The big news last weekend was the fancy-schmancy Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este near Lake Como in Italy. But back home here in the States we had our own extravagant car event called the Audrain Newport Concours and Motor Week in Newport, Rhode Island. Multimillion dollar cars came out representing five of the seven continents and a 1953 Abarth 1100 SS Ghia Coupe was named best in show.
The Abarth 1100 was presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1953, sporting a 1.1-liter straight-four engine from Fiat, which made a grand total of 65 horsepower. It features dove gray paint with a blue leather interior. The Abarth was joined by a 1968 Lamborghini Espada, which landed the Concours' Most Elegant award.
A 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Spider Vignale owned by Jeff and Frances Fisher took home the Sporting Choice award. The 30 Under 30 class had two winners. We talked about that class before, the brainchild of Jay Leno, in which entrants have to be under 30 years old and spend less than $30,000. It was won by Matthew Goist's 1922 Franklin Series 10-A, while Joseph Cesavo's 1987 Porsche 944 locked down first in class in the inaugural 30 Under 30 944 class.
The Audrain Concours, held at The Breaker's mansion, featured 59 judges from five countries and 180 vehicles. That mansion is the most famous of the "Newport Cottages" and was once the home of the Vanderbilt family. That included Willie Vanderbilt, one of the first and greatest car enthusiasts of the 20th century.
"I am proud to say we exceeded even our own expectations for this year's event and are thrilled with the outcome", said Audrain CEO Donald Osborne. "It is all about bringing car people together to share their stories and create new memories that will last a lifetime. We are delighted that we could share the island we love with everyone and continue to establish our place in the global concours world."
A few other special awards were given including the Chairman's Choice prize to Pete and Merle Mullin for their 1951 Delahaye Model 235 Cabriolet. The Founder's Choice trophy was presented to Jim and Nancy Utaski for their 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible. The People's Choice award went to Phil Castaldo for his rare 1963 Chevy Corvette Z06. Next year's event will be held on Sunday, October 2nd as a part of the 2022 Concours & Motor Week beginning on September 28th. Check out the rest of the class winners below.
Born on the Track Class B-1: 1959 Porsche RSK Spyder owned by Steve Adler
Born on the Track Class B-2: 1984 Lancia 037 owned by The S&T Collection
Corvette: 1963 Corvette Z06 - owned by Phil Cataldo
Pioneer Race Cars: 1901 Winton Race Car 40 HP - owned by the Larz Anderson Museum
Jaguar E-Type: 1969 XKE S2 - owned by Dennis Mamchur
G-1 Sport: 1932 Auburn Model 8-100 A Speedster - owned by Heritage Museum & Gardens
G-2 Sport: 1956 Porsche Speedster - owned by Stephen Serio
G-3 Sport: 1961 Pontiac Ventura - owned by Jeffrey Goldstein
H-1 History: 1938 Jaguar SS 100 - owned by Wayne Carini
H-2 History: 1965 Iso Rivolta GT - owned John Galley
Veteran: 1910 Winton Model 17 Seven-Passenger Touring - owned by Myron Schuster Collection
L-1 Luxury: 1928 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Lebaron Convertible - owned by Peter Boyle
L-2 Luxury: 1942 Cadillac Model 6207 Sedanette - owned by Steve Cooley
L-3 Luxury: 1961 Ghia L 6.4 Coupe - owned by Mark Hyman
M-1 Luxury Meets Sport: 1937 Delahaye 135M Competition - owned by Myron Schuster Collection
M-2 Luxury Meets Sport: 1953 Abarth Ghia 1100 SS Coupe - owned by Bradley Calkins (Best of Show Winner)