Sunday July 26, 2015 was a near perfect midsummer day in southeast Michigan. Under a clear blue sky with temperatures in the low 80s and comparatively modest humidity by the standards of this time of year, some of the most amazing cars in North America were brought together for one of the top three shows in the country, the Concours d’Elegance of America. Now in its fifth year since relocating to the Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth after a 32 year run at Meadowbrook Hall, this was as always a great show with an eclectic collection of machinery on display.
The organizers of this show always try to invite some unusual groups of vehicles to participate which this year included hearses, early Japanese sports cars, 1960s-era drag racers and vintage sprint and midget racers. Among the cars on display but not being judged were two LaFerarris, a Porsche 918, a trio of rare Bizzarrini Spyders and a quartet of cars from the collection of Bruce Meyers who was being recognized as Enthusiast of the Year.
A trio of rare Bizzarrini Spyders
A fifth car owned by Myers, a 1934 Ford Pierson Brothers Coupe, was included in the hot rod group. This particular car was raced regularly at the Bonneville Salt Flats from 1949 to 1991 ultimately hitting 227 mph. After purchasing the car in 1992, Meyer had it restored to its 1950 configuration. It was paired with a 1936 Ford Pierson Brothers coupe that had originally been the tow car for the 1934 coupe. At this event, they were being shown together for the first time in 50 years.
1934 Ford Pierson Brothers coupe owned by Bruce Meyers
One of the more interesting entrants in this group is the 1951 Beatty Belly Tank Lakester. Following World War II, all manner of surplus military hardware was either scrapped or sold off to be repurposed including items like the belly tanks used on my aircraft to extend their range. Since these were aerodynamically shaped to minimize the extra drag added to the aircraft, a number of racers bought these up, installed tube frames, engines and suspensions and set to record land speed records. This particular example from the Henry Ford Museum collection ran nearly 240 mph in the late 1950s, powered by a Ford Flathead V8.
1951 Beatty Belly Tank Lakester
In the early Japanese sports car class, the winner was a rare 1971 Datsun Fairlady Z432. The original Zs back in the 1970s and 1980s were badged as Fairlady Z in home market and only 420 of the Z432 homologation special were produced. While the first-generation Z had a 2.4-liter single-overhead-cam inline-six-cylinder, the Z432 had 2.0-liter version with four-valves per cylinder, three carburetors and two camshafts, hence the 432 designation.
1971 Nissan Fairlady Z432
The hearse group had a half dozen entries ranging from an 1893 horse-drawn carriage hearse to a 1959 Cadillac. And of course any show with a Lancia Stratos is a winner by default.
