Hello friends,

Here in the Northeast as the calendar prepares to flip to March the excitement begins to build. Only 2 weeks until the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida, and the snow beginning to melt away as we look forward to Spring. In my opinion, 2011 is already shaping up to be a record breaking year, both in the collector car market and for our companies. I'd like to share some of our exciting news and interesting new finds in this newsletter.

Hello Friends,

As we put Hershey 2010 in our rear view mirror and the leaves fall to ground, I wanted to take some time to bring everyone up to date on some new finds and some great opportunities for 2011.

Hershey was absolutely perfect weather wise. Most of the week was sunny and comfortable, which anyone that has attended the Fall meet knows, when the rain comes, what a experience that can be.  The Peerless found a new home and we have number of sales currently in the works from clients that viewed our offering at the show.  But by far the most interesting and exciting part of the show was the one of our new acquisitions that came home.

The 1912 Stoddard Dayton is by far the most powerful and refined Brass Era automobile I have ever had the pleasure of driving.  Take a look at the video we filmed HERE. 

In 1911 the Stoddard Dayton was the very first car to pace the Indianapolis 500. Its overhead-valve engine with valve-in-head (OHV) engine was a masterpiece of advanced engineering compared to the T-head engines favored by competing marques. Valves were inclined at 45 degrees within hemispherical combustion chambers.  Lots more on the history of the Marquee will be posted on the website, but to be appreciated, this car has to be driven.  The restoration was performed to the highest standards and she was built to be driven, and it has.  The Stoddard has toured all over California and even climbed Pikes Peak.  With only a few of these 50 HP models in existence, this Brass Era powerhouse will be a Blue Chip collectable now and in the future.

As the air begins to take on the Fall chill in New York, it's hard to believe that it's off to the big AACA Show in Hershey, PA October 5th -10th. We have a great group of cars this year with something for every budget, but let's take a quick look back at the last few months; On the national auction scene in Pebble Beach, on the Monterrey Peninsula, $173 Million in sales changed hands, with the Classic and Sports Racers leading the pack. The Rare Classics posted strong sales across the board.

Here in our shops we have seen a lot of cars going overseas. Unfortunately the really great cars have been very hard to come by, but after a few months of digging around I have some vary Rare cars coming in, including another Model J Duesenberg, a great 1910 Brass Era roadster (for only $14,500), an ultra rare Cadillac V16 Convertible Sedan from 1935 (only 4 were built), and another Packard 12... So watch our website, or drop me an email for details.

Next week we will make our annual pilgrimage to Hershey, which I have not missed a year since birth! You could say I was literally born into the car hobby. As always, it's great to see all of our friends and clients from around the world. Stop by our tent in Chocolate Field CQ66-72, on the corner a few rows up from the big inflated Coker Tire. We will have a neat selection of cars this year: See our Hershey Page Here.. Also a 1937 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Sedan has been added to the group. The 1907 Thomas is almost done and will be on display in our tent as well. It looks GREAT and will be available for sale.

Stop by for a cold drink and take a look around.

See you there!

Clark P. Rittersbach
President of Concours Classics LLC

Amelia Island 2010: Great Cars, Great Weather, and Great Friends.
click for the complete photo gallery

After taking 3 cars to Meadowbrook in 2009, I told Mary that I will never take that many cars to a Concours again. The preparation, logistics, and handling of all the vehicles is a major undertaking, so when my friend Bill Warner called I committed to take FOUR cars. (I kept my promise to Mary, I didn’t take 3…but I think the idea was to take less...)

Hi Everyone,

We have some exciting new finds coming and I wanted to share this significant group with everyone for your enjoyment. These cars are all in restoration or arriving soon and we will be adding photos to the website soon. All of these cars are significant and will be warmly welcomed throughout the Concours season for 2010. Please feel free to call my cell phone at 585-329-9855 to act fast!