Konkurs Elegancji 2023
Establishing a new event on the international scene is not an easy task. The calendars of classic car enthusiasts are already full. The organizers of Konkurs Elegancji, however, believe that there is room for yet another one. Is their optimism justified? By looking at their involvement and the steady growth of the event, yes. The latest edition was characterized by a more interesting selection of cars, a refined exposition, and a more professional approach by the jury. But for me, those factors were not the most important ones. What makes me happy is that this event is still a great opportunity to meet my friends and get to know new classic car enthusiasts.
It's not the first time I write about Konkurs Elegancji here, but as this event is still not well known to the international audience, a few words of introduction may be welcomed. The organizers follow a well-known formula for events like the Concorso d’Eleganza. Unique machines are parked in a picturesque garden. The jury examines the condition and history of each car and awards the best ones in a few categories.
For me, this edition had something special about it. I’ve got the opportunity to take a closer look at the work of the jury. Their task wasn’t easy. Unlike the last year’s edition, the quality of cars in each category was very equalized, and picking the right one became a tricky and responsible task. But before I’ll jump to the professional and objective judgments, I can write about my subjective favorites.
My first award would go to the Glas V8 from 1968. This machine is confusing even for many of those who claim to be oldtimer specialists. BMW logos, but no kidney grills? Yes! This beautiful coupe body was designed by the manufacturer from Dingolfing shortly before the company was bought by BMW. As the car was almost ready for production, the new owner only stuck their logos on it and proceeded with the introduction of the elegant model to the market.
The second prize would go to the Lamborghini Jarama S from 1973. When was the last time I saw this model live? I can’t recall. Definitely one of the less remembered models from Sant’Agata Bolognese. Compared to it, Miura or Countach seem to be obvious popular models.
The car my heart was beating faster for was also Honda NSX. This was my most beloved model during my childhood. Way less obvious than Ferraris, with great styling and advertised by Ayrton Senna: nothing more needed. Unfortunately, many of the cars were subject to more or less advanced tuning, where the first thing to be replaced were the original five-arm rims. Fortunately, the car present during the event was kept in 100% original condition and looked exactly like the Tamiya model I assembled when I was 10. It was accompanied by a second NSX in comparably good and original condition, but the Acura badges and white interior made it less like the models I remember from the past.
Why am I not mentioning the Alfa Romeo SZ? Only because I already wrote about this very car in one of my previous articles.
Picking my favorite cars was an easy job. It was, however, a completely different task for the jury. Here, personal preferences and memories from childhood had to be deeply hidden, and objective factors had to come first.
After the event, I asked a few questions of Adam Pekala, a member of the jury, automotive photographer, and editor of petrolfans.com. I believe his answers will shed some light on the process.
PK: What was the most challenging part of your role as a judge?
AP: I believe the hardest part of the judging process was the variety of the vehicles that contested for victory and the challenges that came with it. We were presented with a well-balanced selection, out of which different models had different strengths. As an example, pristinely restored cars fought against ones in original condition with certain flaws, so obvious at their age. Similarly, the rarity of the models varied, too. Nonetheless, taking into account there were thirty automobiles total… that is quite a bit of research to be done pre-concours, I can tell you!
PK: Was the jury unanimous in their decisions, or was there a need for long discussions?
AP: Fortunately, to avoid bias, we were aided with a judging form that streamlined the decision process a bit. Each car could score a total of a hundred points consisting of several categories: style, beauty, elegance, condition, authenticity, restoration, rarity and cultural value. To award trophies we have then gathered at the end of the day and discussed the scoring. Not all classes had a clear winner at the end of the day, but we managed to reach a collective consensus!
PK: What features of the car were the most important for the jury and had the biggest impact on the results?
AP: Here, again, the scoring sheet came in handy. The highest possible score was available for style, beauty, and elegance, with the remainder coming in as equal. In my book, however, the aspect that I was the most onerous with was authenticity. I believe it is responsible for conveying the real soul and heritage of a vehicle, whilst at the same time so easy to miss when pushing the restoration that tiny bit too far.
So, now that we know how the judging process looked, let’s take a look at the winners. The first category was Elegance. Here, the award went to a freshly restored black Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider from 1958. Another Italian classic won the Sport category. Here, the award went to the blue Lancia Stratos. The car survived in a unique condition. It has covered just 8,000 kilometers since it left the factory and spent the last 17 years in the hands of its current owner. Most of its screws are still untouched by any workshop mechanics, and even the original seals are still visible on some mounts. This car gives a unique insight into the process Lancia implemented during production.
The car that won the Daily category was also one of my favorites of the event. It was born in 1986 as a standard Jaguar XJ-S. Soon after being collected by its first owner, it was handed over to Tom Wilkinshaw Racing (TWR) for some engine improvements. And TWR knew what to do with Jaguars to make them fast. Really fast. At that time, they were running the XJ-S in the European Touring Car Championship and stood behind the brand's Le Mans win in the prototype category. After the engine horsepower was tuned from stock 262 to a stunning 380, it was handed to the Lynx company, which focused on reshaping the car into a handsome-looking Shooting Brake. The full name of the car is the Jaguar XJ-S Lynx Eventer. Only 67 were built, and this is the only one with TWR drivetrain modifications.
The Best of Show title went to the Rolls Royce Silver Wraith from 1953. The car allegedly used to be part of Buckingham Palace's royal fleet. Unfortunately, when the jury's decision was announced during the evening banquet, I realized I hadn’t shot a single photo of the machine. To make things worse, I couldn’t fix this mistake because I had already run out of my limited supply of photographic film, on which I photographed the event.
Congratulations to the organizers. As always, my visit to the Konkurs Elegancji was a very pleasant experience. In my text, I was naming the most interesting cars, but the true stars of the event were the people who created the memorable atmosphere. I’m already looking forward to meeting all of you next year!
