2010 Concours D'Elegance at Meadow Brook Wrap-Up

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE AT MEADOW BROOK
A Long Day of Amazing Cars
By Steve Purdy
Photos By Gregor Purdy II and Steve Purdy

Having attended and covered the Meadow Brook show for just about 30 years I always pray for clouds and cool weather. Traditionally presented on the first Sunday in August the show usually results in us being cooked in the summer sun with perhaps one out of five years being relatively comfortable. This year we’ve been mired in an extended, oppressive wave of 90-degree temps with humidity so high we can pit out a shirt just going from the house to the car. But we got lucky for this one as the temperature barely broke 80-degrees and the clouds hung around most of the day.

We always plan be on this beautiful field early so we can capture photos with the morning light still soft and the day’s heat a few hours off. The cars begin to come on the 17th and 18th fairways of the Oakland University golf course about 6:30AM. This scene is literally in the shadow of Meadow Brook Hall, the restored mansion of one of the original Dodge brothers. A line of huge sycamore trees defines the lane into which the show cars file beginning. Sycamore Lane, as it is affectionately called is the place to be. In a couple of hours we’ll see every car come in – and we’ll hear them and smell them and we might even touch a few if we can get away with it. These cars, after all, are multi-sensual treats.

If you’d like to see what you missed this year check out the Web site at www.meadowbrookconcours.org. You’ll see the special GM Motorama cars, a most unusual Rolls Royce, and dozens of other special cars – too many to list here. The presentation of awards makes for hours colorful entertainment for those fascinated with collector cars. Even those who don’t think they are interested and are just humoring their friends get wrapped up in the aesthetics and history being paraded across in front of the reviewing stand where Ed Lucas, perhaps the most knowledgeable and eloquent guy in the business, introduces the collectors and tells the stories of their cars. [Fashion Show] Interspersed within the parade of class winners is a series of short fashion shows created and narrated by Margery Krevsky, owner of one of the largest talent agencies serving the auto industry and author of a popular coffee-table book about the history of auto show models called Sirens of Chrome. Ms. Krevsky assembled collections of period costumes from her archives modeled by her talented young ladies who rode to the reviewing stand in a series of special cars.

Chuck Jordon was a judge at the first Meadow Brook Concours and was invited back to be this year’s honorary chief judge. Talking about the Bonneville concept car from the Autorama days, Chuck relates that GM quit doing the Autorama because they felt they were giving away some of their best ideas. Jordon took the stage along with two of his successors, Wayne Cherry and current Design VP at GM, Ed Welburn.

The Hagerty collector car insurance folks organized a Youth Judging Competition involving a group of kids who did some of their own judging to come up with their favorite cars. They chose a 1910 Brush, a massive, dark-blue 1936 Pierce Arrow and a flashy orange, Lamborghini Miura. I was a bit surprised that these youngsters would appreciate the Brush and the Pierce Arrow, but not surprised at the Lambo.

Gregors Choices: Another youngster of my acquaintance was shooting the show as sort of an apprentice to one of my regular shooters. I asked him to send me shots of some of his favorite cars so I’ll feature them here. I’m surprised at how many of his choices reflect my generation rather than his. All but the last of these cars were made well before even his dad was born.

1958 Chrysler Imperial Limousine

1961 Plymouth Fury

1958 Chevy Impala Convertible

1955 Ford Fairlane Sunliner

1961 Pontiac Bonneville

1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser

2010 Lamborghini Reventon Super Car

Two Best of Show awards are presented each year, one European and one American.

The Talbot Lago 150-c Teardrop Coupe owned by Bill Johnston and Ron Eleabaas charmed the judges with its sensuous, curvaceous lines and impeccable pedigree to earn the European honors and the huge Red and Black Deusenburg Model j-129 Dual-Cowl Phaeton owned by John Groendyke garnered top honors for American classics.

Next year the Concours of America will no longer be at Meadow Brook Hall. A 35-year tradition will end, sad to say. The show will move to another lovely site about 40 miles away at a former seminary that has been converted to a conference center. So, next year look for the Concours of America at St. John in Plymouth, Michigan.