There are hundreds of automotive concours d'elegance held globally each year, where the most beautiful and important and storied cars in history are honored and celebrated by an ever-growing public fascinated with the way we once travelled. Across the century of the automobile, several of these beauty contests have risen to the fore internationally.
A "Best of Show" award at such an event is considered by many custodians of the recipient cars to be one of their lifetime achievements. Many of those people are hugely influential on the global stage in other spheres (you can't play at this rarified altitude unless $10 mill is pocket change), yet when it comes to cars ... they're even more serious.
Little more than a decade ago, a group of influential automotive enthusiasts hatched a cunning plan to unify all these geographically-disparate flagship events into a global "series."
It worked!
This week the 10th annual Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award was presented. In some ways, it is the automotive equivalent of Miss World, an unsanctioned award that has captured the world's attention and been embraced into its culture, unifying an industry and redefining the winners.
Individually, the most prestigious concours d'elegance have emerged as stand-alone events in their own right, but grouping them together unleashed a powerful synergy.
Salon Prive (UK), Concorso d'Elegenza Villa d'Este (Italy), Pebble Beach (America), The Quail (America), Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille (France), Goodwood Cartier Style et Luxe (UK), the Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace (UK), the Cavallino Classic (Florida, a lot like the USA) and The Amelia (America), when grouped together, make up a bucket list for many an "old timer" (the quaint German translation for automotive conservation enthusiasts).
These "tier one" events are where you will see the finest specimens of automotive art produced during the century of the automobile - in glorious 3D reality. There is nothing quite like seeing a work of art as intended by the artist.
The lead image for this article is hence more than just a happy snap at a 10th birthday party, as it encapsulates the enormous achievement so far, and the spirit in which it was achieved.
Here's a pic the inaugural winner of the Peninsula Classics "Best of the Best" Award - a lifetime of evolution and growth in a decade - to all those who contributed to the evolution of this award and celebration, bravo!
The car, perhaps the most deserving in automotive history to win a design award, is a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupé aérodynamique ‘Goutte d’Eau’ by Figoni & Falaschi.
“I’m very honored that this sculptural example of rolling art has been selected for this prestigious prize,” said the late Peter Mullin, co-custodian of the car with wife Merle. Merle is continuing the family tradition and the Mullin family has since taken cars into the finals of this very world championship contest (check out the Mullins' art deco Voisin C-27 Aérosport here). Peter was the Founder of the Mullin Automotive Museum and Chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum.
Some of the faces are no longer with us, but the spirit has endured, so 'well done' to all concerned because you have made a lasting difference.
This was the field of nine that competed in the 2024 Peninsula Classic "Best of the best" Award.
Okay – you probably already know the winner – so let's get into it.
The 10th winner of the award was a Ferrari 250 LM, but no-one would have quibbled had any of the nine finalists taken the crown, as they are atom-perfect credible and each have a unique and compelling case to present as highly storied objets d'art.
The above video runs for four minutes and 44 seconds. It offers a perspective on the "best of the best" car that still images cannot convey. When you see a still image, you know the photographer has connived the lighting and framing to make it look good - when you do a continuous sweep from all angles in video, you gain a different perspective in which the flaws become obvious. There are none! It's worth five minutes of your life if you've read this far.
As to the strength of the field, it couldn't be higher.
The path to this pinnacle of achievement is essentially a distillation of the very best cars exhibited each year.
An objet d'art need not necessarily roll to gather moss, but when it does, and unlike other more sedate artistic installations, gets more regularly passed on to other custodians, these storied objects acquire a fascinating life of their own. If only these cars could talk, because almost all of these storied objects have a captivating story to tell. A car cannot get to this stage of this complex process without every facet being authentic and thoroughly enchanting.
The finalists for the award each won a major concours in 2024.
Here's a brief rundown on each of them.
1928 Bugatti Type 35 C Grand Prix
Coachwork by Bugatti
2024 Best of Show, Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille
● 1991cc supercharged straight eight
● Serial No: 4871
● 125 hp at 5,500 rpm
● 4-speed manual gearbox
● Suspension: front hollow live axle, semi-elliptic springs; rear live axle, quarter-elliptic springs
● Drum brakes front and rear
● alloy wheels
Background: The Bugatti Type 35 is sometimes referred to as "the world's most successful racing car" because it was widely available to wealthy customers anywhere in the world, and hence won a lot of national level races in addition to a spectacular record in international Grands Prix and road races.
Just 52 cars were built, but between them they won more than 2,000 major races, an unfeasible number attained because they remained competitive for a long time and they were as reliable as clockwork.
This car raced successfully until 1933. It placed fourth overall in its first race at the Targa Florio in 1928 and was later sold to Jannine Jennky, who raced it extensively and claimed numerous victories, including an overall win in the 1928 Coupe de Bourgogne in Dijon.
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider
Coachwork by Figoni
2024 Best of Show, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
● Serial No. 2211079
● 2300cc supercharged straight eight
● 142 hp at 5,000 rpm
● 4-speed manual gearbox
● Suspensions: live axle front and rear, semi-elliptic springs
● Drum brakes front and rear
Background: This 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider is the only short chassis upon which Giuseppe Figoni built a new body. Figoni was to achieve global recognition as an automotive sculptor when his genius was harnessed by an astute business partner and from 1935 onwards, when Figoni et Falaschi luxury coachbuilders kicked off in Paris, he built some of the most beautiful automobiles ever created. This was early in his career but the masterful lines of this car were so likely to be stolen that it was disassembled and hidden to protect it from the invading forces who were hoovering up any valuables they found during WW2. Thought to have disappeared, the 8C 2300 Spider was rediscovered in 2014, 75 years after it had been buried. It has since been restored to mechanically perfect condition, retaining its original patina and paintwork. You couldn't make this stuff up. A survivor!
1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports
Coachwork by Bugatti
2024 Best of Show, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
● Serial No. 57248
● 3,300cc straight eight
● approx 250hp
● 4-speed gearbox
● Front suspension: leaf spring, hydraulic dampers; rear suspension: rigid axle on leaf springs
● Brakes: drums on all wheels
Background: This factory 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports was raced during 1934 and 1935 with drivers such as René Dreyfus, Robert Benoist, and Jean-Pierre Wimille. The racing Bugatti was then converted into a road car by removing its supercharger, matching it to a four-speed synchro gearbox, and reworking its body. The newly modified car was purchased by King Leopold III of Belgium.
At the beginning of time, cars raced in their national colors, and hence we get British Racing Green, Bleu de France, Germany's "bare metal" Silver Arrows, America's white with blue lengthwise stripes, and Italy's Rosso Corsa. King Leopold naturally repainted this car in Belgium's national racing colors of black with a yellow stripe ... and clearly drove it a lot. With a Grand Prix car modified for the road, and without the need to worry about speeding tickets, he really must have felt like a king!
1937 Bugatti Type 57 S Roadster
Coachwork by Corsica
2024 Best of Show, Goodwood Cartier Style et Luxe Concours of Elegance
● Serial No. 57503
● 3,257cc DOHC straight eight
● 180hp at 5,000 rpm
● 4-speed manual gearbox
● Live axle with leaf springs front and rear
● Brake drums front and rear, cable operated
Background:
The third of three Bugatti's among the nine finalists boasts a 3.3-liter straight-eight DOHC engine mounted in an innovative extra low chassis, a design that subsequently evolved into the Works Grand Prix 57G “Tanks” that dominated the 1936 racing season.
One of only 42 Type 57S chassis ever built, it has received numerous prestigious awards, including Most Elegant Pre-War Sportscar at the Pebble Beach Concours, Best of Show at Salon Privé, Car of the Year by Classic & Sports Car,and Best of Show at Cartier Style et Luxe in 2024.
1937/1946 Delahaye 145 Cabriolet
Coachwork by Franay
2024 Best of Show, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
● Serial No. 151-53-75
● 4,496cc, DOHC 12-cylinder engine
● 245 BHP at 5,500 rpm
● 4-speed Cotal electromagnetic gearbox
● Independent front suspension, live rear axle
● Drum brakes, cable operated
Background: Driven by Rene Dreyfus, this 1937/1946 Delahaye 145 Cabriolet claimed the prize in 1937’s infamous ACF (Automobile Club de France) Prix du Million, a challenge that offered one million francs to the constructor and driver who could best the speed record set at Montlhéry racecourse by Mercedes-Benz. Decorated in Prix du Million livery, the Delahaye went on to win multiple races but was hidden away during World War II.
After the war, Delahaye rebuilt the Prix du Million chassis for a French customer looking for a sports car, and in 1981, automotive designer Philippe Charbonneaux re-bodied it to replicate its original grand prix appearance. The car’s current owner reunited the 1937 race car with its 1946 Franay roadster coachwork. It now sports its original electric blue color and light grey interior, and won Best in Show at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in 2024.
1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Convertible
Coachwork by J.S. Inskip
2024 Best of Show, Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace
● Serial No. 3CP18
● 7,300cc, 12-cylinder OHV engine
● 180 BHP at 3,000 RPM
● 4-speed manual gearbox
● Front suspension: independent with coil springs; rear: live axle and semi-elliptic springs
● Brakes: drums front and rear, servo-assisted
Background: This 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Convertible is one of 18 custom Phantom III bodies built by Brewster and the convertible bohemoth coupé has seating for just two people. Sometimes referred to as a Henley, the vehicle was first delivered in June 1937 to a wealthy philanthropist and has had several owners since, with records showing it won the Smoothness and Silence trophy at a 1953 AACA Devon meet. The car has since been sold a number of times and has received prestigious awards, including Best of Show at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in 2024.
1947 Delahaye 135MS Narval Cabriolet
Coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi
2024 Best of Show, The Amelia
● Serial No. 800495
● 3,557cc straight six
● 125 hp
● Cotal 4-speed pre-selector gearbox
● Independent front suspension; live rear axle with parallel semi-elliptic springs
● Drum brakes all-round
Background: The second Delahaye among the finalists was the focus of the Figoni & Falaschi stand at the 1947 Paris Auto Salon, and was "box office" in every respect, being first owned by famous French singer/songwriter Charles Trenet. Trenet had the original orange brûlé paint refinished to the traditional French "bleu de course." Just a few years ago, the car was purchased by the Mecum family (one of the world's largest auction houses), and it was meticulously restored and returned it to its original color. The car then cut a swathe through the United States, winning the Elegance in Motion Award at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Best of Show at the 2023 St. Michael’s Concours d’Elegance, and Best of Show at The Amelia Concours d’Elegance in 2024.
1957 Ferrari 335 S
Coachwork by Scaglietti
2024 Best of Show, Salon Privé
● Serial No. 0674
● 4,023cc DOHC V12 (with 24 spark plugs)
● 390 hp at 7,400 rpm
● 4-speed gearbox
● Independent front suspension, double wishbone, coil springs; De Dion Axle rear suspension, coil springs
● Drum brakes front and rear
Background: This Ferrari 335 S was in the collection of Pierre Bardinon, which illustrates how important it is. When Enzo Ferrari was once asked why he'd never bothered to set up a museum, his answer was that Pierre had already done it for him. Bardinon's collection was not public, but it was "out of this world" in so many respects.
Bardinon inherited untold wealth, loved racing cars, so he bought the Circuit du Mas du Clos racing circuit near his family estate, and built around it so he could drive his vast collection of priceless racing cars whenever he wanted. This car was in his collection for 47 years and is considered one of the greatest Ferraris ever built.
Initially a 290 MM Spyder Scaglietti, it was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1956 Mille Miglia. After several successful races, including a third-place finish at Nürburgring and second in the Swedish Grand Prix, the car was upgraded to 315 S specifications then 335 S specs, including the pontoon-style nose.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM
Coachwork by Scaglietti on a design by Pininfarina
2024 Best of Show, Cavallino Classic
● Serial No. 6053
● 3,285cc SOHC 12-cylinder
● 320 hp at 7,700 RPM
● 5-speed manual
Background: A Grand Touring version of the mid-engined 250, the stunning 250 LM had a vibrant racing career from 1965 to 1967, including first-place finishes at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Silverstone in 1966. It was recently shown at the 2024 Casa Ferrari and won Best in Show at the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic in January 2024.