Meadow Brook to highlight Motor City Trendsetters

Spotlight to shine on prominent trailblazing models

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Publish date:: Jun 22, 2010

Show highlights:

Joe Bortz’s 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne makes its post-restoration debut
Collection of rare American Speedsters displays style and performance
Innovative Space-Age Sport Coupes from Motor City’s Big Three grace the show field
Detroit drag cars of the 1960s featured for the second consecutive year

A factory photo of a 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne

TROY, MICH. – The spotlight will shine July 25 on some of Michigan’s prominent trailblazing models during the ultimate vintage car weekend. One of the premier classic and collector car shows in the country, the Concours d’Elegance of America at Meadow Brook, will have something for every car enthusiast with over 230 cars and motorcycles. Featured car classes such as Speedsters, Space-Age Sport Coupes, and Factory Experimental Drag Cars of the 1960s will showcase how Detroit shaped the automotive industry by creating unique cars throughout history.

Also featured will be four Motorama concept cars from the collection of renowned auto archeologist, Joe Bortz. Of particular interest is the 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne, which has only been displayed in its unrestored condition. Bortz, owner of the largest private collection of “dream cars”, rescued the Biscayne from the Warhoops salvage yard in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The Concours will be making automotive history with the inaugural unveiling of this historical treasure in its fully-restored glory.

“For most of us in Michigan, the summer schedule is filled with activities nearly every weekend. For car enthusiasts, however, there is one day that stands out as special - the Meadow Brook Concours, known for featuring the greatest collection of automotive masterpieces in one place,” says Larry Moss, Chairman of the Car Selection Committee for the Concours.

“This year on July 25th, the Concours presents over 200 of the most significant automotive works of art ever seen. Whether you like Brass Cars, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars, High Performance New Cars, Sports Cars, European Cars, 50’s and 60’s cars, motorcycles, Drag Racing, and once in a lifetime opportunities to see cars never before seen, they will all be there. So should you,” Moss adds.

Speedsters
The rarity of the cars assembled for the Speedsters class, such as the 1929 Auburn Boat Tail Speedster and the 1932 Auburn V-12 160A Speedster, is an exciting feature of the Concours. Looking back, American speedsters have evolved from basic street-legal race cars like the 1915 Mercer Raceabout to the stylish and high-performance “boulevard sports cars” of the early 1920s and 1930s. Of special note, participants will surely appreciate the prestigious Kissel speedster scheduled for display. Having notable owners, such as Amelia Earhart, these speedsters became automotive icons with their definitive style and proven performance.

Space-Age Sport Coupes
In the late 1950s, a time when people were imagining space rockets and flying cars, trend-setting Detroit embraced the Jet Age by creating Space-Age Sport Coupes. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler began mass-producing thin-pillared hardtops with glassy upper structures and fins resembling jet-like taillamps, all extravagantly finished in chrome. These long, low and wide coupes were tearing up the highway and soaring ahead, leaving behind a trail of futuristic style. Concours participants will feel inspired once again by the forward-thinking innovation reflected in this car class, seen in such examples as the 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe and the 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser 2-Door Hardtop.

Drag Cars
For the second consecutive year, the greatest display of Drag Racing A/FX cars ever assembled will pay tribute to legendary racers and the cars they raced. A unique element for an event usually known for pre- and post-war cars, the collection of early drag cars from the 1960’s will feature the 1963 Chevy Impala “Old Reliable” driven by Dave Strickler, “Dandy” Dick Landy’s 1964 Dodge - one of the first altered wheelbase cars, Bud Faubel’s 1965 Plymouth, Sox and Martin’s 1965 Plymouth and the 1966 Ford Mustang of “Gas Rhonda”.

The breadth of cars scheduled for the show field is further illustrated in the variety of the featured automobile classes for 2010, including:

American Classics 1925-1935
American Classics 1936 -1948
American Muscle 1964-1974
American Popular through 1955
American Popular from 1956
Automotive Museums
Celebrity Owned Cars
European Luxury & Sport
Horseless Carriages
Sports Cars
Roaring 20s
Town & Country – The New “Classic”

Show day tickets are on sale now at www.meadowbrookconcours.org/tickets or by calling 248-643-8645.

Handy guides for show season:

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