1931 Bugatti Type 51 Takes Home Best of Show at Dana Point Concours D’Elegance

DANA POINT, Calif. – June 29, 2011 – Vintage European beauties and elegant American classics received top awards and honors during the 29^th Annual Dana Point Concours d’Elegance at the prominent St. Regis Monarch Beach resort, June 24-26.  The most prestigious award of the day, Best of Show, was bestowed on a 1931 Bugatti Type 51 from the acclaimed Nethercutt Collection, located in Southern California.  The three-day event featured a Private Collection Tour, esteemed automotive fine art exhibition, a flyover of seven vintage airplanes organized by Capt. Jason Dwinger, and the inaugural Dana Point Vintage Automobile Auction presented by EG Auctions.

“The 2011 Dana Point Concours d’Elegance was a tremendous success,” said Dick Waitneight, chairman of the board of directors.  “From the sunny Southern California weather to the elegant classics, hot rods, exotics, race cars, sports cars, muscle cars and vintage motorcycles that blanketed the golf links and the nearly 7,500 enthusiasts in attendance, it has become one of the premier automotive events of the season.”

The talk of the day was a Black Cherry ‘31 Bugatti Type 51 coupe, built in France by coachbuilder Louis Dubos.  Originally created as a Bugatti factory team Grand Prix racer, the car generates up to 185 horsepower with its eight-cylinder engine.  Following the 1931 race season, the Bugatti was given to famous racing driver Louis Chiron by Ettore Bugatti.  The Nethercutt Collection purchased it in 2000 and reunited the body with its original chassis.  The Nethercutt’s also took home an award for its 1913 Mercedes-Benz Double Phaeton Torpedo, which was given the Honorary Judges’ Choice Award.

“The judges recognized the Bugatti for its flawless condition, stunning design and unforgettable craftsmanship,” explained Waitneight.  “The Nethercutt Collection includes some of the best vehicles in the world and we appreciate their willingness to share some of these crown jewels at the Concours.”

Dick Waitneight and fellow judges reviewed each of the more than 150 eligible vehicles to choose the Chairman’s Classic Car Award, which was presented to a 1931 Marmon 145 Le Baron convertible.  The recipient of multiple awards, the navy blue and maroon Marmon, owned by Aaron and Valerie Weiss, is one of 390 total V16 automobiles manufactured by the company, which only produced the vehicle for three years.

Celebrating its 125^th anniversary of the first Benz automobile, Mercedes-Benz was the featured marque of the Dana Point Concours d’Elegance.  A stunning representation of the brand, a 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SC hardtop roadster owned by Helmut Reiss, was awarded the Featured Marque Award during the weekend.

Recipients of the other distinguished Dana Point Concours d’Elegance awards are as follows:

(Please note, the owners of each car are in parentheses)

• Briggs Cunningham Award – 1948 Bentley Mark VI Saloon (Pierre Lemieux)
• Catherine Thyen Award – 1956 Continental Mark II Coupe (Representative John Campbell)
• Design Achievement Award (Closed) – 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB (Robert Aldridge)
• Design Achievement Award (Open) – 1955 Porsche RS 550 Spyder (Peter & Cheryl Dunkel)
• Meguiar’s “Finish Fantastique” Award – 1931 Packard 833 Roadster (Mrs. James Edwards)
• Elegance Award, Pre-War Award – 1938 Delahaye 145 Coupe (Peter & Merle Mullin)
• Elegance Award, Post-War Award – 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Coupe (William Keck)

First place winners in each Concours class include:

• Class 1 – Antique and Vintage (to 1925) – 1913 Mercedes-Benz 37/95 Double Phaeton Torpedo (Nethercutt Collection)
• Class 2a – American Classics CCCA (1925-1948) Open – 1931 Marmon 145/Le Baron (Aaron & Valerie Weiss)
• Class 2b – American Classics CCCA (1925-1948) Closed – 1937 Packard 1501-1012 Formal Sedan (Philo & Diane Smith)
• Class 3 – European Classic CCCA (1925-1948) – 1931 Bugatti Type 51 (Nethercutt Collection)
• Class 5 – Auburn / Cord / Duesenberg – 1935 Duesenberg Speedster (General William Lyon)
• Class 6a – American Luxury Touring (Postwar) – 1956 Ford Thunderbird (Crevier Classic Cars)
• Class 6b – European Luxury Touring (Postwar) – 1961 Jaguar Mark II (Tom Krefetz)
• Class 7a – Porsche (to 1965) – 1962 Porsche 356 Cabriolet (Paul Colony)
• Class 7b – Porsche (1966 – newer) – 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo (Joseph DeMeo)
• Class 8 – Woodies and Wagons (to 1960) – 1941 Packard Woody (Kornier Family)
• Class 9a – Austin Healey / MG / Triumph – 1955 MG TF 1500 (John Farwick)
• Class 9b – Italian Sports Cars under 3 litres – 1972 Fiat Dino Spider 2.4 Litre (Bill Reinert and Jan Kreider)
• Class 9c – Sports Cars under 3 litres (all others to 1984) – 1959 A/C Bristol (Crevier Classic Cars)
• Class 9d – Sports Cars over 3 litres (to 1984) – 1963 Apollo 3500 Coupe (Bud and Stephanie Bourassa)
• Class 9e – Italian Coachwork with American V-8 Engines – 1969 Iso Grifo 7-liter Coupe (Don & Carol Murray)
• Class 10a – Mercedes Benz (125th Anniversary) – 1958 Mercedes-Benz 180 D (Mercedes-Benz Classic Center)
• Class 10b – Mercedes Benz 300SL – 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (Russell Hook)
• Class 11 – Ferrari (to 1984) – 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (Robert Aldridge, Crevier Classic Cars)
• Class 12 – Mini-cars to 1970 (Special Class) – 1948 Davis Devon Tarnutzer & Carini Collection (Rick Tarnutzer)
• Class 13a – Jaguar XK120/140/150 – 1961 Jaguar XK-150 3.8 DHC (Tom Krefetz)
• Class 13b – Jaguar XKE (1961-1963) – 1962 Jaguar XKE Convertible (Aaron & Valerie Weiss)
• Class 13c – Jaguar XKE (1961-1973) – 1967 Jaguar XKE Series 1 4.2 Roadster (Ken & Ann Smith)
• Class 14 – Shelby Cobra and Mustang (to 1970) (original cars only) – 1963 Cobra Roadster (Richard Munroe)
• Class 15a – Race cars (pre-1960) – 1946 Kurtis Ross-Page Special (Petersen Automotive Museum)
• Class 15b – Race cars (1960 to current) – 1967 MG C-GTS (Henry Camisasca)
• Class 17 – American Muscle Cars (1960 to 1974) – 1969 Oldsmobile 442 (John Lewis)
• Class 18a – Corvette (1953 – 1964) – 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Bob Cuevas)
• Class 18b – Corvette (1965 to 1967) – 1967 Chevrolet Corvette (Peter Koretz)
• Class 19a – Traditional Hot Rods (to 1934) – 1933 Ford Deluxe Roadster (Dennis Proud)
• Class 19b – Customs (1935 to 1960) – 1936 Ford Roadster (Fred DeFalco)
• Class 24a – American Production (1901-1929) – 1912 Pierce (Carl Haren)
• Class 24b – American Production (1930-1977) – 1941 Indian Chief (Robert Myers)
• Class 24c – European Production (1901-1929) – 1952 Vincent Black Shadow (Dick Klatt)
• Class 24d – European Production (1953-1964) – 1956 Velocette 500 (Charlotte Martin)
• Class 24e – European Production (1965-1977) – 1967 BSA Spitfire (Brian Pearson)
• Class 24f – Japanese Production (1957-1969) – 1969 Honda CL 350 (Jane Brennan)
• Class 24g – Japanese Production (1970-1977) – 1975 Kawasaki Mach 4 (Dan Ambrecht)
• Class 24i – Competition (1950-1977) – 1955 Ducati 125 (Hugo Gallina)
• Class 24j – Motorcycles of Interest or Significance – 1959 Ducati Mariana Gran Sport (Marcelo Doffo)

“Our participants demonstrated that the Dana Point Concours d’Elegance is Southern California’s premier celebration of automotive elegance with their beautifully-kept classic cars and motorcycles,” added Waitneight.  “Our event wouldn’t have been as successful without the help of our tremendous volunteers, sponsors and team.  We look forward to topping this event next year during the milestone 30^th Annual Dana Point Concours d’Elegance.”

To learn more about the Dana Point Concours d’Elegance, log on to www.danapointconcours.org.  Like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

About Dana Point Concours d’Elegance

The Dana Point Concours d’Elegance^TM is a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, with excess proceeds supporting the Ocean Institute, the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and other Southern California youth charities.  The event is operated primarily as a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Concours, with additional classes showcasing interesting and relevant automobiles.  The Dana Point Concours^TM organizing committee aspires to create a premier automotive event that showcases the rich Southern California automotive heritage. For more information, please visit www.DanaPointConcours.org.