15th Annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance Features Elegantly Designed Classic Automobiles, Unusual & Rare Vehicles, and a Regatta of former America's Cup Yachts

GREENWICH, Conn., May 28 /PRNewswire/ --The 15^th annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance features more than 250 elegant classic American and European automobiles and, for the first time, a regatta of classic former America's Cup 12-metre yachts.  This year's Concours, Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6, 10AM – 5PM, rain or shine, will be held at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park overlooking Greenwich Harbor.  On Sunday, June 6, in conjunction with the Concours, Bonham's will hold an auction of important collector cars and automobilia.  

The 2010 Concours features more than a century of motor vehicle design, ranging from a 1900 Steffy Model 27 to a 2009 Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M.  The Concours is actually two separate Concours: Saturday showcases American cars from 1900 to the present in the Concours Americana, and Sunday presents imported sports, competition and touring cars from 1900 to the present in the Councours Europa.  A best-of-show trophy is presented each day to the most outstanding car in each category.  

New this year – Regatta with America's Cup Winning Yachts

New this year is a three-day regatta with famous America's Cup winning and contending 12-metre yachts. They complement the wood-hulled pleasure boats added in 1998. Competitors for the first Greenwich Concours Cup regatta, held in association with the 12-M Yacht Development Foundation, include America's Cup winners Columbia (1958), Weatherly (1962), Intrepid (1967, 1970), along with great former contenders American Eagle, Nefertiti, Easterner, America II (US-42), and Lionheart.  

Unusual and Rare Vehicles

One of the 2010 Concours' more unusual features is a 1965 Russian Tupolev, a half-boat/half-airplane specifically designed to skim open water, marsh or tundra to retrieve cosmonauts once their capsules landed in Siberia.  It was designed by Aleksei Tupolev (1888-1972), considered the father of Soviet aviation, and capable of traveling more than 1000km/hour in sub-zero temperatures.  

Among the rarest vehicles is a 1958 Dual Ghia, which combines a Chrysler hemi V8 engine and a hand-formed steel body by Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy.  Only 117 were made between 1956-1958, and owners included "Rat Pack" members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Peter Lawford.  The Dual Ghia was known as a hybrid – decades before the term was applied to electric/gasoline automobiles – because it and others like it wed American horsepower with European designed and manufactured bodies.  The other featured hybrid is a 1956 Facel Vega, with a Chrysler chassis and elegant French coachwork.  

From the start in 1996, Greenwich Concours d'Elegance co-founders Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom have focused on exhibiting American and European automotive design excellence, landing the Concours in the North American edition of 1000 Places to See Before You Die.  "This year's array of classic automobiles, popular post-War American muscle cars, rarities including the Dual Ghia, Facel Vega and Tupolev, and legendary America's Cup winners offers visitors many examples of great design on land and at sea," said Bruce Wennerstrom.

Automobile Magazine is the Title Sponsor of the Greenwich Concours, and its sister publications Motor Trend and Motor Trend Classic are sponsors.  Motor Trend Radio, with host Bob Long, will broadcast live two hours each day.

On-site sponsors displaying new car offerings in an elegant, no-pressure environment, include AMG, Aston Martin, Bentley, Cadillac, Ferrari, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, and Mini Rolls Royce, along with Sunseeker Yachts and Chubb Personal Insurance for collector cars.

The international relief organization AmeriCares is the charitable beneficiary.

Greenwich Concours Basics

The Greenwich Concours is located at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, 100 Arch Street, Greenwich, Connecticut, 06830.  The show is open 10AM-5PM, June 5-6, rain or shine.  Admission is $25/day or $40 for a two-day pass, children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.  Parking is free and food service is available on site.  Additional information is available at www.greenwichconcours.com.

The Greenwich Concours is located immediately off Exit # on I-95, and one block from the Amtrak/MetroNorth Greenwich train station, with convenient access to New York and Boston.  Greenwich Avenue, with fashionable restaurants, antique shops, luxury stores and boutiques is also nearby.  The Delamar Host Hotel is immediately adjacent to the Concours site and there are numerous hotel accommodations in the area.

SOURCE Greenwich Concours