Story and photos by Philippe Defechereux
This was no ordinary Greenwich Concours. In fact, it was a historic event. Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom had established the Concours in their ideal Connecticut town since June 1996. June 2020 should have marked its 25th anniversary Concours, now managed by two of their children, but had to be cancelled due to the Pandemic. During that interval, the Hagerty Group, specialized in providing insurance for vintage cars owners, bought the Concours outright from the Wennerstrom family and the event was scheduled for late October, 2021. Luckily the autumn weather was reasonably clement throughout.
The new Concours was staged as usual at the Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, easily accessible by road (I-95) or train (Metro North from Manhattan). Traditionally, every square inch of grass was used to display automobiles over two days. Hagerty chose to devote less area to cars and more to auction and seminar tents, but over four days instead of just two. A sizable space was also devoted to car-directed activities for children, while other new events got the Greenwich citizenry more engaged with ride and drives, a Friday Grand Tour, Concours d’Lemons and the likes.
Meanwhile, the splendid Greenwich Harbor bay adjoining the park glistened sweepingly under the low autumnal sun. Yes, the Greenwich Concours, though new-fashioned, proved still highly attractive.
Since our reporting here is to be focused on Italian and French cars, we’ll start with the splendid batch of Lancias smartly arrayed by the bayside. Of great help for journalists, Hagerty had nailed a large nameplate into the turf in front of each car, all of which included the newfangled “QR Square,” a compact digital badge holding all the information relevant to the car it identified, as well as its ownership history. Once back in your home office, all you had to do was to bring up the plate’s photo on a reasonably big screen, photograph it with your cell phone, and zip! All the relevant info appeared on your phone screen! Another nail in the notebook’s coffin…
The oldest Lancia in the display was in fact a glamorous and singular jewel. This 1946 Lancia Aprilia barchetta began life in 1942 as a four-door steel-bodied sedan. That standard issue family car’s destiny changed dramatically in 1946 when Luigi Beretta, an innovative Lancia dealer situated north of Milan, decided that, with the war over, he wished to go racing again right away. Accordingly, he took his old Aprilia to the Riva shop in a nearby town, and gave them his wish: turn it into an attractive winning racer. In short order, Riva removed the original body, then replaced it with a spectacularly modern-looking and hand-crafted, one-piece aluminum barchetta body. It fit perfectly on the original chassis.
For increased power, Beretta turned to renowned tuner Luigi Pagani of Milan. The famed engine booster installed a new cylinder head of his own design on the series 1,486 cc OHC V-4, then topped it with twin Weber DR 36 carburetors. That boosted the power from 45 to 85 HP. A perfectly happy Luigi Beretta then successfully ran the car in various hillclimb races for several years. In the 1970s, the car was reacquired by Beretta’s two sons, then fully restored in the 1980s. The current owner of this splendid and one of a kind automobile, Charles Schoendorf, from Rowayton, CT, acquired the car in 2006. He has since had a lot of fun with it across the USA, while also winning many prizes and awards.
Next in our timeline is the 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S open-top in dark navy blue sporting fetchingly contrasting red leather upholstery. Belonging to the fourth series of the Aurelia, greatly improved by Vittorio Jano and bodied by Pinin Farina, it was introduced in 1954. Its power comes from Lancia’s revolutionary 2,451 cc OHV V-6 engine, delivering 118 HP. This specific model was launched as the Spider America in 1954. It featured a panoramic windshield which made a weatherproof rooftop impractical. As a result, only 250 specimens were produced.
The splendid example in our photos is left-hand drive, one of only 181 originals built that way. It arrived in the U.S. early after production, finally getting a beautifying restoration in 1992 by Lancia specialist Franco di Piero. It received a drivetrain overhaul simultaneously. Of note to keen observers are the Borrani center-lock wire wheels, the Nardi steering wheel, and the radial tires. Why the latter? The Aurelia was the first series car to come equipped with improved tires as standard equipment.
Next on our list is the second of the three Aurelias on display in Greenwich. This one is a light blue (“Celeste”) 1956 Lancia B20S Coupe, also bodied by Pinin Farina and powered by the same engine as the 1955 Spider America. Like all post-1954 Aurelias, and quoting the Hagerty QR Square description, it fitted “the famed ‘de Dion’ rear suspension system; an innovative combination of transaxle, gearbox, clutch, differential and in-board-mounted drum brakes.” The highly innovative spirit of company founder Vincenzo Lancia was thus carried on.
As you can see from our photos, all the visible elements vital to the car’s performance were perfectly laid out, making intelligent use of all available space, while keeping the interior spacious for the time. All of this together made the ride both sporty and highly comfortable. Seven-year owner Chris Robins must be a proud and happy fellow.
Next in line is the third Aurelia, the gorgeous 1958 Lancia B24S convertible. Its subtle paint color appears very light beige but is officially called “Grigio Chiaro.” This most elegant automobile was a smart and practical evolution of the Spider America: a more conventional windscreen was fitted, allowing roll-down windows to be added within slightly larger and deeper doors.
This, in turn, allowed a practical soft top to be added, making all-weather driving comfortable. Of note, the chrome front bumper was now one piece, replacing the split type of the Spider America.
In all, only 521 B24 convertibles were built, making the remaining siblings quite valuable. Establishing a post-war Lancia tradition, the car was named after a Roman road: the Via Aurelia, leading from Rome to Pisa.
Debonair owner Lee Hower of Rhode Island, who bought the car in 2014, told us he never regrets his acquisition and always delights in driving that very special automobile. As an investor in tech companies, he finds zero need to add digital improvements anywhere in his B24 Aurelia. He was quite pleased, however, by the low-tech addition the Concours judges placed on his Lancia’s hood: a Blue Ribbon, awarding his car “Best in Class” for post-war Lancias at the Concours, thus adding to its considerable pedigree.
Now we jump to the 1970s. The Fulvia was named after a Roman road leading to Turin from Rome. This bright red 1971 Fulvia Coupe is actually a 1600 HF Special Edition. The more compact model was first introduced in 1965 with styling by Lancia designer Piero Castagnero.
Like the Berlina that preceded it beginning in 1963, the Fulvia Coupe was a front-wheel drive car featuring a narrow-V, 4-cylinder engine placed in front of its forward transaxle. The 1600 HF version, introduced in 1970, had a thoroughly reworked motor displacing 1,584 cc. It produced 113 HP at 6,000 rpm, enough to give this fairly light car great acceleration.
We now move forward one more decade: the mid-1980s. Lancia continued to produce engineering wonders. Here, we are looking at a 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Corsa; one of only 28 made. It was built specifically for the “no holds barred” Group B rally cars in 1985 and 1986. An evolution of the preceding 037 rally model, the S4 capitalized more fully on the Group’s generous regulations. The powerful 1,759 cc 16v 14 inline-four Lancia engine was placed centrally, just behind the two front seats. Boosted by both turbocharging and supercharging, and featuring a intercooler as well, this tightly packed powerhouse produced a minimum of 483 HP, though the model shown here claims 550 HP! Delivered to all four wheels, this enormous horsepower could do wonders when pushing and guiding the S4’s 1,962-pound tubular space frame assembly through the often tortuous meanders of rough-terrain rally roads.
To prove the point, this very car won the 1985 RAC Rally, its debut race, piloted by Henry Toivonen and navigated by Neil Wilson. The Martini livery makes it look super-aggressive, as should be. The following year, siblings would finish second in the 1986 World Rally Championship (Marku Alén) while winning three World Championship events outright: Monte Carlo, Argentina and Greece. An Italian team also won that year’s European Rally Championship, led by driver Fabrizio Tabaton. Group B was abolished at the end of 1986.
Time to move into the early 1990s. This 1992 Lancia Delta Integrale HF Evoluzione hatchback exemplifies the third and final generation of the Delta series, whose first concept debuted in late 1979. This newest rally model was introduced in September 1991. It combined substantial revisions to its predecessor, the Delta HF Integrale 16v – winner of the 1991 World Rally Championship, the fifth in a row for Lancia! Hence the word “Evolutione” for this newest and final Delta version. The moniker “Martini 5” was also used for the new model. Indeed, Lancia had announced its retirement from rallying at the end of 1991, after winning 5 World Championships in a row since 1987. Therefore, only 400 of this new Martini model were built. The car on display, owned by David Zorub, is #51.
The engine of the “Evolutione” was the same 16v 2.0 liter turbocharged inline-4, but with power output increased to 207HP. The car’s suspension was both modified and strengthened, while the front and rear track were widened by over 2 inches, requiring enlarged wheel arches. A rear spoiler was also fitted, among a myriad of other small changes. With such obvious potential, independent Martini-sponsored drivers jumped at the opportunity for the new season. The Jolly Club was the favorite, receiving factory support along with another privateer team. And sure enough, Lancia won its 6th World Rally Championship by the end of 1992 with its new Delta Integrale “Evolutione.” In fact, they grabbed the top three spots. Vincenze Lancia was smiling, somewhere.
It is now time to turn to the lone non-Lancia Italian car present on the last day of the Greenwich Concours. That would be the 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C-2500 in its appealing bottle green livery. The 6C version was introduced in 1938 with this exquisite Berlina’s body originally built by Touring in Milan. This specimen was imported by a buyer from Chicago, IL in 1962.
The car was purchased by two American investors and Alfa specialists in 1990, with the intention of carrying an extensive and thorough restoration in Seattle. Begun in 1994, the job was so exhaustive, it was only completed in mid-1998, just in time for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance. The massive amount of top-level craftsmanship paid off: the splendidly rejuvenated Alfa 6C-2500 won the “Most Elegant Closed Car Award” at Pebble Beach. It is now exhibited at the Audrain Automobile Museum.
This review of the New Greenwich Concours must now turn to presenting the “Best in Show” trophy winning automobile. It was not an Italian car, but it was a deserving one: a 1927 Mercedes-Benz Model K displayed by Michael and Joannie Rich. It was the first powerful car produced by the new Daimler-Benz conglomerate founded just one year earlier. Now in 1927, the evolved Model K carried the new joint brand name “Mercedes-Benz,” along with its Tristar badge. This was an epochal event for the German car industry. The Model K was the mightiest Daimler-Mercedes produced in 1926. It was powered by a 6,240 cc six-cylinder engine equipped with an on/off Roots supercharger It produced 110 HP at 2,800 rpm, but then could go as high as 160 HP when the driver engaged the supercharger! The 1927 model displayed in Greenwich, which could be called a Cabriolet, had a larger supercharger, allowing speeds of over 90 mph! As another Model K marker, three python-like silver round pipes emerging from the right side of the hood, slightly angled backwards, are evident before joining into a single larger pipe under the floorboard. It is, indeed a remarkable automobile, pointing at the future successes of the “Silver Arrows” to this day. Hagerty photo.
McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty, concluded: “The car world has a belief system. And the belief system is that certain cars are just super important, deserving of celebration and recognition. The Mercedes-Benz Model K selected as best in show represents that greatness – one that the judges recognized following significant deliberation. A very special thanks to all entrants, their teams and the winners.”
We agree with that. And we find the New Greenwich Concours promising, albeit with smart adaptations.
Philippe Defechereux © 2021
Splendid report, thank you.
Coming from you, much appreciated.
“McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty, concluded: “The car world has a belief system. And the belief system is that certain cars are just super important, deserving of celebration and recognition. The Mercedes-Benz Model K selected as best in show represents that greatness”
Really? The best thing about this article is the fact that the photo of the K is so secondary: coming after, less important than, or resulting from someone or something else that is primary.
This K’s coachwork is a disproportionate example of the series (chassis). The color selection is truly unpleasant. And much like the current BMWs and Mercs, what is beneath may be superb, what the eye is presented with is stomach churning.
M.H. & C’s inability to attract any pre-war Lancia speaks volumes about their present and future management of the Concours catalogue they wish to profit from.
That 6C 2500 has finer coachwork, and a far more sophisticated chassis and engine beneath than Dr. Porsche ever gave that K.
Forgive me, but I’ve written about both.
Very informative, thank you! I did not spend anywhere near as much time as I should have at the Greenwich Concours (my first ever experience of it), but this filled in a lot of details. Thanks again.
Dear SSC:
Your comments are well taken. As a journalist reporting on this event, I had to remain neutral on the new ownership. I was very pleased, however, by being able to have a splendid array of Lancias and one beautiful Alfa Romeo to constitute the beating heart of this article. Note that I had to correct the information provided by the QR square on the “Best in Show” K car, as it was incorrect in many ways. So were several details on most Lancias.
Dear Steve:
Glad my article expanded your experience. I much enjoyed writing about the Lancias and the Alfa Romeo and covering this first post-Wennerstrom Concours. Make sure you go back next year, which should be in early June.