In the presence of Sir Sterling Moss!
Early Sunday morning I loaded up my 1937 BMW R5 and R6 and headed off to Lime Rock for the annual Sunday in the Park Concours D’ Elegance. It was a fun and relaxing day of vintage cars and motorcycles.There was a wide range of classic vehicles parked along the entire loop of the venerable Connecticut race track.You could stroll from the starting line to the finish line and enjoy everything from Miata’s to vintage Mercedes 300 SL’s.
At the top of my list was a stunning unrestored and very original Horch. The car was allegedly brought back from Germany in 1951 by a U.S. military serviceman. It then ended up in a barn for 50 years. When discovered a few years ago they found an old rusty handgun under the back seat with a Nazi swastika engraved on its barrel. Likely the car was expropriated from its legitimate owner by some Nazi official (as was the case with many of the best cars in Germany during Hitler’s rule, including my Grandfather’s 1928 Mercedes).The interior of the car appeared totally original with torn leather and a tattered cloth top. The big beautiful car radiated a faded patina from a bygone era.
Another car that really moved me was a perfectly restored Tatra. This car was built in Czechoslovakia and has a rear-mounted eight cylinder air-cooled motor. It has been said that Professor Porsche may have lifted this design concept and used it as a basis for the air-cooled beetle.
The highlight and surprise of the day was that my 1937 BMW R6 won the motorcycle class. There was some pretty stiff competition, including several racing bikes with serious pedigrees. It was quite a thrill driving the 78-year-old machine over the Lime Rock finish line to be presented a big trophy by the legendary race car driver Sir Sterling Moss. Perhaps this award is further indication that interest in these magnificent pre-war BMW’s is starting to gather some momentum. It is certainly further evidence of the spectacular job John Pavone did in restoring this masterpiece.
Spectacular professional photos from the day can be viewed here. My iPhone photos are below:
Arriving at the show field, or rather, the race track!
A beautiful unrestored Horch
This Horch was my favorite car at the show
Steve McQueen’s 8,000 mile Mercedes 6.9
A beautiful Tatra owned by Barney Hallingby
The 8 cylinder air-cooled Tatra
Porsche tractor
BMW Batmobile
Chrysler Limo
Miata corral
There were at least a half a dozen 300 SL’s
A serious fixer upper 911 soft window Targa
Parts vendors are always fun….
Transmissions galore
A pair of nice but well used E30 M3’s
A well equipped mobile racing shop
We ended up with a blue ribbon presented by Sir Sterling Moss
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Class Winners, 2015 Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance at Historic Festival 33: Group A, Our Distinguished Seniors Class A1, “And So We Begin,” special class for the machines that started it all, pre-1915 Class A2, “The World’s First Wheels,” basic transportation 1915 to 1939, open and closed cars Class A3, “Gatsby’s Delights pres. by Castle Cadillacs,” luxury and speed; coachbuilt and special cars from an elegant era, pre-WWII Group B, Practical Machines for Practical Purposes Class B1, “Off to Work,” post-War transportation machinery; those workhorses we depended on daily Class B2, “Carry Your Weight,” trucks and commercial vehicles up to 1975; machines that earn their keep Group C, Sports and Performance Machines on Display and on Track Class C1, “Risky and Racy,” racing, competitive specials and speed-record machines Class C2, “The Rallyist’s Revenge,” rallying function in a variety of forms Class C3, “Speed and Agility,” early sports cars to 1954 Class C4, “Dashing Between the Drops,” mid-sports car era roadsters, 1955 to 1961 Class C5, “Racers are Rewarded,” race on Saturday, show on Sunday (Saturday’s winners on exhibit) Class C6, “Shiny Side Up,” Sports cars, 1962 to 1967 Class C7, “For the Fun of the Drive,” sports cars, 1968 to 1975 Class C8, “Speed, Sport and Spirit,” sports cars, 1976 to 1990 Group D, Grand Touring Greatness Class D1, “Style, Comfort and Pace,” GT cars, 1955 to 1961 Class D2, “A Businessman’s Express,” GT cars, 1962 to 1967 Class D3, “Speed Breeds Success,” GT cars, 1968 to 1975 Class D4, “Outrunning the Wind,” open-air GT-caliber cars, 1955 to 1980 Class D5, “Simply Exceptional,” super cars and special road cars, 1975 to present Group E, Comfort, Style and More – Luxury Transport in a Post-War World Class E1, “Comfort and Class and Wind in the Hair,” open-air motoring elegance, 1945 to 1985 Class E2, “In the Lap of Luxury,” exceptional luxury in coupe and sedan form, 1945 to 1959 Class E3, “Life at the Top in Style and Comfort,” luxurious transportation coupes and salons, 1960 to 1985 Group S, Our Special Feature Classes Class S1, “Mercedes-Benz: The Legacy of Excellence,” stars of the three-pointed star: track machines Class S2, “Mercedes-Benz: Practical Excellence on the Road,” stars of the three-pointed star: road machines Assorted Groups, Special Interest Class F1, “Just as we Found it,” untouched originals to 1975 Class F2, “A Fresh Approach,” creative machines and “Euro rods” that fall between classing cracks, all years Class F3, “Hot Rod,” our tribute to garage-built American greatness, all years Class F4, “Mercedes in Motion,” Mercedes-enthusiast passion through the years, all years Class F5, “Up on Two Wheels,” the lighter side of getting going; legendary motorcycles through 1995 Class F6, “Domestic Dynamite,” reflections of a golden age of American Muscle, 1955 to 1980 Class F7, “Arnolts Abound!” A reunion of Arnolt-Bristols Jochen’s Selection Stirling’s Selection |
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