By Liz Leamy
Last weekend, thousands of spectators descended upon the beatific waterfront of the Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in town to witness the dazzling spectacle of classic and contemporary American and European automobiles on display at the 27th annual Greenwich Concours d’Elegance.
This celebrated three-day affair, held June 2nd through June 4th that is reputed to be one of the most prestigious car shows in the world, lived up to its signature gold-star standard in every fashion.
It featured more than 300 automobiles dating all the way from the early 20th century up through to the current year, with Wayne Carini, host of the popular television series ‘Chasing Classic Cars’ serving as its Grand Marshal to the delight of all of those in attendance, many of who were from the New York metropolitan area as well as from states such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, California and Hawaii.
“This is the highlight of our year,” said Pasquale ‘Pat’ Fusco of Leonia, New Jersey, a Greenwich Concours d’Elegance volunteer who was host of the event’s Beach Car Class. “It’s an event people really look forward to. Everyone’s having a great time, including all the kids.”
Held since 1996, the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance is one of more than 40 events of its kind held in and around the U.S. annually that features vintage and classic vehicles in which citations are presented to those judged as being in their best original condition in various categories by a panel of official automobile professionals and figureheads.
This year’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance was sponsored by Hagerty, the American automotive lifestyle and membership company based in Traverse City, Michigan that is the world’s largest provider of specialty insurance for classic cars and was centered around a vibrant vintage theme.
Specifically, this event featured a Classic Car grand tour, waterfront party, auction, ‘future drivers club’ educational and experiential event for children and other memorable goings-on that everyone there all seemed to enjoy.
“You can’t replicate this. The people, the location and the collection of cars you see here is why this event is just so amazing,” said Fusco, who has been participating in the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance since 1996. “It’s also very family friendly and family oriented, which is great. It’s important that the kids are enjoying themselves because they are the generation that we look forward to carrying on this tradition.”
Others agreed, including David Silberkleit of Branford, Connecticut, whose striking 1958 British racing green Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite won a Best in Class award.
“Everyone here is connected through cars and it’s a connection that is quite powerful, I believe,” said Silberkleit, who was showing a car for the first time ever at this event. “As you can see here, every car has a great story.”
Silberkleit, who is the owner and proprietor of the Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite Specialists company based in Branford, bugeyeguy.com, that does classic car revitalizations for this classic make, said the primary goal in coming to this event was to restore the 1958 Sprite to its exact production specifications as a means to achieve the optimal Concours standard across the boards.
“The goal was to do an exact re-creation of this car so it would be like it was when it was new,” said Silberkleit, who, since founding bugeyeguy.com in 2007, has sold more than 500 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprites, a standing worldwide sales record for this classic car. “A Concours car is all about time, tenacity and meticulousness and it is a pursuit and endeavor that I really enjoy.”
On Saturday, more than 150 historical vehicles were featured that had been entered into one of 18 different car classes that included post-war American vintage, pre-war antique, Italian and English sports and luxury, among other categories.
On Sunday, there were more than 150 highly collectible cars featured that had each been entered in one of 18 different classes, representing another highlight of this year’s Greenwich Concours.
Collectively, this extensive presentation of exquisite automobiles included Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens, Mustang GTs, Alfa Romeos, Corvettes, Lincolns, Mercedes Benz’s and Austin Healeys.
This extensive display also included antique Stanley steam cars, classic wood-bodied automobiles (woodies) from the 1950s and 1960s, vintage Roll-Royces, Bentleys, Fiat Jollys in sherbet ice cream colors as well as other memorable historic and contemporary vehicles.
“This is an incredible event,” said Roger Matles of Rye Brook, New York, who was exhibiting a gorgeous white 2005 Ford GT with a blue racing stripe. (This car, which had been awarded the 2014 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance Post World War II Best in Class honor, had formerly belonged to Alan Jackson, the celebrated Country Music Hall of Fame singer.) “My favorite thing to do every year is to come to the park by 7am on the first day of the event so I can watch all the cars drive in. It’s really quite an amazing site to see.”
The two top prizes of the event, meanwhile, were awarded to Benjamin Levy of Andover, Massachusetts, whose stunning blue 1965 Ford GT40 MK I earned the Greenwich Concours de Sport Best in Show citation on Saturday, while Lawrence Auriana of Greenwich won the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance Best in Show crown for his 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B on Sunday, respectively.
“The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 selected as Best of Show embodies the spirit of the world’s best collections. It’s excellence, elegance and history are worthy of acclaim,” said McKeel Hagerty, Chief Executive Officer of Hagerty. “Saturday’s Concours de Sport winner, a 1965 Ford GT40 MK I, is equally deserving of praise [and is] an exceptional example of an iconic car.”
For so many of the exhibitors and car owners, including Levy and Auriana, it was all about being part of the whole Greenwich Concours d’Elegance experience.
“It’s the first time the car’s gotten an award at a judged show and it’s the first time it’s gotten any award. We were very surprised and excited,” said Levy, whose car attracted some of the biggest crowds throughout the weekend with it being the same make of car that had outdistanced the Ferrari in the famous 1966 ‘Ford versus Ferrari’ showdown at the LeMans 24-Hour Race in France. (This car is also said to be one of only 15 cars of its kind to currently be in existence.) “I’ve been wanting to come to Greenwich for awhile. We’ve been to Amelia Island in Florida and have done some local shows in the Boston area and it’s been really nice being here in Greenwich.”
On another interesting note, some of the cars at this event had been featured in major motion pictures, while two automobiles that had been displayed Saturday had been owned and driven by the legendary music icons, Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Ultimately, everyone who was part of this year’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance seemed to be a winner, including all of the spectators, officials, organizers, volunteers, vendors, exhibitors, enthusiasts and everyone else there who helped make this experience such a dynamic and memorable one.
“This is an incredible event because cars mean so many things to so many people,” said Matles, who has been a participant in the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance since 1996 and was at this event with his wife, Nancylee. “Everyone is here because they enjoy cars and you can see that, which is great.”
