On the beautiful sun-filled street of 72nd and Madison Avenue, The New York City Concours Exhibition (TNYCC), sponsored by Hispano Suiza, stunned Big Apple residents with a world-class collection of over 40 classic and exotic cars and motorcycles. Showcased along the city’s picturesque and historic grand mansions, one car – the 1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1, owned by Ron Schotland – stood out from all the rest winning the prestigious Best In Show Award.
Enzo Ferrari called this car the most beautiful in the world. This cat from Coventry is a benchmark in design and was on exhibit at NY’s Modern Museum of Art for its beauty and prowess. Hip and groovy, it possesses a 100pt. perfect score for its restoration by the Jaguar Club of North America and Antique Automotive Club of America. As such, this vehicle is arguably viewed as the top Series 1 E-Type in North America.
“The first time I saw a Jaguar E-Type Series 1 was in the early 1960’s when I was a graduate student. I knew then that was the car I wanted to own. I had to wait until 1997 before I could finally afford my “dream” car. And, now I got to show it at The Concours on Madison Avenue and 72nd Street, a stunning automotive event that my son and I will never forget,” said Schotland. “Thanks so much to the organizers for giving us the opportunity to be a part of this unique exhibition of classic cars.”
Held on Saturday, September 17, 2022, the Exhibition launched the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District’s (B.I.D) first-ever Madison Avenue Men’s Style Month. Madison Avenue has become an international destination for style and fashion and all of the 31 retailers participating decided Rob DiNuzzo’s 1960 Auto Union 1000 SP was worthy of the Madison Avenue Style Award. Famous for its legendary racing lineage from the 1930s, Auto Union was the parent company for Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer (representing the four rings in the logo). Post-WWII, the company was acquired by Daimler-Benz and produced a limited number of vehicles under the Auto Union brand from 1958 until it was sold to Volkswagen in 1964, later relaunching as the Audi brand we know today.
Maria Jannace, CEO of TNYCC, is on a mission to shake up the traditional concours “classic car show” and make it more accessible to a diverse tribe of car enthusiasts. “Born and raised in New York City, and a resident of the Upper Eastside, I am overwhelmed with emotion that I fulfilled a lifelong dream of closing down a street in Manhattan (not an easy task) to share my love of cars and motorcycles with my fellow New Yorkers,” said Jannace.
And residents were thrilled for the special opportunity to see these unique vehicles up close and vote for their favorite. Among stiff competition, the 1950 Ford F-1 Pickup from Rob Caione was awarded the People’s Choice. With a focus on value, utility and comfort, the high-style F-Series revolutionized the pickup truck market making driving a pickup actually cool.
Along with Jannace, Russell Glace, an acclaimed and respected expert in the Concours world, curated this year’s show and had the difficult task of selecting the winner for the Curator’s Award. Anthony Verillo’s 1987 Lamborghini Countach took home the honor for this original and pristine model which is one of the lowest mileage Countachs in existence.
A showstopper of grand proportions, Hispano Suiza’s Carmen Boulogne received the Legacy, Spirit and Style Award. Hispano Suiza’s CEO Sergio Martinez Campos accepted the award for the 100% electric hypercar with the latest technology, derived from Formula E, 820kW of power and an avant-garde design inspired by the brand’s heritage. Its concept dates back to 1921 and the George Boillot Cup, in which Hispano Suiza competed with five upgraded models of the company’s H6 Coupé.
Rounding out the exceptional vehicles on display was Rob Iannucci’s 1954 AJS E95 Porcupine which won Most Outstanding Motorcycle. Iannucci considers the E95 Porcupine the Holy Grail of British motorcycles. “It was conceived in the darkest days of the Second World War, and was created on limited budgets during the austerity of post-war Britain by dedicated men who were passionate about their craft,” said Iannucci. “Yet they created a motorcycle which won the 500cc World Championship, and in my opinion was a truly beautiful mechanical object. It’s a two-wheeled work of art.”
