A 1938 Graham cabriolet with a custom body from iconic French coachbuilder Saoutchik won best-in-show at the third annual Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance near Owen Sound, Ontario this past weekend.
The supercharged 97, owned by Edgar Masters of Copake Falls, New York and restored by Ontario's RM Restorations, was originally built for the 1938 Paris Auto Salon, and features a unique parallel-opening door and rear trunk fin.
The car beat out the winners of 21 other classes – selected from a total of almost 150 expertly restored classic vehicles – for the honour, including a similarly unique 1940 Darrin-bodied Packard and a 1932 Marmon V16.
Related: In photos: the cars of the Cobble Beach concours
A concours d’elegance (French for “competition of elegance”) features only the finest, most accurately restored examples of classic automobiles and subjects them to scrutiny by expert judges, who evaluate them based on authenticity, finish and, of course, elegance.
The Cobble Beach concours, this year presented by sponsor Cadillac, was presided over by chief judge John Carlson of B.C., and was coordinated by show chairman and founder Rob McLeese.
The Concours also featured several new classes introduced just this year, including vintage pickup trucks, a vintage motorcycle class featuring Vincent motorcycles, and a non-competitive vintage boats class.
The display-only museum class from last year also made its return, and sponsor Cadillac brought out a rare 1953 Le Mans prototype to show off alongside its new Ciel four-seat convertible concept, known for its role in the Entourage film.
A people's choice award was also handed out, based on votes from showgoers, to a 1929 Packard 645 Dual-Cowl Phaeton belonging to Elaine and Tony Lang of Hanover, Ontario.
Next year's Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be held September 17 and 18 in Cobble Beach, near Owen Sound, Ontario.
