Louwman Museum wins second prize in Chantilly

From all over the world, the most important collectors of classic automobiles come to Chantilly on the first weekend of September to attend the annual event Chantilly Arts & Elegance.

One hundred of the most beautiful cars in the world are displayed on the Le Notre lawns of the estate surrounding Chateau de Chantilly, creating a magnificent temporary museum where they are shown off in the hope of winning the highest possible award, Best of Show.

In total there are 21 different classes, each consisting of four to six cars. The carefully selected jury takes the following criteria into account: rarity, history, condition of preservation and maintenance. A class victory is required to be eligible to compete for the main prize, Best of Show. Last year the Louwman Museum won this prestigious award with the 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster.

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Improbable Coachworks Class - 2016 Chantilly Concours d'Elegance[/caption]

This year we entered our Panhard & Levassor - X19 Labourdette Skiff Torpedo from 1912 in the 'Concours d'Etat' (see photo above). The car was entered in the category 'Les carrosseries atypiques' (unusual coachwork), because the car is fitted with a so‑called 'Skiff' body. The design of the wooden body was called 'Skiff' because of the way the 'hull' was constructed, namely in the same way as the small rowing boat of the same name.

We were not as successful as last year and finished second in the relevant class. A great result at a fantastic event!