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Chantilly Arts et Elegance Concours 2024

Marc Sonnery

Volume 49 Issue 20

Oct 26, 2024

Chantilly Arts et Elegance Concours is filled with beautiful automobiles and in a fantastic location. The spectacle of the grounds and history intermixed with modern and future classics, augmented with past classics creates an experience not to be missed. Marc Sonnery describes the cars and ambiance.

     A major and popular highlight of the European classic car calendar, the seventh edition of the Chantilly Arts et Elegance Concours took place the weekend of September 14-15 with a record 28,000 visitors attending in bright sunshine and perfect 20-degree Celsius weather, which helps when you dress up for the occasion.


     In all, over 1,000 cars were exhibited. Taking place 40 km north of Paris on the magnificent grounds of Chateau de Chantilly, one of the most spectacular castles in Europe. A location that would leave anyone but the most obtuse grease monkey in awe, it is now firmly established as one of the top concours in the world.

 


     The fact that it only takes place every two years, in alternance with Le Mans Classic, also organized by Peter Auto, makes it even more cherished by many. It’s like an all too rare and delicious fruit you can finally pluck from a tree.


     There are three different concours in one.


     First there is the formal concours d’etat with absolute jewels examined in great detail by a vast panel of about fifty international judges.


     For this, major classics arrive from all over Europe and even by plane from the USA and other parts of the world.


     Then there is the concept and supercar car class in which manufacturers bring out a new one-off show car. Either for its world premiere shown for the first time within the last year at a major car show.


     This year there were ten. A Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, Lamborghini Countach, Bugatti Tourbillon, Renault R17 to name a few.


     In a unique touch specific to Chantilly and as a tribute to the early 20th century concours, each of these is presented in partnership with a fashion house.


     As the car paraded around the large circular fountain used for the presentation, a model dressed in a bespoke dress walked alongside.

 


     Finally there are the club displays, no less than forty, which included approximately 900 cars. Here the award is not for an individual car but for the club with the best presentation.


     For this edition, I was lucky to be invited by a good friend, a California collector, whom I guide on his European visits, and he put us up in the superb Chantilly Intercontinental.


     There at breakfast I met a delightful collector from India who told me his 1931 Rolls Royce Phantom II had been sea freighted from India to Pebble Beach, then flown to Chantilly before the sea freight voyage back to India....pricey logistics.


     For the first time there was a chance to take part in the Saturday Club touring rally. Belgian collector Thierry Dehaeck, who owns several Ferraris including a superbly restored Verde Pino 275 GTB and a rare European delivery Daytona Spyder with hard top, was there with four cars.


     None of them from Maranello but he lent us one with a heart from Modena: a 1971 Citroën SM Maserati. The SM is the reason why Citroën bought the Maserati factory in 1968, so it could be sure of a steady supply of the V6 the Modenese firm developed and supplied for Citroën.


     In Ferrari terms the closest comparison or equivalent would be the Lancia Stratos with a 246 Dino engine or even closer the Lancia Thema 8.32 VERIF with a Ferrari 328 engine.


     We were assigned two very pleasant passengers, a Pebble Beach judge, and a beautiful Polish lady, girlfriend of the Bugatti 35 driver who already had a passenger.


     Asking the judge about his opinion regarding an unrestored preservation class Bugatti winning Best of Show last August...was, let’s say, a bad idea, as he did not approve at all...so I quickly changed the subject!


     The itinerary took us through beautiful countryside and state forests; the SM was a delight to drive and very agile in tight turns though I was following Thierry in his very torquey V8 Maserati Quattroporte Frua, one of two made.


     The SM, while quick, is not very torquey so I was tapping the steering wheel under acceleration trying to keep up. Cue the Polish lady laughing and shouting “cane that horse” each time!


     An Alfa Giulia Sprint GTA 1965 roared by us, that was Gaby von Oppenheim, not a surprise as she is a vintage racer, in fact she once raced the Ferrari Breadvan.


     A treat was a lap of the Mortefontaine UTAC test track, often used for television car show test drives. It was a beautiful old-fashioned road course winding through woods, up and down. There is a banked oval here, but it was not part of our itinerary.


     Eventually we reached our lunch at a polo field with Champagne aperitif followed by a sumptuous multi course buffets where I had chats with the likes of Martin Brundle, former Grand Prix driver and sharp F1 commentator for Sky F1.


     He was there invited by event sponsor watch maker Richard Mille, and Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, the conglomerate born of the merger of Fiat and Peugeot Citroën which owns Alfa Romeo, Maserati as well as US brands Chrysler and Jeep. He is a real enthusiast, amateur racer, and was loving it.


     After lunch and watching some polo training, we drove on through more back country roads, washed the SM and returned it to its spot on the concours lawn.


     Wouldn’t you know the next day this very car won its class against stiff competition: Post-War preservation!


     That evening there was a sumptuous VIP reception in Chateau de Chantilly with staff dressed in period costumes, equestrian dressage, and fireworks, but it was very pricey, so we skipped that.


     Concours day dawned sunny and cloudless with perfect 70-degree Fahrenheit temperature when you are wearing a blazer or jacket, as is the dress code. The setting is absolutely splendid with the cars lined up on the vast lawns of the impeccable gardens with the Chateau as a grand backdrop.

 


     So, which were the standout Maranello machines?


     Interestingly there was a class for 4- and 6-cylinder Ferraris; a good idea as they tend to get overlooked. There were three outstanding ones.


     The first, a 1959 196S S/N 0776, was air freighted all the way from Ohio by owner Brian Ross. Sold new to Luigi Chinetti on November 18, 1959, it had its first race December 4 at Nassau with Ricardo Rodríguez, the young Mexican prodigy finishing 4th overall and 2nd in class in the first heat of the Governor’s Trophy before crossing the line 2nd and first in class in the second heat.

 


     Three months later he was joined by his older brother Pedro for the 1960 Sebring 12 Hours on March 26, but the pair did not finish after clutch failure. They had better luck in Sicily with 7th place at the Targa Florio on May 8.


     That spring their father Don Pedro Rodríguez acquired the car and the brothers tackled the Nürburgring 1000 km but again did not finish, this time with engine failure.


     Chinetti then bought it back and ran it at the 1961 12 Hours of Sebring for Buck Fulp, Skip Hudson and William Helburn, 18th at the checker.


     Fulp bought the car that June, ran it in three races and sold it back to Chinetti six months later who resold it to its last racing entrant Tom O’Brien from New Jersey for its final four races at Bridgehampton, Lime Rock and twice at Vineland.


     That was it for 0776 which was retired and passed through a dizzying slew of A-list hands. F1 driver Jo Siffert owned it in 1966 as inventory since he was a dealer, he sold it to Rob Walker, who passed it on to Count Giovanni Lurani, then it was back to the USA, to Steve Forristall’s dealership in Texas and back again to Europe with Austrian count Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau and Italian collector Giorgio Perfetti before Kerry Manolas of Australia became its owner in 1992.


     He raced it in Europe at Silverstone, the Nürburgring and Spa before taking in the Monterey Historic Races and showing it at Pebble Beach in 1994. John Collins of Talacrest sold it in 1995 to Viscount Cowdray who entrusted it to Michael Pearson for races at the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone.


     Another A-list collector, Sir Anthony Bamford, took ownership in 2003. In 2009, Alex Birkenstock of the eponymous sandal empire became the next owner for a couple of vintage races including Le Mans Classic 2010. After passing through the hands of Leslie Wexner from 2013 onwards it was acquired by another Ohio owner in recent years, Brian Ross.


     Another outstanding car in this class was a 1957 500 TRC, S/N 0670 MDTR, sold new to Sicilian Baron Bernardo Cammarota. He raced it in hill climbs with a 3rd place first time out on May 11th, 1958, at the Corsa al Monte Pellegrino.

 


     It was further raced in hill climbs by two subsequent Sicilian owners; Mario Tropia aka “Caterpillar”, who between 1962 and 1964 had two victories, two 2nd places and a 3rd in five events.


     In 1964 Francesco Tagliavia took over the car and had one 3rd place in five events. It was then retired and restored by Giulio Dubbini in 1966.


     In 1998 Corrado Cupellini, a well-known historic racing stalwart, acquired it and raced in the Historic Challenge until 2003 when Californian Nick Colonna bought it. He had it restored and raced it at Monterey in 2004. Chris Cox bought it in 2006, took in the usual events and it was sold to Londoner Andrew Pisker in 2011.


     Cute is not a common definition for historic racing Ferraris but it was the word that came to mind when discovering the 1954 French Blue, 500 Mondial PF Spyder, S/N 0438 MD.


     Sold new to the jet-setting playboy Porfirio Rubirosa from the Dominican Republic, he only raced it once, on September 4, to 8th place in Santa Barbara.

 


     It was then sold to Ferrari California distributor John von Neumann who came 2nd and 1st in class on October 16 in Palm Springs. On November 27 he was 2nd in Torrey Pines, then on to the 1955 racing season it was back to Santa Barbara but with another von Neumann at the wheel: Josie, in the ladies’ race. She came 4th and won her class.


     It was raced by the likes of Richie Ginther and Phil Hill until von Neumann decided in early 1956 to replace the engine with a 3-litre Monza unit. He raced it six times for the remainder of the 1956 season with a 3rd place in Pomona and 2nd in Sacramento, this time with Ginther at the wheel.


     It was then sold to privateer Lew Yates who, hold on to your seat, fitted a Chevrolet V8, most likely as was typical in such cases in the USA because the previous engine was out of commission, and it was simpler and cheaper to do so with no parts readily available from the far-away factory.


     He raced it for two years with unremarkable results until it was sold on, going deep in decline via numerous owners and brokers, including Ed Niles and Richard Merritt in 1971.


     Four years later veteran UK dealer, Chris Renwick, imported it to England but the client he sold the car to never restored it, storing it apart.


     Its rebirth then came in stages along with its return to California, first at Ferrari of Los Gatos in 1992, where it was restored the first time.


     A year later offered by Symbolic Motor Cars in La Jolla who sold it into the good hands of Chris Cox of North Carolina. It won Outstanding 4-cylinder at the 1998 Cavallino Classic.


     That weekend it was acquired by DK Engineering who sold it to Germany where it had three owners in two years including Klaus Werner. He sold it in 2005 to Ulrich Schumacher who drove it in the 2006 Mille Miglia. The subsequent owner was Thomas Peck in the USA.


     One London-based collector did not have time to come to the event himself, so he lent his car to friends who drove it to Chantilly via Dover, the Channel Tunnel train and down from Calais on the northern coast to the concours. Which car? His 250 GTO, S/N 3387. Food for thought for the trailer queen brigade!


     Its owner, Frenchman Francois Perrodo, a very good amateur racer, had in fact driven it down to Le Mans in recent years. On Friday afternoon it was casually parked in front of the main Chantilly hotel, De Jeu De Paume, surrounded by quite a crowd.


     S/N 3387 was of course the very first GTO, sold to Luigi Chinetti, and made its debut at the 1962 Sebring 12 Hours in blue livery with white stripe.

 


     Its drivers were of the highest caliber but Phil Hill, reigning F1 world champion and Belgian Olivier Gendebien, by then a triple Le Mans winner, were a bit disappointed to be given “only” a GT car for the Florida classic...but they loved the car and finished in a superb 2nd place, winning the 3-litre GT class.


     In June of 1962, racer-importer Bob Grossman of Nyack, NY, bought 3387 and came 6th with it at Le Mans with George Roberts, Jr. He then went on to score two 2nd places at Bridgehampton and Nassau as well as multiple good results at Watkins Glen.


     Gammino liked the car so much he bought it in partnership with Libero Gerardi for the 1963 season. He scored 2nd place in his first race, another in Nassau that December in the Tourist Trophy, winning the GT class.


     In 1964 he won two races at Thompson Raceway. For its final race (and the only one in 1965) he invited Bob Grossman to take the wheel again, Bob winning his class and finishing 10th overall.


     The car was then retired and sold on passing through various hands including the notoriously shrewd Kirk White who bought it at the nadir of its value in 1969: “I’ll take that useless beat-up old racer off your hands, sir, I’ll be generous; $5,400 and you have yourself a deal today!”


     In 1978 after a spell in the hands of famed restorer Steve Griswold it was bought by Dr. Ron Finger who kept it till 1997 when Bernard Carl of Washington, D.C., acquired it. He had it restored and repainted in NART colors, i.e. medium blue with white stripe. S/N 3387 then took part in the Tour Auto twice, the Goodwood Revival, Coys Festival, toured the major concours such as Cavallino, Amelia Island, Bagatelle near Paris, the 2004 Monterey Historic Races, as well as the GTO tours in 2002, 2007 and the 50th anniversary in 2012.


     Perrodo bought it around 2020 taking it to shows in the UK as well as the Le Mans centenary show and parade in June 2023, having driven it from London of course.


     At Chantilly it was part of a class paying tribute to Carlo Chiti. The portly engineer had been of prime importance at Ferrari before he became part of the infamous 1961 Ferrari factory palace revolt in reaction to which Ferrari fired him and several others on the spot.


     A class entitled Charles Pozzi’s Ferraris honored the late driver, longtime importer of Ferrari in France and race entrant whose headquarters were based in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret.


     It included a 488 EVO, an F40, the 308 GTB Gr4 of Eric Neubauer and the famous 250 GTE S/N 4155 GT used as the 1963 Le Mans safety car, complete with small flags mounted on the bumpers front and rear. It still had its weathered 1963 Le Mans sticker on the rear window.

 


     The Daytona Gr4 S/N 15667 is well known for its distinctive arrow shaped blue, white, red livery but more importantly for its two major successes.


     Sold new to Charles Pozzi the French importer it was inaugurated at the 1972 Le Mans 24 Hours in that livery where Jean-Claude Andruet and friend Claude Ballot-Léna won the GT class finishing fifth overall.


     Then Andruet was back at the wheel for the Tour de France with his lady co-driver nicknamed Biche (Doe). This time the car was red and white in Thomson livery. During the grueling weeklong event they had a mammoth all-out duel with an equally fast Daytona Group 4 entered by Scuderia Filipinetti. Andruet/Biche scored a superb and well-deserved win.


     After that on October 15, it came in 10th at the Paris 1000 km at Monthlery. In 1973 it took part in Le Mans, with José Dolhem and Alain Serpaggi who finished 9th.


     Frenchman Guy Domet then acquired it that year though without using it. When his son François inherited it in 1992, he showed it during the memorable FF40 event in Brussels that year and took part in four Tour de France historic evocations.


     In 1997 it was sold to well-known London based Brazilian collector Carlos Monteverde who soon had it redone in its Le Mans 1972 livery.

 


     For the next 25 years and counting he took it to dozens of Ferrari Historic Challenge races, winning at least seven times, once at Le Mans with David Franklin driving and six times himself at Hockenheim, Valencia, and Spa.


     More recently it won the Le Mans 1970 to today class at the 2023 Hampton Court Concours in the UK.


     The Formula One 1964 to 1972 class included an old friend: the 1967 312 F1, S/N 0007.

 


      Decades ago I photographed it at Symbolic Motorcars for Cavallino interviews with Chris Amon and Derek Bell. Derek had told me that seeing Amon crash at Monza where he rolled over an embankment into the trees almost caused him to retire on the spot...before the New Zealander emerged, dusty but unscathed.


     The Brit also joked that he had a hard time fitting in that car nowadays, understandable as it has one of the narrowest cockpits ever.
After being owned by the likes of Pierre Bardinon, Bob Dusek in the USA, MM Hayashi and then Matsuda in Japan, Brazilian Carlos Monteverde in the UK and Todd Morici in New Jersey, it is now the property of Frenchman Jean-François Decaux.

 


     The club displays cover acres of the gorgeous park and it is always a pleasure to view other marques’ offerings; where else can you see rows of Facel Vegas, Aston Martins, Morgans, Alpine Renaults, etc., while people picnic the old-fashioned way, with white tablecloths, proper gastronomic courses and good wines on artfully laid out tables. French art de vivre at its best.


     Beyond a superb Rosso Cordoba 275 GTB, a 365 GT 2+2, several BB512s and numerous recent cars all the way to a couple of Monza SP1s, the star of the Club Ferrari France cars was the gorgeous 250 GT LWB Spyder California, S/N 1057 GT, in Grigio Metallizzato (gun metal gray) with tan interior recently acquired from Swede Staffan Wittmark’s collection at the Monaco Artcurial auction last May.


     The Awards ceremony then took place, each winner and runner up parading once around the huge fountain before being invited on the podium.


     Logically enough the 250 GTO, S/N 3387 GT, won the Tribute to Carlo Chiti class.


     The 4- and 6-cylinder Ferrari class was won by the 1959 196S ahead of the 500 TRC.


     The Charles Pozzi class was won by the 250 GTE safety car ahead of the Daytona Gr4, surprising but after all racing cars are supposed to stay behind pace cars!

 


     The Formula One 1964 to 1972 saw 1st prize go to the 1976 312 ahead of a Lotus 33 and a BRM P261.


     Best of Show Pre-War went to an unrestored Bugatti Type 35C, part of a tribute to the late Peter Mullin whose wife Merle was in attendance.


     Post-War Best of Show went to a one-off 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe, a road car with a grand prix engine which blew past us the day before on the touring rally, its engine bellowing like a WWII fighter plane, an awesome supercar of its day.


     And with that the dreamlike day was over.


     At dinner back at the hotel, tired from a long day of walking and countless chats, we started talking with the man at the next table who turned out to be Pascal Auré the administrator of the Club Ferrari France, who had great knowledge about the people in the early days of the club.


     Cue another two-hour chat about Pierre Bardinon, Jess Pourret and other notables from decades past!


     The next morning, he and his wife were driving home, several hours west, in their 328 GTB. That’s the spirit!


     The next edition will take place in summer 2026. If you want a grand European experience, this is it.


          For more information see: https://www.chantillyartsetelegance.com/en/

 

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