Classic Cars of the World
Concours D'Elegance
WHAT IS A CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE ?
"A Concours d'Elegance (from French meaning a competition of elegance) dates back to 17th
Century French aristocracy, who paraded horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris during Summer
weekends and holidays.
Over time, carriages became horseless and the gatherings became a competition among automobile owners
to be judged on the appearance of their automobiles.
These commonly are held at automobile shows or after racing competitions.
Notable (American) Concours d'Elegances include Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Meadow Brook Concours
d'Elegance, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and Louis Vuitton Classic in midtown Manhattan.
Concours exist for motorcycles as well."
Obviously, Concours events occur in most countries of the world because the "hobby" of collecting
and restoring old automobiles, exists around the world.
From my experience in operating a small automotive restoration business in Australia,
and having concoursed two personal cars, I would like to offer the following additional information -
There are essentially, two types of concoursing -
1. - To restore a vehicle in a pleasing, attractive, beautiful way which makes
the vehicle look extremely 'elegant'.
This technique frequently ignores some of the basic elements of the
manufacturer's specifications despite the aesthetics of the end result.
I have been victim of a car which was restored this way without even original
sales brochures. How can a judge know what original paint options were available
for every car ever produced, over the last 100 years.?
This is the most popular method of restoration - any mechanic can do it, any
home handyman can handle the majority of work, it's cheap, quick and easy.
Where I am now living in Malaysia, a good quality 'concours' job can be done for most classics
of the 50s to the 70s, and will cost around US$10,000 or US$20,000.
2. - To restore a vehicle to its original condition as it would have been if you
bought the vehicle new, from an authorised dealer in the year of its production,
including all paperwork that was normally provided by the dealer at the time.
I have seen this method referred to as "Concours D'Etat" but I can find no official recognition
of the term.
In the fraternity, this term means -
a). All aspects of the vehicle's original specifications are complied with
exactly and without deviation;
b). Highly durable parts such as automotive electrics, radios, aerials and even
tyres, can be rebuilt or re-manufactured but must follow the exact
specifications as per factory documentation;
In the event of the above, written submissions of all items (like tyres) which
are re-manufactured, must be given to the judges prior to the meeting, giving
reasons why non-original parts could NOT be used;
c). Original paperwork such as sales brochures, workshop manuals, owners manual, warranty
documents etc must be included;
d). Specifications of factory optional equipment adopted must be documented and
shown to have been available at the original time of delivery.
It is clear that very few vehicles could ever meet such stringent requirements
and it is extremely expensive to restore a vehicle to this extent.
Even the most experienced judge would not know the exact factory specifications
of your vehicle so that the Concours D'Etat also becomes a trial of honesty.
Such vehicles can be worth considerably more than that under a 'normal' concours.
There are correspondingly few Concours D'Etat events in the world, the only ONE
that I know of being in
Tours, France.
This appears to be a score sheet for a
Porsche Club concours d'etat meet somewhere in
South Africa, but I don't know if it is genuine d'etat.
Here is another score sheet from South Africa but again, the lack of emphasis on originality and complete
exclusion of references to paperwork indicates that it is not a concours d'etat
as stated.
It seems that only the French know what concours d'etat means in relation to
automobiles.
In the near future, I am going to produce an article on some aspects of a concours d'etat and
publish it here and elsewhere.
You might say "How would he know?".
A short reply -
i). In 1993/96 I was a part owner of a small business known as "Classic Concoursing
Australia".
We only performed genuine d'etat, preferring not to compete with our 'd'elegance'
friends. Our bookings became so large that someone torched our factory and we
lost the lot.
ii). I have concoursed (d'etat) a 1970
BMW 2800 ARe, with help from the BMW Museum in
Munich, one of only 40 in the world with 5 hours per day personal supervision for 3
months;
iii). I did the same for a 1965 Daimler 2.5 Litre V8 and for a Vauxhall 14/40
although only the BMW would stand the test of a genuine 'd'etat'.
iv).
With my BMW, Daimler and Vauxhall, I've competed in a number of councours events
in Australia gaining second, fourth and first respectively, in their class.
Despite taking 1st place, I was criticised for the pit marks on the body and for
not using two-pack paint on a 1926 vehicle.
v). In 1995 I was invited to attend a post event judges' meeting where
requirements for concoursing were discussed along with the merits of those
vehicles chosen as first in their class. All present agreed that in Australia
(at least), the term "concours" meant "beautiful".
Points were given for spots of dirt on the tyres but not for lack of paperwork.
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