Motor City Garage is proud beyond words to introduce our newest contributor, noted automotive writer Jim McCraw. Here’s Jim to show us some of the sights at the 2012 Glenmoor Gathering. 

Jim McCraw has served as editor at Super Stock, Hot Rod, and Motor Trend, and he’s freelanced for every publication under the sun, from Penthouse to Popular Science. (See his bio in the contributors section.)  Elder statesman of American automotive journalism and its consummate gentleman as well, Jim has seen it all—and wrtitten about it. When MCG learned Jim was attending the Glenmoor Gathering, the great  concours in Canton, Ohio, we asked him to give our readers his keen view of the show field. Here’s Jim. 

 

A Rookie At Glenmoor

Story and photos by Jim McCraw

 

I’ve been going to concours events for 30 years, and I’ve judged at four of the major ones.  I’ve been hearing about the Glenmoor Gathering for years, but this was my first visit, and I was impressed.  Impressed by the location, by the relaxed efficiency with which the whole weekend was run, and most certainly by the depth and breadth of the vehicles presented.

The big features this year were eight of the amazing Tuckers, a huge field of British-built, American-powered Allards, and a nice group of what the event calls Transatlantics—most, but not all, imported cars with American engines.  Herewith are my personal Top 10 picks from Glenmoor.

 

1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Aprile Spider Corsa

Besides being the car with the longest name at Glenmoor, this long, low creation started out as a Zagato-bodied race car, was crashed, and then recreated in 1938 by designer Mario Revelli.  Now owned by Sr. Corrado Lopresti of Milan, this car looks long enough to have a V-12 engine in it, and that’s what I liked, the purity of the line from protruding headlamps to rear fenders and trunk lid.

1959 Allard Palm Beach Mk II

British racer Sydney Allard started making sports cars from junk parts right after World War II, and nearly every car he built used an American V-8 engine, either a Ford flathead, an early Cadillac V-8, or a Chrysler early Hemi.  Over time, from 1948 until 1956, the cars became less brutish and more civilized, from cycle-fendered hot rods to real cars.  This Palm Beach is one of seven, uses a 3.4-liter Jaguar engine, and is the last Allard ever built, brought to Glenmoor by its second owner, Robert Hartson of Stratham New Hampshire.

1930 Packard Custom Eight 740 Roadster

This car is a real piece of history.  It’s the first car ever to be awarded 100 points, a perfect score, by the Classic Car Club of America, a distinction it earned more than 50 years ago.  Its owner, Margaret Dunning, of Plymouth, Michigan, has owned the gorgeous straight-eight car for 62 years, and is a spry and sprightly 102 years old.

1936 Lincoln Series 300 K Convertible Victoria V-12 By Brunn

One of ten convertible Victorias built by the Brunn coachworks in 1936, this silver example, owned by Marshall Belden of Canton, Ohio, reeks of stylish line from its thin blade bumper to the teardrop headlamp shells to that long, long line that runs from the grille to the taillamps.  The blue centers on the hubcaps provide that last dollop of charm to a beautiful car.

 

1938 HRG Airline Coupe

In the British Sports Car class, dominated at Glenmoor by MGs and Austin-Healeys, this HRG stuck out like a nun in a rugby scrum.  It’s bright white paint shows off the lines of the car, and the white paint is offset by a front suspension and undercarriage painted in soft green.  With its real knock-off wire wheels, and the headlamps that are taller than the grille shell, it’s a killer.  It’s Triumph-powered, it’s the only coupe ever built by HRG, and has been shown extensively by its owners, Bob and Sylvia Affleck, of Bradford Woods, PA.

1956 Continental Mark II Convertible

Although there were around 3000 Mark IIs built, there were only three convertibles, and this is one that was  used as a dealer demonstrator.  Taken completely apart and re-engineered by the coachworks Hess & Eisenhardt in Cincinnati to made a damaged coupe into a convertible, and now painted a blueberry color, it is now looked after by owner Barry Wolk of Farmington Hills, Michigan.  Every detail of the conversion is perfect.

1969 Farago CF 428 Coupé

Veteran designer Paul Farago left the Ghia firm in Turn after helping to bring the Dual Ghia to life, and went to work for Sergio Coggiola.  He was contacted by John DeLorean of Pontiac, who asked him to whip up something special for the international car show circuit in 1969, and this stunner is the result of that collaboration, the first car built by Coggiola’s new company.  Now owned by Frank Campanale of Farmington Hills, Michigan, the car features enormous expanse of metal, long overhangs and its original Firestone LXX experimental tires and wheels.

 

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop Fuel Injection

Sorry, but the drag racer inside me simply can’t resist a car like this.  One horsepower per cubic inch, bright red, hardtop, vintage plate, fuzzy dice, Plymouth hubcaps and skirts!  Owner James Albertoni of Mogadore, Ohio, carries on a longstanding tradition of Tri-five preservation with this beauty. In the strong morning light, it pulled me halfway across the golf course for a closer look.

1940 Lincoln Zephyr Continental Cabriolet

The collaboration between Edsel Ford the elder and his man Bob Gregorie produced a classic, a design recognized by Time Magazine as one of America’s best products, recognized by the Museum of Modern Art as one of eight automotive works of art, and recognized as great art by the people who bought them, including two of America’s greatest designers, Frank Lloyd Wright and Raymond Loewy.  Current owner Ron Mihalek of Richmond, Ohio, was up early polishing the black enamel paint.

 

1965 Peel Trident Bubble Car

If you think about this car in terms of the Swingin’ Sixties, it fits right in.  The Peel 50 single-seater and this two-seater Trident have been certified as the smallest passenger cars ever produced in mass production, with 47 of the former and 80 of the latter built by boatbuilder Peel on the Isle of Man in little more than a year. So it appeals for its wacky looks, its tiny size, the rarity of its numbers, and the location of its manufacture.  I can see it now, toodling down Carnaby Street carrying two girls and packages of clothing.  Thank to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, which specializes in microcars for bringing it to Glenmoor.

1928 Cunningham V-6 Phaeton

Don’t let the name fool you.  The V-6 is just a model designation, and the engine is a 441 cubic-inch flathead V8 using two aluminum heads per bank and developing 150 horsepower.  Cunningham, of Rochester, New York, had been building wagons since 1882 , cars since 1907, and V8 engines since 1916, the year after Cadillac started making V8s.  Other than that, the Cunningham dual-cowl phaeton shown by Robert Abbott of Alton, Illinois, has all the charm of the period, with four rearview mirrors, nine forward-facing lamps, massive size and beautiful proportions.

1935 Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor

Magnificent.  Huge.  Fast.  Beautiful.  The collaboration between builder Augie Duesenberg and engine man Gene Winfield produced a supercharged, double-overhead-cam four-valve 420-inch 400-horsepower straight-eight engine for record racer Ab Jenkins, and Herb Newport designed this wonderful aerodynamic roadster body for it, including a full belly pan.  In 1935, Jenkins ran 135 mph for 24 hours, over 3200 miles, to set a record that stood for years.  It’s still one of the most beautiful race cars ever built.

1938 Indian 4-38 Four

Among the dozen or so motorcycles on display at Glenmoor, this was the only Indian inline 4-cylinder, a beautiful restoration exquisite in the depth of its detail with big helpings of pure mechanical flavor including dual stands, left-foot starter, left-foot clutch, and right-side tank shifter, all of which kept the rider kind of busy. This was one sexy motorcycle entered by James Henry of Britton, Michigan.

 

…Okay, okay, so I picked more than 10.  Next year, go to the Glenmoor Gathering yourself and you’ll see why I had so much trouble narrowing it down to just 12.  A great show, not to be missed, and the Saturday tour through the Amish farm country was the icing on the cake.