Paris on 3-4 February, 2015 for its annual sale during the Retromobile show week. A permanent fixture on RM’s global calendar, the Paris auction will open the company’s 2015 European calendar with a roster of 60 automobiles.

“Paris 2014 was an important sale for RM, as it allowed the company to establish an auction in what is regarded as one of the most important weeks on the European collector car calendar. After such an incredible debut sale last year, we are excited to return with what is already shaping-up to be a wonderful roster of cars,” said Augustin Sabatié-Garat, Car Specialist RM Auctions.

Leading early entries is a 1935 Delahaye 135 S, chassis no. 46094. The Delahaye has resided in France all of its life, including many years in the ownership of Jean-Philippe Peugeot, of the Peugeot Motor Company. It raced competitively from 1936 through 1949, extensively in the hands of the well-known French driver, Joseph Paul. In addition, it was a competitor at many Grand Prix events throughout the 1940s, claiming victory at the Grand Prix des Frontières in the hands of Willy Mairesse. A veteran of no less than three 24 Heures du Mans, the car’s most notable performance came in 1937 when Joseph Paul and Marcel Mongin piloted it to second position overall in the famed endurance race.

For decades, chassis 46094 has been a familiar sight on the international classic car scene, competing in many of the world’s leading historic races driven by its former owner, Jean Sage. Suitable for road or track, it’s a versatile entry into almost every significant event around the world (Est. €1.200.000 – €1.600.000).

Another early highlight from the RM Auctions Paris 2015 sale with French history and one set to command strong local interest is the 1934 Lancia Belna Eclipse. The Lancia features coachwork by Pourtout and dramatic Art Deco design by Georges Paulin, a dentist who sketched many of the most beautiful French automobiles of the pre-war period and went on to be a hero of the French Resistance.

Paulin was a pioneer of aerodynamic design and new ideas in coach-building, most prominently, one of the world’s first retractable hardtops, which he dubbed “Eclipse.” A simple system, it featured a one-piece hardtop that unbuckled at the windshield frame, with a reverse-hinged rear deck that would be raised to store the hardtop underneath. The patented design was simple and effective and was mainly utilized by French coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout up to the outbreak of World War II. Paulin then went on to join the war-time Resistance movement, passing secrets along to agents who would come to his dental office, until he was tragically captured and executed on March 21, 1942.

1934 Lancia Belna Eclipse by Pourtout (photo: Darin Schnabel)

The Lancia on offer, chassis F341349, is one of only two known examples featuring the Pourtout-built Eclipse coachwork. Built on a French-manufactured Belna chassis, it was discovered by its present owner in Tennessee and was duly restored to feature its current black and bright yellow paintwork with a genuine ostrich skin interior. Widely shown at various American Concours d’Elegance events, including at Pebble Beach in 2004, it has been awarded a string of accolades over the years, including Best in Class at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (2005), and the Concorso Italiano (2006), along with being judged 99.75 points by the Classic Car Club of America (Est. €300.000 – €375.000).

The February 2015 sale follows in the footsteps of the company’s debut in the French capital earlier this year, an event which grossed €17.7 million in sales and was headlined by a 1955 Jaguar D-Type at €3.696.000.

The RM Auctions Paris 2015 auction will be held at Place Vauban immediately after the Festival Automobile International, 4 December 2014 to 1 February 2015. This event will gather a display of concept cars and pay tribute to car designers from around the world.

For further sale information, or to view a frequently updated list of entries, visit www.rmauctions.com or call RM’s London office at +44 (0) 20 7851 7070.

[Source: Sports Car Graphic]

25 Nov

Amelia Concours Will Honor BMW’s Immortal 328 March 13 – 15, 2015

Jacksonville, FL – The 20th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will showcase the legend and legacy of the car that set BMW on its path to become known as the “ultimate driving machine.”

Experts, enthusiasts and fans of the Bavarian marque consider the BMW 328 the first sports car worthy of the title.

Eight decades ago BMW responded to a national call that Germany should build not only the world’s fastest and greatest pure racing cars, but the world’s best sports cars as well. While Mercedes-Benz and Auto-Union carried Germany’s racing colors on the grand prix circuit, BMW became Germany’s primary flag carrier in international sports car competition.

The BMW 328 struck just the right balance with elegant and aerodynamic styling, impeccable road manners plus advanced and inspired engineering. Even BMW’s signature split grill that survives to this day as a BMW styling hallmark remains an important component of the 328 design package. So was real world open road performance.

“The 328 is the car that set BMW on its current course,” said Bill Warner, Founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “The poise, speed and stamina of the 328 and its descendants are the roots of BMW’s reputation and give genuine credibility to BMW’s ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ label.”

Competition was at the heart of the 328’s genesis. It debuted on the 14-mile Nurburgring’s 154-turn Nordschleife, winning the sports car class of the 1936 Eifel Race. That first BMW 328 prototype not only won the two-liter class (without supercharging), but also achieved the best time of all sports cars. The BMW 328 then won the Belgian Grand Prix des Frontieres in Chimay and the Bucharest Grand Prix.

“The star of the BMW 328 class for our 20th anniversary is the unique 328 Buegelfalte (‘trouser crease,’ for the razor edge fender styling) roadster,” said Warner, “It finished sixth in the 1940 Mille Miglia and is the only 328 special roadster built at the BMW factory. We’re honored to have it on the field for our 20th anniversary concours.”

The 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be held March 13-15th on the 10th and 18th fairways of The Golf Club of Amelia Island at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The show’s Foundation has donated over $2.5 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other charities on Florida’s First Coast since its inception in 1996. In 2013 the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance won Octane Magazine’s EFG International Historic Motoring Event of the Year award.

(Source: Vintage Motorsport)

26 Oct

Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival to Feature Cars of the Rich & Famous Nov. 1-2

Clockwise from left, Anne Ford’s black-over-black Continental Mark II, William Clay’s blue car and Benson’s green one. Credit Kirk Hansen/National Parts Depot

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing automotive and motorsports enthusiast event weeks, takes a more glamorous approach with its annual “Life” exhibit and presents Life of the Rich & Famous sponsored by Marriott Vacation Club. Life of the Rich & Famous is the sixth annual “Life”-themed exhibit on the Festival’s Motoring Midway. Past themes include Life on the Beach, Life on the Farm and, the one that kick-started it all, Life on the Road.

This year’s exhibit, Nov. 1 – 2 at the Port Royal Golf Club, will be highlighted by three 1956 Continental Mark IIs that pay homage to this year’s Honorary Chairman, Edsel B. Ford II, and the entire Ford family. Each Continental was specially ordered by a Ford family member, including one that was built to the specifications of Henry Ford II for his wife, Edsel Ford’s mother, Anne. All three cars are currently owned by Jim Schmidt and his son, Rick, from Ocala, Florida. Following its debut at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, the Mark II quickly became the car of choice for many of America’s famous names, including Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Warner Bros. studio gave a 1956 Continental Mark II to Elizabeth Taylor, custom-painted to match her distinctive eye color.

“We feel privileged to have all three of these styling masterpieces on display at the Festival this year, including the only Mark II in the world with a cloth-upholstered roof,” said Carolyn Vanagel, President of the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival. “To our knowledge, this is the first time that Mr. Ford will be seeing all three of these family cars together – it is an honor to share this experience with him.”

Other vehicles in the Life of the Rich & Famous exhibit include:

1955 Porsche Spyder – the exact same year, make and model of Porsche’s first true sports racing car that was romanticized by the late James Dean (The Brumos Collection, Jacksonville, FL)
1961 Jaguar E-Type currently owned by Indianapolis 500 Champion Bobby Rahal, an honored guest at this year’s Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival
1965 AC Cobra originally owned by Bob Shane, founder and lead singer of the Kingston Trio
1985 Daimler Ds420 Limousine originally owned by Lady “W” of America’s largest retail family (the name of Lady “W”, according to the purchase agreement, cannot be disclosed)
1989 Daimler DS420 Limousine specially built for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s week-long visit to New Zealand for the Queen’s 50th year tour in February 2002
1990 Jaguar XJR-9R owned by British racing great and team owner Tom Walkinshaw and built from a 1988 XJR-9 chassis and body designed by Peter Stevens for street use
1995 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car, one of only 527 1995 Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars manufactured and one of only 75 actual Pace/Festival Cars used at the Indianapolis 500, assigned to and driven by Steve Rossi, Senior GM Executive

For more information on the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance, visit the official website at www.HHIMotoringFestival.com. Tickets for the 2014 Motoring Festival are available for sale online at http://www.hhimotoringfestival.com/tickets.

20 Oct

Savannah Speed Classic Weekend Opens on Oct. 23

Savannah, GA Nestled across the water from the famed River Street, Savannah’s own little private island comes alive with the roar of engines October 23 – 26, 2014. The week long motoring festival starts with the pace lap party in Ellis Square Thursday, October 23^rd.

With its storied past and cobblestone streets, Savannah, unbeknownst to most, is the birth place of Grand Prix racing. Celebrating that heritage, the Savannah Speed Classic is a unique road race experience offering an intimate look at the inner workings of racing.

Savannah, GA, thought of by most for its Southern charm, storied past and relaxing pace, is not typically linked to fast cars. American auto racing today is synonymous with cities such as Indianapolis and Daytona. However, unknown to most, the unlikely city of Savannah, GA is, in actuality, the birthplace of Grand Prix racing in America. Imagine back to 1908 – the unpaved city streets of Savannah filled with hundreds of thousands of spectators from across the United States; over 1,500 soldiers serving as human barricades to protect those watching from the racing cars zooming past; people traveling by train and steamship to be a part of the historic occasion; downtown hotels opening their ballrooms to serve as campgrounds for visitors; the greatest names from Louis Chevrolet to Henry Ford to the Vanderbilts all in attendance.

From 1908 to 1911, four major automobile races were hosted in Savannah, Georgia in which automobile drivers from around the world participated in a grand prix auto racing on a twenty-five mile race course laid out southwest of the city proper.

The four Savannah races included:

Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America (November 26, 1908) – Won by Louis Wagner in a FIAT
American Grand Prize (November 12, 1910) – Won by David Bruce-Brown in a Benz
Vanderbilt Cup Race (November 27, 1911) – Won by Ralph Mulford in a Lozier
American Grand Prize (November 30,1911) – Won by David Bruce-Brown in a FIAT

In 2008, racing was finally brought back to the city of Savannah. The Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance reopened the track at Hutchinson Island with the Savannah Speed Classic.

HSR brings wheel to wheel racing back to its roots in Savannah. Featuring series races, enduros and even more excitement with hot lap rides, test drives, an off road experience, and pit access. The Savannah Speed Classic is a great destination for drivers, crew, family, friends and spectators alike.

Host Hotel:
Westin Savannah Harbor Resort
1 Resort Drive
Savannah, GA 31421

Information: www.hhiconcours.com

23 Sep

Scarsdale Concours Celebrates 11th Anniversary

Scarsdale NY – The 11th Anniversary of the Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance is coming up this October. The event is the second longest running Concours in the Eastern United States. The show will be held in the heart of beautiful Scarsdale Village, 29 Chase Road, Scarsdale, New York. Scarsdale is easily accessible from anywhere in the tri-state area and there is ample free parking.

This year’s show follows the success of last year’s 10th Anniversary event with 132 cars participating (plus approx. 25 new vehicles from a variety of sponsors, including BMW, Miller Motorcars, McLaren Greenwich, Pepe Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac and Infiniti. Over $32,000 was raised for charity benefitting the White Plains Hospital, Scarsdale and Edgemont Family Counseling Service, The Wounded Warriors Family Assistance Fund and the Scarsdale Foundation. This was an increase of approx. 30% over the 2012 Event.

The 2014 edition of the Concours is scheduled for Sunday, October 5, 2014, slightly earlier than usual, and the organizers are hoping to enjoy some beautiful early fall weather.

Beneficiaries of the event once again will include several very worthy local charities including The Scarsdale and Edgemont Family Counseling Service and The Wounded Warriors Family Assistance Fund.

This year’s panel of judges will be comprised of distinguished members of the automotive press from various media outlets, including Top Gear, Consumer Reports and Car & Driver.

Public viewing will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will feature over 130 American & European automobiles as well as some displays of new vehicles from various manufacturers and dealerships. Viewing ends at 4:00 p.m. with Final Judging and an Awards Ceremony, followed by a champagne toast to the winners.