2009 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance - Show Day

Another Field of Excellence

By Steve Purdy
TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau

It really feels like the traditional Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance is back. For a few years we sensed a waning of enthusiasm. This wonderful show experienced some administrative changes that threatened to slow things down considerably. A new MC took the microphone and, while he did a fine job, it just wasn’t like having the rich voice and limitless knowledge of Ed Lucas narrating the show.

Early morning load-in

Those photographers among us who avidly shoot the Meadow Brook show always hope for a lightly overcast, cool day for the soft light and comfortable conditions on this first week in August. After all, we’re out there all day in the elements. No such luck this year. We arrived early as they began to bring cars onto the field about 6:30 AM, just as the overnight clouds began to break up. We shot most of the fantastic cars there as the light brightened. Then the sun began to beat us down with temps getting into the high 80s. But that never quells our enthusiasm for the cars, the art and the people.

Meadow Brook continues to shine as one of the premier classic and collector car shows in the county. Most consider it second only to the famous Pebble Beach show, which happens just two weeks later. With just about 230 automobiles and motorcycles this year we could spend the whole day a still not spend adequate time with everything in the show.

Tony Sikorski

Also back for another year is a tent full of some of the most renowned automotive fine artists in the world. Unlike Pebble Beach where all the artists must be members of the prestigious Automotive Fine Art Society we often find relatively unknown artists here. Though many are AFAS members, some of the best have yet to be inducted. A couple of my favorites are Tony Sikorski of Caraopolis, PN who creates 3-deminsional, stylized images of automobiles out of corrugated materials, stainless steel and other media, and young David Chappel of Grand Blanc, MI whose intensely colorful paintings of wonderful cars, usually within urban contexts, just jump off the canvass at us.

Gary Whinn

This year’s featured artist is British painter Gary Whinn who has displayed many times at Meadow Brook. To quote the Meadow Brook art brochure his style “blends the traditions of automotive and figurative art, and a sense of theatre prevails throughout his work.”

Mode du Concours fashion show

By shortly after noon the important judging is done. The cars then pass in review for more than three hours punctuated by special features like Mode du Concours, an exhibition of period clothing using the cars as props. Marjorie Krevsky, author of the intriguing new book reviewing the history of auto show models called Sirens of Chrome, created this year’s Mode du Concours featuring gowns actually worn at auto shows.

Each of Meadow Brook’s 24 classes has multiple winners. Those plus a series of special awards then culminate in a Best of Show American and a Best of Show European. Those are the most sought after awards by the serious collectors.

Packard V-12 Sport Sedan

Best of Show honors for American cars went to a big, beautiful Packard V-12 Sport Sedan with body by Dietrich owned by Ray Scherr of West Lake Village, California. His car was part of a class of 15 V-12 powered Packards. The judges must have had a tough time making a selection from that competitive class.

Delahaye

Best of Show for foreign cars was bestowed on another Californian, Peter Mullin whose sleek, sexy and artistic 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet with body by Figoni et Falaschi stood out in this other highly contested class. Mullin’s Delahaye was also the Peoples Choice Award winner. So it struck a cord not just with the judges but with the sophisticated audience as well.

Larry Moss, chairman of the selection committee, and his experienced, well-connected team deserve much credit for the stunning quality and variety of cars. Some others of my favorites:

Hupmobile

In the class called “Swoopy Coupes” we found a most unusual Hupmobile with amazing art deco details and some design elements quite advanced for its day. The headlights were neatly integrated into the hood rather than the fenders. In fact most cars of 1933 had headlights entirely separate from other body elements. Hupmobiles were great cars but didn’t sell particularly well and went away much too soon.

In the class called “Sports Cars from 1956” a Lancia Flaminia Zagato Super Sport jumped out at me as something I’d never seen. With gray-green body and bright red leather inside it looked much like a Ferrari of the era but with an unusual, almost ethereal quality.

Alvis

A beautiful white 1950 Alvis Convertible struck me as I was shooting cars coming onto the field as one I didn’t recognize. A large open sports cars with sort of Jaguar styling queues and reverse-opening doors, dual windscreen and leather hood strap caught my eye.

Auburn

Perhaps the first convertible hardtop is this unusual, probably one-off, polished aluminum-topped 1933 Auburn 8-105 owned by Timothy Durham of Indianapolis. It looks to have a rumble seat as well as a stow-away hard top. Not only is the Auburn body beautiful in itself, but that odd top gives it a wild appearance.

Stutz

And, how about this 1933 Stutz DV32 Convertible Victoria with body by Rollston owned by Andy Simo of Riverside, Illinois. Ed Welburn, GM’s astute design VP, was one of the judges for this class and I could see the fascination in his eye. Stutz was a big, impressive car in its day and this one is an excellent example.

Rolls-Royce

Parading in front of the reviewing stand repeatedly, once as the conveyance for one of the Mode du Concours models, was this 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Barker Double Pullman Limousine owned by John M. O’Quinn and Darla Lexington of Houston, Texas. Have you even seen anything like it? I haven’t. I’d love to be chauffeured around in this one.

I could go on and on, spending the rest of the week writing about this show.

Cadillac V-16

Over the many years of the Meadow Brook show the Detroit automakers have always supported it with sponsorships, in-kind services, committee work and bringing special cars from the corporate collections. With the deep troubles in the industry no support was forthcoming this year but the organizers decided to honor them with special displays of Detroit’s finest designs. David Kane of New Jersey earned the “Best of Detroit” award for his rare, massive Cadillac V-16 Convertible Sedan, but I liked this ’55 Pontiac with the transparent illuminating hood ornament.

Don Sommer

Also honored at the Meadow Brook show was event founder, Don Sommer. He and some of his classic car pals put the first Meadow Brook show together 30 years ago and after chairing it for many of those years Sommer is now able to just enjoy the fruits of his labor and his creativity. By the way, M.C., Ed Lucas, presided over that first show as well, and graciously presented the accolades to his close friend Sommers.