By J. Graber
Ultra-high end car maker Bugatti will be featured at this year’s Arizona Concours d’Elegance at the Scottsdale Civic Center Jan. 19 where two of the most exquisite examples of the company’s models will be on display.
First is a Bugatti 57S Atlantic. Only three of the cars were ever made in 1936, and only two exist today. Along with it’s “swoopy” body, the Atlantic may be best known for its raised seams on the fenders and roofline that are riveted together rather than welded.
“(It’s) probably valued somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million,” said Chuck Standford, one of the two Concours founders.
On the other end of the spectrum will be a 2023 Bugatti Chiron SS. The 1,578 horsepower car is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and reaching a top speed of more than 260 mph.
The show will feature 100 cars from museums and private collections from around the world to compete for handmade trophies awarded by 50 judges, who also come from around the globe.
The last time Standford and fellow show co-founder Ed Winkler added up the value of the cars in the show was 2017, when they estimated a collective value of approximately $300 million, and they expect to surpass that this year.
“It really is a collection of unique and rare cars that people have never seen,” Standford said. “People have come to expect that the Arizona Concours will provide truly unique cars that they are guaranteed not to see somewhere else, and if you know the car scene in Scottsdale, you know that’s a tall order because we have some amazing cars here in town.”
And it’s all done “in what we like to call a garden party environment,” Winkler said
Tickets for the show are $95 and are available at arizonaconcours.org/.
This year’s theme is “The Art of Automotive Engineering.”
Whether they have the “swoopy” look of the pre-World War II era or the ultra aerodynamic computer-aided designs of today, each car is a piece of art, Standford said.
Even the fact that the Arizona Concours d’Elegance is put on in part by Scottsdale Arts is a nod to what works of art each piece in the collection is. But it won’t just be all cars on display at this year’s concours, as the show will also feature 16 motorcycles built between 1899 and 1967.
“We’ve had so many people request that, and motorcycles were the beginning of motorized transportation … there will be Indian motorcycles, BMW motorcycles, people are going to be like, ‘Oh my God, talk about engineering!” because we’re going all the way back to the 1800s,” Winkler said.
And if that is not enough, the show will also have what Winkler and Standford believe will be the first trans-am class put together at a concours as well.
All proceeds from the concourse go to Scottsdale Arts and the Make-a- Wish Foundation.
J. Graber can be reached at [email protected]. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments pro or con on this issue. Email [email protected].
