A gorgeously restored 1931 Cadillac 452A was selected the Best of Show at the 28th annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance. Meanwhile, a Barris-Built 1957 Chevrolet 210 "El Capitola" was voted Best of Show at the Concours de Sport.
A record 12,000 automotive enthusiasts were present at the three-day motoring event this past weekend. They came to watch the elegant 1931 Cadillac 452A, owned by Leigh Brent, winning the Best of Show Concours d'Elegance.
Before it became Leigh Brent's, the Caddy was part of the Charles Gillet Collection. The 452A is one of the final automobiles built by Fleetwood in Pennsylvania. The Greenwich winner is one of the four All-Weather Phaetons known to survive.
It is an All-Weather Phaeton because it comes with a roll-up side glass instead of the side curtains that he standard four-door model features. It also comes with a rear partition, which makes it the perfect chauffeur-driven car. It was the most expensive of the lineup, and it hit the market soon after the Wall Street Crash in the fall of 1929, when the American stock market collapsed.
The model was unveiled at the car show in New York City on January 4, 1930. It was definitely the wrong time. But sales figures exceeded the hopes of the Cadillac executives at the time. It was powered by the almight 452-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) V16, which generated 175 horsepower (177 metric horsepower) and 319 pound-feet (432 Newton meters) in a rear-wheel drive setup. That engine had to pull a car that was 6,173 pounds (2,800 kilograms).
1957 Chevrolet 210 "El Capitola" was Best of Show Concours de Sport
The 1957 Chevrolet 210 "El Capitola," owned by Tim McCann, was crowned Best of Show Concours de Sport. Designed and executed by Sam Barris in 1957-1958, the model in white and magenta was originally commissioned by Don Fletcher in 1957. It also features a cabin, paintwork, and glass made by Barris Kustom City.
Photo: Hagerty
To take the award home, the Chevrolet had to defeat over 120 cars, with Rolls-Royces, Porsche Carreras, and Lamborghinis being on the list.
To look like it does today, the Cadillac was chopped 3 inches at the front and 5 inches at the rear, the door posts were removed, the body was nosed, decked, and shaved, and the front fenders were reshaped.
The engineers used components from Studebaker, Chevrolet, Lincoln, DeSoto, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile, but also Cessna aircraft struts for the tops of the rear fenders.
The Chevy comes with an all-original interior installed by Eddie Martinez in 1958. There are four swiveling bucket seats in there, in the company of a free-standing TV.
Powering the 210 "El Capitola" is the 265-cubic-inch V8, mated to a three-speed automatic transmission with a column shifter.
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