Images and Video by: Don & Kaitlyn Weberg, and the Motoring Podcast Network
We’re already looking forward to the 2027 Concours d’Elegance at Copshaholm in South Bend, Indiana planned for July 9-10 and hope you’ll put it on your summer planner too. The relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the Concours was refreshing and, we think, it began with the parking situation.
The Copshaholm estate is also known as the Joseph D. Oliver House. An industrialist who made fortunes in creating farm equipment, the estate is located in a neighborhood. As such, parking in the streets was easy, making it a simple affair to enter and exit the grounds. Once on the grounds, spectators were greeted with a multitude of vehicles, mostly American classics, but with an array of European cars as well. With the Studebaker Museum and The History Museum right next door to the Copshaholm, it’s a stunningly immersive experience. Even those who aren’t all that interested in history will find nuggets to enjoy, but for car enthusiasts, the Studebaker Museum and the Concours at the same time are fantastic. There’s even a portion of the museum dedicated to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, honoring the history of women’s professional baseball and the South Bend Blue Sox team. Think of the movie “A League of their Own” and you’re on the right track. Very cool stuff.
This year, the Concours events expanded into a two-day affair that included the Concours d’Lemons South Bend, the Automotive History Live Forums, a dinner, and the Concours itself.
During the Concours too, the History Museum ran various tours including a walking tour of the neighborhood with guides discussing the historical homes and structures in the neighborhood. The Concours d’Lemons South Bend, of course, brought a truly informal air to the weekend with a variety of cars including The Blues Mobile from “The Blues Brothers.”
The Live Forums was a collection of expert speakers discussing various nuances of cars and automotive history, including a look at Bentley, a discussion of the Bianco Speciale, a white, righthand drive Ferrari 250GTO that was sold by Mecum Auctions in January, a discussion of French-inspired radiator mascots, and much more. Very interesting talks with exceptional insight from noted experts.
Saturday sustained the Forums while the Concours took center stage. On the lawn, most of the owners and representatives were more than willing to chat it up with onlookers. One such caretaker was Colin Clark from the board of directors of the Ian Flemming Foundation, which has gathered a number of vehicles from the various 007 films. We’re looking forward to visiting them soon, but meanwhile check out this tour he gave us.
With about 19 awards on the cusp, and maybe 80 cars on the lawn, judging is critical and crucial to say the least. The pressure is on to make sure everything on every car is scrutinized in a variety of manners. While not adhering to strict Antique Automobile Club of America criteria, judges can focus more on holistic reasoning for giving a car high, or low, marks. The pressure is on, especially for the coveted Best of Show Award. This year, that honor went to a remarkable Duesenberg Model J Sports Sedan-Weymann.
While it seems all Duesenbergs are important, some are more interesting than others, and this is one of those. Using an inner skeleton of wood and steel, the body is comprised of cloth in an effort to cut down on overall weight, allowing the car to attain quicker and faster speeds. Take a look at some of the pictures from the weekend here as well as a video here recorded by the Break/Fix podcast showing the entire awards ceremony – I hope to see you next year. Take a look at the classes for 2027 here, maybe enter your own car or a few. There’s a Pininfarina & Bertone class, maybe I can bring the Fiat. Then again, Lincoln’s Continentals inspires me to go buy another Continental, but the Like No Other Car in the World class pushes me harder to snap up that 560SL I’ve been talking about on the Facebook pages. Maybe I’ll just drive up in the Honda again and enjoy the event. Let me know if you’re coming up. Maybe we’ll set up a Garage Tour. Meanwhile, look forward to a more in depth feature on the Studebaker museum.
