Barn find is fashion. Here it is said 'Barn find, do not remove the dust'!
By Hugues Vanhoolandt
For the first time in more than ten years, a major Concours d’Elegance was again organized in France. This took place in the Le Nôtre gardens in the Château in Chantilly, just north of Paris on September 7th. Organized by Peter Auto, already well-known for presenting the Tour de France Auto and Le Mans Classic, the concours offered three different challenges, all judged by an international jury.
First was a Concours d’Etat for classic car collectors with more than 70 cars, then a Concours d’Elegance for concept cars and finally the Grand Prix des Clubs.
The event was planned on just one day but with such an amount of cars in attendance, it was really hard to see everything. So let’s hope the event will be extended to two days for the second edition, which is already planned for the first Sunday in September 2015.
Indeed, almost 10,000 spectators attended this year’s Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille , and the organizers (and the spectators) were lucky with the great weather.
Celebrating 100 years, Maserati had to have at least one class of their own. They had two with the race cars that includes the A6 GCS ‘Monofaro’, the Osca MT4 Biposto Corsa ‘Siluro’ and the A6GCM Formula 2.
The second class was for the Great Bodyworks by Maserati which presented the 1949 A6G Aerodynamica by Zagato.
Also there were two Zagato berlinettas, the 1956 A6G54 s/n 2186, the last A6G 54 built, and in the background, the 1955 A6G 2000 s/n 2121 with the double bubble roof.
The Panini Collection, from Modena, showed two one-offs Maseratis with the 1968 Simun designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro when at Ghia...
And the 1974 Tipo 124 coupé, also from Giugiaro but this time with his own design studio, Ital Design.
Osca and the Maserati brothers not only produced racing cars but also the 1600 GT of which 128 examples were built. This is a rare Touring bodied example as most of the 1600 GT were bodied by Zagato.
Ital Design also designed the Boomerang and showed it first as a mock-up at the 1971 Turin Show and, four months later, as a running vehicle at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Bora, it kept its V8 4.7 litre engine.
Based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider 1300, this berlinetta has a design by Luigi Colani. Due to its aerodynamic shape, it was capable of 130 mph.
The second version of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 was nicknamed Daytona due to its 5th, 6th and 7th places at the 1968 Daytona 24 hrs.
For its last outing at the 1966 Turin Motor Show, Touring revealed the Flying Star II based on a Lamborghini 400 GT chassis. Its design was credited to the prolific but lesser known Federico Formenti.
Jean Bugatti, one of the sons of Ettore, penned the design of this Type 50T, giving it a style never seen before on a Bugatti.
Of the Bugattis Type 57, the S version is the rarest. This car was owned by Earl Howe, founder of the British Racing Drivers Club.
It’s not often that the Schlumpf Collection of Mulhouse takes its Type 41 ‘Royale’ coupé Napoleon out of the Museum. The car was at Chantilly.
The Type 101 marks the swansong of Bugatti and only 7 chassis were built. This example is coachbuilt by Antem.
The Hispano Suiza J12 by Saoutchik seems to be completely in accordance with the environment.
The Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat was born through the collaboration between Peugeot, the car dealer Emile Darl’Mat, the coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout and the designer Georges Paulin. More than 100 Darl’Mats were built, in roadster form like this one but also as cabriolets or coupés.
Shown first at the New York Motor Show in October 1937, the Talbot Lago T150C SS by Figoni & Falaschi, called coupé New York, remains one of the most striking automobile designs ever.
The Voisin cars are always strange looking and this 1928 C15 called ‘Petit Duc’ is of the same vein.
Under this one off body penned by Vignale sits a Matra 530 chassis. This car was shown at the Geneva and Torino Motor Shows in 1968.
There was a special class for British cars with Italian body. You can see here the very similar design used by Bertone for this 1953 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Spider and the 1954 Arnolt Bristol Bolide.
The Best of Show went to the ever-spectacular 1937 Delahaye 135M Phaéton of Peter Mullin. Eleven cars were bodied in a similar form by Figoni & Falaschi, all based on a drawing due to the illustrator Geo Ham.
Apart from the Concours d’Elégance, many car clubs were invited and encouraged to put on the most attractive display on the theme ‘Luncheon on the grass’. This is the Fiat fan club display.
The club Alfa Romeo de France chose to display some Alfa Romeo models seen in the movies over the years.
The Delahaye club displayed this unique 1949 148 L coupé by Antem.
First displayed in Geneva in March, the Maserati Alfieri will surely remain as one of the best concept cars presented in 2014.
Another world premiere was the Aston Martin Shooting Brake by Zagato, following a coupé and a cabriolet presented in 2013.
The First Prize in the Concours d’Elegance for concept cars went to the Touring Alfa Romeo Disco Volante. Its young Belgian designer, Louis de Fabribeckers, is here showing his trophy.
Hate to use the old “Disneyland” comparison, and all this is real anyway, but it was both serene and overwhelming. The hazy setting of the morning, no crowds but people everywhere, a small area of refreshment stands conveniently near one of the car club areas where you could get the best cheeseburger ever–you just gotta go. We had the ’55 TBird in the Automobile Club of France display, and drove in about 8:30a.m. with no trouble. Little signs and helpful people everywhere got us through a mini-rally of roads and paths to our club area. Utterly, quietly, magnificent.