Ventura Farms Concours 2013 - Report and Photos

Photos by Lili Rahmati

The inaugural Ventura Farms Concours was staged Sunday, March 17, 2013 in Lake Sherwood, California. The event was held at the 2,200-acre Ventura Farms, owned by David H. Murdock, Chairman and CEO of Dole and Castle and Cooke.

The non-judged 2013 Ventura Farms Concours featured vintage automobiles from various prominent museums and collectors, in addition to displays featuring Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini vehicles. Among the notable entrants was the 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Streamline Saloon.

This one-off design, originally owned by Sir Henry Royce, is a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Winner. Also interesting was the 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis, 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sport Cabriolet A — both Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Winners, 1929 Auburn 8-120 Boattail Speedster, 1931 Marmon 16 LeBaron Convertible Sedan and a 1930 Stutz Monte Carlo Fabric Body.

Other highlights of the show included an ex-Joseph Stalin 1936 Packard Phaeton, a 1932 Plymouth Brewster Town Car formerly owned by Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt, a 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible that Howard Hughes gifted to Jean Peters and an ex-Paris Auto Salon 1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III and a 1962 Maserati 3200GT, both from the Carroll O’Connor Estate.

In addition to the display of automobiles, the Ventura Farms Concours also featured special Celtic dance and music performances, falconry and tours of the estate’s gardens. Also highlighted, especially for the St. Patrick’s holiday, were food samplings, wine and beer stations, as well as Irish Whiskey and spirits. A portion of the proceeds benefited the Westlake Village Park and YMCA.

The event was held at the private Ventura Farms, a 2,200-acre ranch featuring various gardens such as the Family Garden, Secret Garden, English Garden, Rose Garden, Grand Allee of Thai Sculptural Boulders; mined from the River Kwai in Thailand, and Redwood Allee. A herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle, Reindeer, Kashmir sheep, Arabian horses and about 800 Koi in a large lake are part of the estates zoological interests. Architectural beauty abounds, such as the Chinese Scholar House, Sound of Water Pavilion, Poet’s House, Japanese Tea House and an 18,000 sq. ft. Conservatory that houses over 25,000 orchids.

For additional information, visit www.venturafarmscar.com.