Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B wins 2023 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Ford GT40 Mk I tops Concours de Sport

The 27th Greenwich Concours d’Elegance is in the books, and this year the awards were for two classes: the Concours d’Elegance and the Concours de Sport. The Concours d’Elegance award is intended to recognize traditionally classic automobiles, while the Concours de Sport award celebrates cars from and associated with motorsports.

For 2023, the Concours d’Elegance award goes to the 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, owned by Lawrence Auriana. The 8C 2900 B was the last and the most spectacular of the prewar Alfas. Its glittering debut came at the 1938 Paris Salon; just 32 were made from 1937 through 1939. This particular 2900 B was originally bodied as an open-wheel race car and later rebodied by Pinin Farina. It took third place at the 1938 Mille Miglia and placed first at the 1938 Stelvio Hill Climb.

Among the United States’ most lauded concours, the 2900 B is a favorite. On the lawn at Pebble Beach, 8C 2900 Bs have taken the prestigious concours’ Best of Show laurels four times since 1988. In 2000, a 1938 8C 2900 B won Best of Show at the Amelia Concours. In 2017, Amelia’s Best of Show Concours de Sport went to an 8C 2900 B Touring Spider. Alfa’s 2900 B is all but unbeatable on the concours lawn, as Greenwich’s 2023 Concours d’Elegance award underscores once more. The 2900 B is practically a guaranteed winner . . . unless there’s another prewar Alfa on the field!

This year’s Concours de Sport award went to the 1965 Ford GT40 Mk I, chassis P/1030, displayed by Benjamin Levy. The Ford GT originated in the early 1960s when the Ford Motor Company sought to update its old-fashioned image with the baby boomers who were beginning to exert influence in the car market. Led by Lee Iacocca, Ford decided to use the growing sport of auto racing to establish a more exciting performance image. After Enzo Ferrari quashed Ford’s efforts to purchase his company at the eleventh hour, Henry Ford II gave the order for Ford to build a car that would win the torturous Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. That car was the GT40.

Chassis P/1030 left the factory equipped with Borrani wire wheels, a 289-cubic-inch V-8, and a standard ZF five-speed manual transmission. It was initially sent to the Shell Oil Company for its advertising campaign. After that, it was sold to Ken Luscombe-Whyte and repainted red. In February 1968, it was sold to Rodney Lyons of the Epping Oil Company. In July 1968, it was featured on the cover of Car magazine. The car was loaned to Ford and photographed for a double-page ad featured in numerous magazines in the period. Later the car was used for development of the 2005/2006 Ford GT.

Saturday’s Concours de Sport consisted of 15 judged classes. A range of hands-on activities—ride and drives, racing simulators, Hagerty Future Drivers Club, and more—entertained enthusiasts and families. Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance classes included Pre- and Postwar Alfa Romeo, Steam Cars, Postwar American, Italian, German and English Cars, Supercars, as well as the Cars of Wayne Carini, this year’s Grand Marshal. The Connecticut native, TV host, restorer, and collector-car dealer served in the honorary role while a slate of expert judges, including a group of 20 youth judges, focused on design, style, and elegance while selecting this year’s winners.

“The Northeast has a rich automotive history and the concours is proud to celebrate its place in global car culture,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 selected as Best of Show embodies the spirit of the world’s best collections; its excellence, elegance, and history are worthy of acclaim. Saturday’s Concours de Sport winner, a 1965 Ford GT40 Mk I, is equally deserving of praise, an exceptional example of an iconic car.”

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