August 2012 | Issue #8
So You Want to Look
Like a Million Bucks?
Winning at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance isn't just about having the highest-quality car. If that were the case, a 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo we once saw would be invited to this most prestigious show. Final selection at Concours comes down to the judges' discretion, and the "d'Elegance" part is important. The best among equals will not necessarily win, but one that will look best driving up to accept best-in-show will.
So if it all ultimately comes down to the judges, then you too can make your own judgment call. Check out this year’s winners to see if you agree with the judge’s top picks.
No Duesenberg Phaeton in your portfolio? We'll help you find the next best thing. We've taken some winners from the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours, and offered some affordable alternatives. If someone ever asks you why you like one of these cars, just tell them it's a "Concours-like" car.
Class C-1, American Classic Open
1938 Packard 1601 Eight Graber Cabriolet
Distinguishing characteristics:
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Long hood
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Tall grille
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Convertible
A long nose and prominent grille on an American convertible? You want the 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible. Unlike Packard and its multi-generational predilection for phaetons, Pontiac only made the GP convertible for a single year. While at $30,000-$40,000 for a restored car they're not cheap, they're also not the $160,000-$195,000 of an open 16th series Packard. Plus, the Pontiacs have 400 or 428-cu.in V-8s, and we have seen unrestored GP convertibles sell for under $20,000.
Class O-2, Postwar Sports Closed
1949 Porsche 356/2 Coupe
Distinguishing characteristics:
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German
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Rounded
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Tiny engine
There could scarcely be an easier alternative to one of the handful of first Porsches than Germany's own Opel GT. If anything, it looks even sharper and we can't think of a cheaper sports car--good luck finding one over $10,000. Or over $5,000, for that matter. They're that affordable. There's even a great club with tons of support, which we don't think the PCA provides to owners of '49s.
Class L-1, Prewar Preservation
1916 Winton Model 33 Touring
Distinguishing characteristics:
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Unrestored
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Four seater
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Convertible
This one is great: Preservation means unrestored. But look at that Winton. Sure it's rare, and OK it's made it close to a century without being restored, but couldn't someone have waxed it every now and then? Why not an offering from a company as old as Winton, a Ford Thunderbird? We need one that has an open top, seats four and can be found unrestored, which makes the choice obvious: The 1978-'79 T-Roof. Talk about distinctive! And talk about cheap: You're looking at $5,000 for a one-owner original with 50,000 miles on it. Any Concours would be happy to have it--total production was reportedly 450 cars.
Class G, Duesenberg
1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan
Distinguishing characteristics:
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Side pipes
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Wire wheels
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Big engine
So what about that Duesenberg? You're not the first to think there must be a way to get Duesenberg style and not spend a million dollars. There is, of course, a car designed specifically for that purpose, by the great Brooks Stevens, almost 50 years ago: Milwaukee's own Excalibur. Over their 20-year life from the mid-Sixties to mid-Eighties, many varieties sprang from humble original Studebaker Lark origins, but most will have a Corvette 327. A nice example will only set you back $20,000. And yes, you do have to style your hair like that.
Class C-2, American Classic Closed
1929 DuPont Motors Model G Merrimac Club Sedan
Distinguishing characteristics:
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DuPont's still own many of the DuPonts
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Kind of just a big gray box
What, your ancestors didn't start a car company, and pass down about half of the surviving cars to their descendants? Then your name is obviously not Lammot J. du Pont (if Lammot J. du Pont is reading this, please ignore the previous sentence.) If you want a big, cheap, cool-looking box, then you want the 1976-on Street Van something from the Dodge Adult Toys Collection. There were any number of trippy variations on this Tradesman package, all of which, frankly, are more eye-popping than Lammot's rectangle.
Best-of-show
1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne
Distinguishing characteristics:
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Bizarre aerodynamic design
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French
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Two-tone
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Ahead of its time
We can think of two cars that fit the bill and a budget. American car fans will like the Chrysler Airflow, the mid-Thirties American oddball with aerodynamic styling. A perfectly serviceable, good-running 1934 Airflow can be yours for around $20,000. The best part about them as collector cars is that they're highly usable, with limousine-like interior room accessed via suicide doors; safe unit-body construction and easy highway speeds.
If you want to get even closer to the source, the timeless Citroën 2CV (deux chevaux) in many ways resembles a miniature Voisin. They're both French and weird and best of all, your average 2CV is a two-tone around $10,000. An Avions Voisin like Peter Mullin's Pebble Beach winner is probably more like $750,000.
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