Concours d Elegance of America at the Inn at St Johns

2012 Concours d Elegance of America

Bruce Sheridan

Unique car show

The Concours d'Elegance of America is a very storied and prestigious car show that brings together the best cars from yesterday and today. More than 300 cars were featured, dating from the inception of automotives all the way to the super cars of today.

The 2012 Concours d'Elegance of America was held at the Inn at St Johns in Plymouth, Michigan for the second consecutive year. It was previously held at the Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester Hills, Michigan from 1979 to 2010, but moved to the larger venue and has been considered a big success both years by visitors, car owners and sponsors alike.


People were able to walk the sun drenched golf course and view cars of all shapes from all different eras. Each car was assigned a number, and attendees could vote for the car they liked the most. The competition is very stiff; cars are required to be above and beyond mint condition in this top end car show.


There was a special focus on the American station wagon for this year's Concours d'Elegance of America. Many of these classic family cars drove people across America's new highway system for the first time in the 1950s and 1960s. Collectors say they are especially difficult to find surviving models in good enough condition since throughout the years most of these cars were driven into the ground or scrapped for parts along the way.


There was also an auction with some of the most valuable cars for sale. One of the most interesting was the gangster Al Capone's 1928 Cadillac touring car. This green and black V8 Cadillac has 3,000 extra pounds of bulletproof reinforcing, including armor and one inch thick windows, and even circular gun ports in the rear and side.

Part of the money raised will go towards the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Leader Dogs for the Blind and the Hospice of Michigan.

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