Mathias Doutreleau and his team are to be envied and admired at the same time. Of course, with the Château Coppet, located on Lake Geneva between Nyon and Geneva, they have a beautiful backdrop for their Concours d'Elégance Suisse. At the same time, many owners of rare and beautiful cars still have to be persuaded every year to bring their vehicles to the beauty contest.
In memory of Giovanni Michelotti
The theme of "Giovanni Michelotti" provided a particularly beautiful setting on June 17 and 18, 2023. Son Edgardo Michelotti explained his father's work in an elaborately designed pavilion, and a specially set up class with around a dozen vehicles showed a small selection of the more than 1000 cars that Giovanni had drawn or bodyworked in his life.
The Michelotti class showed very nicely how the designer had always adapted to the trends of the time, but also helped to shape them. For example, a Lancia Aurelia Coupé with Vignale bodywork was on display, which certainly paved the way for the Pinin-Farina GT.
Also interesting is the TR6 alternative "Ginevra" based on the TR5, which never went into production.
And the two Ferrari sports cars showed that not all Michelotti designs were equally aesthetically pleasing.
The small Michelotti creations, such as the Monterosa coupé based on the Fiat 600, were pretty.
Large Porsche class
The Porsche class, which commemorated the 75th anniversary of the German sports car brand, was also extensive.
Of course, there were many 911 versions on display, some of them younger, but there were also two Porsche 928s, one of which was a very early model in attractive sky blue with a Pasha interior, and a 912 as a soft window Targa from 1967.
This car was fully documented from the beginning and even the original steering wheel installed before the factory replacement was still in the trunk of the car.
Five ACs for 70 years of Ace
The first AC Ace was introduced in 1953, originally based on a sports car designed by John Tojeiro. Various engines were implanted over the years, the most famous of which is of course the in-line six-cylinder from Bristol, which in turn was based on the BMW 328 engine. In addition to the roadster, there was also the Aceca coupé. And finally, the Shelby Cobra was also based on the Ace light-alloy roadster.
Five cars were shown, three Ace, one Aceca and one Cobra. One of the three Ace was a Le Mans version with a flat windshield.
Special selection for 60 years of Lamborghini
Two of the rare Lamborghini Islero were part of the Lamborghini class, which also included a Miura, a 350 GT, an Espada, a Diablo and a Countach.
Anyone strolling along the row could easily compare the different design languages with which Lamborghini worked in the first two decades.
The modern icons
Three classes were dedicated to the "Modern Icons", divided into road-going racing sports cars (Road & Track), elegant and fast GTs (Elégance & Speed) and elegant everyday cars (Elégance de Ville).
In the first of these three classes, the three Jaguar XK120s, which together presented a particularly beautiful picture, stood out, as did the Ferrari 250 MM with its clearly visible patina, which won the prize for the best sound.
The two hyper sports cars from the late 1950s, the Ferrari 410 Superamerica with Pinin-Farina coupé bodywork and the Maserati 5000 GT with Frua bodywork from 1962, were also not to be overlooked, taking first and second place in their class. The truly impressive Ferrari was also named "Best of Show".
In both cases, powerful racing-derived engines were used, which certainly ensured fabulous performance at the time.
It was also nice to see one of the rare four-door Monica GT saloons, which deserved to win its class.
However, there were not only super-expensive exotics to admire in this class, but also former everyday cars such as the Rover 90 from 1954 or the Rover P5B Coupé from 1969.
A total of thirteen classes
The more than 80 cars competed in a total of 13 classes:
B-1 Giovanni Michelotti, Style & Innovation
C-1 Porsche 75th Anniversary
D-1 AC 70th anniversary
E-1 Lamborghini 60th anniversary
F-1 Art & Precision: The Swiss Coachbuilders
G-1 Pre-War Elegance, 1930-1939
J-1 The American Dream, 1945-1969
K-1 Modern Icons, Road & Track
K-2 Modern Icons, Elegance & Speed
K-3 Modern Icons, Elégance de Ville
L-1 The cars of the Geneva International Motor Show
M-1 Hot Rods
R-1 Rebels
Not all classes were equally well stocked, but the unorthodox "rebels" also offered interesting cars, such as the Vector W8, which is rare in this country.
In contrast to previous years, pre-war cars were few and far between in 2023, with vehicles from Bugatti, Delahaye and British pre-war brands missing. However, two Delage and a Packard were on display. However, an Ulster or another early sports car from the brand would certainly have been a good fit for the presentation of the new Aston Martin DB12.
Cars in motion
While the Tour d'Elégance started on Friday, vehicle movements on Saturday and Sunday were the exception rather than the rule. New were short promenades around the fountain.
On Saturday afternoon, for example, a group of Porsche 911/912 models and various Maserati models were on show to the public.
See and be seen
A Concours d'Elégance is always a social event, and many of the participants and visitors lived up to this aim in terms of their attire.
There was also a wide range of refreshment stands, so that nobody had to go home thirsty or hungry.
The award-winning
Best of Show of the 2023 Concours d'Elégance Suisse:
1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III Coupé Pininfarina
Best of Sound of the 2023 Concours d'Elégance Suisse:
1953 Ferrari 250 MM Berlinetta Pinin Farina
Class Awards
Giovanni Michelotti, Style & Innovation (under 1500cc):
1st place: 1977 Morris Michelotti Spiagetta, Coachwork and design by Michelotti
2nd place: 1957 Fiat 600 Berlinetta 2nd place: 1957 Fiat 600 Berlinetta, design by Monterosa
Giovani Michelotti, Style & Innovation (above 1500cc)
1st place: 1967 Ferrari 330 GT Michelotti, design & coachwork by Michelotti
2nd place: 1962 Triumph Italia 2nd place: 1962 Triumph Italia 2000GT, design by Michelotti
Porsche 75th Anniversary:
1st place: 1977 Porsche 928
2nd place: 1993 Porsche 964 speedster Turbo-Look
A.C. 70th Anniversary:
1st place: 1958 A.C. Bristol AC "Le Mans"
2nd place: 1960 A.C. Ace Bristol
Lamborghini 60th Anniversary:
1st place: 1970 Lamborghini Espada
2nd place: 1993 Lamborghini Dijon Dijon 2nd place: 1993 Lamborghini Diablo SE
Art & Precision : The Swiss coachbuilders:
1st place: 1964 Alvis TE21 Graber Super
Pre-War Elegance, 1920 - 1939:
1st place: 1933 Packard V12
2nd place: 1939 2nd place: 1939 Delage D6-75 Chapron
The American Dream, 1945 - 1969:
1st place: 1961 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
2nd place: 1957 Chevrolet Biarritz 2nd place: 1957 Chevrolet Corvette C1
Modern Icons, Road & Track:
1st place: 1953 Ferrari 250 MM Berlinetta Pinin Farina
2nd place: 1956 Austin Healey 2nd place: 1956 Austin Healey 100M "Factory" BN2
Modern Icons, Elegance & Speed:
1st place: 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III Coupé Pininfarina
2nd place: 1962 Maserati 5000 BN2 2nd place: 1962 Maserati 5000 GT Frua
Modern Icons, Elegance in Town:
1st place: 1974 Monica 560 Vignale
2nd place: 1969 Rover P5B 2nd place: 1969 Rover P5B Coupé 3.5
The star cars of the Geneva International Motor Show
1. 1st place: 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
2. 2nd place: 1961 Jaguar E-Type Coupé
Rebel's Class - Just Because
1. 1st place: 1993 Singer Porsche Carrera 2
2nd place: 1933 Ford Krugger Hot Rod
The picture gallery with over 150 photos of the event also provides an impression of the event.
