An 18-acre slab of real estate called the Greystone Mansion estate is the epitome of Beverly Hills opulence and elegance and is tucked away in the lushly landscaped hills of the “rich and famous” with a magnificent panoramic view of the city of Los Angeles. Built by Ned Doheny, heir to one of the country’s great oil empires, the estate was the location last weekendfor the 8th annual Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance.
The 46,000-square-foot, 55-room Tudor mansion that sits on perhaps the most valuable real estate on the planet is a perfect location to exhibit the classic elegance and rare artistic creations of automotive and motorcycle excellence, with the back drop of movie-drenched Hollywood setting the stage. Some of the great Hollywood movies that were filmed at the historic mansion included Air Force One, The Body Guard, Ghostbusters II, Spiderman III and Star Trek.
The threat of thunderstorms lingered all day but Mother Nature was kind while thousands of enthusiasts and families enjoyed over 125 rolling works of automotive art and 10 fabulous motorcycles that were judged in 15 classes. Many of the vehicles assembled for the event are rarely seen by the public.
This year the concours honored the 100th anniversary of Lincoln Motorcars and the 70th anniversary of Ferrari, and also featured Pre-War vehicles from both sides of the Atlantic.
“The is the eighth year of the event and was easily our most successful ever,” said concours director Cindy Brynan.
In addition to endless gourmet food and non-stop adult libations served in a picnic atmosphere — and is included in the admission ticket — Wheeler Dealer television personality Mike Brewer lectured on “The Changing Collector Car Market” and “Where to Buy Best Cars.”
As the world-class event progressed into the early afternoon and the awards ceremony hosted by LA ABC7 automotive specialist Dave Kunz and opera signer-turned-automotive star Donald Osborne got under way, the honored trophy recipients lined up for the impressive award procession.
Best of Show Concours d’Elegance honored Stan Lucas for his stunning 1929 Lincoln LeBaron Aero-Phaeton and Best of Show Concours de Sport went to A &A Premier Classics for its superb 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Berlinetta.
Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse selected the 1935 Adler Trumpf Junior Sports Roadster as her choice while The Peoples Choice Award went to Peter and Merle Mullin’s striking 1963 Citroen Dandy.
The Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance is an annual fundraiser for The Friends of Greystone, a non-profit organization whose mission is the ongoing preservation and restoration of the historic estate.
For more information, visit the Greystone website.
Photos by Howard Koby
