The 2011 Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance returned for its eighth year this past weekend, and thanks to favorable weather and an amazingly diverse collection of autos topped its previous year's attendance record. The cars were grouped by make, and ran the gamut from the 1920's up through the 1980's. There was a good showing of Classic Era cars, with Cadillac, Lincoln and Hispano-Suiza examples on hand from the 1930's. Visitors were greeted at the entrance by a line of classic Jaguar E-types from the 1960's. (The show commemorated 50 years of the E-type) Most were professionally restored, but a few were "survivors" (unrestored originals) and a pair were classified as "barn finds". One particular car, a 1965, was still in the posession of its original owner, a college student at the time. Parked at the end were a pair of D-type race cars from the late 50's.
Porsche and Ferrari had a strong showing, and both marques were well represented. On hand were stunning examples of a 1967 330 GTC coupe, parked alongside a 1967 275 GTB/4 while further down the line was a 1973 365 GTB/4, unofficially known as the Daytona. Sharp-eyed onlookers spotted a yellow Enzo under one of the display tents, and even a new 458 Italia was seen in the parking lot. The Porsche contingent was represented by a half dozen iterations of the classic 911, the rarest being the 1987 959 - a car not available in the U.S. until recent changes in the laws governing imported vehicles.
Amercian iron was on display, and covered a wide array of styles. A 1966 Pontiac GTO was in among a pair of classic Ferraris, which seemed appropriate considering the GTO name's Italian origin. (Gran Turismo Omologato) A matching pair of 1959 Cadillac Eldorados - one, a convertible having been owned by Jayne Mansfield and another a hulking coupe showed off acres of chrome and the biggest tailfins ever to see production. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird sat next to a red Cobra, while nearby a pair of Corvettes (a 1966 coupe and 1970 LT1 convertible) were stellar examples of the brand. Old and new came together in the form of a 2005 Ford GT; a retro-inspired homage to the GT40 race car that beat Ferrari at LeMans in the mid-1960's.
For an event just eight years young, the quality and diversity of autos on display was exceptional. Over 8,000 attended the two-day event, and 200 vehicles were showcased. With this kind of turnout, this event is on its way to becoming one of the premier historic auto displays, on a par with neighboring Greenwich's annual Concours.
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