Published: August 7, 2020, 7:15 AM
Updated: October 11, 2021, 8:58 AM
2017 Concours d'Elegance of America
The Concours d’ Elegance of America at St. John’s is one of the three most prestigious classic car Concours held annually - except for this year - in the United States, along with Amelia Island and Pebble Beach. While Amelia Island did take place earlier this year, St. John's and Pebble Beach have been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, for those with a hunger for classic cars, here's a look back at the Concours d’ Elegance of America from 2017.
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A tribute to tradition
The tradition of the Concours dates back to the 17th century when French aristocracy paraded their horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris on summer weekends and holidays. Literally, concours d'elegance translates to "competition of elegance."
The tradition continued when carriages were replaced by cars, often accompanied by fashion shows to showcase the latest in Parisian couture – another part of the tradition continued at St. John’s.
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Meadow Brook successor
Held at the Inn at St. John's, in Plymouth, Michigan, 2017 was the sixth year for the Concours d’ Elegance of America. It is the successor to the Meadow Brook Concours which ran for more than 30 years on the grounds of the Tudor revival mansion formerly owned by Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of automotive pioneer John Dodge, in Rochester, on the other side of Detroit.
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Something for everyone
While the Grand Classics of the ‘20s and ‘30s are the major attractions of such extravaganzas, there was something to appeal to every automotive taste and age group at St. John’s – like the Bugatti Veyron that infatuated this young guest.
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1910 Auburn Model X
Cars on display ranged from brass-era beauties like this 1910 Auburn Model X, and others even older…
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2017 Ford GT
... to this up-to-the-minute-modern Ford GT, with almost everything imaginable in between.
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1932 Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Viotti Coupe
Exotics from an earlier era included this one-of-a-kind 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C2300 with aerodynamic bodywork by Viotti – part of the private California collection of Arturo and Deborah Keller, who were honored as collectors of the year and brought several of their cars for display only.
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Cobra class
There was a whole class just for Cobras...
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Boat-tail speedsters
… and another just for boat-tail speedsters.
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Duesenberg Model SJ Airflow “Mudd Coupe”
While many such shows are fortunate to have even one Duesenberg Model J on the field, there were at least nine at St. John’s, including this one-off 1937 SJ Airflow “Mudd Coupe,” with fabric-covered body by Bohman and Schwartz – part of the Kellers’ collection.
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Fit for a King
There was even a car built for royalty – a 1941 Cadillac limousine, nicknamed the ‘Duchess’, custom-built by General Motors for England’s King Edward after he’d abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson. It’s currently part of a collection of rare Cadillacs owned by Steve Plunkett of London, Ontario.
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Can-Am race cars
At the opposite extreme, there was a class for race cars from the original Can-Am Challenge Series of the 1960s and early ‘70s. In the foreground is a coupe version of the Lola T70 – a staple of the series – and behind it a McLaren 8A, driven by Denny Hulme back in the day.
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Pre-flip-top Funny Cars
Another class specifically for race cars paid tribute to drag-racing ‘Funny Cars’ from the era before they evolved into today’s ‘flip-tops’. This Ramchargers car, fielded by a team of off-duty Chrysler engineers, was a crowd favourite at the time. Note the altered wheelbase that typified the genre.
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Muscle cars!
This being the Detroit area, of course there were muscle cars, including these four ribbon winners.
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Little GTO
This 1974 Pontiac GTO – the original ‘60s muscle car – was named the Most Significant General Motors car in the show.
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Jet-Age Juniors
While muscle cars tend to get most of the 60s-era attention, they were far from the only significant cars of the decade. St. John’s included a class called Jet-Age Juniors for compact cars, which were then new to the American scene. This 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire, which won the award for Best-in-Class, was the first American production car to feature a turbocharged engine.
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The Studebaker that never was
A decade earlier, Studebaker never produced a convertible version of its spectacular 1953 Starliner coupe. But it did build one prototype – this 1953 Commander convertible, which was saved from oblivion when the company went out of business and has since been restored to its original glory.
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1936 Cord 810 Phaeton
Every bit as spectacular in its own time – and still today – was this Gordon Buehrig-designed 1936 Cord 810 Phaeton, the second generation of America’s first front-wheel-drive production car and an award winner in the Auburn-Cord- Duesenberg class.
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1932 Auburn 8-100 A
From within the same class, this 1932 Auburn 8-100 A sedan represents a different, more formal approach to mid-luxe design from the junior member of the family.
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It's a Duesy!
And this ribbon-winner - a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Boat Tail must be one of the prettiest body styles ever created for the mightiest American motor car.
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1933 Pierce-Arrow 833 Club Sedan
From the same era, this 1933 Pierce-Arrow Club Sedan, identifiable by the brand’s trademark, fender-integral headlamps and archer radiator ornament, was one of Duesenberg’s key competitors. This car was built specifically for display at the Chicago World's Fair.
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1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer
There was a separate class for Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts, another of the super-luxury cars of the early automotive period. Silver Ghosts were built from 1907 through 1926, all custom-bodied to customers’ specifications by specialty coachbuilders. This 1914 Silver Ghost Tourer has been rebodied by Littin and Son.
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To each his own
Having the money to buy such an extravagant car was no guarantee of good taste, even then!
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1970 BMW 3.0 CS Coupe
On the subject of taste, this 1970 BMW 3.0 CS Coupe is arguably one of the prettiest BMW models ever.
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1948 Buick Super Convertible
In a different era, this 1948 Buick Super Convertible was the epitome of early post-war American style.
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For Sale
Another Buick convertible of similar vintage was for sale in the vendor area.
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1957 Cadilac Biarritz convertibles
A decade later, these 1957 Cadillac Biarritz convertibles were at the forefront of modern American style.
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Unique fins
The Biarritz models featured unique fins, different from other Cadillacs of the time.
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1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham
An even rarer Cadillac of the same vintage is this 1957 Series 70 Eldorado Brougham model, seen here ahead of a Tucker, awaiting their turns in front of the review stand. A four-door hardtop with suicide rear doors and a stainless-steel roof, the Brougham was a limited-production model that was essentially hand-built and its styling previewed more mundane production models to come - if any Cadillac can be considered mundane.
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The 'Forward Look'
Chrysler’s vehicles of the same period, under the ‘Forward Look’ design direction of Virgil Exner, had distinctive fins of their own, as illustrated by this 1957 Dodge Custom Royal convertible.
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Chrysler ME Four-Twelve
Fiat Chrysler Auto’s current design director, Ralph Gilles was honored as Enthusiast of the Year and several cars designed under his watch were on display, including this Chrysler ME Four-Twelve concept car, seen leaving the show. Introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in 20014, it was a mid-engined coupe, powered by a Mercedes-Benz Benz V-12 engine with four turbochargers – hence the name.
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Mclaren-Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss
Perhaps even more exotic was this 2009 Mclaren-Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss limited-edition speedster – one of just 75 built. When new, it was made available only to existing SLR owners!
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1981 Lancia Beta Montecarlo
Back among the race cars, this 1981 Lancia Beta Montecarlo Coupe “silhouette” racer won the 1981 World Championship for Makes (under 2.0-litre class).
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1965 Shelby Cobra 427
This 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 race car was named best in Class in among a strong field of Cobras that included both race and street models.
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1967 Chinook MK.5
Canadian race fans of a certain vintage will recognize this 1967 Chinook MK.5 Can-Am car. Built by the Fejer brothers, Rudy and George, of Toronto, the Chinook competed in multiple Can-Am races, including the series’ first race at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, in 1967.
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1973 Porsche 917/30
The ‘King Kong’ of all Can-Am racers was this Porsche 917/30 prepared by Porsche and Penske Racing and driven by Mark Donohue. The most powerful sports racer ever built, it was so dominant that it effectively killed the series as no other cars could compete at the same level with it.
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A work of art
The same car was the subject of one of the works of art in the fine art display and sales tent.
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Automotive sculptures
Other artworks on display for viewing and for sale included automotive-themed sculptures, such as this one.
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1974 Shadow DN4-1a
One car that tried to compete with the all-conquering Porsche 917/30 was this 1974 DNA Shadow DN4-1a, driven at the time by Formula 1 driver Jackie Oliver. Made of titanium, and one of two Shadows at St. John’s, it was so low to the ground that it scooped up a huge chunk of turf en route to the awards area.
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Gas Ronda Mustang
Challenging the Can-Am cars for sheer ground-shaking, crowd-pleasing noise was this Mustang funny car, made famous by its driver, Gas Ronda, in its day.
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1948 Tucker
The technical prowess of the race cars notwithstanding, this 1948 Tucker took the event’s Josh Madden Memorial Award for Engineering Excellence.
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1962 Corvair Monza Spyder
An engineering marvel in its own right was this turbocharged 1962 Corvair Monza Spyder convertible – second only to the Oldsmobile Jetfire in adopting a turbocharger, and the first to use one downstream of a carburetor (or fuel-injection throttle-body), as has since become the norm.
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Corvettes
Naturally, there were Corvettes in the show, including this multi-generational display by Chevrolet itself.
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Carbon 65 Corvette
Included in the Chevrolet display was this 2018 Corvette Carbon 65 Edition, designed to commemorate the 65th anniversary of America’s sports car. Limited to production of just 650 numbered vehicles globally and fitted with visible carbon-fiber exterior elements, including a new carbon-fiber rear spoiler and quarter ducts, it promises to become a collector car itself.
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1964 Ferrari Lusso Berlinetta
Back at the review stand, this svelte 1964 Ferrari Lusso Berlinetta earned Best in Class laurels among later model sports cars.
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1953 Ferrari 250 Europa
The Lusso’s smooth lines were in stark contrast to those of this 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa, which was named Best in Class among early sports cars.
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1937 Talbot Lago T150C Aero Coupe
Or, the voluptuous shape of this 1937 Talbot Lago T150C Aero Coupe with body by Portout – another study in French curves from the Kellers’ collection.
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1934 Chrysler Imperial Airflow Coupe
While the 1934 Chrysler Imperial Airflow Coupe, seen here in the background, introduced true aerodynamic styling to the American market, it was ahead of its time and failed to gain either public favour or market success. But this one was named best in Class among American Classics – Closed.
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Best in Show – American
Overall Best in Show – American, was this 1931 Stutz DV32 Convertible Victoria.
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Best in Show
Joining the Stutz as Best in Show – European, was a 1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A, both cars shown here.
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