Lots to see at the car show

[supersuds]

This past Sunday I went to a car show -- officially the Louisville Concours d'Elegance -- held at the famous Churchill Downs racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby.

The featured brand was Aston Martin. They had several cars that were used in James Bond films, but the star was undoubtedly this one:

 

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It's the DB5 used by Sean Connery in Goldfinger. Or one of them. The current owner is from Cincinnati and paid $4,000,000+ for it. Really.

You can see the bumper extensions, the machine guns behind the side lights (or parking lights in US parlance) and the "Ben-Hur" wheel hubs in this pic.

 

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To me the most jaw-dropping car was this Delage, the star of the 1933 Paris Auto Show and the winner of last year's Pebble Beach Concours, probably the most prestigious classic car show in the US.

 

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Didn't get a good head-on shot, but here it is being driven. Can't you imagine Cruella de Vil pulling up in that?

 

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Another 1933 car, being driven almost silently, was this Rolls-Royce Phantom II town car (meaning the chauffeur is in the open and the owner is under a roof). It is a "Springfield" Rolls, American-made in their factory in Springfield, Mass., which operated from the early 1920s until about 1934 or 35. It was common for windshields to open for ventilation back then.

 

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A timeless, elegant machine.

 

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Here's a US based competitor, a 1932 Packard Twin Six (i.e., V-12). The first car I ever rode in was a 1952 Packard, when I was driven home from the hospital after being born! Note the large horns under the headlights and the little door ahead of the back wheel -- a compartment for golf clubs.

 

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For more coachbuilt British luxury, this 1937 Railton is hard to beat.

 

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It uses running gear from an American Hudson Eight, but what a difference in everything else! Note the pull-out map drawer.

 

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The rear compartment has vanity cases -- there's a hairbrush, atomizer, a bottle of aspirin, and face powder, I think --- and you can see the box marked "Chocolate." The boxes on the left are marked "Cigarettes" and "Cigars," and there is a Thermos for cocktails.

 

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A really astonishing survivor was this 1911 Inter-State racer, which competed in the Indianapolis 500 that year. Inter-State was located in Indy and in business for a dozen years or so. Nobody knows how the car survived...the current owner found it in a barn in California. It has a T-head 4-cylinder engine, cast in pairs, with exposed pushrods, and idled with a lope at about 500 rpm, I would guess. Loudly!

Imagine racing for 500 miles in those bucket seats with no doors, no windshield, and no seatbelt!

 

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1937 De Soto taxi, used in Who Framed Roger Rabbit:

 

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1957 De Soto Firesweep:

 

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Another angle. I am not sure if the swivel seats are original to this car...didn't they come out in '59?

 

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I didn't use to like fins, but they're growing on me as I get older. 1956 Chrysler New Yorker:

 

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Dashboard of a 1954 Oldsmobile, with plenty of gleaming chromium plate.

 

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A postwar Olds woody. '46 or '47?

 

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And the oldest car of all, at least in theory. A replica of the 1886 Benz that started it all.

 

[bugsyjones]

That '57 DeSoto is a DREAM!!!!!!!!!

~Tim J.

 

[ptcruiser51]

Beautiful pix!

I would donate a kidney for that faboo DeSoto!  My OM always wanted to buy them.

 

Those Rolls-Royce examples are so cushy, can you even imagine owning one?

 

I live across the highway from a Rolls-Royce dealer, so I see these beautiful things all the time.  Grande cars, they are.  Aside to aw.o friends:  I often get accosted by customers at The Home Depot where I sell washers.  "Are these things going to last?"  My answer is (as above):  "I live across the highway from the Rolls-Royce dealer.  Their service dept. is always busy;  they can't just be doing oil changes..."

 

Always thought Packard was USA's answer to the RR.  They were so elegant.

 

[arbilab]

Of all the lost American brands since 1960, I thought De Soto was most grievous. Always dramatic stying. Sponsored the Groucho Marx show.

Followed by Pontiac, except when the brand was finally unplugged it had little to offer.

Hated to lose Studebaker Hawk too. Those were standout-handsome. Few American cars have been so since. Buick Riviera maybe. Chrysler's turbo. Pre-bullet Thunderbirds.

Deep subject really.

 

[twintubdexter]

Aside from the great cars, what a beautiful day to take photos at a very famous place. There are always smaller classic car shows popping up here in the Desert Cities during "the season."

I've included a link to a car club I belong to...G.A.Y...Great Autos of Yesteryear, a cool group centered in Southern California with members almost everywhere...great people, fabulous cars and lots of fun events.

http://www.greatautos.org

 

[spookiness]

Love DeSoto!

57 and 58 are my favorites.
I have always thought that the 57/58 DeSotos and Chryslers were the most tasteful implementation of tailfins. Virgil Exner was awesome.

 

[circlew]

Went to a classic car show yesterday, held at - of all places - a funeral home. Saw lots of 50's - early 70's cars. Many were like I remember relatives, friends and neighbors having. They also had several vintage hearses on display. Would have liked to spent more time looking, but was with a friend walking in the adjoining Spring Grove Cemetary.

 

[volvoguy87]

You were @ Spring Grove?

I was there too. I came with a friend who brought his 1962 Loncoln Continental convertable (my ride of choice) and his 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe. That is an annual show and is always fun.

Dave

 

[norgeway]

You know what they say!!

Drive a DeSoto before YOU decide!!!

 

[circlew]

Hey Dave,

I didn't know about the car show until I got to Spring Grove, which was after 4 PM. We only spent about a half hour at the car show, and didn't get to see all the vehicles. My friend just had major back surgery a few weeks ago, so standing for long bothered him. He also has ADHD, so didn't want to spend much time looking.

Too bad we didn't come across each other there.

 

[whirlaway]

56 Chrysler New Yorker

I was really surprised to see my friends 2dr N.Y. there the car lives about 2miles from me.He owns a repair shop called Motorworx in Hampton,Va.Where I am.He took every nut and bolt off that car dash out,totally restored it. We had a hunter green and white one just like it when I was a kid,that car was so smooth was as fast as a rocket.They have a 354 Hemi engine with a 4 barrel. I have a nice 56 Desoto fireflite,blue and white 4dr.He is also working on a 56 Desoto 2dr hardtop now.Great pictures.Thanks for showing them,Best Regards Bobby

 

[supersuds]

You're welcome, Bobby. I wanted to take a pic of the New Yorker from the front, since it has such a beautiful grille, but my memory card was about full. Such a striking car, big yet elegant, the pic doesn't do it justice.

The '56 De Soto is a handsome machine, too. Lucky you! These was a '55 at the show in addition to the '57 I posted the pics of.