The Concours d’Elegance of America, held at The Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan, last month, annually presents two “Best in Show” awards, one for Foreign-built cars and the other for American-built machinery. These honors at this year’s 37th annual Concours went, respectively, to a 1937 Bugatti 57SC Atalante Coupe (above) and a 1929 Duesenberg Dual-Cowl Phaeton, two models symbolizing traditional regard for the so-called Classic Era.
Robert Patterson brought his Bugatti from Louisville, Kentucky, while Charles Letts Jr. had a shorter haul, bringing the Duesenberg from nearby West Bloomfield, Michigan. The body styling of both cars reflects their continents and eras, and among the attributes they share are straight-8 engines and gleaming black paint. Both cars also enjoy significant histories. The Bugatti won at Pebble Beach 40 years ago and more recently took top honors at Kentucky’s Keeneland Concours, while the Duesenberg, one of three built in this style by the Murphy coachworks, is fresh from a thorough restoration at RM.
Also, for the first time ever at a major U.S. concours, the field included a class (befittingly Class Z) for Japanese collector cars, which was won by the 1971 Nissan Fairlady Z432 of VR Contributing editor Mark Brinker.
