Every August, the Morgan Adams Foundation Concours d'Elegance offers automobile enthusiasts, collectors, and the general public the opportunity to view some of the most unique, oldest, and most expensive automobiles.
Here is a glimpse at a few remarkable cars featured over the years, from the finest vehicles of yesteryear to one of the most exceptionally rare cars you'll ever see.
Oldest - 1906 Success Auto Buggy
Essentially, it is a buggy with a two to three-horsepower single-cylinder engine mounted on the right side of the wooden frame. The Success Highwheeler came on the scene in 1906 and disappeared in 1909, not coincidentally the same year Henry Ford launched his Model T. Built in St. Louis, the Success Highwheelers appealed to skeptical farmers who had to negotiate rutted tracks and were learning that, unlike a horse, a gasoline-powered motor vehicle didn't need to be fed. The Success emulated the buggy driver's position, placing the horizontal steering wheel in the center of the front seat.
2023 Winner -1932 Auburn 8-100A
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting and stylish offerings of the period, the Al Leamy-designed Auburn Speedster incorporated a radically tapered rear end, which gave the Auburn a similar appearance to a road-going speedboat, hence the 'Boat tail' nickname. The elegant design was typically paired with artful features such as a contrasting paint scheme and chrome accents, while the high-cowl and rear-hinged doors gave the Speedster a sporty flair that captured the public's imagination.
Most Rare - 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6B Dubonnet Xenia
Andre Dubonnet’s Saoutchik-bodied Hispano-Suiza H6B must have looked like a vision of the future as it negotiated the roads and highways of prewar France. Eight decades later, it’s no less remarkable.
The Xenia’s shape was penned with input from aerodynamicist Jean Andreau. Dubonnet’s innovative ideas factored heavily into its construction as well: Instead of opening on conventional hinges, its doors lifted out and then slid rearward, paralleling the body and allowing easier entry. The front roof panel could be removed and stowed in the trunk, allowing occupants to enjoy open-air motoring in good weather. Even the aircraft-inspired wraparound windshield would have been seen as innovative for its day.
Most Expensive - 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
This Bugatti sold for $36 million in 2010 and is estimated to be worth nearly $64 million today. Bugatti only built four of these coupes between 1936 and 1938, when Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean modernized the company's vehicle lineup.
The model was named after Jean Bugatti's friend, French pilot Jean Mermoz, one of the pioneers in aviation and the first to cross the South Atlantic by air.
2021 Winner – 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS
This Alfa Romeo was produced in 1939, clothed in a Superleggera Berlinetta body by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. Records indicate that only 16 Touring Berlinettas were produced.
Famed Italian actress Claretta Patecci, most known for being Benito Mussolini's mistress, was gifted this car by Il Duece himself in 1939.
On the 27th of April 1945, in this car, Claretta Patecci and her brother joined a German Wehrmacht caravan heading to Switzerland, trying to escape the allied forces. A group of Italian Partisans caught them along with Mussolini.
2024 Concours d'Elegance
August 24, Centennial Airport