2015 Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance – Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar and More

By Steve & Tamami Laser

Palos Verdes, California, is known for its rugged coastline, the five-star Terranea Resort, a never-ending landslide in Portuguese Bend, multi-million dollar mansions, and some of the most breathtaking scenery in Los Angeles County. Yet it’s the annual Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance that makes “the hill” a magnet for automobile enthusiasts of all ages.

This year’s show, held at the Los Verdes Country Club in Rancho Palos Verdes on September 20, featured more than 200 cars including this stunning 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Disappearing Top entered in the European Classics (1925-’48) class.

The interior of this remarkable classic was just as magnificent as the exterior and even sported a bag that matched the seat and door panel trim.

Now in its 23rd year, the show attracts cars and spectators from all across California and neighboring states. The theme for the show was “Automotive Standards of the World,” while the featured marques included Cadillac, Darrin Coachwork, and Ferrari. Come along and join us for a photo and video tour of the show.

Mercedes 300SL

“Mercedes-Benz 300SL” was one of the 21 classes established for the show. And there were some magnificent examples on display including the sought-after “Gullwing” coupes and incredibly attractive roadsters.

Watch our video for a closer look at some of the breathtaking Mercedes-Benz 300SL models on display at the Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance.

This beautifully detailed 300SL engine looks like it just came fresh from the factory. The attention to detail on these cars was simply remarkable.

A 300SL Gullwing causes plenty of heads to turn. Yet the owner of this 1955 model made it a real crowd-pleaser by fitting it with period skis, poles and tire chains. We wondered if well-to-do types actually motored to the mountains in this chariot 60 years ago?

When’s the last time you saw a Gullwing wearing tire chains? Our hands would be trembling if we tried to install them fearing that we might mar the otherwise flawless paint.

Rolls-Royce

The Rolls-Royce and Bentley class was well represented with remarkably beautiful cars like this 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca De Ville.

Be sure to watch this video clip where we walk around this magnificent 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster displayed by The Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, Calif.

Looking more like a speedboat than a luxury car, the Brewster’s driver was subject to the elements while his wealthy passengers enjoyed the ride inside the cabin.

A bit more common than the Brewster, but still rare today is this beautiful example of a 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II DHC that came from nearby Manhattan Beach.

Ferrari

Whoever said that Ferraris look fast when standing still might have been talking about cars like this splendid 1967 275 GTB/4 that made the journey to PV from Beverly Hills. It also proves that a Ferrari doesn’t have to be red to be beautiful.

It was difficult to take a video of the gorgeous Ferraris on display without drooling all over the camera. Somehow we managed and the result is a closeup look at sports cars including this top-flight 1972 Daytona from Malibu.

We admit that we’re not well-versed in the history of the Italian marque symbolized by the prancing horse. So we had to take a look at the sign to determine that this car is a 1967 Spyder 365 California, also on display from the Nethercutt Collection.

The low-slung silhouette of this car almost makes it possible to enter the cockpit without opening a door.

Porsche

The Porsche class included early model cars like this 1958 Speedster from nearby Palos Verdes Estates. There have been so many replicas of this model that it was refreshing to take a closer look at an original.

Take a video tour of some of the entries in the Porsche class including this spotless 1968 911L Targa fitted with Sportomatic transmission.

Another 1958 Speedster was dressed in this adorable shade of blue and fitted with a tan interior. It’s a classic color combo that really plays well on this car.

The form-fitting bucket seats, tall shift lever and sporty instrument cluster are a few of the details that make this Speedster an object of desire.

This 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS M471 from Los Angeles wore identification from past races including the 1975 Rally Monte-Carlo.

Jaguar

When it comes to timeless elegance, it’s tough to beat the gorgeous lines of 1950s Jaguars. This 1956 XK 140 OTS Roadster looked ready to run with its sparkling wire wheels shod with wide whitewalls.

Take a look at some of the Jaguars on display at this year’s Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance in our video. Which one is your favorite?

We remember having a toy car that looked like this splendid 1950 Jaguar XK 120 R from Costa Mesa. We can’t remember whether it was made by Matchbox, Dinky or Schuco. But we do recall that it was a shade of pale green.

It’s a bit difficult to realize how fast time flies. Without sounding like seniors, we remember when cars like this 1966 Jaguar Series I E-Type Coupe were new. This one is from Manhattan Beach.

We had a friend years ago who used to comment that it’s easy to work on an E-Type engine while sitting on one of the front tires. It looks like the owner spent countless hours polishing every surface under the huge hood.

Cadillac

Turning our attention to Cadillac, we marveled at the grand scale and flamboyant details of the marque. This 1953 Eldorado Convertible from Torrance looked just right dressed in its red-red combo.

When fins were in, the 1959 Cadillac was the epitome of the class in the era of automotive excess. Today, models like this 1959 Eldorado Seville Coupe never fail to turn heads. Check it out along with its siblings in our video.

This super-rare 1958 Eldorado Brougham featured a bright red exterior topped by the famous stainless steel roof. The clamshell doors open to reveal a two-tone interior.

Darrin Coachwork

This fantastic 1935 Dusenberg Fernandez & Darrin Victoria was one of the highlights of the Darrin Coachwork class.

This excellent example of a 1954 Kaiser Darrin fiberglass bodied roadster made the journey to Palos Verdes from Palm Desert.

The sliding doors that retract into the front fenders make it easier to get in and out. If all cars had these today “door dings” would become a thing of the past.

American Horsepower Warriors

We were in grade school when this 1970 Chevelle SS was built. And now here it is in a top-flight car show. This LS5 model from Riverside has the mighty 454 under the hood. And it’s also dressed in our favorite shade of blue.

This looks like cowl induction to us, but our memory is getting fuzzy, so please correct us if we’re wrong. This car was beautifully detailed from top to bottom.

Have you ever seen an American Motors AMX in this breathtaking shade of pink? Take a look at this 1968 model along with some of the other entries in the American Horsepower Warriors class in our video.

This 1962 Corvette brought tears to our eyes as it’s only been a few weeks since Martin Milner passed away. He played “Todd Stiles” in the TV show, “Route 66” and drove a car like this.

While it seems pretty simple compared to today’s high-tech models, Corvettes from the 1960s are timeless classics that will never go out of style.

What’s an Impala doing at a show like this? It’s not just any Impala, it’s an SS 409. And it’s from Hermosa Beach. Remember the Beach Boys song about the 409?

Talk about an immaculate engine compartment. As the saying goes you could eat off of this one. Actually, it’s even too clean for that.

Brass Era

Watching cars from the Brass Era makes us realize how much the world has changed in the last 100 years. Actually, this 1903 Thomas is now 112 years young. It looks like it’s ready to parade down Main Street U.S.A.

Set the way-back machine for the early 1900s and join us for a journey through the Brass Era as we highlight cars from the display in our video.

Yes, it’s a real Ford Model T fire engine. Not only that, but this 1917 model was the “first fire engine” from nearby Lomita.

The owner describes this rig as an American LaFrance Type A Double-Tank Chemical Car. It even sports a “Horseless Carriage” California license plate that allows it to operate on city streets.

CarNichiWa.com thanks the Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance for providing us with media credentials so we could bring you this story.