Overview

Mercedes Benz Club (NSW) Inc
Concours d’Elegance and Display Day 2008
Sunday 21st September 2008
Parramatta Park

Admiring glances
Concours d’Elegance, 2007

 

The purpose of the annual Concours d’Elegance is to promote the Mercedes-Benz Club (NSW) Inc and to foster general interest in the preservation, restoration and display of classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles and to promote the marque in general. This day gives everyone a chance to show their car(s) at its (their) best and is the highlight of club activities for the year.

As was demonstrated at the Show and Shine Day in April, everyone loves a display of beautiful vehicles and so all club members are encouraged to bring along their Mercedes-Benz(s) for entry to the Concours d’Elegance or for display. Members with vehicles on historic registration are especially encouraged to attend and enter their cars in the Concours.

Mercedes Benz Australia will be 50 Years old in 2008. To celebrate, all cars first registered in 1958 are encouraged to join in the special display at the 2008 Concours. We know of at least eight W180 220s and four W121 190SLs that fall into this category. If country and interstate clubs rally their members to join in the fun, we will have the biggest display of 50 year-old Mercedes Benz cars ever! Registrars are making sure that everyone in their Register with a 1958 Mercedes will be there on the day.

Sandra Bateman
190SL at Concours 2007

New Venue

This year we are again at a new venue. Every two years, the Showground at the Entertainment Quarter where we were in 2007 is unavailable and although the management was hoping to have Heritage Park restored and available, this was unconfirmed so we elected to head to Parramatta Park.

Parramatta Park is a site of national cultural heritage significance and was originally the Governor's Domain. In 1788 Governor Phillip established the second settlement of New South Wales at Parramatta, the area chosen for its rich fertile soil and its suitability for cultivation and abundance of native wildlife and bird life.

Today the Park is one of the largest parks in western Sydney and offers a relaxing and picturesque setting for families and community groups to enjoy a day outdoors. For families coming to the Concours, there is a café and Bar-B-Q facilities, picnic areas, toilets and a children’s playground. The park is close to major shopping centres, the cinema and the Crowne Plaza Hotel (recommended for your visit to Parramatta. Phone 1800 007 697 for bookings).

This year, the Concours will be held in the Picnic Ground (Area 7). You can view a map of Parramatta Park at the Parramatta Park Trust website. You can also view the map on this website, by clicking here, or download it as a pdf file (183kb), by clicking here. Cars entered in the Concours must report to the marshals by 8.00 am. Judging will commence at 9:30am sharp. This gives us plenty of time for photography and marshalling everyone into place. Allocated Class numbers will indicate your location at the venue. Entry details will be checked and your vehicle directed to the appropriate area.

 

Trophies

Trophies are awarded for Best in Class and Runner Up for Classes 1 to 19 as determined by the team of judges using the judging criteria outlined below.

Perpetual trophies are awarded for Champion of Champions, which is a judged class; Historic Plate Award, Engine Bay Award; Restored Vehicle Award; Long Distance Award determined by the judges; President’s Award and 1st Appearance Encouragement Award determined by the President and the People’s Choice Award determined by popular vote. Winners of these Perpetual Trophies will also receive a small trophy to keep.

Champion of Champions at Concours 2007
300d Limo owned by Ben de Boer

Small change in classes

The classes of the previous two years will remain with the addition of two new classes. This year Class 16 will include Vito vans, G-Class wagons, trucks, buses Unimogs, trade entries and commercial vehicles and Class 18 will be restricted to Modified Vehicles of all types including Brabus, Kleeman, Lorinser, Carlsson, AMG models pre-1998 take-over and vehicles with aftermarket modifications. Note that vehicles with factory modifications and accessories available in year of manufacture may be entered in the appropriate class.

If all goes according to plan, the Smart Cars group will be amalgamated into membership of the Mercedes Benz (NSW) Club, and we will see a spectacular display of Smart Cars at Concours 2008 and of course, we will have a special judged class for Smart Cars. More information should be available here shortly, and also in the next club magazine.

 

Display Vehicle Award

Display Vehicles can enter the precinct before 9.30 am and may leave any time. We would prefer if the display vehicles did not leave until after 3.30 pm. In order to facilitate planning, we would appreciate advanced notice of intent to display a vehicle so we are requesting that an entry form be completed and the Display Only box ticked. Please indicate if you will be displaying a car first registered in 1958.

Cost to display vehicles will be $15 per vehicle ($25 for two vehicles), which includes $5 donation to NRMA Care Flight. Payment with the entry form would be appreciated but payment will be accepted on the day.

As in 2008, following its introduction in 2007, the ‘best’ display vehicle will receive an award as determined by the members of the Executive Committee. Criteria are to be determined by the committee on the day. The Award will be available on the day only and must be collected at the meeting or will be forfeited and presented to the second best.

Concours entrants must complete the entry form and mail together with entry fee (cheque made out to the Mercedes Benz Club (NSW) Inc.) to arrive no later than COB Friday, September 12th 2008 to:

Paul Fail
17 Peter Close
Hornsby Heights NSW 2077

To download an entry form for the 2008 Concours d'Elegance and Show Day, as a pdf file (934kb), click here, or use the entry form included in the club magazine. Indicate on the entry form the class you wish your car to be judged in.

To download the classes for the 2008 Concours d'Elegance and Show Day, as a pdf file (16kb), click here. The clases are also on the back of the entry form in the club magazine.

To download a location map for the 2008 Concours d'Elegance and Show Day, as a pdf file (183kb), click here

To download the advertising poster for the 2008 Concours d'Elegance and Show Day, as a pdf file (1.1mb), click here