Results from the 2015 Kuwait Concours
Who won what at the 2015 Fourth Kuwait Concours D’Elegance last month
From the press release
The fourth 2015 Kuwait Concours D’Elegance, organised by the Kuwait’s Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum at Marina Crescent in Kuwait City, has drawn to a close with a record number of visitors passing through the doors to see a priceless collection of automotive classics.
Held under the patronage and attendance of His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s premier automobile extravaganza attracted an esteemed panel of judges from across the globe to judge cars in four main classes and numerous sub-categories.
The four classes for cars between pre-1900 and 1975 attracted great support. Class D for cars built between 1961 and 1975 provided a real test for the judges and a 1961 Bentley S2 Drophead Coupe was handed third place for its Swiss owner. A German-owned 1971 Maserati Gibli SS finished second and the laurels were taken by a stunning Swiss-owned 1965 Lamborghini 350 GTS Spyder.
Class C covered cars built between 1946 and 1960 and third place went to a UAE-based 1958 Fiat Abarth 750 GT Zagato. A Dutch 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d’Este was second and the Bahraini owner of a 1957 Chrysler Imperial Convertible claimed the class win. This was the surprise of the show, as this car had been ordered by the late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the former vice-president of Kuwait. The car had been specifically made for him and had his name engraved on the back emblem and stitched into the leather seats. The car was registered as the longest convertible ever made.
Cars built between 1931 and 1945 were entered in Class B and third place went to a 1940 Packard Super Eight Convertible entered by The Royal Automobile Museum of Jordan. A German-owned 1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith James Young Coupé was second and a Dutch 1933 Invicta S-Type 4.5-Litre Low Chassis won first prize. The latter spent many years of its life in the Middle East. It lived in Bahrain in the late 1940s and did not leave until the beginning of the 1980s and has previously been used in hill climbs and races.
Vintage cars built between 1900 and 1930 were registered in Class A. A Kuwait-owned 1924 Bamford & Martin Side-Valve Boat-Tail Three-Seater Team car was third. This was James Bond’s first car in Ian Fleming’s ‘Silverfin’ from the Young Bond novel series.
A German owner claimed second for his stunning 1928 Mercedes-Benz 460K Nürburg, but the prestigious first prize was awarded to a 1919 Pierce Arrow Model 48 owned by a Canadian from the ‘Legendary Motor Company’ television series.
A stunning red 1973 Pontiac Trans-Am SD-455 claimed third place In the American sports and muscle car category. A 1970 Pontiac GTO earned the runner-up spot, but honours fell to a spotless 1971 Buick GS-X Stage 1.
The category for ‘Most Elegant Car by Chopard’ was taken by a pristine white 1954 Chevrolet Corvette C1 owned by Kuwait’s Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamed Al-Salman Al-Sabah, while a Cadillac Type V63, built in 1924, and exhibited by Qatar’s Sheikh Faisal Bin Jassim Al-Thani, from his amazing Cultural and Classic Car Museum, took first prize in the ‘Best Preserved’ section.
A 1953 Ferrari 625 TF Spyder by Vignale was displayed by a Spanish owner and stole the show in the ‘Most Elegant Sport Racing Car’ category and a Swiss exhibitor claimed top spot in the ‘Best Closed Car’ section with a mint 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic Couple by Ghia.
Dennis Collins, from the famous ‘Gas Monkey Garage’ show on the Discovery channel’s ‘Fast ‘n Loud’, won the ‘Best Restored Car award with ‘Goldie’ (a 1958 Austin Healey 100-Six). Saudi members of the Gulf Classic Car Club were delighted to hear that their giant 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible had won the ‘Best American Car’ section. A Swiss exhibitor presented a priceless 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder and that stole the limelight in the ‘Best Open Car’ category.
Another machine from Maranello’s Prancing Horse stable – this time a 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB – won the ‘Best Sport GT’ car for its American owner. The USA was in the prizes again in the section for ‘Best Concept Car’ and a 1970 Lancia (Bertone) Stratos HF Zero snatched the win.
A yellow 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV that was delivered new to Rod Stewart was deemed to be the ‘Best Design Car’ for its British owner and Kuwaiti exhibitor Faisal Al-Khurafi entered a white 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 and that won the ‘Best European Car’ section.
The 2015 Kuwait Concours D’Elegance ‘Chairman’ award was handed to Jawad Bukhamseen for his amazing 1933 BMW 303, while a Lebanese exhibitor claimed a special award from Kuwait’s Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum for his 1933 Avon 10hp. This car had originally been made for a female pilot in the UK.
The ‘Special Jury Award’ went to the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ that was owned by the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the former Emir of Kuwait. He bought the car new from the Kuwaiti Mercedes-Benz dealer and it has received an amazing restoration job.
Overall ‘Best of Show’ honours were earned by the Swiss 1965 Lamborghini 350 GTS Spyder that also won Class D.
“We would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah for his patronage and support of the Kuwait Concours d’Elegance and all the other museum activities,” said Eng. Zakaria Dashti, consultant to the Kuwait Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum.
“I would also like to thank Abdulaziz Ishaq, the chairman of Kuwait Concours d’Elegance and member of the board of trustees of the museum, for his support and guidance to make this edition the best yet. We are also grateful to Abdulaziz Al-Yaseen, the general manager of the Historic, Vintage and Classic Car Museum, and his team for preparing the show. I would also like to thank our main sponsoring partner Chopard-Trafalgar Company and everyone else who made the Kuwait Concours D’Elegance 2015 such a huge success.”
