Horch Gets Nod as Best of the Best at Glenmoor Gathering

A 1938 Horch 853 Special Roadster by Erdmann & Rossi owned by Judge Joseph Cassini of West Orange, N.J., received top honors at the 14th annual Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles. The invitation-only concours was held Sept. 12-14 at the historic Glenmoor Country Club near Canton, Ohio.

The Horch 853 rivaled the Mercedes-Benz 540K. Only eight of the 853 Special Roadsters were built; four are known to survive. Each featured slightly different coachwork.

Judge Cassini’s Horch was one of 200 cars on display at this year’s event. The 2008 features were “A Unique Look at General Motors’ 100 Years” and “Classic Porsches.” The show also featured a display of Ford Model T’s in recognition of the car’s centennial. Concours visitors saw a demonstration on how to drive a Model T, and also got to watch the Canadian Model T Assembly Team assemble a running Model T chassis in 10 minutes.

Grand Marshal was Wayne T. Cherry, former vice president of design at General Motors. A true car guy, Cherry visited with car exhibitors and attendees throughout the weekend.

Taking Best of Show at the Glenmoor Gathering was this rakish 1938 Horch 853 Special Roadster by Erdman & Rossi. The roadster is part of the Judge Joseph Cassini collection. (Walt Herip photo)

The show has grown into a weekend event, capped off by the concours on Sunday. But, as the event’s executive director, David Schultz, pointed out, there’s more than the concours to enjoy, citing cooking demonstrations, junior judging, unique automotive displays and, his favorite, “a genuine automotive forensics expert” who’s stationed in the “Glenmoor Garage.”

“Despite rain on Friday and Saturday, attendance was the largest ever and the show field was simply outstanding,” said Schultz. “We know car exhibitors have many shows from which to choose, so we work hard at making this a ‘car owner-friendly’ event.”

The show field was relocated due to heavy rains on Friday and Saturday.

The CCCA Classic classes were loaded with spectacular cars, giving the judges a real challenge. First in the CCCA Classic 1925-30 class were Jim and Patty Fitzgerald of Grosse Pointe, Mich., with their 1929 Cadillac dual-cowl phaeton. Leading the way in the 1931 CCCA Classic class was a 1931 Marmon Sixteen convertible sedan owned by Greg Dawson of Indianapolis.

Tops in the CCCA 1932-’37 class was a 1933 Packard Twelve convertible coupe owned by Marty and Pat Weber of Williamsburg, Va. Receiving top honors in the 1938-48 Classic class was a 1940 Packard 180 convertible victoria owned by Gene Tareshawty of Austintown, Ohio.

The Great Foreign Classics was an especially strong group. Taking top honors there was a 1928 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo-8 ASS LeBaron convertible coupe owned by Peter Boyle of Oil City, Pa.

In Legendary Foreign Sports Cars-Early, the top prize went to a 1924 Bentley owned by Lee Wolff of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. A 1950 Aston Martin DB2 owned by Frank Rubino of Pinecrest, Fla., took top honors in the Legendary Foreign Sports Car Late class.

Ed Blumenthal’s 1957 Dual Ghia D-500 convertible received first place honors in the American Sports Car: 1945-1970 class.

The Best Use of Color award, chosen by 2008 poster artist Tony Sikorski, went to a 1931 Cadillac V-16 Fleetwood convertible coupe owned by Charles Eggert of Morristown, N.J.

In the 1919 and Earlier class, the top award went to Jack Dunning with his 1910 Premiere touring car.

Greg Drufke took top honors in the 1919-1939 domestic class with a rare 1937 Hupmobile 618G coupe.

Judge Cassini’s Horch was also the recipient of the Dave Holls Award for Best Design, presented by Auto Metrics of Detroit, Mich. Grand Marshal Wayne T. Cherry presented the Grand Marshal’s award to Ed and Judy Schoenthaler for their 1929 Cord L-29 speedster customized by designer Brooks Stevens.

The 2009 Glenmoor Gathering will be held Sept. 18-20. It will feature “The Automobiles of Edsel Ford” with a look at the cars designed during his stewardship at Ford Motor Co., as well as some cars personally owned Edsel by Ford. There will also be a special display of 1933 Ford hot rods, curated by hot rod and custom car authority and automotive journalist Ken Gross.

For a complete list of all 2008 winners, including class award winners, plus information on participating in next year’s event, call 330-966-3600 or visit the Glenmoor Gathering Web site at www.glenmoorgathering.com.