We attended the St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance a few weeks ago, and right as we walked through the entrance we were greeted by this stunning machine. It is an Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster, and I was told it is the same model that was used recently in the Great Gatsby. The difference is that the one in the movie was quite plain, while this one is nothing short of immaculate. Just look at the way those orange accents flow along the lines of the car, and of course, there is also the hood ornament… a naked woman made of crystal. What’s not to love? Enjoy the photos.
Anyone who knows me well will understand that I’m a sucker for Chrysler woodies. They’re very pretty and are often worth a lot more money than one might think. This particular 1950 model is the first one I’ve ever seen in public. It’s a Town and Country Newport, in the final year of production for the wood-body model. This was the only hardtop woodie ever built by Chrysler–only 698 were produced, making it a rarely-seen car with an exorbitant $4,000+ price tag in its day. Those factors make this quite the intriguing car. The black paint looked smooth as silk and the chrome was blindingly bright in the unimpeded sun. The backdrop of the alluring clouds and gorgeous hotel, along with the smoothness of the Chesapeake Bay, made shooting this car, at least for me, an utter no-brainer. It didn’t win any awards that day, but it stood proudly next to its rival wood-paneled cars. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1950 Chrysler Town and Country Newport Coupe at the St. Michaels Concours→
I attended the Bucks County Exotics meet this past weekend with my friend, Rich. It is a “cars and coffee” style event, and often times there is a cruise afterward for those who wish to partake. This time around, the route took us through many of the scenic covered bridges in Bucks County, PA. The turnout at the meet was phenomenal, and the cruise was a great time (and no speeding tickets to boot). Surely this is one of the better ways to spend a Saturday morning. Enjoy the photos.
If there’s one thing the French knew how to do in the 1930s, it was elegance in automobiles. Figoni et Falaschi was a design powerhouse at this time and this Talbot-Lago was a true jaw-dropper at the 100 Cars of Radnor Hunt. While Nick got busy snapping the Delahaye (itself a beautiful car) my college buddy Chris Azarko and I admired this piece of French automotive artwork. Even among these beautiful classic cars the swoopy Talbot caught everyone’s attention. Only 14 of these were made during its short production run and this one was hidden from the Nazis during WWII. I’m glad it’s been restored and I’m even happier to see it here at Radnor. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1938 Talbot Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupe at Radnor Hunt 2013→
My parents were in attendance for this year’s Straight-Eights car show in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I had other plans that weekend, but my Dad got some solid photos of the event. Get ready for spiffy cars from the 1950’s galore! Enjoy.
McLaren had this MP4-12C Spider on display at the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance. I really liked these photos I got of it as things were being packed up after the show. I’m a huge sucker for Papaya Orange, and it was looking so good as the light got lower in the late afternoon. Enjoy the photos.
Those of you who’ve been following this blog will know that I LOVE Delahayes. I am generally a fan of all French Art Deco cars, but Delahayes have a flamboyance and a craftsmanship to their designs that make them unique.
While many Delahayes come in bright, flashy colors, this 135 M Roadster Figoni et Falaschi took a different approach. It is a rich black, and looks very sinister with its swooping lines, almost like a bat. Inside the interior is fitted with red leather, and finely crafted wood. Black and red is one of my favorite color schemes on a car, so this really hit the spot for me that much more.
The car itself is currently owned by J.W. Marriott Jr. (Yes, of Mariott Hotel fame), and it was fully restored in 1991. One detail that I particularly loved on this Delahaye was its hood ornament. At first glance it is a dragonfly, which would be great on its own, but looking closer, it becomes apparent that the dragonfly is actually a glider stretched over a beautiful, naked woman — Oh how French!
It was wonderful to see this stunning Delahaye 135M Roadster at this year’s Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance, and it wound up winning the “Best Open Art Deco Car” award. Enjoy the photos.
I’ll be honest, I’m a complete sucker for the Lincoln Zephyr and the Continental of this era. They get overlooked occasionally by Cadillacs and by independent marques of the Depression era, but their long-standing reputation of simple elegance, beauty, and dashes of brashness are symbols of what the Lincoln name used to mean. They all pack V12 engines, they all have (except the ’42 model in this gallery) restrained styling, and each one was an excellent example of its year and body type. This being a feature year for Lincoln at Pebble Beach, they had their very own class. The cars within this class included everything from the classic 1938 Zephyr coupe in black, to an all-original 1940 Zephyr Continental Cabriolet, to a 1942 Continental Cabriolet (1 of 11 left in the world). Some of them included all the original brass fittings in the interior, something I’ve never seen on a Lincoln. The car pictured up top is a 1941 Continental Coupe which won the class. In fact, for those of you with good memories (or those of you who can pair cars with movies as well as I can sometimes), that body style and year were featured in one of the most memorable mob movies ever, The Godfather. Sonny Corleone, played by James Caan, drives a black 1941 Continental coupe to his grisly death in one of the most memorable scenes of the film. If you don’t remember, I’ve included it at the end. Enjoy the photos of these understated, elegant automobiles.
At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, every car is nothing short of immaculate. However, even among the hundreds of exquisite automobiles, some find a way to stand out in the crowd. This 1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupe does it with a stunning color draped over a sleek, if a bit peculiar, design.
Jalopnik even said they thought this car should have won “Best In Show”, but naturally they are always into the most offbeat thing present. While I don’t agree that this car should have won “Best In Show”, I really did enjoy getting to see this Indianapolis Boano Coupe in person. It definitely brings an event with it wherever it goes, and at a big car show such as this, that is what really matters.
We got to see Cadillac’s Elmiraj Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and plainly, this is the sort of thing the Cadillac Brand needs right now. Cadillac has not been “the Cadillac of cars” since the mid 1960s in my opinion, and it’s about time they step up and reclaim their original status in the world.
The Elmiraj looks to be a grand touring car of world class standards. It’s design is unmistakably that of a Cadillac, but it has a nice sleek, modern shape. While I doubt it would make it to production in its current form, the Elmiraj’s interior is breathtakingly gorgeous, with gratuitous amounts of wood, leather and metal used throughout.
As far as what’s under the hood, I’ve heard rumors of a twin turbo 4.5L V8 with more than 500hp. That will most likely put the Elmiraj in competition with the Jaguar XKR, Maserati Granturismo, BMW 650i/M6, etc, in the price range around $100,000. That, of course assumes that Cadillac will ever have the guts to actually produce an ambitious concept car such as this.
I think with proper execution, a production version of the Elmiraj would do a lot to put Cadillac back where they need to be as a brand. The ATS, CTS, and the CTS-V have done a lot to show that Cadillac has potential, but they need a capstone, a mighty flagship to lead their assault. I know Cadillac’s track record with concept cars is awful when it comes to anything making it to production, but I am really holding out hope that the Cadillac Elmiraj is not indeed a mirage.
At Pebble Beach this year, Lincoln was a featured marque. In my opinion, a celebration of the Lincoln brand is not complete without mention of the Continental. To further that point, featuring the Continental name in any way is not finished without mention of the famous Continental Mark II of 1956-1957. This particular car has a heck of a history to it. Barry Folk of Farmington, MI collects cars with the Continental nameplate and owns this Continental Mark II convertible. 3 convertibles were built out of examples which were damaged during delivery. Two of them were built by Hess and Eisenhart, and one other was built by Durham. This particular car is one of the two Hess and Eisenhardt cars. It won 3rd in class at the Concours (and I’ll be honest, I wanted it to win first place, it was a stunning example), and participate in the Tour d’Elegance as well, where I first discovered it while Nick was busy photographing the Ferrari 275 GTB NART Spyder. Enjoy the photos of this unique Continental Mark II. Continue reading 1956 Continental Mark II Convertible by Hess and Eisenhardt, owned by Barry Wolk, at Pebble Beach.→
Mind Over Motor 