Exotic Elegant History
John Sweeney of Franklin, Mass., drives his 1954 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster in Portsmouth. This car and other vintage and classic automobiles will be on display at the 2007 Concourse d’ Elegance being held May 26-28 at the ocean front Belle Mer property in Newport.The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski
Concours d’Elegance is featuring a number of Boattail roadsters, including an unrestored 1915 Crane Simplex Boattail Speedster. Named for the rounded rear in the shape of a boat, the cars provide a nautical echo to Newport’s heritage.
I start getting excited this time of year. It’s time for all of history to start showing out at the Concours d’Elegance. The original idea of the Concours d’Elegance was a display of beautiful cars along with the latest fashions. I really enjoy looking at all the beautiful lines of designs that the automobiles offer. And I believe the above Jaguar is one of the sexiest designs ever to grace the body of cars.
There’s a growing movement in the automobile collecting world to “preserve and conserve” rather than restore, collectors prefer their cars to be in as original shape as possible. Once the originality is gone, there’s no bringing it back. So we’ll start seeing more of the “battle scars” charm gracing the interiors and exteriors of the elegant beauties. The “battle scars” do not necessarily detract from the “visual Pow” of a car. It’s more about visual elegance, beauty of line, execution of design that makes these cars exotic elegance.
Terry on May 23rd 2007 in Exotic Car Rental