When the highly-successful inaugural Chattanooga Motorcar Festival presented its final awards in 2019 for the Concours d’Elegance on a stage overlooking trendy West Village in the heart of the “Scenic City”, 26 classic, vintage and historic car owners celebrated victories. And, three of them stood out as winners of the most coveted prizes.
It was the first time such an event had taken place on the streets of West Village, and there was cause for celebration. The Festival enjoyed outstanding weather, huge crowds and a nearly flawless first-time endeavor to highlight the charm and charisma of Chattanooga, also known as “Gig City,” situated on the Tennessee River.
The world-class Concours d’Elegance was the highlight of a number of family-friendly events held the first year, which included Time Trials on a specially-built 1.5-mile race course running alongside the Tennessee River, a High-Jinks Rallye through the Tennessee countryside, and other fun activities for car fans and families alike.
The 2020 Festival, originally scheduled for Oct. 16-18, was postponed until Oct. 15-17, 2021, due to pandemic restrictions. All these events will be on the schedule again next year, with even more dynamic activities added to the roster.
“As the Concours Chairman, I was thrilled to see the number of outstanding and significant cars that were entered in the Concours for the first Chattanooga Concours d’Elegance,” said award-winning journalist/author Ken Gross. “The top winners represented the best of the best in the car collector world. Everyone connected with the Festival was honored to have these remarkable cars and their owners as part of this inaugural event.
“We look forward to an even more dynamic collection of classic, vintage and historic cars for the 2021 Concours.”
The winner of Best in Class, European Classic Cars, and the Timeless Elegance Award, was the 1928 Isotta-Fraschini 8A SS owned by Peter Boyle of Oil City, Pa
The chassis of this Isotta-Fraschini was built in Italy in 1928 and was delivered to LeBaron Carrossiers in the U.S., who produced the convertible boat tail with a single-seat rumble seat. It is equipped with the 8ASS engine, a Straight-8 with 160 horsepower. This stunning car was introduced at the New York Auto Show in 1928 and was purchased by aviation pioneer Harry Williams and his silent movie star wife Marguerite Clark.
The curator of the Harry Williams Museum in Patterson, La., related this story: “Harry was driving the Isotta through the Louisiana countryside and was stopped in a small town for speeding. He was taken down to the courthouse to pay the fine, which was $10. Harry said, 'OK, here is $20 and I will be back through town later and don’t bother me.'" The car has only 22,000 original miles on it.
An Outstanding in Class (Class 11-Porsche) award went to a 1952 Porsche 356A Super America Roadster owned by Robert Ingram of Durham, N.C.
This Fire Red-finished Type 540 was special-ordered by well-known Porsche importer Max Hoffman in 1952 for California Porsche dealer John von Neumann of Competition Motors. It’s the only Porsche ever painted in this color. It was sold to gentleman racer John Crean, who was part of the Southern California racing scene. Crean would loan the car to Josie von Neumann, his stepdaughter, for West Coast SCCA and Cal Club races.
They both enjoyed successful racing seasons in 1952 and ’53. It has an aluminum body, which is rare for Porsches, and is one of 17 America Roadsters, Porsche’s first purpose-designed and purpose-built racing car.
The Best of Show winner was the 1928 Auburn 8-115 McFarlan Speedster owned by Al and Barbara Mason of Purcellville, Va.
The first-generation Auburn Speedster was built in the U.S. in 1928 as a low-volume promotional model. Auburn used two different 8-cylinder Lycoming engines, one rated at 88 horsepower and the other at 115 horsepower. The Speedster’s distinctive boat tail is attributed to Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a pioneer of streamlining, and to Alan Leamy, the Cord L-29 designer. The McFarlan coachwork features dual golf club doors, dual side mounted spare tires and a removable fabric top.
The Speedster came from a New Jersey estate where it had been stored since 1945. It is identical to the famous Speedster that Wade Morton drove on Feb. 20, 1928, at Daytona Beach, Fla., setting a production car record of 104.347 mph.
That same day Sir Malcolm Campbell set the land speed record at 206.958 mph in his 900-horsepower Bluebird on the same beach course. Campbell soon became one of the few Auburn Speedster owners in England. It took Al Mason 11 years to restore this car entirely in his home workshop.
About Chattanooga Motorcar Festival:
Proceeds from the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival support neuroscience research through Fifty Plus Racing Foundation, Inc. Fifty Plus Racing Foundation, Inc. has been raising funds since 2011 through a racing team called Highway to Help.
This team was started by Byron DeFoor and Brian Johnson of AC/DC. They formed this team to participate in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. Johnson shared the passion for a cure for this disease because Malcolm Young of AC/DC, who started the band, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Malcolm passed away in 2017.
With DeFoor also in the nursing home industry, the toll this disease takes on families across the nation was clearly evident, so the two continued to raise money together through Fifty Plus Racing Foundation, Inc. Approaching 10 years in Alzheimer’s and neuroscience support, Fifty Plus Racing Foundation, Inc. partners with Chattanooga Motorcar Festival to bring that support to a local level and back research that will help find a cure.
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