Every year, mid-February, my wife, kids, and I escape the crummy New England weather for the sunny skies of southern Florida. This trip always coincides with the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance (2014, 2015). While I am not much of a concours person, I have grown to like this show a lot. Yes, it’s a bit snooty, after all it is set at the posh Boca Raton Resort, where just the cars of the resort guests easily surpass most people’s annual income, but I have learned to ignore the fluff and just enjoy the cars in the hot sun. This year Jay Leno hosted the dinner and auction the night before the show (I didn’t attend that, too broke) and I happened to run into him at the show. We actually have a mutual Lada/VAZ-owning friend and I felt the need to mention that to him. Other than that, I checked out the cars. This year two things really caught my eye: hood ornaments and the way the dash design changed through the years. The styling of everything is really inspirational, which is one of reasons I go to that show.

DASH LAYOUTS

There was a time when the front seats were smaller than the rear seats. Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – passanger-side gauges. Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – vertically, or otherwise improperly, mounted DIN-sized radios. Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – two-spoke steering wheels. Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – backward gauges. The early years of plastics. Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – dual wiper motors (too obscure?).   Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – exterior colored dashboards. Potential Encyclopedia Hoonatica question – factory gauge packs! I am not sure if this dash is factory or restored to 13/10ths, but I love everything about this. Remember this picture as we will return to it shortly. I’m guessing 1950s/1960s, right? Same car, I’m guessing 1980s. Geebus. The age of crappy plastics is in full swing here. Look at that design! You just want to sit in that car and look at it! It is interesting to see how after 1940s American and European designs started heading in very different directions. Great design but lackluster quality control. Look at he pedals.

HOOD EMBLEMS

ENGINES

I love this! Six spark-plugs, three carbs, and a pretty header.

RANDOM STUFF

INTERESTING CARS

WANT WANT WANT!

2016 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance Winners

Class Awards

Brass, Antique and Vintage through 1924  Excellence in Class—1910 Oakland 24 Roadster, Keith Bailey- N. Kingstown, Rhode Island Best in Class—1919 Pierce-Arrow 66 A-4 Tourer, Robert S. Jepson, Jr.- Savannah, Georgia American Classic Open 1925-1934 Excellence in Class—1930 Duesenberg Model J, Stephen Plaster- Lebanon, MO Best in Class—1928 Auburn 8-88 Speedster, Helen & Richard Harding- Beavercreek, Ohio American Classic Closed 1925-1934 Excellence in Class—1933 Cadillac 370C, Daniel Gernatt- Lake Wales, Florida Best in Class—1929 Peerless 8-125 Sedan, Daniel Johnson- Dania Beach, Florida American Classic Open 1935-1948 Excellence in Class—1940 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Sedan, Ty Houck- West Palm Beach, Florida Best in Class—1936 Auburn 852 S/C Boattail Speedster, Gordon Logan- Georgetown, Texas American Classic Closed 1935-1948 Excellence in Class—1947 Chrysler Town and Country Sedan, Daniella & Robert Becker- Delray Beach, Florida Best in Class—1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 Town Car, Rosalind & Howard Kroplick- East Hills, New York American Production Open 1925-1949 Excellence in Class—1935 Ford 48 Phaeton, Larry Epstein- Brooklyn, New York Best in Class—1925 Overland 91 Roadster, Tina & William Sipko- Windber, Pennsylvania American Production Closed 1925-1949 Best in Class—1942 Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette, Steven Cooley, Jr.- Homosassa, Florida American Production Open 1950-1959  Excellence in Class—1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible, Wm “Tom” Gerrard- Fort Lauderdale, Florida Excellence in Class—1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible, Ken Poss- Boca Raton, Florida Best in Class—1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible, Bill Spurling- Stuart Florida American Production Closed 1950-1959 Excellence in Class—1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II, Marybeth Sheehan- Boca Raton, Florida Best in Class—1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk, Mark L. James- Lancaster, Pennsylvania American Production Open 1960-1975 Excellence in Class—1963 Ford Thunderbird Convertible, Mickey Spillane- Port Saint Lucie, Florida Best in Class—1966 Ford Mustang GT Convertible, Amit Berger- Vestavia, Alabama American Production Closed 1960-1975 Excellence in Class—1964 Buick Riviera Coupe, Dylan Meltzer- Boca Raton, Florida Best in Class—1964 Chevrolet Impala SS, Evan Stone- Deltona, Florida American Sports Open 1946-1960 Excellence in Class—1955 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster, Gavin Ruotolo- Vero Beach, Florida Best in Class—1955 Ford Thunderbird, Arlene & Edward Raabe- Fort Lauderdale, Florida American Sports Open 1961-1975 Excellence in Class—1969 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, Robert Lopez- Miami, Florida Best in Class—1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, Debra & Frank Tetro- Melbourne, Florida American Sports Closed 1961-1975 Excellence in Class—1968 Chevrolet Corvette, Bruce Post- Cincinnati, Ohio Best in Class—1972 Chevrolet LT-1 Corvette 2 Door Coupe, Eduardo Padron- Miami, Florida American Muscle Open 1960-1975 Excellence in Class—1969 Pontiac Firebird, Eugene Francavilla- Jupiter, Florida Best in Class—1969 Dodge Coronet R/T Convertible, Scott Garber- Weston, Florida American Muscle Closed 1960-1975 Excellence in Class—1969 1/2 Dodge Coronet Super Bee A12, Dave Abernathy- Ormond Beach, Florida Best in Class—1967 Chevrolet L88 Corvette, Dr. Richard Workman- Windermere, Florida American Sporting Wagons through 1975 Excellence in Class—1956 Chevrolet Nomad, Pat & Larry Wilson- Palm Beach, Florida Best in Class—1949 Packard 2201 Wagon, Ralph Marano- Westfield, New Jersey Foreign Touring Pre-War through 1942 Best in Class—1937 Alvis Speed 25, Celia & John Layzell- North Miami, Florida Foreign Touring Post-War 1946-1975 Excellence in Class—1949 Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina Berlinetta, Ed Waterman- Fort Lauderdale, Florida Best in Class—1962 Maserati 3500GT, Pat & Larry Wilson- Palm Beach, Florida Rolls-Royce & Bentley Pre-War Open through 1942  Excellence in Class—1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, Marybeth Sheehan- Boca Raton, Florida Best in Class—1931 Bentley 8 Litre Tourer by Swallow, Donnie Gould- Stuart, Florida Rolls-Royce & Bentley Post-War Open 1943-1975  Excellence in Class—1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I Drophead Coupe, Ann Marie & Stephen Haymes- Palm Beach, Florida Best in Class—1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II Four Door Convertible, Gene Epstein- Wrightstown, Pennsylvania Rolls-Royce & Bentley Post-War Closed1943-1975  Excellence in Class—1959 Bentley S-1 Continental Sports Saloon, Donna & Fred Kriz- Miami Beach, Florida Best in Class—1960 Bentley S-2 Continental Flying Spur, Colleen Paige & Richard Gorman- North Miami, Florida Foreign Sports Open thru 1959 Excellence in Class—1958 Porsche Speedster, Thomas Zarrella- Gloucester, Massachusetts Best in Class—1937 BMW 328 Roadster, Alexandra & Dirk DeGroen- Coral Gables, Florida Foreign Sports Closed thru 1959 Excellence in Class—1957 Porsche 352 Sunroof Coupe, Nicholas Ekonomou- Miami, Florida Best in Class—1957 Ferrari 250 GT “Boano”, Dennis Nicotra- New Haven, Connecticut Foreign Sports Open 1960-1975 Excellence in Class—1967 Ferrari 330 GTS Roadster, Dennis Nicotra- New Haven, Connecticut Best in Class—1963 Jaguar E-Type OTS, Lony Taylor- Holly Hill, Florida Foreign Sports Closed 1960-1975 Excellence in Class—1968 BMW 1600 GT Coupe, Elliott Schnackenberg- Milwaukee, Wisconsin Best in Class—1969 Iso Grifo 71, Glen Simon- Palm Beach Gardens, Florida European Estate Cars through 1975 Excellence in Class—1961 Jaguar Mark II, Pat & Larry Wilson- Palm Beach, Florida Best in Class—1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB Limousine, Guy Lewis- Pinecrest, Florida European Estate Wagons through 1975  Excellence in Class—1948 Bentley Mark VI Countryman Mark I, Bill Jacobson- Wilmington, Delaware Best in Class—1959 Morris Miner Traveller Station Wagon, Guy Lewis- Pinecrest, Florida Unique & Limited Production Cars 1920-1952  Excellence in Class—1952 Glasspar G2 Roadster, Stephen O’Brien- Crestview, Florida Best in Class—1948 Tucker 48 Four Door Sedan, Donnie Gould- Stuart, Florida Unique & Limited Production Cars 1953-1973  Excellence in Class—1973 BMW 3.0 CSL Lightweight, Craig Brody- Weston, Florida Best in Class—1957 Dual Ghia Convertible, Stephen Plaster- Lebanon, Missouri Preservation through 1975 Excellence in Class—1934 Packard 1101 Sedan, James Inglis- West Palm Beach, Florida Best in Class—1927 Packard 343-290 Touring, Stephen McDonald- McAlpin, Florida Packard Pre-War through 1938 Excellence in Class—1931 Packard 833 Convertible Coupe, Barry Paraizo- North Palm Beach, Florida Best in Class—1938 Packard Model 1143 Super Eight, Colin Gilber- Boca Raton, Florida Packard Pre-War 1939-1942 Excellence in Class—1939 Packard 120 Convertible, Norman Wolgin- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Best in Class—1940 Packard Darin Convertible Victoria, Ralph Marano- Westfield, New Jersey Packard Post-War Excellence in Class—1954 Packard Caribbean Convertible, Steve Ledbetter- Lafayette, Georgia Best in Class—1950 Packard Custom Eight Victoria, Paul Teets- Raleigh, North Carolina

Special Awards

Jay Leno’s Big Dog Award 1966 Dodge Charger Fastback, Bridget Hagood- Cocoa, Florida Florida Panthers Award  1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II, Marybeth Sheehan- Boca Raton, Florida Ulysse Nardin Timeless Award 1938 Talbot Lago T23 TearDrop Coupe, Paul Bloch- Miami Beach, Florida Sponsors Choice Award- Honda Jet 1932 Ford Roadster, Mark Conforth- Lafayette, New Jersey Sponsors Choice Award- J.R. Dunn Jewelers 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 Town Car, Rosalind & Howard Kroplick- East Hills, New York Sponsors Choice Award- Barrett-Jackson 1969 Iso Grifo 71, Glen Simon- Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Hagerty Youth Award 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible, Larry Coe- Boca Raton, Florida Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Award 1958 Jaguar XK-150, Frank Troost- Hillside, Illinois Mercedes-Benz Club of America Award 1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing, Mark Smith- Dania Beach, Florida The Historic Vehicle Association’s THIS CAR MATTERS Award 1927 Packard 343-290 Touring, Stephen McDonald- McAlpin, Florida Best European Classic 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Sports Saloon, Stephanie & Orin Smith- Vero Beach, Florida Best American Classic 1919 Pierce-Arrow 66 A-4 Tourer, Robert S. Jepson, Jr.- Savannah, Georgia Best Closed Post-War Car 1959 Lancia Flaminia Sport, Lisa & Leo Schigiel- Miami Beach, Florida Best Closed Pre-War Car 1931 Cadillac V16 Imperial Limousine, David Gano- Salem, Ohio Best Open Post-War Car 1953 Lancia Aurelia PF 200C Spider, Orin Smith- Vero Beach, Florida Best Open Pre-War Car 1932 Chrysler Imperial CH 5 Passenger Convertible, Tina & William Sipko- Windber, Pennsylvania Most Elegant Post-War Closed 1960 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Limo, Mitch Kaminsky- Boca Raton, Florida Most Elegant Post-War Open 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, Dr. Richard Workman-Windermere, Florida Most Elegant Pre-War Closed 1931 Cadillac V16 Imperial Limousine, David Gano- Salem, Ohio Most Elegant Pre-War Open 1934 Packard V-12 1107 Coupe Roadster, Lorie & David Greenberg- Hewlett Harbor, New York Essence of Design 1938 Talbot Lago T23 TearDrop Coupe, Paul Bloch- Miami Beach, Florida Rolling Sculpture 1938 Talbot Lago T23 TearDrop Coupe, Paul Bloch- Miami Beach, Florida Spirit of the Road 1910 Packard 30 Gentleman’s Roadster, Stephen Babinsky- Lebanon, New Jersey Timeless Elegance 1938 Talbot Lago T23 TearDrop Coupe, Paul Bloch- Miami Beach, Florida Chief Judge Award 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100 2 Door Hdt, Ed Zukusky- Bradenton, Florida Chairman’s Choice Award 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, Dr. Richard Workman-Windermere, Florida Founders Award 1929 Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom, Agatha & Robert Matteucci- Jupiter, Florida People’s Choice Award 1953 Lancia Aurelia PF 200C Spider, Orin Smith- Vero Beach, Florida Grand Marshal Award, Top Tier Class 1955 Thunderbird Custom, Don Morton- Grosse Ile, Michigan Best of Show 1919 Pierce-Arrow 66 A-4 Tourer, Robert S. Jepson, Jr.- Savannah, Georgia