2013 Radnor Hunt Concours

Michael Tillson had this wonderful concept to stage an elegant invitational classic car event on the spacious, historic grounds of the Radnor Hunt in Chester County. All the ingredients were there and if all went according to plan it would compare to the elegance and quality of national events as the annual Pebble Beach Concours or Amelia Island. The concept of the event was far removed from the typical “car show.” It would be invitational, the cars would be carefully selected and each car would represent both an educational and aesthetic experience for those in attendance. Michael envisioned a balance between historic, classic, sports and performance racing cars.

To pay homage to the great traditions of the classic French Concours d’Elegance originally held in, Paris, there would be automotive art, high-style fashion, and jewelry shows to compliment the latest fashions in motor cars. The Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance has faithfully held to those standards. The committee elected to restrict the number of entries to 100 in order to maintain very high standards and to allow the best possible display of each car on the grounds of The Radnor Hunt Club.

Now in its 13th year, The 100 Cars, faithful to the original concept, has become an important player in the world of extraordinary motorcars. This year’s event was exciting and quite diverse. In an effort to satisfy two influential camps in the collector car world, organizers decided to feature Cars of the Art Deco Era and Historic Rally Cars. Clearly there would be something for everyone.

And not one to forget significant birthdays, Aston Martin, celebrating its centennial year, would play a more visible presence in the sports car category.  To add some additional spice, The Simeone Museum in Philadelphia brought their DBR1 that plays an integral part of their Winners Circle display. This car won at Nurburgring in 1959. For their efforts, they would leave Radnor Hunt with the Chairman’s Award. For more on the Simeone Museum, your attention is invited to http://simeonemuseum.org/.

Dr. Simeone

We would be overwhelmed, as would our readers, if we provided an editorial comment on ever classic in the show. But we would be remiss if we didn’t briefly pay tribute to our favorite entry. If there’s one thing the French knew how to do in the 1930s, it was elegance in automobiles.

Figoni et Falaschi was a design powerhouse at this time and this Talbot-Lago was stunning.  Only 14 of these were made during its short production run and this one was hidden from the Nazis during WWII, like so many other important cars. Let our photos do the talking and the Radnor website where the list of all the winners resides.

http://radnorconcours.org/about-us/history-results/2013-results/

And yes, our Mercedes-Benz 230S was invited to the field in the rally car category. We are pleased to announce it was a crowd favorite but alas not a judge favorite and rightfully so. We were outgunned by at least 10 of the other rally car entrants. But we were there and loved every minute of it.

Additional photos can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/101527362@N05/sets/72157635454661101/