On October 18-20, China hosted its first international caliber concours d’elegance, when the first annual Bund Classic was held at Shanghai’s historic No. 1 Waitanyuan, site of the former British Consulate.
On the morning of October 19, close to a dozen display vehicles held a grand parade along Shanghai’s iconic Bund. A broad cross-section of Porsche, Ferrari, Ford, Lincoln and Rolls-Royce offered the public a rare view of exotics not often seen on China’s roads, as they slowly coasted along the Bund, flanked by the Huangpu River and the iconic Lujiazui skyline on one side and the European-inspired architecture of the Bund buildings on the other.
An international judging panel, which included notables such as Sandra Button, Chairwoman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, restorer Iain Tyrrell and James Knight, from Bonhams, ultimately chose a 1925 Renault 45 Torpedo belonging to a “Mr. Peng” as overall Best of Show. Other award winners included “Elegance Award Pre-1950” going to the 1935 Auburn 852 of Jason Huang and the “Elegance Award Post-1950” going to the Shanghai Auto Musuem’s 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II.
According to Pebble Beach’s Sandra Button, “I am honored to be among the judges at the first Concours d’Elegance held here in China. Together we share a great appreciation for the beauty and technology of the automobile, and I am so glad that our shared passion for the automobile has drawn us together. It’s a fantastic beginning and really the foundation for many wonderful years in China and Shanghai with Bund Classic.”
