The Arizona Concours made it’s debut in 2014, and a spectacular debut it was. Held on the Sunday before the start of auction week, there were the beautiful surroundings at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, and an excellent experience for both exhibitor and spectator. Let’s take a look at the Concours Action!
An Isotta Fraschini all the way from Pennsylvania
1913 National
1907 Panhard et Levassor
Do I really need to caption this?
They didn’t call it the brass era for nothing!
1940 Packard Super 8 160
1957 Maserati 300s. Maserati was one of the featured marques.
1937 Maserati 6 CM race car. This car made such a great sound in the parking garage when it fired up!
I think this is the first “Le Mans Start” concours ever conducted! As entrants, we had to park in the hotel garage the night before, and then be at the car very early. They let the cars go in batches of 10 so that there wouldn’t be backing up / stalling / idling while getting on the field. It worked well – better than I thought it would – and it was kind of fun to mingle with the other car owners and hear the cars fire up.
1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder.
Wow! a 1924 Hispano Suiza H6b with dual cowl phaeton bodywork by LeBaron! spectacular!
1936 Lagonda LG45 Drop Head Coupe with smiling owner in the background. I would smile too if I owned this car!
’36 Delahaye 135 MS competition cabriolet
The eventual Best of Show winner, a 1925 Hispano-Suiza
1939 Bugatti 57C Galibier
1932 Packard 900 light Eight convertible coupe
First place in Class 1934 Packard 1104 Coupe.
When was the last time you saw a 1927 Locomobile?
This car was purchased on these very grounds a few years back – the Arizona Biltmore hosts one of the Auctions during auction week. This is a ’34 Buick 96C Convertible coupe, a first place winner in class.
1037 Packard 1508 Dietrich convertible sedan.
41 Packard 180 Darrin
’36 Auburn Auburn 852 SC Cabriolet
1937 Cord 812 Custom Beverly. Note the very cool “Arizona CONCOURS” License plate. They gave one of these out in every goody bag. It’s a replica of the old Arizona copper license plates, made back when there was so much copper coming out of the ground in Arizona they didn’t know what to do with it! It’s probably one of the coolest show goody bag pieces I’ve seen in a long, long time.
The Trophies were cool too.
And there we are with our favorite car, the 1930 Packard 745 with body by LeTourneur et Marchand.
Cord L-29 Cabriolet
Love the license plate promo piece
Mercedes Gullwing 300 SL. My Friend’s dad had one of these back when I was a kid – that was when it was maybe a $20,000 car. If someone had said they would routinely sell for over a million we would have thought they were a lunatic!
Ferrari 330 GTC. Nice!
Wow.
More Wow.
Big Antique Alfa Racer.
53 Caddy Eldo
An early Countach, – a periscopo updated with wing and flares. I want it !
1951 Schroeder / Stevens special – brought to the concours by Mr. Schroeder!
SS100. Now that’s a fenderline.
An Arnolt-Bristol. There was this guy named “Wacky” Arnolt who married up the Bristol chassis with custom bodywork, but he must have been pretty smart to get this car produced !
The awards ceremony started precisely at 1:59 PM. Note the crowd, and they managed to hold the crowd for the entire presentation. As someone who goes to a few concours events, that’s an impressive thing to start on time and hold the crowd.
This was the lawn of glory for the first place winners in their class. Note the resolute set of the jaw of the driver of the Panhard et Levassor. Also note the little Scotch terrier dogs, named after Scotch whiskeys!
Those guys with hats & jackets off to the left are the judges. They are surveying the lawn of glory, so that they might choose the winner of best in show!
The Hispano-Suiza , the Best in Show Winner.
OK how’s this for the new slogan for the Arizona Concours? ARIZONA CONCOURS! HOT WEATHER ! HOT CARS ! HOT WOMEN! Yeah, I bet they don’t call me to write copy for them in 2015 !