A Concours d'Elegance is, literally, a "Gathering of Elegance". Or, more specifically a fancy car show held in a scenic locale, chock full of automotive sculpture you might otherwise never see outside of a museum. This particular Concours, held last Sunday in Beverly Hills, CA, was the first-ever Greysone Mansion Concours d'Elegance. It was a helluva debut with a plenty of jaw-dropping classics on display...
You could also check out the mansion, within which was held a vintage fashion show and all manner of automotive artwork for sale. That's all well and good, but I went to see the cars. These were my favorite fantastic four:
1937 Delahaye 135M Roadster (at top)
(Showing off the beautiful teardrop fenders that are a hallmark of this marque)
1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II (both photos above)
(With a custom-installed, 27-liter, 1100-horsepower Merlin V12 aircraft engine! Rolls-Royces were/are known to be silent cars, but this one was quite the rebel and quite a feat of customization. What a glorious racket it made!)
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 (both photos above)
(Yes, it's a close relative of the car -- a 250 GT California -- seen in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Except this is the real thing)
1961 Chevrolet Corvette (photo above)
(This gorgeous example has the right color combination and the rare, optional fuel-injected V8)
Tickets for the Concours were admittedly high-priced ($100 each!), but that included food and an open bar. The latter probably accounted for the majority of the ticket price -- I didn't partake as I was the designated driver. Besides, the quality and variety of fine automobiles was intoxicating in its own way. Perhaps next year they could have two types of tickets, say $50 for the admission and lunch, and $100 for those who'd also like the open bar.
By mlh
on April 15, 2010
11:47 AM
Thanks for posting. I was on the fence about going due to the high price, but I can see now that I should have ponied up. Oh well -- next year...
By slickersdrip
on April 16, 2010
09:40 PM
Boy I wish I could have been there. The ticket price seems like a bargain to witness such amazing vehicles. I'd want to use the open bar for a glass of scotch to enjoy along with the gorgeous cars.
Love that '61 Corvette, but the '67 with the 427 behind it really piques my interest.