Other related activities that took place during the Meadow Brook Concours were a Saks Fifth Avenue sponsored fashion show on Friday, Aug. 1; the RM Vintage Motor Car Auction, Saturday, Aug. 2; a $200 per person gala, banquet and art auction Saturday night; and the car show itself on Sunday, Aug. 3.
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| This red and black 1932 Duesenberg Le Baron Dual Cowl Phaeton is owned by Richard and Linda Kughn of Farmington Hills, Mich. It was one of 25 Dueseys that were on display at the Meadow Brook Concours. (Photo: Joe Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
GM featured both production and concept vehicles at the show, including one of 14 1904 Buick Model Cs known to exist, the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen V16 powered concept car, and the 2001 Buick Bengal concept car, which was designed with golfer Tiger Woods in mind.
Ford is expected to roll out Henry Ford's first car, the 1896 Quadricycle; a 1907 Model K, an extravagant $2,800 six cylinder car that was built when Ford was pushing his fellow shareholders to build a more simple car for the masses; an Edsel; and pre and post-World War II Lincolns.
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| As viewed from the courtyard where an 18-car garage stands, one can see part of the immense mansion that was once home to Matilda Dodge Wilson. This opulent structure was built in 1928 by Wilson with the wealth she inherited from the late automotive pioneer who died from influenza in 1920. (Photo: Joe Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
The palatial, Tudor-styled Meadow Brook Hall, with its 36 chimneys, was completed in 1929. It was once the home of Matilda (Dodge) Wilson, the widow of automotive pioneer John F. Dodge, whom had remarried and built the mansion with money from the sale of the Dodge Brothers Motor Company to a group of investors. Wilson later donated Meadow Brook Hall and its land to Michigan State University to create a branch campus that became Oakland University.
The Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance -- considered by many to be the second most important "concours" in the United States, behind Pebble Beach in California -- was launched on August 26, 1979, to coincide with the mansion's 50th anniversary. Conceived by Sommer, owner of American Arrow, a Michigan company that makes parts for rare and classic cars, the car show is the one of the key fundraisers to help maintain the mansion as a museum.