The weather forecast had not promised anything good for Saturday, but when the first guests arrived on June 22, 2019, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. The temperatures were moderate, perfect for a Concours d'Elégance in the castle gardens of Coppet, near Geneva.
The entire event took place over three days (June 21 to 23, 2019), with the judges at work on Saturday and the cars presented to the invited public in a standing position.
Anniversaries at the center
Mathias Doutreleau dedicated the fourth Concours Suisse to some important anniversaries, namely Bentley (100 years), Citroën (100 years), Bugatti (110 years), Delahaye (125 years), Henry Chapron (100 years) and Mini (60 years), in other words a total of 595 years of automotive elegance to look back on.
Alvis could easily have been mentioned as well; after all, there were two of these cars on site.
Three classes for 100 years of Citroën
André Lefèbre (1894-1964) was the automotive engineer who taught some of the most important Citroën models to run between the 1930s and 1960s. After working for Avion Voisin and Renault, he joined Citroën and developed the Traction Avant, later the 2CV and the DS, all of which were milestones in the history of the automobile.
A class was dedicated to each of these three vehicle types in Coppet, in which mass-produced cars met rarities such as the Citroën Traction 15 Six as a 1949 Worblaufen Cabriolet (class winner) against the post-war 11 BL, the ID19 Luxe against the DS 19 M Décapotable or the twin-engined 2 CV Sahara against the normal Ente.
Two classes for 100 years of Bentley
Bentley is also celebrating its 100th birthday in 2019 and can lay claim to being one of the few brands to have survived an entire century. Two classes were defined to mark this anniversary, the first covering the pre-war period and the second the post-war decades.
The Bentley Mark VI Cresta II from 1951 with a coupé body from the French company Facel Métallon was particularly impressive and unusual in the line-up. This coupé can certainly be seen as a forerunner to the later Facel Vega. Nobody was surprised that this car won the class.
Two classes for 110 years of Bugatti
Bugatti can look back on 110 years of existence in 2019, but its history was not quite as straightforward as that of Bentley. While one class was dedicated to Ettore Bugatti's sports and racing cars, the second class was devoted more to touring cars.
Unfortunately, some of the announced cars were missing, but what there was to see was still a small sensation, because when do you see the Grand Prix models of the Types 35, 51, 54 and 59 standing side by side? The class winner was the Type 54 Grand Prix of the American Greg Manocherian.
The less sporty Type 49 Faux Cabriolet from 1932 was also pretty to look at, although it had to concede class victory to the Type 57 Stelvio with Gangloff bodywork from 1938.
The Delahaye/Chapron class
Delahaye is a long-dead brand and, of course, Henry Chapron also stopped hammering bodies a long time ago. In the A1 class, however, the two brands came together and there was certainly no lack of elegance.
Unfortunately, the beautiful Delahaye 135 M Coupé from 1938 suffered engine damage shortly before the event, meaning that it could only be admired standing up and could not be included in the classification.
So the victory went to the Coupe des Alpes with Tüscher bodywork from 1938.
60 years of the Mini
Somewhat overshadowed by the elegant coupés and convertibles from Bugatti, Bentley and Delahaye were the four Mini derivatives, which celebrated the 60th birthday of the small car icon in their own class.
It would have been nice to see another Mini Moke or a hot Cooper S variant, but the presence of a Vanden Plas Austin 11 was certainly interesting too.
The winner in this class, however, was a traditional Mini 1000 as the "Stripey" model from 1975.
Rarities mostly prevailed
Of course, there was also plenty to see in the post-war classes. There was a Ferrari 12-cylinder class, for example, which was won by a 250 GT Tour de France from 1958.
The "Playboys and Gentlemen" class was an interesting contest, with several super classics facing each other. The race was won by an elegant and very special Ferrari 250 GT Europa with Vignale bodywork from 1953.
There was a red Mercedes-Benz 300 SL in the field, where, if you were lucky, you could meet the first owner, who had ordered the car new and immediately registered it for the Eifel race at the Nürburgring. Gunter Thiel won a class back then and he still had one or two anecdotes to tell.
When Aston Martin was looking for a successor to the DB6, Touring Superleggera suggested the DBS-C. The tailgate coupé dedicated to the sixties did not make it into series production, but it survived as a prototype and deservedly won the "When Size doesn't matter" class, whatever that title meant.
Rapport narrowly beaten
Perhaps one of the most unusual cars in the Schlosspark was the Daimler Double-Six Rapport Forte Estate from 1981, a wedge-shaped Shooting Brake with 12-cylinder technology from Jaguar/Daimler.
The freshly painted sports coupé came second in the class, but victory went to a Lamborghini Countach.
Graber and the Swiss coachbuilders
Four Graber bodies faced off against a Gangloff creation in the Swiss coachbuilders' class.
Victory went to the unusual Rover 2000 TC Coupé from Herrmann Graber, while the Bugatti 43 with Gangloff-Geneva bodywork came in second.
Other class wins went to a beautiful blue Lancia Stratos, a red Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS and the well-known SS 90 Prototype by Christian Jenny.
Close battle for the Best of Show
The "Best of Show" award almost went to the truly impressive Hispano-Suiza K6 with cabriolet bodywork by Brandone from 1935 (class winner of the large pre-wedding cars).
But practically on the home straight, it was intercepted by the Ferrari 250 GT Europa Vignale.
Authenticity and elegance
In Coppet, elegance and originality were judged separately by two separate juries. There was also another competition to find the best engine sound. A Ferrari 250 GT SWB from 1961 was the not entirely unexpected winner.
And the carbon fraction also had an area in the castle park with their super sports cars.
Vehicles and awards
The following table shows the vehicles that were entered and also appeared, together with the awards and prizes they received.
| Class | Vehicle no. | Make | Make Type | Body | Year | Awards/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | 1 | Delahaye | 32a | 1912 | ||
| A-1 | 2 | Delahaye | 135 M Sedan | Chapron | 1937 | 2nd place class |
| A-1 | 3 | Delahaye | 135 M Coupé | Chapron | 1938 | out of competition |
| A-1 | 4 | Delahaye | 135 Coup des Alpes | Tüscher | 1938 | 1st place class |
| A-1 | 5 | Delahaye | 135 M convertible | Chapron | 1946 | |
| B-1 | 1 | Bugatti | Type 22 Brescia Modifiée | 1920 | ||
| B-1 | 2 | Bugatti | Type 35 C | 1927 | ||
| B-1 | 3 | Bugatti | Type 54 Grand Prix | 1933 | 1st place class | |
| B-1 | 4 | Bugatti | Type 59 Grand Prix | 1934 | ||
| B-1 | 5 | Bugatti | Type 51 Grand Prix | 1936 | 2nd place class | |
| B-2 | 1 | Bugatti | Type 55 Cabriolet | 1932 | not on site | |
| B-2 | 2 | Bugatti | Type 49 Faux Cabriolet | 1932 | 2nd place class | |
| B-2 | 3 | Bugatti | Type 57 Cabriolet | 1936 | not on site | |
| B-2 | 4 | Bugatti | Type 57 C Stelvio | Gangloff | 1938 | 1st place class |
| B-2 | 5 | Bugatti | Type 64 | 1939 | not on site | |
| C-1 | 1 | Bentley | 3 Litre Red Label Speed Open Tourer | 1924 | not on site | |
| C-1 | 2 | Bentley | 3 Litre Red Label Speed Open Tourer | Vanden Plas | 1926 | |
| C-1 | 3 | Bentley | Speed Six Two Seater Boattail | 1929 | not on site | |
| C-1 | 4 | Bentley | 8 Litre Open Tourer (ex Woolf Barnato) | Vanden Plas | 1931 | |
| C-1 | 5 | Bentley | 8 Litre Gentleman Tourer | Thrupp & Maberly | 1932 | 1st place class |
| C-1 | 6 | Bentley | 3 1/2 Litre Three Position Convertible | 1933 | ||
| C-1 | 7 | Bentley | 4 1/4 Litre Sports Tourer | Vanden Plas | 1936 | 2nd place class |
| C-2 | 1 | Bentley | Mark VI Cresta II | Facel Métallon | 1951 | 1st place class |
| C-2 | 2 | Bentley | R-Type Continental Fastback Series A | H. J. Mulliner | 1953 | 2nd place class |
| C-2 | 3 | Bentley | S1 Continental Drop Head Coupé | Park Ward | 1956 | |
| C-2 | 4 | Bentley | S3 | 1964 | ||
| C-2 | 5 | Bentley | T Series 1 | 1967 | ||
| C-2 | 6 | Bentley | S2 Continental Coupé | H. J. Mulliner | 1962 | |
| C-2 | 7 | Bentley | S2 Drophead Coupé | 1961 | ||
| D-1 | 1 | Citroën | Traction 11 Coupé | 1936 | 2nd place class | |
| D-1 | 2 | Citroën | Traction 11 BL | 1938 | not on site | |
| D-1 | 3 | Citroën | Traction 15 Six Cabriolet | Worblaufen | 1949 | 1st place class |
| D-1 | 4 | Citroën | Traction 11 BL | 1956 | ||
| D-2 | 1 | Citroën | ID19 Luxe | 1957 | "Julius Baer Innovation Award" | |
| D-2 | 2 | Citroën | DS19 | 1962 | ||
| D-2 | 3 | Citroën | DS19 M Décapotable | 1965 | 1st place class | |
| D-2 | 4 | Citroën | DS21 Pallas | 1967 | ||
| D-2 | 5 | Citroën | DS23 Break Familiale | 1973 | 2nd place class | |
| D-3 | 1 | Citroën | 2 CV | 1961 | ||
| D-3 | 2 | Citroën | 2 CV Sahara | 1961 | ||
| D-3 | 3 | Citroën | 2 CV Azam 6 | 1967 | ||
| E-1 | 1 | Bugatti | Type 43 A Roadster | Gangloff Geneva | 1927 | 2nd place class |
| E-1 | 2 | Bentley | R-Type Drop Head Coupé | Graber | 1952 | |
| E-1 | 3 | Alvis | TC108G Super Coupé | Graber | 1957 | |
| E-1 | 4 | Alvis | TD21 | Graber | 1961 | |
| E-1 | 5 | Rover | 2000 TC | Graber | 1967 | 1st place class |
| F-1 | 1 | Ferrari | 342 America | Vignale | 1952 | 2nd place class, "Best Restored Award" |
| F-1 | 2 | Ferrari | 250 GT Berlinetta Tour de France | Scaglietti | 1958 | 1st place class |
| F-1 | 3 | Ferrari | 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupé | 1971 | ||
| F-1 | 4 | Ferrari | 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider | 1972 | ||
| F-1 | 5 | Ferrari | 250 GT Berlinetta (SWB) | 1961 | "Best of Sound Award" | |
| G-1 | 1 | Alfa Romeo | 6C 1750 Grand Sport | 1931 | ||
| G-1 | 2 | Alfa Romeo | 6C 1750 GTC | Zagato | 1931 | 2nd place class |
| G-1 | 3 | Jaguar | SS 90 Prototype | 1935 | 1st place class | |
| G-1 | 4 | Swallow | SS One Four Light Saloon | 1935 | ||
| G-1 | 5 | BMW | 328 Roadster | 1939 | ||
| G-2 | 1 | Hispano Suiza | H6B Torpédo | 1922 | not on site | |
| G-2 | 2 | Mercedes-Benz | 630 K touring car | Erdmann & Rossi | 1927 | |
| G-2 | 3 | Avion Voisin | C23 Charente | 1932 | 2nd place class | |
| G-2 | 4 | Packard | 1107 Roadster | 1934 | ||
| G-2 | 5 | Hispano-Suiza | K6 Convertible | Brandone | 1935 | 1st place class, "2nd Best of Show" |
| G-2 | 6 | Mercedes-Benz | 320 B Cabriolet | 1938 | ||
| I-1 | 1 | Alfa Romeo | 6C 2500 SS | Touring | 1942 | |
| I-1 | 2 | Buick | Eight Roadmaster Sedanette | 1947 | not on site | |
| I-1 | 3 | Ford | Coupé Super Deluxe | 1948 | not on site | |
| I-1 | 4 | Talbot Lago | T26 Record Surprofilé | 1948 | ||
| I-1 | 5 | Alfa Romeo | 6C 2500 SS | Touring | 1948 | 1st place class |
| I-1 | 6 | Hudson | Hornet | 1953 | 2nd place class | |
| J-1 | 1 | Aston Martin | DB2 | 1952 | not on site | |
| J-1 | 2 | Ferrari | 250 GT Europe | Vignale | 1953 | 1st place class, "Best of Show", "President's Choice Award" |
| J-1 | 3 | Lancia | Aurelia B52 Spider | 1953 | not on site | |
| J-1 | 4 | Fiat | 8V | 1953 | ||
| J-1 | 5 | Mercedes-Benz | 300 SL | 1954 | 2nd place class | |
| J-1 | 6 | Mercedes-Benz | 300 SL | 1957 | ||
| J-1 | 7 | Maserati | 3500 GT | Touring | 1959 | |
| K-1 | 1 | Alfa Romeo | Giulietta SZ | Zagato | 1960 | |
| K-1 | 2 | Alfa Romeo | Giulia Sprint GTA | Bertone | 1967 | |
| K-1 | 3 | Porsche | 356 C SC 95 | 1965 | ||
| K-1 | 4 | Porsche | 911 S 2.2 Liter | 1970 | ||
| K-1 | 5 | Maserati | 3500 GT | Touring | 1963 | |
| K-1 | 6 | Aston Martin | DBSC | Touring | 1966 | 1st place class |
| K-1 | 7 | Jaguar | E-Type 4.2 Litre Roadster | 1965 | ||
| K-1 | 8 | Ford | Mustang | 1966 | ||
| K-1 | 9 | Chevrolet | Corvette C2 Stingray 6.9 Litre | 1965 | 2nd place class | |
| K-1 | 10 | Porsche | 356 C | 1963 | ||
| K-1 | 11 | Dodge | Charger | 1971 | ||
| L-1 | 1 | Fiat | Dino Spider | 1967 | ||
| L-1 | 2 | Dino | 246 GTS | 1972 | ||
| L-1 | 3 | Dino | 246 GT | 1972 | 2nd place class | |
| L-1 | 4 | Lancia | Stratos | 1974 | 1st place class, "Best Preserved Award" | |
| M-1 | 1 | De Tomaso | Pantera | 1973 | ||
| M-1 | 2 | BMW | M1 | 1979 | ||
| M-1 | 3 | Daimler | Double Six Rapport Fourté Estate | 1981 | 2nd place class | |
| M-1 | 4 | Lamborghini | Countach LP500 S | 1982 | 1st place class | |
| M-1 | 5 | Porsche | 911 Speedster | 1989 | ||
| M-1 | 6 | Ferrari | 512 BB | 1981 | ||
| M-1 | 7 | Alfa Romeo | Montreal | 1973 | ||
| N-1 | 1 | Mini | 1000 Stripley | 1975 | 1st place class, "Best Dressed Crew" | |
| N-1 | 2 | Morris | Mini Traveler | 1964 | 2nd place class | |
| N-1 | 3 | Austin | Princess 1100 | Vanden Plas | 1966 | |
| N-1 | 4 | MG | 1100 | 1962 |
