Jun 25, 2007

Motor madness

American, Italian cars star in Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance

By Jason Green / Daily News Staff Writer

Holding on to her sun hat in a stiff breeze Sunday, Fran Cochran soaked up the praise from yet another automobile enthusiast impressed by her 1961 Ford Thunderbird.

For the Menlo Park resident, car shows are a new thing, but since coming into possession of the vehicle that faithfully served five generations of her family, opportunities to show off the Space Age-inspired coupe amount to public service.

"It's a driver, but if I want to get anything done, I drive my 1992 Toyota," Cochran said. "People are always stopping me to ask me about the car."

So there she was Sunday at one of the premier automobile exhibitions on the West Coast, the Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance, surrounded by hundreds of cars, their owners and thousands of spectators with at least one thing in common: an infatuation with all things automotive.

Now in its 41st year, the event brought together curvaceous European exotics and brawny American muscles as it has before. But with vintage tractors and trailers, a 675-horsepower concept sports car from Dodge, and a "memory lane" to celebrate the toys of yesteryear, this year's concours was about "offering something for everyone," said Maurice Liang, a volunteer spokesman for the concours.

The supercars surrounding the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mopar Concept Coupe, which Liang arranged to appear at the event through his connections as the Viper Club of America founder, presented proof.

To the left: Silicon Valley's own Tesla Roadster, an all-electric car that can squirt from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds. And to the right: an expensive-looking Lamborghini with an expensive-sounding name, the $323,000 Murcielago LP-640.

In starring roles this year, Ferrari and Cord - an American marque that produced only two series of cars before fading into automotive history - commanded most of the Stanford athletic field where the concours unfolded.

Cord owner Steven Moore, of Los Altos Hills, relished the chance to display his 812 Supercharged Phaeton, one of just 196 produced in 1937. The signature chrome exhaust pipes diving out of the hood and into the fenders signaled it was a vehicle with some serious grunt, he said.

"It's nice to get the recognition," Moore added. "People who are into cars tend to know what a Cord is, but the general public does not."

The concours may be about cars like Moore's, but proceeds from the event help the Palo Alto Host Lions Club fund charitable organizations. More than $2 million has been raised since 1967.

That aspect of the concours is worth underscoring, said Palo Alto resident Tom Mulhall. He attended the event with his nephew, Kevin Sharp.

"These cars aren't just polluting clunkers like some environmentalists say they are," said Mulhall, who has restored several Fiats. "It's important the public sees these cars can be used for good."

Showing her car on the street and at large-scale events such as the Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance is precisely what Cochran intends to keep doing, especially after winning the event's George Paddleford Trophy for the "Most Interesting Post-War American Manufacture."

"I never knew people would be so interested in this car, so I've decided to do one car show a year," she said. "It just brings so much joy when I drive this car. It puts smiles on peoples' faces."


E-mail Jason Green at jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com.