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St. Louis Front Page 3832 S. Broadway St. Louis, MO 63118 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com |
by Betty Moore, SLFP.com St. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 24, 2011 - The Concours d'Elegance, a cherished Easter tradition in St. Louis, drew hundreds of antique and classic cars enthusiasts to the upper Muny parking lot, despite a forecast of rain. As guests toured the area, the conversation among friends and families touched on restoration experiences and the devastation in north St. Louis neighborhoods and at Lambert International Airport from an EF-4 tornado on Good Friday evening. The Concours d'Elegance is put on by the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri. Founded in 1944, its members are involved in swap meets, parades and car shows. The show this year was expected to feature over 500 vehicles for its golden anniversary, but many owners opted not to display their well-preserved, vulnerable classic cars because of the weather. Rain or shine, for many car lovers, it was still a great opportunity to swap stories, share memories, trade restoration experiences and even pose for pictures. Berlin St. John, Jr., who has been collecting cars for the past fifteen to twenty years as a hobby, proudly displayed a 1957 and a 1958 Ford Skyliner. Speaking enthusiastically about their painstaking restoration, St. John noted that his 1957 was the first hard top, drop-top convertible made by Ford. The car was originally painted Inca gold, but he had it repainted according to factory specs to achieve a beautiful two-tone Mocca color. "This particular car is the 70th car they made and it only has 70,000 original miles. Everybody wants it because of the low mileage and the condition. The only thing is doesn't have is the original carburetion," he said wistfully. Sarah Jane Meller, who owns a 1947 Packard Clipper with her husband Sam, spoke about plans to repaint their classic car a darker green and replace the chrome grill. Meller wore period clothes, complete with white gloves and hat, for the occasion. While sharing special facts about the car, she acknowledged that driving was a challenge because of the stick shift mounted on the steering column. Nervously glancing at the threatening skies, Meller said they were prepared to leave quickly if it started raining because the wipers didn't work that well. Up and down the aisles, around every corner, there was something old that was new to see. Families, pushing strollers, and dog lovers holding on tight to leashes attached to their pets, came wearing their favorite t-shirts and hats with commemorative auto pins. When the rain finally moved in around noon, three young girls unfurled their bright pink Barbie umbrellas and followed closely behind their mother to keep viewing the lineup of treasured vehicles. As the rain became heavier, the parking lot emptied quickly. The annual event commemorating the history of cars in St. Louis became another loving memory of Easter Sunday in Forest Park.
  The Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2011 Moore Design Group. |
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