Rare vehicles to take spotlight at La Jolla Concours d'Elegance
Three days of events will culminate Sunday, April 21, with the classic car show at Scripps Park. The 2024 La Jolla Concours d'Elegance will focus on "really rare cars" during its three-day showcase on April 19-21. Among the rare cars to be displayed are a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III V-12, a 1932 Chrysler CP8, a 1955 Jaguar D-Type, a Fiat Ghia 1500 GT, and an Aston Martin DB5. The event chairman, Michael Dorviller, said the focus on rarity adds a level of intrigue and quality to the overall experience. The car show will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a free “Pches on Prospect” and a free tour of San Diego.
Published : a month ago by Ashley Mackin-Solomon in Lifestyle
The one-of-a-kind 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III V-12 that will be displayed at the 2024 La Jolla Concours d’Elegance car show is shown in the program cover art.
With a vehicle known for one of Hollywood’s most iconic movie franchises and cars that are among only a few of their kind on the planet, the 2024 La Jolla Concours d’Elegance will put a focus on “really rare cars” during its three-day showcase April 19-21.
“Everyone likes rarity. We like to see things you can’t find anywhere else,” said event chairman Michael Dorviller. “It adds a level of intrigue and quality. It’s very prestigious. Having those cars adds a lot to the overall experience. Car people want to see something they have never seen before. They might know about them but haven’t seen them.”
Some of the cars, he added, have been in private collections for decades and are shown only occasionally.
Among them are a 1932 Chrysler CP8, considered a marvel of engineering, with only five surviving examples of the 251 built; a 1955 Jaguar D-Type once owned by comedian and writer Jack Douglas, which is one of only 71 ever made; a Fiat Ghia 1500 GT, making its U.S. debut at the La Jolla Concours, with fewer than 50 known in the world.
Other notables that will be on display include an Aston Martin DB5, considered one the most famous cars in the world because of its role in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger,” and a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III V-12, the car shown in the Concours’ program cover art.
“Every year, we like to highlight a car that symbolizes the theme we are going for by featuring it on the program cover,” Dorvillier said. This year’s theme is “The Roaring ‘20s and the Glamorous ‘30s.”
The Phantom III “was really the last large pre-war Rolls-Royce,” Dorvillier said. “But what’s significant [about this one] is there is only one on the planet.”
In 1936, he said, an Indian maharaja ordered a Phantom III and learned the car would not be immediately available. He didn’t want to wait, so he went to London and bought one from a banker. However, the body was that of a limousine, so the maharaja built the car as it is today.
“The reason a lot of these cars are one of one … is you would buy the internal parts and build an exterior to your liking,” Dorvillier said. “Someone might want the windshields to be taller or shorter or want a different fender.”
To help people who attend the show learn more about the cars and their histories, the event provides docents “so you know what you are looking at and in case you want to learn more,” Dorvillier said.
“Our tagline is ‘World-class cars and world-class experience,’ and what makes this one unique and has helped propel us to where we are today is the focus on world-class experience,” Dorvillier said. “There are concours events that have amazing cars but the experience isn’t that great. We don’t see that in La Jolla. ... No matter what, you want to come to La Jolla.”
The car show will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at Scripps Park.
In addition, a VIP party will be held in Scripps Park from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 19, featuring live music, cocktails, gourmet food from 20 San Diego-area restaurants and a live auction.
On Saturday, April 20, the La Jolla Concours Tour d’Elegance will start at 7 a.m. and will include visits to private car collections and a driving tour of San Diego, with lunch at a private venue.
Later that day, the free “Porsches on Prospect” will run from 5 to 9 p.m., with 75 Porsches lining Prospect Street and Herschel Avenue in The Village.