Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance

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Ferraris pose with a backdrop of the Milwaukee skyline | William Hall photos
Ferraris pose with a backdrop of the Milwaukee skyline | William Hall photos

They had the yachts, they had the waterfront, and they certainly had the beautiful cars. They even had the fog. Pebble Beach? Nope. The Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance…one week later and 2,276 miles apart.

The event, now in its 11th year, is under new leadership and has a new name. Formerly known as the Milwaukee Masterpiece, the re-brand reveals the event’s aspirations to become the premier concours d’elegance in the Midwest.

A 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville (left) won Most Elegant Post-War Closed
A 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville (left) won Most Elegant Post-War Closed

The two-day concours started with a Saturday casual car-club show called “Show and Glow by the Lake” and a morning driving tour. Saturday evening included the “Style and Speed Social” cocktail party, and Sunday’s main event, a judged, invite-only French style concours that includes vintage cars, motorcycles and boats. Car classes included Brass Era, Full Classics, European Sports and Touring, Mid-Century American, Muscle Cars, British cars, Race cars and separate Porsche, Ferrari and Jaguar classes.

Approximately 155 cars filled Veteran’s Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront, with a unique backdrop of the downtown skyline and the adjacent Santiago Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum. Honorary Judge Donald Osborne, a regular on Jay Leno’s Garage, emceed the event along with Event Chairman Carl Jensen and auto historian Tom Schultz.

Best of Show awards were shared between pre-and post-war cars, with accolades going to a 1922 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 Torpedo Boat Tail by Cesare Sala owned by Roy Margenau of Grass Lake, Michigan, and a 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype owned by the Mecum Family Collection of Burlington, Wisconsin.

With world-class cars, bargain spectator tickets ($30 for both days) and a scenic locale, the Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance is poised to become a required stop on America’s concours circuit.

Photos by William Hall