Local car owners get a chance to shine at Concours d'Elegance

If this 1946 Rolls-Royce looks like something from the movies, perhaps that's because it's a celebrity, having just appeared on the cover of the July edition of "Classic Cars Magazine."

To Jack and Virginia Taylor of Kildeer, however, the rare Silver Wraith Sedanca de Ville, is no cover girl. To them, she's their "lady."

She will be among the 100 rare and historic cars at the second annual Barrington Concours d'Elegance, taking place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, Oct. 5, at Arlington Park. While many of the exotic models are coming from across the country, nearly one third are local.

"I love the old girl," quips Virginia Taylor, who plans to sport a Victorian era hat for its debut. "We love to take her out."

With its two-tone color combination, including a white trimmed top and a garnet, or deep red, center section, the car always draws plenty of attention at shows, as well as many People's Choice awards.

Inside, it's just as interesting, with its division window, which can come up to give it a formal, chauffeur-driven appearance, or go down for a sportier look.

"It was hand built in England, and it took one year to build," Jack Taylor says. "Of the original 23 built, I know of only three remaining."

Most recently, it won its touring class at the Classic Car Club's Grand National in August at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, while winning its class at the Concours show in Geneva this summer. It also has been a regular at the Father's Day show each year at Oakbrook Shopping Center.

Next to the sleek and elegant Rolls-Royce, Robert Streepy of Bartlett feels somewhat like a second cousin. He concedes that his 1960 Triumph TR3A roadster is a more entry level sports car than some of the luxury models typically seen in a Concours show, but it is no less interesting.

"I was looking for a project in need of an ambitious restoration, and this one was a basket case," says Streepy, who serves as an officer of the Illinois Sports Owner Association, which caters to Chicago area Triumph enthusiasts. "I did 75 percent of the work myself, leaving the bodywork and engine repair to professionals."

Streepy says the Triumph is representative of the sports cars manufactured in Europe after World War II that appealed to veterans who had served there. He describes his TR3A as a little more performance driven than the MG and priced less than the Jaguar, making it accessible as a high-end sports car.

As for the show world, Streepy's car has done well, and he looks forward to seeing how it fares in the "British Invasion" class at the Barrington Concours.

Another entry in that same class - making only its second appearance in a show ­- will be a 1955 Austin Healey 100-4-M roadster owned by Dorothy Peterman of Des Plaines.

The car was driven by her husband, Glenn, to his job with the Des Plaines Fire Department for years, and literally was parked in their back yard all that time. When he passed away, the family kept it in the garage, and two years ago had it restored.

The frame-off restoration took 18 months, and the professional restorers told Peterman she had a potentially valuable rare early model. Last month, when she ventured into the world of competitive car shows, it wound up winning the People's Choice award at the British Car Festival in Palos Hills.

"I was thrilled to death," Peterman says. "I'm anxious to see how it does here."

Lou Louchios of Rolling Meadows always admired the craftsmanship of the early sports cars built in the 1930s in Europe, and when he saw a 1935 MG Airline coupe featured on the cover of a "Road and Track" magazine, and then found an ad for that very model in the back, he knew he had to have it.

Louchios purchased the car, sight unseen, in 1970. He learned that it originally was purchased in Scotland, and that in 1935, only 24 of these Airline models were made.

The models take their name from its sleek, aerodynamic principles incorporated after numerous wind tunnel experiments.

It took Louchios two years to restore, but it has been winning first in class at Concours and other British car shows since 2004.

"It's a lot of fun going to the shows," Louchios says. "The car seems to draw a lot of attention; people seem to enjoy its style."