The 2014 Sinaia Concours d’elegance represented the fourth modern edition, and the sixth if one were to consider the 1934 and 1935 editions. 80 years onwards, the concours was held on the grounds of Peleș castle, the former residence of the Kings of Romania, while the award ceremony took place in the Casino gardens.
This being a mountainous region, one could not miss the fact that clouds and pretty low temperature (at least for some) weren’t really what you’d need for such an event.
Moreover, taking pictures of cars meant making your way through large groups of tourists and patiently waiting for everybody to take pictures of themselves alongside the cars and then to move out of the frame. Which didn’t happen very often.
Nevertheless, patience pays off.
One of the first cars that caught my eye was a 1953 Chrysler Thomas Special (Ghia GS1) . For most of the show it was displayed in a pretty tight space. Not a lot of people were really paying attention to it, so I thought I could take a few shots. However, I ended up chasing it pretty much all over the place, for when somebody said that it was really rare, in a few moments, you couldn’t see anything but people around it.
Still, I managed to take some pictures of the winner of the “The Most Revolutionary Design” award, so here it is, in all its splendor.
Next on my list of favourites was a 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Chapron. I haven’t seen many cars belonging to this period, but I’m quite fond it. I see it as a period of transfer, of constant transformation.
Designs weren’t following any well established patterns anymore, rather companies were trying to reach a new point that could be considered from then on as the new standard.
Moving on, you could see cars like the Gullwing, a convertible 1963 Continental (which unfortunately started boiling only about 20 meters from the point it had to reach in order to receive its award), a couple of Mustangs,
a 4.2 litre Panther J 72, the usual array of British sports cars
and others, like this “Fronty” (Frontenac) Ford T Speedster.
Speaking of the Gullwing, it came in third in the Postwar coupe category.
Here’s another shot for good measure.
In my opinion, it’s quite fitting for such an event that a coach-built car won the Best of Show award, namely a 1938 Lancia Astura Boneschi Cabriolet.
The owner received the prize from the hand of classic car collector Corrado Lopresto.
You really have to see it in person to fully appreciate its magnificence.
Although I for one am always more interested in the design part of cars, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the area reserved for enthusiasts who weren’t taking part in the concours had some pretty interesting cars as well. Like this Fiat 850 coupe for example. Pretty common in the olden days in Romania, both the sedan and the coupe are made interesting by their simplicity. Rear engined little boxes, they have the same appeal as a well-designed appliance.
You know that one day you’ll have to throw it away, but you just hope that it’ll stick around for a bit more past its due date. Another popular car in this part of Europe used to be the Renault 16, like the one pictured above. When I say popular, you have to think of an upper-middle class buyer, and usually somebody that knew somebody that knew somebody. If this wasn’t the case, you could always just get on the long waiting list for a Dacia 1300, or Renault 12 as the rest of the world knew it.
Last but not least, here’s the best of the rest, including something very rare over here, a 1983 Saab 99.
Not all Citroen H Vans end up as food carts in London.
All in all, I found the concours very interesting and a breath of fresh air for car enthusiasts in Eastern Europe.
Beautiful cars further enhanced by your skilled photography. Thanks for sharing an interesting show.
Dealing with this opinion. Congrats to the author…
Thank you Nicolae. Your photography is splendid, as were the cars. Hope to see more from you.
Great taste in cars and a good read thank you
Great shots of some nice cars.
Beautiful shots, beautiful cars. Thank Nicolae.
Thank you very much, Nicolae!
Your photography is superb, the selection of the cars is delightful and the cobblestones are the perfect substrate for them to roll on!
This is some of the best automotive photography I’ve ever seen!!!
Thank you, I’m glad you like the article! There were more interesting cars on that day, especially from the 1930’s, but it was very difficult to take any clear shots, the number of people was really large.
My favourite car is the Ghia, but that shot of the R16 on the pave is fantastic. The blacks in your images are so rich. Please post more stuff when you can.
Your photography is stunning. These shots have an aura of luxury that was the essence of some of these cars. CC is becoming home to some of the best automotive photography on the web.
Definitely. I’m curious about the equipment & technique used for these shots, the depth of field is amazing.
The Lancia Astura is the star for me, just amazing. I saw one years ago, a 4-door convertible that had a Aurelia style shield grille. They guy had spent something like 30 years restoring it.
I agree with you on the Lancia. It’s one of those cars that once you have seen it, will almost certainly become a benchmark of spot-on proportions. As for the pictures, I don’t have a lot of experience, but I will say that framing is vitally important, as well as focusing on the right spot. The choices you make for depth of field come from experimenting, and knowing that, especially when it comes to complex object such as cars, it’s quite all right to make a few mistakes. The camera I’m using right now is a Fujifilm HS30.
Great photos…the 1963 Lincoln in the same Desert Tan color as the 1962 convertible I had certainly brought back memories.
When a Gullwing comes in third… Nice piece!
It came in behind the Delahaye and the Chrysler.
Both the photography and the cars are first class. Curbside Concourse. Great job.
Great article! Beautiful cars, and your photography is superb.
Wonderfully photographed and some lovely subjects too! Seems like a very nicely done event and I would have loved to have seen some of those rare cars. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!