The 24th Raid Suisse-Paris, which exceptionally led to Brussels, was preceded for the 18th time by the Concours d'Elégance Basel. The main sponsor was once again Bank CIC, and as a special feature, four framed photos of a Mercedes-Benz 220 were auctioned off this time - albeit a somewhat battered oldie - which a number of youngsters had artistically painted: the aim was to raise money for Swiss Children's Cancer Aid. After all, the four successful shots raised around 2,000 francs.
The six-member jury was faced with 14 pre-war cars, 40 post-war cars up to 1978, three sports cars and five classic cars for the separate AR classification.
In addition to some collector's items already known from previous years, there were a large number of rarities presented for the first time in Basel as well as freshly restored collector's items to admire. The condition of these aged cars was also at a high level this year.
For the first time, one of the jewels from the famous collection of Estonian Saulius Karosas, which is maintained in Germany, also competed in Basel, namely a newly built but original Mercedes-Benz 380 Special Roadster with bodywork by the renowned Berlin company Erdmann & Rossi. The Type 380 was the predecessor of the legendary 500 K, of which only 154 units were built in 1933/34. It was obvious that this car was voted "Best of Show" in Basel.
Equally deserving of recognition were a number of classic cars maintained and restored under Swiss aegis, such as - to stay with Mercedes-Benz - a Type 290 Cabriolet A in a friendly bright two-tone paint finish or the Cord 812 S/C Phaeton, a pioneering American front-wheel drive design from 1937, which won the pre-war car category. The two unusual air intake grilles above the typical Cord transverse slits - which had once led to the name "coffin nose" - were specially designed for the cars delivered to California to improve cooling. Surprisingly, a superbly restored 1957 Borgward Isabella Coupé took first place in the post-war car category.
One of the public's favorites at the presentation of the Concours cars in Basel's Freie Strasse was a Swiss car, namely a 1927 Martini Six of the FU type with six people dressed appropriately for the era (see SwissClassics 42 /02.14, page 54). The wooden decorations on the inside of the doors were a feast for the eyes.
It's just a shame that there was no separate category for the various delightful small cars from Daf, Fiat or Renault.
