For Immediate Release
Contact:
Marianne Brunson Frisch
marianne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
203-221-7883
Fairfield
County Concours d’Elegance Celebrates Chrysler Hemi Power
Westport, Conn., June 10, 2011. The Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance will be firing on all
cylinders at its eighth annual show on Sunday, September 18, 2011, in Westport,
Conn. Displays of Chrysler Hemi-powered automobiles
and engines will rock the event’s Fairfield County Hunt Club venue with a
different kind of horsepower.
Chrysler FirePower will star in a
Special Exhibit of American and European vehicles equipped with Chrysler Hemi
engines. Chrysler debuted the Hemi FirePower V8 in 1951, capturing the
attention of street drivers and track and drag racing professionals and enthusiasts
alike. Central to the Fairfield County Concours display will be a 1956 Chrysler
300B equipped with two four-barrel carburetors and a “bat-wing” air cleaner
alongside a rare 1957 Facel Vega FV2B Cabriolet that, though designed and built
in France, brags the same 354 inch, 340-horsepower Chrysler FirePower as the
300B. Two of the only 25 Cunningham C-3 Coupes, built by Westport,
Connecticut’s Briggs Cunningham, will also be on view. A 1952 Kurtis Kraft 500A
racecar, originally built around a 331 inch Hemi for the Indy 500, prompted the
rewriting of competition rules to eliminate it and end the Hemi V8’s vying for
wins at that track.
In addition, running exhibits will
literally rev up the show field. An operational, modified 331 inch FirePower
Hemi motor, which is fully wired, fueled, and cooled on a test stand will be
fired up throughout the day, thunderously roaring with its 350 horsepower; a
description and video of the engine can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhzhfC5m6pg.
A Ground Power Unit built by the Hobart Brothers
in 1954, using a Chrysler industrial 331 inch Hemi, will provide AC electricity
to the Fairfield County Concours.
The
Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance will showcase more than 175 of the world’s
most extraordinary automobiles and motorcycles spanning the past 100 years and
host Bonhams’ Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance
Exceptional Collectors’ Motorcars and Automobilia Auction. Other Special Exhibits and Featured Classes are
Formula 1 race cars, Isotta Fraschini masterpieces, Classic Car Club of America
Grand Classic 100 Point Winners, Historic BMW motorcycles, Porsche, Jaguar
E-type celebrating 50 years, Woodies, Barn Finds, and Preservation Vehicles.
Saturday, September 17 presents Car and Motorcycle Club Day, Art + Automobilia
exhibitors, the Nutmeg Tour for Autism and Toast the Tour Reception as well as
a CCCA Grand Classic and Bonhams Auction preview. For further information,
visit the website, www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com.
The Fairfield County Concours is
grateful to its sponsors, which include Presenting Sponsor Porsche Cars North
America, Tiffany & Co., Sports Car Market, Westport Resources,
Bonhams, Moffly Media, Bringatrailer.com, Fairfield
Motor Cars, Callari Auto Group, Miller Motorcars, Reliable Carriers, Rubin
Worldwide, Gartner, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Meguiar's, Hagerty Insurance, St.
Vincent's Medical Center Foundation, Automotive Restorations Inc., American
Iron Magazine, Roadbike Magazine, Vintage Rallies, Automotive Valuation
Services, Monticello Motor Club, Lime Rock Driver’s Club, The Delamar Hotel,
Monticello Motor Club, Garage Style Magazine, Attitude Garage, Gieger’s
Landscape Architects, and DBS Helicopters.
About the Fairfield County Concours
d’Elegance
The Fairfield County Concours
d’Elegance is a premier automobile and motorcycle event, showcasing more than
175 of the world’s most extraordinary vehicles from the past 100 years. The
eighth annual Fairfield County Concours is scheduled for Sunday, September 18,
2011, with a full day of related programs on Saturday, September 17 at the
Fairfield County Hunt Club, Westport, Conn. The event has raised more than
$100,000 to support its beneficiary, The Drive to Treat Autism Fund, providing
support for diagnostic and treatment services for adults and children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders through its partner, St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health
Services. For further information, visit the website, www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com.
High-resolution images can be accessed at www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com/mimages.html.
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