Every year, the city of Beverly Hills celebrates Father’s Day with a phenomenal car show on one of the most famous thoroughfares in the world. The 2019 Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance, held on Sunday, June 16th, marks the 26th year of this annual event and featured a superb selection of rare and contemporary automobiles within a three block area between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards.
Over 40,000 people attended the Rodeo Drive Concours this year and were treated to a cool overcast day. The Concours offered dads and their families a chance to enjoy an impressive selection of vehicles displayed along the fashionable shops and boutiques.
The 2019 Rodeo Drive Concours was highlighted by a special display for Bentley, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary. The display included highlights such as a 1927 Bentley 3-4.5 Litre Le Mans Special, a 1928 Bentley 4.5 Litre, a 1960 Bentley S2 Continental, and the “world’s most accurate” recreation of the historic 1930 Bentley ‘Blue Train’. Bentley also displayed several more contemporary models.
The intersection of Rodeo and Brighton was the show’s featured exhibited area where the unique vehicles displayed included the Best of Show-winning 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost owned by Aaron and Valerie Weiss, 2018 Ken Okuyama Cars KODE57, 1959 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham and the 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe (recreation).
The Best of Show-winning 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is an elegant two-door design known as a Piccadilly with coachwork by Brewster. Weiss described the car as the quintessential Rodeo Drive car of the era, something which would have been driven by many silent film stars. It was the most luxurious model offered by Rolls-Royce at the time and is equally as striking today as it was in 1925.
“This year was our most successful Rodeo Drive Concours event to date,” said Bruce Meyer, chairman of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance. “The show is put on each year to give back to the community. It is a way to honor dads, to support the Beverly Hills Police Foundation and to share the best cars in the world with local enthusiasts. We did that and much more and are already working on an exciting and special theme for 2020.”
Other displays at the 2019 Rodeo Drive Concours included a selection of modern specialty and supercars which included Bentley Continental GT, Bugatti Chiron, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the 2020 McLaren GT, the Rimac Concept_Two and a special Aston Martin DB11 ‘Beverly Hills’ Edition. Additional highlights included a Future Classics display and exhibits by Ferrari Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Maserati, Superformance, BMW Performance Center, BMW Beverly Hills and Compass.
“We are proud to be part of this year’s 26th annual Concours d’Elegance Father’s Day car show on Rodeo Drive,” said Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch. “The cars and crowds were simply incredible and we are happy to help a historic brand like Bentley celebrate its 100th anniversary. Thank you to Bruce Meyer, the Rodeo Drive Committee and the amazing car participants who helped us celebrate this fabulous event.”
Next year’s Rodeo Drive Concours will feature a special display of some of the newest and greatest supercars of all time.
The Rodeo Drive Committee — in conjunction with the City of Beverly Hills, organizes this yearly automotive event on what is arguably one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. It featured a wide selection of high-performance sports and collector cars valued at more than $100 million. The event also hosted the Beverly Hills Police Foundation, a non-profit charity raising funds for officers and their families.
On behalf of Sports Car Digest, I would like to dedicate this year’s report and photos to all our Fathers, and in remembrance of my father, Saul Varela, who passed away in May, 2013.
Similar to 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Sports Car Digest also documented the 2019 Rodeo Drive Concours, with photographer Victor Varela offering the following selection of pictures from the Concours held annually in Southern California.
Rodeo Drive Concours 2019 – Photo Gallery (photos: Victor Varela)
In addition to its “Best of Show” selection, the 26th annual Concours d’Elegance recognized several major award-winners including the following:
Rodeo Drive Concours 2019 – Award Winners
Best of Show
1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Aaron and Valerie Weiss
Mayor’s Award – Most Elegant
1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe Recreation
Dr. Perry Mansfield
Chairman’s Award
1953 Maserati A6GCS Spider by Frua & 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Coupe by Frua
Jonathan Segal
Icon Award – Timeless Classic
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Tomy Drissi
Rodeo Drive Award – Most Stylish
1960 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Jerry Logan
Police Chiefs Award – Life in the Fast Lane
2018 Kode57
Ken Okuyama
Rodeo Drive Award – Most Unique
1956 Bentley Blue Train Recreation
Phillip Sarofim
Rodeo Drive Award – Most Fashionable
1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB
Mark Haddawy
Carroll Shelby Award – Most Sporting
1953 Kurtis 500s Roadster
Tom Malloy
Steve McQueen Award – Classic Sports Car
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe
David Duthu
Most Outrageous
1966 Volkswagen Baja Beetle “Wasteland”
Raul Contreras
Most Passionate Enthusiast
Doug Weitman
John D’Agostiino Crystal Award
1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham
Jordan Quintal
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