Elvis Presley’s 1971 Stutz Blackhawk and Other Classic Car Delights at the 2023 Greenwich Concours

Although meant for the show stand, the Chrysler was built on a stock (but shortened) New Yorker chassis and is eminently drivable—even if its light power steering and somewhat pillowy ride are typical features of the era. Like some other Italian show cars of the period, it lacks a trunk. It was a very hot day, with temperatures nearing 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the old Chrysler had minor fuel vaporization problems. But the driver, Calvin Cassida, 24, kept it going, following a 1954 Corvette. Cassida, a graduate of McPherson College in Kansas (one of the few schools with a full auto-restoration course) is the sole custodian of the 33-car collection.

The afternoon part of the drive was in something completely different—and a lot more visceral. It was a one-of-25 2005 Gemballa Mirage GT. Like the Chrysler, it wore a body that somewhat disguised its origins. Under the skin the Gemballa is a Porsche Carrera GT. 

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Its owner, Roger Monteforte, says he likes “over-the-top” cars, and the flamboyant Gemballa (which looks Italian but is German) is certainly that. It has 670 horsepower, zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds and a 208-mile-per-hour top speed. Monteforte, CEO of Forte Capital Group and the owner of several other supercars (including a McLaren Senna reworked for the street), says he thinks there are only three Mirage GTs (originally priced at US$780,000) in the U.S. Performance, despite a finicky clutch, was…vivid in the Greenwich backcountry. 

The Concours itself, now run by Hagerty, had a full two-day program this year. 

The first day’s highlights were on many levels of the performance spectrum. Dave Silberkleit’s cheerful 1958 Austin “Bugeye” Sprite was in the British Racing Green class, and offered only 43 horsepower from its tiny four-cylinder engine. But it was parked close to a vividly red 1972 DeTomaso Pantera with a mid-mounted Ford V-8 producing 330 horsepower and 5.8 zero-to-60 times. Both would be fun to drive. 

A really fun category—and one reason Hagerty has been building the crowds in Greenwich (estimated at 10,000 over the weekend)—was the Driven by Celebrity class, which included the very first 1971 Stutz Blackhawk, delivered new to Elvis Presley. Frank Sinatra was reportedly annoyed he didn’t get the first one, and boycotted the brand, but Sammy Davis Jr., Lucille Ball, and Dean Martin were owners.

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The only way the nondescript 1972 Chrysler Town & Country wagon would have gotten into the concours was if it was owned by John Lennon and Yoko Ono—but it was. Life-size cutouts of them adorned the seats, and their Double Fantasy album was in the eight-track player. 

The 1960 Corvette was show-worthy on its own, but being owned by director Martin Scorsese (from 1959 to 1987) didn’t hurt. A favorite was the 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Volante that was owned by John Dorrance, Jr.—whose father invented canned condensed soup and founded Campbell’s. 

The more prosaic Practical Performance category had a row of Ford Broncos, Land Rovers, and Land Cruisers—all of which are becoming very collectible and are being turned into high-dollar “restomods” with modern drivetrains. Front-engine Porsches—the 928 and 944 among them—were once scorned by traditional Porsche lovers but are now also rising in value. 

Anyone would love the cute 1991 Suzuki Cappuccino, with a four-configuration hardtop, a 657-cc three-cylinder turbo engine, rear drive, and a five-speed manual. It’s a Japanese keijidosha “kei” car, with tax and insurance benefits in the domestic Japanese market—but no hope at all in the U.S. Also tiny, but very brightly colored, was a row of recreated 1950s Fiat Jollys with fringed tops and wicker seating that are being sold as beach cars by HamptonJollys.com. Grace Kelly had a Jolly, as did Jackie Onassis, and Lyndon Johnson.

On the second day, the D’Elegance was in good context among other Ghia concept cars, including the amazing bright-red 1954 DeSoto Adventurer II, which looks like it’s speeding when it’s standing still. The “jet exhaust” rear taillights were echoed in the 1961 to 1963 Ford Thunderbirds, and a unique feature was the rear window doubling as a disappearing sunroof. The Chrysler “Styling Special” from late 1952, designed by Exner, was also on the field. All of these cars are one-of-a-kind and priceless.