A 1938 Delage Type D8-120 S Cabriolet has triumphed in the prestigious Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award. Eligible for the honour after it scooped the Best of Show trophy at the 2022 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, the car is owned by Fritz Burkard and his Pearl Collection.
The decision was announced at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California, during Monterey Car Week, and Burkard said: ‘This award is truly the highest honour for a car collector like myself. It has been such a joy bringing this car to numerous concours around the world. To be selected as the recipient of this distinguished award by such an acclaimed group of judges is truly humbling.’
Bodied by De Villars, the Delage is a one-off two-seater with distinctive riveted fenders and was first shown at the Concours de l’Auto de Printemps in 1938, where it won the Grand Prize. For the Best of the Best – a showdown of the winners of all the previous year’s leading international concours – it overcame tough opposition from a 1932 Duesenberg Model J Sports Torpedo by Figoni, a 1934 Duesenberg LaGrande Convertible Coupe, and a 1937 Bugatti 57S Cabriolet by Vanvooren. Other nominees included the 1938 Dubonnet Xenia Coupé by Saoutchik, a 1956 Ferrari 250GT Coupé by Zagato, the 1966 Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale ‘Tre Posti’ by Pininfarina and a 1956 Jaguar D-type racer.
The calibre of the 2022 finalist line-up is, quite simply, astounding. Each of these vehicles represents a superlative achievement of automotive engineering and design.
The eight contenders were whittled down to a winner by a panel of 25 internationally recognised judges that included Nick Mason, Ralph Lauren and Octane’s Jay Leno, along with the likes of Ian Cameron, Henry Ford III, Fabio Filippini and Anne Asensio.
The competition was created in 2015 by William E (Chip) Connor, Bruce Meyer and Christian Philippsen, together with The Hon Sir Michael Kadoorie, chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels. He said: ‘The calibre of the 2022 finalist line-up is, quite simply, astounding. Each of these vehicles represents a superlative achievement of automotive engineering and design. For this reason, choosing a single winner for this award becomes more challenging each year. However, I hope everyone will agree with the judges that this car is truly spectacular.’
