This must be your tenth or twelfth year in a row of attending the La Jolla Concours,” my neighbor exclaimed. “Don’t you get tired of it?”
I pulled up the image above on my cell phone and showed it to her. “Oh wow!,” she exclaimed. “That’s fantastic, what is it?”
“This is a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car that was sitting on the street outside the gate,” I responded, “along with dozen’s of other fabulous cars, so you could have seen them without even paying the gate fee.”
She called her husband over and he exclaimed, “Wow, you can see the influence of this car in later production models! I think we are going to have to attend the event next year.”
That’s the way it is with the La Jolla Concours; once we share the photos, everyone’s interested.
She was right about us attending for the tenth or twelfth time. It would have been the twelfth had Covid not shut the event down for a couple of years.
This show is nothing like the typical county car show, where the same cars often appear every year. Here, each annual display is completely different. Not only that, here you’ll see some of the rarest and finest vintage cars anywhere. Although the entry fee of $129 may seem excessive to some, the question is, compared to what? When the average price of a three-hour Vegas show or a pop concert costs north of $150, the entry fee to this event for an entire day of entertainment seems like a bargain.
The first car to greet us through the gate was this stunning 1937 Mercedes roadster.
It got lots of attention and deservedly so. It was immaculate.
I overheard one wag asking, “Why were the best looking German cars all produced during a dictatorship?”
The interior was simple but elegant.
Here’s another stunning German car of that era, a 1938 BMW 327 Cabriolet.
Lady Di thought this would make a nice car for her.
Seems like every car at this show is a work of art fit for a museum.
If Di get’s to choose the Bimmer, I want this one. It’s a 1930 Packard 734 Victoria. I don’t know if it originally came in two-tone livery, and I don’t care. It made me salivate just the way it is.
It comes stock with a windshield wiper and a sunroof.
This is a 1936 Delahaye 135 “disappearing top” convertible by Figoni et Falaschi. If we must have fenders, we might as well make them flow like the Seine around Île de la Cité. This car is local to La Jolla, and this Concours is the only time anyone other than the owner’s personal friends (and some family) will ever get to see it. Thank you Ken and Anne Smith.
The ostrich skin interior comes with a matching purse. Not sure about the shoes, gloves, and hat.
Some of my favorite prewar cars came from France.
Here’s another stunning Delahaye, this time a 1938 Type 145 Chapron coupe.
The paint job on either of these Delahayes have to cost more than we paid for our car brand new. I’d be afraid to let them anywhere near screaming kids, dogs, or any other objects that locomote independently.
For something completely different, here is a 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III.
Note similarity of the lines to the 1955 concept car at the top of this article (as an aside, I invented this rear window slant in a grade 2 art class but never received credit for the idea).
It has enough room in the front seat for four sleeping dogs or two randy teenagers (but not while grandpa is checking his stock portfolio in the back seat).
A classic ’60’s Volkswagen surfin’ wagon with flow through ventilation. This is the most desirable model as the 18-window versions are very rare.
For those who need to see the shiniest car at the show, here it is. Just don’t put it in the microwave.
This is a 2012 Bugati Veyron Super-Sport coupe. The body appears to be made of carbon fiber.
Who doesn’t love a classic Jaguar? This is a 1954 XK 140 SE Roadster.
Lady Di fell in love with this blue 1950 XK 120.
When we couldn’t find a place to sit in the hospitality tent, these delightful chaps let us join their table. That’s part of what makes this event so much fun. Everyone is in a good mood and hospitable.
John (left) and Joe live in Ohio and fly in every year. They love vintage cars and John has 17 of his own. We had a lot to talk bout which made for a delightful couple of hours.
One the way out, I finally found a vintage German car we could afford, but Di just didn’t seem interested. Her heart was still with the1938 BMW 327 Cabriolet for some reason. You just can’t please some people.
All images courtesy of the author.
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