Classic car show in Northern France near Lille. Check out the AMI 8 PROTOTYPE with the Wankel engine. The car was named "M35"

 On Sunday, August 21, the 18^th fairway at Pebble Beach golf course was filled not with golfers, but rather with some of the most exquisite classic cars in the world. The 61^st annual Concours d’Elegance has become known as the crème de la crème of classic car events, with an ever-expanding global participant list.  This year, the featured marques for the Concours were early Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts, Stutz, Ferrari 250 GTO, and Benz and Daimler, including Mercedes and Mercedes Benz.  Itailian motorcyles were also featured. In addition to the featured marques, there were many other classics across the diverse classes. The field was filled with rich colors, luxurious shapes, and spectators from every walk of life who shared a passion for classic automobiles and motorcycles.

 The invitations are sent out months ahead of the event, since the transport of vehicles can be a complex undertaking.  The cars are driven onto the fairway early on the morning of the event, with the Sunday of the annual Concours being the only day of the year when this top golf course is not open for golf.

The selection process for the 202 entrant cars is a rigorous one that starts well ahead of the show. Two of the main criteria for all entrants are excellence and authenticity, and these are vigorously evaluated by the expert selection committee.

 As audience members stroll through the field of breathtaking cars, they wonder which will have the great honor of being selected “Best in Show”.  With so many magnificent cars to choose from, it is difficult for even the most savvy automobile afficionados to guess. Each year, the standards edge higher, adding to the challenge the subjectively nuanced “elegant” criterion.  Elegance is something judges know when they see, and it can make the point difference that elevates a car to the level of winner.

 This year, even with so much hefty competition, one car that captured wide attention for both its exterior and interior was the 1934 Avions Voisin C-25 Aerodyne, a rare gem of craftsmanship produced by a manufacturer that originally focused on airplanes. No one who spent some time with this car would have been surprised when it was awarded the top honor, although there were many other cars on an equal footing. It possessed all the graces that Pebble Beach judges look for, and also that understated evasive something that elevates a car from to perfection.

 Voisin only started producing cars after World War 1, and built a total of 28 Voisin Aerodynes. Only 4 of these cars, which boast a 3–liter sleeve-valve type motor with two carburetors, still exist today. This car is part of the Peter Mullin collection, which is housed in the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California. The focus of the Mullin Museum is French automobiles for the reason that French cars have consistently captured Mullin’s attention. His collection includes Delahayes, Voisins, Bugattis, and Talbots, all which flaunt the sensual curve that has kept Mullin’s focus on French cars for years (his museum recently released a coffee table book entitled “French Curves” with brilliant photographs of the cars in the collection).   The Voisin Aerodyne is a very exclusive and unusual model and the throngs of people around it throughout the day at the Concours parrot the popularity of the judges’ choice.  The interior is done to perfection, so complicated an upholstery job that it is dizzying upon cursory review. It needs to be studied a bit to be fully appreciated.

 The lightness of these cars is a function of the aviation history of the Voisin Company, which adeptly translated that lightness design ideology into four wheels. Lightness radiated from every angle of the Voisin Aerodyne, even as it drove on to the course as dawn erupted over the breathtaking Monterey Bay backdrop.

 Speaking of French curves, the Best in Show winner at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours was a 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster owned by the Patterson Collection of Kentucky. With two Best in Show winners at Pebble Beach in two years time, the proof is in the results. Whatever the French did in the way of design back in the day, they did very well. Vive la curve…Vive la France!

 One of French Classics' Hy vans now working for Coffee Real, a specialty coffee roasters. They import coffee from all over the world. www.coffeereal.co.uk

Another one of French Classics' van now converted to a mobile Creperie, smoothies and coffee shop. www.lemonjellivan.vpweb.co.uk

 One of French Classics' van now selling Prosseco and Italian sparkling wine at various UK events. www.frizzenti.com

Please check out some highlights of an enjoyable  Classic car meeting  we attended in Northern France.

We have just collected our Right-hand-drive DS 23 Pallas which went for a complete restoration in France during the last 9 months. The leather used  on our car  was found in a dry storage room of a french upholsterer who had kept it since the 70's. It is the original leather used by Citroen and therefore, the colour, pigment and design are 100 % correct. There was even enough to re-upholster the headrests and the front central armrest ! The engine was completely stripped and rebuilt. The car was resprayed in Beige Tholonet with a black roof.