On January 11, the Arizona Biltmore will host the Second Annual Arizona Concours D’Elegance, an automotive competition and charitable event that will benefit the Arizona chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation.
This year, 90 automobiles will be judged across 17 Concours classes, including a “Best of Show” category. John Carlson, a famous veteran Concours judge, will serve as chief judge for the event, which will be moderated by Keith Martin, publisher of Sports Car Market and American Car Collector magazines, along with Donald Osborne, veteran collector-car writer and commentator.
Some highly anticipated entries include a rare 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow (one of three known surviving models), the 1954 Fiat 8V from Carrozzeria Ghia (the famous Turin design house), a custom-bodied 1953 Cadillac once owned by Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth and a 1954 Plymouth Explorer from Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and an exhibition of the cars of Frank Lloyd Wright (featuring his 1937 AC 16/80 “Ace” roadster).
Two new events are also projected to take place the day before the Concours:
A panel presented by the Phoenix Automotive Press Association (PAPA) where collector-car experts will discuss the trends of today’s market and touch on such topics as which cars will get the most attention at the 2015 RM Auction in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area.
“Elegance at Speed,” a talk about race car design over the decades from three top designers, including F1 and Indy Car designer Nigel Bennett; Peter Brock, best-known for designing the Cobra Daytona Coupe for Carroll Shelby’s team to compete with at Le Mans; and Kip Wasenko, former director of design for GM's Cadillac Division and designer of Cadillac's Le Mans Prototype (LMP). Former race driver and second woman to race the Indianapolis 500, Lyn St. James, will be moderating the forum.
The Second Annual Concours D’Elegance has chosen Sir Sterling Moss OBE as 2015’s honored guest. The racing legend, who only recently retired, is now traveling the world and serving as a motorsports ambassador.