St Michaels Concours d'Elegance 2010 pictures and stories

[karmaken]

I know this is an unusual post for this forum. But my goal in writing this is to share the experience and hopefully inspiring some of us to branch out and attend such a show. They are all around us. If you are somewhere on the East Coast between NY and Virginia, this show in particular, is a great trip.

The 2010 St Michaels Concours d'Elegance was a great show. IMHO, it's the finest concours on the east coast. There are only 50 prewar cars on the field, situated right on the water. So you have Pebble Beach quality cars with out the crowds or the cost. If you live anywhere in between NY and Virginia, this is a worthwhile trip. The area is beautiful, the weather can be fantastic.

http://stmichaelsconcours2010.org/?g...FVVx5QodbFiB2Q

Well, since I got to bed Saturday night at 1 am and woke up at 4:30am, I was a bit tired. The wife forced me to attend a very fun wedding on Saturday. I would have preferred spending the whole weekend but that was not to be.

I got to St Michaels around 6:30 and the field started to load starting at 7. It was a bit drizzly but not raining. This didn't scare any of the cars from the field. There were some tarps out. This was my first invitation to judge at St Michaels and I was very excited to be a part of the show. The judges meeting was held at the Inn at Perry Cabin at 8 am. That is one first class place. Very nice food and very expensive rooms. http://www.perrycabin.com/web/omic/i...FZpN5Qod7WH-0g

We had some great judges on the field. Look up some of these names, Ken Gross, Dr Paul Sable and Dave kinney to name a few. Some Pebble Beach veterans as well as Amelia Island and every other major concours in the US. I hope to get to judge at both those events some day.

I had the American Open Class 1924 to 1932. Our cars included

1931 Cadillac, 8, 355A, Conv. Coupe, Fleetwood Charles B. Gillet, Baltimore, Maryland (this was our class winner)
For 1931, the Cadillac was longer and lower than the 1930 model. Both Fisher and Fleetwood bodies were offered, with Fleetwood being the premium offering. In 1931 Cadillac purchased the Fleetwood coachbuilder in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania and relocated the company to Detroit. Production of all Fleetwood bodied Cadillacs reached 5,733 vehicles in 1931. This Convertible Coupe sat on a 134” wheelbase and produced 135 h.p. from its V8 engine.

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1932 Cadillac, 8, 355 B, Conv. Coupe, Fisher Millard Young, Piedmont, Alabama
This black beauty underwent a complete restoration recently by Al Prueitt & Sons. There were only 2,693 total 355 B models produced in 1932, and very few convertible coupes. The eight cylinder models produced 115 h.p. 1932 was the lowest production year of the Depression Era. This automobile has received a Senior First Place CCCA award, and has been shown at Amelia Island, Florida and the Meadowbrook Concours in Michigan.



1924 Dodge, touring David M. Berkey, Crownsville, Maryland Only two owners from new; has had a complete restoration. In talking to the owner, he found the car in the NYTimes classifieds. It was parked 35 years previous with only 9000 miles. He bought the car from the previous owner's son, restored it then had the son come back to get a tearful remembranced filled ride in the Dodge.




1929 Duesenberg J-147, Convertible, Murphy Robert Perry, Birmingham, Alabama
The “J” Series was produced from 1929 through 1937. The total production of J Series was 481. The original owner was H. Leslie Atlas of CBS. Murphy only built 60 of the body styles during J production. This car was restored in 2009 by Al Prueitt & Sons. It was shown at the Amelia Island Concours.





This Duesenberg had an amazing history. Beginning life with LeBaron Sweep Panel Phaeton coachwork, this particular short wheelbase example (chassis no. 2168, engine no. J-147) was purchased new on July 9th 1929 by H. Leslie Atlass. A battery maker turnedradio pioneer whose WBBM-AM station had become affiliated to CBS in 1928, he and his brother Ralph received a $265,000 windfall the following year when the broadcasting giant purchased a 67\% stake in their company. Retained as WBBM general manager but relocated to premises within the magnificent Wrigley Building, H. Leslie Atlass celebrated his new found status in Chicago society by acquiring the Model J - a position he would consolidate in 1933 when he was named Vice-President of CBS’s Central Section. Perhaps inevitably Atlass came to the attention of fellow Duesenberg owner, Philip Knight Wrigley (son of William Wrigley Junior founder of both the family’s chewing gum empire and the Wrigley Building). Born in 1894, the two were further united by a love of jazz. WBBM was the first station in the USA to adopt a jazz format and had featured Jimmie Wade’s Moulin Rouge Orchestra as part of its opening-day broadcast (it went onto play more African-American jazz during the 1920s than any other Chicago station). Possibly enamoured of the more commodious four- / five-seater accommodation offered by his friend’s LeBaron Sweep Panel Phaeton bodywork, PK Wrigley convinced Atlass to swap it for the Murphy Convertible Coupe coachwork (body no. 821) that his own Duesenbergwore (chassis no. 2177, engine no. J-121). Believed to have taken place in 1930, this must have been one of the earliest Model J body switches ever performed (though, quite why the two men did not just swap ignition keys remains a mystery).

1929 Ford, Model A, Pick-up, Roadster Gale Petronis, Royal Oak, Maryland
In the year of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Ford Motor Company manufactured 1,715,100 cars and trucks; this is no wonder, given that the price of this Ford new was $445, $30 less than the hardtop model. This wonderful example has been fully restored and is always a crowd pleaser.



1929 Cadillac, Model 341, Sport Phaeton, Fisher Byron L. Alsop, Oak Hill, Virginia This Cadillac was delivered new to the original owner in March 1929. It has won numerous awards including First Place at Ault Park and the CCCA 2010 Grand Nationals in Kansas City. The current owner had just purchased the car at the Atlantic City Auctions last year.

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Pretty cool cars with some interesting provenance. The rain held off and the sun sort of came out. As you'll see through out my posts, we had some wonderful cars on the field. The rain held off till the show was over.

I'll continue the story later.

regards

ken

[benebob]

Did anybody drive their car there?

[karmaken]

Originally Posted by benebob

Did anybody drive their car there?

An interesting if not pointed question. As the owner of the 24 Dodge related, he was driving his car to a show within an hour of his home. He found it so nerve wracking to be in with modern traffic. At one point a cop stopped him for going so slow. He then felt safer trailering his car to shows. Some of the others have had 100,000 plus restoration jobs done on them and the risk of damage is too great as well as the monetary risk of some yahoo leaning out of his car with his cell phone to take a picture drifting over towards the car.

So yes, many of the cars were trailered to the event. Personally, I wouldn't want to take many of these cars down 495. Several folks came from Alabama as well as Ohio to share their cars with us. In my view, I thank these guys for taking the time and effort to share their cars with us. Its a very expensive hobby but also one that the wealthier are getting back into as far as investing. They aren't making any more Type 57 Bugattis so their value should continue to increase at a rate that meets if not exceeds stocks. So you have to be very careful with your investments. Risking them on the open road is a very tricky option.

But to further answer your question, a number of the cars did participate in the 50 jaunt thru st Michaels the day before. The Norths did drive their 3 wooden skiff cars to the show. The Petronis's did as well. It did help that they lived within 20 miles of the grounds.

regards

ken

[oab_au]

Great pictures of great cars Ken, thanks.
I had a 46 model Ford Lincoln V12 Sedan. Power windows.

Harvey.

[K_Dub]

Can somebody make us some H6 pedals?

These pics are great. I love the detail shot on the '29 Duesenberg. It's gotta have a salvage title after that little swap in 1930. I wonder if that shows up on it's carfax. That is some cool, unique provenance.

[karmaken]

Originally Posted by K_Dub

Can somebody make us some H6 pedals?

These pics are great. I love the detail shot on the '29 Duesenberg. It's gotta have a salvage title after that little swap in 1930. I wonder if that shows up on it's carfax. That is some cool, unique provenance.

That deal had to have happened at a bar or involving alcohol. What a bunch of nuts! We debated at length about provenance and came to the conclusion that a documented in period swop added to the story and maintained its stature as a very well storied Duesenberg. It ended up taking one of the specialized awards home.

The owner specifically pointed out the gas cap as a poignent reminder of just how beautiful yet well engineered these cars were. The car even had a lever right under the driver that opened up a set of cut outs for when he wanted more power.

regards

ken