LE BARON 1961 4-door hardtop ... OUTSIDER |
(This article appeared in full in issue No. 75 of "The Bond," magazine of the American Car Club de France. Photos were taken at the Château de Versailles)
In
March I saw the first announcement of the "Automobiles Classiques - Louis Vuitton" competition that would be held at
Versailles in September 1998. The idea of entering it flitted through my mind for some
time, without taking solid form.
At that time some finishing touches remained to be done in the restoration of my Imperial.
I resolved to challenge myself with a purpose that would oblige me to carry out that
remaining work. By way of burning the bridges behind me, to remove any temptation to
retreat, I announced to anyone listening that I would enter my LeBaron the same year at
Bagatelle. This was received with what I might call polite skepticism.
I was an outsider in the car-collecting world and didn’t have an influential insider
to sponsor me. I needed to take courage and build up for my car a dossier as strong as
concrete. Starting with everything known about the LeBaron before it came to me, I
recorded the stages of its restoration, supported with photos taken before, during and
after the work. I listed by name all the participants -
mechanic, painter, upholsterer, chrome and gold platers, and suppliers. I added detailed
descriptions of the mechanical system and 
chassis, including the list of options then available.
I took advantage of the remaining months to refine the appearance of my Imperial. I
cleaned it down to the smallest details. I had long left behind crude cotton wads and
wiping rags in favor of the magnifying glass and solvents. With them I hunted down greasy
residues in the most inaccessible corners. A paint brush with only two bristles
helped me conceal some old scratches on the painted parts of the door frames.
At the beginning of July a letter from Automobiles Classiques said that my entry was in
order and that my Imperial would be welcomed as a participant in the Concours
d’Elégance at Bagatelle. Overjoyed, I redoubled my efforts.
On
Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998, at the prescribed hour I was at the splendid gate of the palace
gardens. Immediately a flock of guards came forward to guide me along paths that were not
laid out for the passage of cars the size of my Imperial. We made slow progress, to keep
branches from rubbing the sides of the car.
Under the windows of Count d’Artois’ pavilion the organizers gave me a small
envelope containing all the instructions needed for getting through the two days. Only
then did I know what other cars were entered in my classification, "The American
Dream."
All that Saturday wasdivided between spells of bright sun and of rain. The sun would shine
for a few minutes, then another downpour. About 6 p.m. I prepared the car to sleep
outdoors: dry it off thoroughly, put on its cover, then a second wrapping of clear
plastic.
The night was calm a we waited for D-Day, Sunday, Sept. 6, 1998.
I was there first thing in the morning to undo my big "package" and go over the
car for a final polishing. By 10 a.m. I was ready.
Only three of the contenders in my classification worried me. On my right was a black
Ferrari Daytona with a U.S.-made body by Panther in the style of a station wagon; it
attracted a crowd of visitors and journalists. To my left was "Jacqueline," a
coupé styled by Pinin Farina on a 1959 Cadillac Brougham base. It gave me real concern.
The third car that aroused my apprehensions was a Corvette Sting Ray said to have belonged
to Harley J. Earl himself; fortunately it was not in peak form for competition.
Three judges were assigned to the "American Dream" group. At 11 a.m. it was my
turn. When they had examined the LeBaron in all its particulars they submitted me to
intense questioning. I took care to point out everything that makes the car unique in my
view. I showed them my contemporary documentation, the car’s contemporary tool kit,
and so on. In a few words, I laid it on thick. After a quarter of an hour they moved on,
apparently satisfied, and turned their attention to the Ferrari. There was nothing to do
then but wait for the verdict.
I supposed that all the entrants would be called together, as happens after a rally, for
an announcement of the winners. But that wasn’t the way! I learned only then, from a
veteran on the staff, that the winners in each category would be quietly informed by the
presentation of a ticket for the afternoon parade of cars, in which only the top
contenders in each classification could take part.
The die was cast. I wasn’t particularly impatient. About noon one of the many
staffers in circulation approached my car, holding a sheaf of papers, evidently looking
for the owner. I stepped forward. He handed me a sheet bearing a number - the order in which my Imperial would parade.
That was the ticket! My Imperial had just won a prize in France’s greatest
concours d’élégance for antique autos! For a few moments the King wasn’t
just my cousin
The next challenge? Shhh…and come back in a few years...
Imperially yours,(Imperialement vôtre,) R.L.B.F.
... The LeBaron is the finest of America's most carefully built cars ....