Italian greats shine in Rhode Island
The futuristic 1953 Abarth 1100 SS Ghia Coupé was crowned Best of Show at the Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week, which took place for just the second time at The Breakers Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, USA from 30 September-3 October. The event attracted 180 entrants across 20 classes, as well as nearly 3000 visitors for the four-day festival.
Bradley Calkins’ unusual and rare coachbuilt coupé landed the top award after winning the Luxury Meets Sport class ahead of a Fiat 8V Supersonic from the same year and a later 1959 Osca Model 18S by Michelotti. The wild Abarth is the last of just four 205 competition chassis built and the only example to be bodied by Ghia, sharing styling cues with the famed carrozzeria’s Chryslers of the period. It’s no stranger to concours events, having previously won its class and taken a Best of Show nomination at Pebble Beach in 2015.
The closely contested Ferrari category included a 1952 342 America Vignale Cabriolet and a 195 Inter Ghia Coupé from two years earlier – both finalists – with the class win going to Aaron Hsu’s 1964 250GTO. Meanwhile, the Sporting Choice award went to another fabulous steed from the Prancing Horse stable: Jeffrey and Frances Fisher’s elegant 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Spider.
Hot on the heels of their Voisin’s victory at the Concours of Elegance (see p94), Peter and Merle Mullin picked up the Chairman’s Award for their 1951 Delahaye Model 235 Cabriolet, while the Founder’s Choice was presented by Nicholas Schorsch to Jim and Nancy Utaski’s ’65 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible.
Homegrown classics also played their part, with everything from Cadillacs to Wintons winning their classes, while the People’s Choice award went to the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z-06 road racer of longterm marque fanatic Phil Castaldo.