https://thecarnut.typepad.com > LOS ANGELES CONCOURS - JUNE 7, 2009

PACKARD COUPE

PACKARD COUPE

A rare and even-then-expensive 1930's Packard two-door sports model. In person, the massive size of even a 'sporty' model like this one overwhelms the viewer. That's just one more reason why attending a good Concours like this one in Los Angeles is a good idea.


PACKARDS

PACKARDS

There was a large display of what many call the best mass-produced cars ever made in the US.


PIERCE MOTORCYCLE

PIERCE MOTORCYCLE

The company which made this two-wheeler became Pierce-Arrow, a US-based manufacturer of high-end luxury cars in the 1920s and '30s. Almost all American car-makers began business by making motorcycles and, especially, bicycles.


PIERCE-ARROW FRONT-END DETAIL

PIERCE-ARROW FRONT-END DETAIL

Check the wood spoke wheels, "archer" mascot, but especially the shape of those headlights! Talk about "deco" ...


PIERCE-ARROW MASCOT

PIERCE-ARROW MASCOT

What I consider one of the two or three best head badges in automotive history, certainly the best from America, along with the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy and the mascot of the Bugatti Royale, a trumpeting elephant sculpted by Rembrandt Bugatti, Ettore's brother (true story - see what you can learn about old cars?).


PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA

PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA

This particular example of a great American musclecar is worth noting because of the 'AAR' logo on the rear deck, signifying it's a product of Dan Gurney's All-American Racer shop in Santa Ana, CA, not 50 miles south of the Concours' location in Pasadena. Gurney campaigned race-prepared versions of the Plymouth for Chrysler in road racing and other events, and some consumer models, like the one shown, were made available to the public.


PONTIAC WOODIE

PONTIAC WOODIE

What's a So Cal car show without Woodies? Not much, that's what. This late-'40s Pontiac is an extremely rare and valuable example of the genre.


POPE-HARTFORD

POPE-HARTFORD

Another "late brass era" American car.


PORSCHE

PORSCHE

Race cars at the Concours included this world-beating Porsche endurance racer.


ROLLS-ROYCE

ROLLS-ROYCE

The only problem with a show like this, if there could be said to be any problem at all, is overkill. After the first 20 Rollers, from those built for Royalty (like the one of the foreground, a 1966 model built for the Sultan of Bahrain) to those for we "consumers," what else is there to see from the high-end world of cars?


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