The fourth annual Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance takes place this weekend, on September 18, 2016. By Gerry Malloy
When the first Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance was staged in 2013, it was an upstart among the established order of Classic car exhibitions in North America. Now it’s become an entrenched part of that establishment, with the some of the most prestigious collector cars on the continent vying for top honours. “We have consistently been able to pull in some of the highest calibre cars in North America as well as some of the best judges in the world,” says Rob McLeese, founder and chair of the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The most prestigious classic car show in Canada, it is the only one in the same league as such established Concours as Amelia Island, St. John's, and Pebble Beach. Like them, it takes place in a picturesque setting worthy of the cars – in this case on the shores of Georgian Bay, at the Cobble Beach resort community near Owen Sound, Ontario.
On September 18, more than 100 classics, hand selected from private collections across North America will take part in this extravaganza of excellence, part of a tradition that dates back to 17th century French high-society.
Last year’s ‘Best of Show’ winner, this 1938 Graham 97 Supercharged Cabriolet with body by Saoutchik, will be back to symbolically pass the mantle to this year’s winner, but it will be the only repeat participant. Apart from the overall winner, the rules of the Concours prohibit repeat appearances by any previous entries for at least four years. So all the cars on the show grounds will be new to the event.
The Grand Classics on display are typically the crown jewels of such shows – cars like the 1931 Cadillac, 1932 Packard and 1932 Cadillac shown here against a backdrop that rivals that of Pebble Beach.
Of course, there will be representatives of the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg triumvirate – among the most spectacular American cars ever made…
1938 Cadillac Brunn-Bodied V-8 Roadster
And Cadillacs, including this very special 1938 Cadillac Brunn-Bodied V-8 Roadster. Originally custom-built for for Ralph Pulitzer of the Pulitzer Prize family in New York, it is believed to be the last custom-bodied Cadillac roadster ever produced. Complete with rumble seat, golf club door, and original design blueprints, it is truly one of a kind.
Cadillac came on board as a presenting sponsor of the event last year and will be back again, offering attendees not just a look at but an opportunity to test drive some of its latest models. Those available will include the 2016 Cadillac ATS, ATS-V, CTS-V, CT6 and Escalade as well as the brand new 2017 Cadillac XT5.
Among Cobble’s new features is an emphasis on marque-specific classes – categories consisting of a single type or brand of car – including Corvettes, Packards and Aston Martins.
They’ll include a special class exclusively for Porsche 356’s like this early Reutter-bodied 356A T2 Coupe, the last of the most classic Porsche body line.
More modern but equally enticing machinery will include this 1971 Dino 246 GT – the coupe version of Ferrari's famed six-cylinder, mid-engined sports car, which was introduced to be a competitor for the Porsche 911. This particular car is one of just six Euro-spec Dino GTs brought to Canada in 1971.
From the same era but the other end of the sporty-car spectrum will be this 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air-III Convertible. Purchased new in Canada it is one of just 108 true Judge convertibles built, one of just 29 with an automatic transmission, and one-of-one built in "triple-green."
Such muscle cars are always well represented at Cobble Beach and this year will be no exception.
Their ranks will include this 1970 Plymouth Road Runner convertible – a particularly rare example with a 440-cubic-inch, 390-horsepower Six Pack engine and Torqueflite automatic transmission, and the only one delivered from the factory finished in TorRed with a white-on-black interior.
Similarly sporty and powerful but from an earlier era will be this 1938 Studebaker Dictator Coupe (an unfortunate name for the time that was soon after abandoned). This model was the first to exhibit the Art Deco influence of famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who would have a long relationship with Studebaker that included the iconic 1953 Starliner and the 1963 Avanti.
Representing an even earlier era will be this 1922 Rolls Royce featuring custom “Barker” Pullman Limousine coachwork, complete with two folding jump seats and a centre table. There is an onboard speaker system for owner-chauffeur communication and a unique roof-mounted opera light used to identify the car when the owners were picked up after special events.
Front and centre in the race car class will be this Camel-liveried, Honda-powered 1987 Lotus 99t/4 Formula One car, driven that year by yet-to-become World Champion, Ayrton Senna. Senna and Lotus finished third in the 1987 World Drivers’ and Constructors’, which was Senna’s best career performance to that point, paving the way to his 1988 F1 World Championship title with McLaren.
What has now become a Cobble Beach tradition – The Museum Class, presented by Cadillac – is a display-only class featuring cars from Canadian and American automotive museums. This year it will include a 1924 Vauxhall, this 1911 Stevens-Duryea Model AA Tourer and four different Cadillacs.
The Cadillacs in the Museum Class will include a 1912 Cadillac Model 30, a 1931 Fleetwood, 1959 Cadillac Cyclone concept car and the recent Elmiraj concept, all from the GM Heritage Centre in Detroit.
The display of classic wooden boats introduced last year will be back again – a perfect adjunct to the cars on display given the show’s shoreline setting.
In addition, for the first time ever, the Hagerty Classic Car Ride and Drive (sponsored by Hagerty Insurance) will give guests an opportunity to get behind the wheel of such iconic classics as a ’69 Camaro SS or a 64-1/2 Mustang – five collector vehicles in all.
Proceeds raised by Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance support The Sunnybrook Foundation to help fund a state-of-the-art helipad on the rooftop of the hospital and the Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation to purchase a new microscope for the Hospital’s pathologists. The Concours takes place at the Cobble Beach Golf Links Resort Community, near Owen Sound, about two hours north of Toronto. Further information is available online at cobblebeachconcours.com.
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