Gallery: 2023 Detroit Concours delighted car fans of every age

1939 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet 2023 detroit concours
Best of Show was captured by this 1939 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet, the only one of its kind known to survive. Nate Deremer

The weather couldn’t have been better this past Saturday in Detroit, Michigan. Temperatures were in the mid-70s, with a light breeze and wispy clouds. Perfect weather to stroll the grounds of the Detroit Art Institute and enjoy some of the finest automobiles made in the last 120 or so years. From the prewar French beauty that captured Best of Show to a video-game-famous Viper to modern-day McLarens, the 2023 Detroit Concours had something for everyone.

If you weren’t able to be there with us, know that we missed you. Hopefully these photos whet your appetite for next year!

The People’s Choice award for the 2023 Detroit Concours went to this adorable BMW Isetta. Despite the logo on the hood, the design for the vintage microcar (sometimes called a “bubble car”) is actually credited to a company that built refrigerators.

2023 detroit concours bmw isette people's choice award
Debra and Greg Bennethum in their 1957 BMW Isetta. Nate Deremer

The award for loudest car—okay, we made that up—went to this Viper race car. If you ever played Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec you’ll recognize this V-10 monster as the million-credit Viper from the video game. This car’s resume extends to real-world racing, too: It won its class in 2000 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the crown jewel of endurance racing.

2023 detroit concours viper GTS R
2000 Chrysler Viper GTS R, chassis #31 Nadir Ali

When this Allard J2 crossed the award stage, Wayne Carini stood up to snag a cell-phone shot of the lovely British roadster. He wasn’t the only one who thought it was photo-worthy.

If you have a keen ear for engines, you might have noticed that this DeLorean sounds a lot like a Ford. You’d be correct: An enterprising GM engineer yanked out the pokey, 130-hp Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) V-6 and, in its place, put a Ford EcoBoost powerplant mated to a Porsche manual transmission. The car makes well over twice that horsepower figure now. Not only did it win the Star Car class at the Detroit Concours—the DMC-12 put a big smile on the face of Kat DeLorean.

1981 DeLorean DMC-12
Jayce Delker and Kat DeLorean in his 1981 DeLorean DMC-12. Nate Deremer

Think old cars are boring? They didn’t get much blingier in the 1920s than an Auburn. This roofless model, a Detroit Concours class winner, is called a Speedster and is famous for the teardrop shape of its rear, which recalls a boat’s prow. In car lingo, it’s known as a—you guessed—boat tail.

2023 detroit concours auburn speedster
The 1928 Auburn 8-115 Speedster of Richard and Helen Harding Hagerty

Perhaps your favorite cars were made a bit more recently? With McLaren and Lamborghini and Porsche all celebrating big anniversaries in 2023, there was plenty of late-model power to ogle.

We’ll wrap up with perhaps the weirdest-looking car on display last Saturday: the 1948 TASCO prototype, a concept car based on a Mercury and designed by Gorgon Buehrig, the same visionary designer who brought us the revolutionary Cord 810.

Swipe through the galleries below, past the TASCO, for even more photos from the 2023 Detroit Concours. If, by the end of the slideshows, you haven’t found anything your style, let us know—we’ll go bite a tire.

 

***

 

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

Click below for more about
Read next Up next: Ford is first car manufacturer to offer digital license plates
Your daily pit stop for automotive news.

Sign up to receive our Daily Driver newsletter

Subject to Hagerty's Privacy Policy and Terms of Conditions

Thanks for signing up.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *