Numerous beauty contests for automobiles have sprung up in recent years, but only a few can boast a tradition stretching back almost ninety years. The city of Lucerne on Lake Lucerne, located in the center of Switzerland, was one of the major concours metropolises in the 1920s to 1950s, organizing international beauty contests in which car manufacturers and coachbuilders from far and wide took part.
On May 16, 2015, this tradition was revived, still on a modest scale as a prologue, but against all odds and obstacles in the same environment in which it began in 1928.
Almost like almost 90 years ago
On August 11, 1928, almost 90 years ago, an international beauty contest for automobiles was held in Lucerne for the first time, which also attracted a lot of attention in the press and was considered a success. With 95 entries, an elegant audience and glorious weather, the event left little to be desired.
The event concluded with a ball at the Grand Hotel National, where people danced in oppressive crowds, champagne flowed freely and high society ate lobster. By then it had already been forgotten that the prize-giving ceremony had to take place without prizes because the bronze plaques had not arrived in time.
The modern premiere event did not attract 95 entries, it was more like a dozen, but the surroundings were almost as festive as at the first event in the 1920s. As at the premiere in 2918, the weather played along in 2015, the sun shone and the temperatures encouraged ice cream consumption.
Ladies at the wheel
The Lucerne International Concours was a big deal many decades ago, attracting celebrities from Switzerland and abroad. No wonder, then, that an above-average density of Rolls-Royces was noted in Lucerne.
The Concours was used not only by private individuals, but also by the car industry and dealers to show off their most beautiful flagships. The ladies took the opportunity to show themselves off in festive and often extravagant fashion.
In its coverage of the second edition in 1929, the Automobil Revue described the colorful hustle and bustle of colors and shapes, which was particularly evident in the defilé in front of the audience:
"The first to stop in front of the jury is Zurich racing driver Escher on an ochre yellow Bugatti, bijou of a sports car. After the silver, four-seater Hispano-Suiza Laubes - no stranger to the Bernese cityscape - with a lady in a blue-trimmed cape (and blue eyes?), the Lorraine inside steering wheel from Walter Stocker, Zurich, Karosserie Grümmer - an impressive sports car - appears, securely drawn by delicate female hands. "Lots of color, lots of attention" seems to have been the motto for the open-top touring cars from Fiat Zimmermanns, Karosserie Cbiattone, which also applies to the occupants. The Isotta-Fraschini of Baron S. A. von Lemheny. Zurich, is a dark green aristocrat. The high status of the Swiss vehicle is represented by the magnificent Martini in a sleek yellow-brown shade from Martini A.-G., Lucerne agency, coachbuilder Reinbolt & Christé, Basel - a car worthy of international competition ... "
There were around seventy vehicles that year, almost a third of which were presented by ladies, the drive-by lasted two hours and the large audience on the National Quai was treated to a lot. For example, ringmaster Knie carried a three-month-old lion cub and a grinning Josphine Baker in the back of his carriage!
In 2015, things were a little different. Women's hands on the wheel no longer seem to be easy to find these days; the men took the wheel themselves. And apart from a few exceptions, the Haut Couture didn't have the same presence, so there was still potential for the next event.
With slalom
In 1930, a Lucerne beauty contest was held for the third and last time before the Second World War, then there was a break until the tradition was resumed in 1948.
And they had come up with something new, combining the Concours with a Slalom Lancé, in which touring and racing cars could take part. Incidentally, Rudolf Fischer won in bad weather in a Simca Gordini racing car, while Robert Seyffer won the touring car category in an MG.
The participants in the 2015 Concours d'Excellence also had to drive a slalom. The vehicles were first lined up and displayed at the Lucerne Museum of Transport and were then called up individually after midday for the parade on the Nationalquai. After crossing a red ramp and a detailed briefing, they then drove past two slalom gates to their predetermined stand, at walking pace of course, as befits a Concours.
Production cars
In 1949, as in the previous post-war event, a colorful mixture of production cars and special bodies took part in the fourth Concours of Lucerne. American cars in particular, with their opulent curves and imaginative chrome applications, appealed to the public. A Lincoln Cosmopolitan owned by a certain Mr. Bucherer won first prize at the time. The car still exists, but its restoration is still in progress. Perhaps it will be ready for next year.
Elegant production cars also shone at the sixth edition in 1951. For example, a Jaguar XK 120, a Ford Victoria Hardtop Coupé, a Siata, a Kaiser Frazer and a Simca 8 Sport were presented on the gravel of the National Quay.
The fact that another Simca 8 Sport took part in the new edition as a convertible in 2015 certainly pleased the historically interested spectators. The convertible, which was bodied by Facel in Paris, features the technology of the Simca 8, which in turn was built under license from the Fiat Balilla.
Swiss and foreign special bodies
The highlights of the Lucerne beauty contests were always the special bodies built by companies from Switzerland and abroad.
Gangloff and Graber were already present in the pre-war years, as were Reinhold and Christé. However, there were also coachbuilders who are almost forgotten today who were able to demonstrate their skills in Lucerne, such as. Pappler, Josef Neuss, Brichet, Wagonfabrik Schlieren, Sala, Grümmer, Christone, Wolf, to name but a few, or Höhener, or rather U. Höhener's heirs. And a car from this source drove along the Nationalquai in Lucerne again in 2015. It was a Lancia Lambda of the eighth series from 1929.
In the post-war years, Beutler, Ghia Aigle, Graber, Worblaufen and others such as Hauser or Langenthal from Switzerland were omnipresent.
However, it was not only Swiss car bodies that caused a sensation in Lucerne in the past, but also well-known international coachbuilders, including Chapron, Stabilimenti Farina, Ghia, Gläser (Dresden), Pininfarina, Michelotti and Touring. And Vignale continued this tradition in 2015, as this coachbuilder is responsible for the Alfa Romeo 2000 Coupé, a prototype with serial number 1 from 1958 on site in Lucerne. This car with a Swiss history was actually intended for series production as the Alfa Romeo 2000 Coupé, but it did not become widespread. It was not until the Type 2600 that Alfa Romeo built a coupé in larger numbers.
The Alfa Romeo 2000 Coupé Vignale, designed by Giovanni Michelotti, captivates with its elegant lines and extravagant chrome trim, as well as the lettering on the inside, which calls for caution/smart driving.
Award-winning
In 1955, at the seventh and final edition of the original Lucerne beauty contest, Pininfarina's Lancia Florida won, despite the presence of the spectacular "Red Demon" built by Michelotti on the basis of the Fiat 8V.
In 2015, the public voted the Rolls-Royce Twenty with bodywork by Ranalah from 1926 as the most elegant vehicle. The drivers themselves decided the group winners among themselves and honored the Lancia Lambda from 1929, the SS 100 2 1/2 Litre from 1937, the Lancia Aurelia B 20 GT from 1958 and the Aston Martin DB 4 GT Zagato from 1959 as the most excellent vehicle.
The start has been made
The event on May 16, 2015 largely went off without a hitch, the logistics could do with a few adjustments and the public would certainly like to see 50 or 60 (hopefully carefully selected) cars parade past. The weather can stay like this for the next edition, now it's time to plan the second edition in good time, set up a credible jury for vehicle selection and evaluation and, above all, rally the city of Lucerne (and the press) behind the event. A large presence of Swiss special bodies would be desirable, but this should hardly pose a major hurdle for the organization with Bernd Link (Swiss Classic World Lucerne) and Urs Ramseier (SCR).
Then nothing can really go wrong for the future and the Lucerne beauty contest will shine again in its former glory from 2016. This event is definitely an enrichment. And a great addition to the Swiss Classic World Lucerne .
Further impressions can be found in a picture story created by Daniel Reinhard .
Further information
- AR-Zeitung No. 68 / 1928 from Aug. 14, 1928 - Page 1: Lucerne beauty contest
- AR-Zeitung No. 70 / 1928 from Aug. 21, 1928 - Page 13: 1st International Beauty Contest in Lucerne
- AR-Zeitung No. 67 / 1929 from Aug. 6, 1929 - Page 1: The second Lucerne beauty contest
- AR-Zeitung No. 70 / 1929 from Aug. 16, 1929 - Page 28: Pictures from the Lucerne Beauty Contest 1929
- AR-Zeitung No. 67 / 1930 from Aug. 8, 1930 - Page 35: Third Lucerne beauty contest
- AR-Zeitung No. 70 / 1930 from Aug. 19, 1930 - Page 26: Third Lucerne beauty contest (pictures)
- AR-Zeitung No. 32 / 1948 from July 21, 1948 - Page 3: Beauty contest and 1st National Sallom-lancé in Lucerne
- AR-Zeitung No. 27 / 1949 from 15.Jun.1949 - Page 6: V. International beauty contest for automobiles in Lucerne
- AR-Zeitung No. 31 / 1951 from 11.Jul.1951 - Page 6: Automobiles in festive dress
- AR-Zeitung No. 24 / 1955 from May 25, 1955 - Page 9: The Lucerne beauty contest for automobiles
