The Classic Car Club of America has been honoring what they consider to be full classic automobiles since 1951. The look at cars built between 1915 and 1948 and have chosen those they feel are, essentially, the best of the best. The Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance always has classes for these cars and, in fact, breaks them into early and late classics. The Late Classic class are cars from 1936 through 1948, and this year included a 1938 Packard Darrin convertible Victoria. This Darrin coach body was only put on 120 Packard frames. This car was built for Hollywood actress Sally Rand. It has a 320 cubic inch inline eight-cylinder engine that puts out 120 horsepower.This is a 1931 Stutz DV32 MA convertible coupe. It hasn't been driven on the road since 1938 and the current owner purchased it out of storage in 2024, giving it a full restoration. The engine is a 322 cubic inch, dual overhead cam, inline eight-cylinder power plant that generates 165 horsepower. The car was guaranteed to go 100 miles per hour.There are several fairly unique features to this 1937 Cord 812 SC Phaeton. The Cord was one of the first front wheel drive automobiles. It was also one of the first to adapt hydraulics and to have flip up headlights. The car has a 289 cubic inch V 8 engine that generates 175 horsepower.Dubbed the "Standard in the World" for luxury, this 1947 Cadillac Series 62 Club coupe had an original price tag of $2500. It sports its original engine, a 325 cubic inch V 8 engine that creates 150 horsepower.There were only 50 1937 Cadillac V-16 Imperial convertible sedans with bodywork by Fleetwood ever built and this is one that survived. Its 154-inch wheelbase was the longest of any American car at the time. It is powered by a 452 cubic inch V 16-cylinder engine that puts out 185 horsepower. It's original price of $8150 was twice that of the average home at the time.It's rare for a car to be heralded by a museum but the 1940 Lincoln Zephyr Continental cabriolet was so honored by none other than the Museum of Modern Art. The prototype for this car was Edsel Ford's personal vehicle. This is one of 350 ever built and one of only 30 still known to exist. It runs on a 292 cubic inch V 12 that churns out 120 horsepower. This 1936 Auburn 852 Phaeton marked the final year of production for the Auburn Automobile Company. What is so interesting about this model is that the grandfather of the current owner was instrumental in the car's design. It has a 280 cubic inch inline eight-cylinder engine that generates 150 horsepower.
