For the last 25 years, the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance has been a Father’s Day weekend staple in Beverly Hills. Fittingly in the ritzy area of Los Angeles, it’s typically an all-out fancyfest with celebrities and expensive cars on display, and it attracts in the neighborhood of 50,000 people or more.
This year, organizer and philanthropist Bruce Meyer reimagined the event in a way that is safer for the crowd in the midst of health concerns by making it a parade instead of a static event. Celebrities like Jay Leno and Tori Spelling will be driving a few of the vehicles in the convoy, which includes an eclectic collection of vehicles like the recently-sold Big Oly Bronco and a 1939 Bugatti Type 57C once owned by the Shah of Iran.
“We’ll have everything from a 23-window VW bus to the Lost in Space chariot to a $70M Ferrari GTO,” Meyers told me. “It’s an incredible array of cars, like a brand new McLaren Speedtail, cars from Mad Max, and a Lancia Stratos Zero.”
Along the line, parade viewers will get a glimpse of the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO valued at $70M, a 1960 Maserati Typo 61 Birdcage, 1957 Dual Ghia Convertible and the spectacularly futuristic one-of-one 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero. In the Concours tradition, a few pre-war collectibles like a 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster Custom and 1935 Packard Dual Cowl Phaeton will fall in as well. Some of the cars aren’t even street legal, and a few have never been seen on the road before.
O’Gara Coach – the Beverly Hills dealer for McLaren, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Rolls-Royce and Genesis – will be leading the lineup with cars from its showroom. (Side note: can you imagine the revenue that dealership generates in that location?)
Meyer is passionate about supporting the community, and sponsorship dollars from the event will go to the Beverly Hills Police Officers Association and the Beverly Hills Firefighters’ Association. The showcase on wheels will begin at 10 a.m. PT tomorrow heading north on San Vicente Boulevard, turning west on Burton Way, and culminating in the grand finale on Rodeo Drive.
If you’re looking for a great vantage point for viewing, Meyer has an inside tip: he says the best place to watch will be on Beverly Drive between the 500 and 700 blocks. Not in the area? Check out the Tour’s site for a video feed next week.
Got a tip? Send the writer a note: kristin.shaw@thedrive.com