A 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost owned by Aaron and Valerie Weiss was awarded “Best of Show” at the 26th annual Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, June 16, 2019. The Rodeo Drive Concours is a Southern California Father’s Day tradition featuring stunning cars displayed among the world famous Rodeo Drive fashion boutiques and gourmet eateries.
“This year was our most successful Rodeo Drive Concours event to date,” said Bruce Meyer, chairman of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance. “The show is put on each year to give back to the community. It is a way to honor dads, to support the Beverly Hills Police Foundation and to share the best cars in the world with local enthusiasts. We did that and much more and are already working on an exciting and special theme for 2020.”
This year’s event was highlighted by a special display of the finest motorcars from Bentley, celebrating the marque’s 100th anniversary. The collection included highlights such as a 1927 Bentley 3/4.5 Litre Le Mans Special, a 1928 Bentley 4.5 Litre, a 1960 Bentley S2 Continental, and the world’s most accurate recreation of the historic 1930 Bentley “Blue Train” alongside the latest models from the brand. Outside of the specialty display, Bentley also showcased its 2019 Bentley Continental GT3 race car and hosted a driving program with the 2019 Bentley GTC Convertible, 2019 Bentley Bentayga Speed and 2019 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid at the event.
The “Best of Show” 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is an elegant two-door design known as a Piccadilly with coachwork by Brewster. Weiss described the car as the quintessential Rodeo Drive car of the era, something which would have been driven by many silent film stars. It was the most luxurious model offered by Rolls-Royce at the time and is equally as striking today as it was in 1925.
Other specialty displays at the event included a selection of modern supercars including the 2020 McLaren GT alongside the Rimac Concept_Two, Bentley Continental GT, Bugatti Chiron, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and a special Aston Martin DB11 “Beverly Hills” Edition with matching luggage display, all courtesy of O’Gara Coach. Additional highlights included a “Future Classics” display courtesy of ClassicCars.com and displays by Ferrari Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Maserati, Superformance, BMW Performance Center, BMW Beverly Hills and Compass.
The show is free of charge for attendees and has grown steadily since its inception over a quarter century ago, now welcoming over 40,000 people to one of the most famous boulevards in the nation. The combination of stunning vehicles, high fashion retail establishments, a family-friendly atmosphere and celebrity sightings has made the show an annual tradition for many Angeleno families.
“We are proud to be part of this year’s 26th annual Concours d’Elegance Father’s Day car show on Rodeo Drive,” said Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch. “The cars and crowds were simply incredible and we are happy to help a historic brand like Bentley celebrate its 100th anniversary. Thank you to Bruce Meyer, the Rodeo Drive Committee and the amazing car participants who helped us celebrate this fabulous event.”
In addition to its “Best of Show” selection, the 26th annual Concours d’Elegance recognized several major award-winners including the following:
Best of Show
1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Aaron and Valerie Weiss
Mayor’s Award – Most Elegant
1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe Recreation
Dr. Perry Mansfield
Chairman’s Award
1953 Maserati A6GCS Spider by Frua & 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Coupe by Frua
Jonathan Segal
Icon Award – Timeless Classic
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Tomy Drissi
Rodeo Drive Award – Most Stylish
1960 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Jerry Logan
Police Chiefs Award – Life in the Fast Lane
2018 Kode57
Ken Okuyama
Rodeo Drive Award – Most Unique
1956 Bentley Blue Train Recreation
Phillip Sarofim
Rodeo Drive Award – Most Fashionable
1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB
Mark Haddawy
Carroll Shelby Award – Most Sporting
1953 Kurtis 500s Roadster
Tom Malloy
Steve McQueen Award – Classic Sports Car
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe
David Duthu
Most Outrageous
1966 Volkswagen Baja Beetle “Wasteland”
Raul Contreras
Most Passionate Enthusiast
Doug Weitman
John D’Agostiino Crystal Award
1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham
Jordan Quintal