Massive show on tap for Milwaukee Concours dElegance
with show & glow paddock
 | 1929 Invicta touring car
|
Imagine showing your pride and joy on a show field with hundreds of other classic, vintage and collector vehicles in an outstanding venue with Lake Michigan as the backdrop. Imagine also that your vehicle is part of a show that includes a separate, judged concours competition with celebrity judges all enjoyed by a large audience that appreciates classic cars.
Imagine no longer. The 2018 Milwaukee Concours dElegance with the show & glow paddock will be held on Aug. 5, resulting in hundreds of vehicles on display in Veterans Park.
The concours competition this year will feature Elegance and Premium Luxury as well as the cars of Donald Healey. The Mustang and anything on two wheels will also be in the spotlight.
Exemplifying this years focus is a 1929 Invicta touring car with a 129-in. wheelbase and six-cylinder 4.5-liter engine. Retired automotive interiors designer Ben Delphia bought the car at an auction in England in the early 1970s.
The car was in sad shape, said Bens son Ted, noting that the car had not been maintained well and it was showing its age. The exterior was less than pristine; it had been painted with a brush.
When Ben and the Delphia family returned to the U.S. in 1974, he had the car shipped. It was damaged in shipment, prompting Ben to have it restored.
As luck would have it, the restorer where the Delphias took the car went bankrupt out of business before the Invicta was finished.
We got it back in pieces and some parts were missing, Ted said. It sat that way in the garage from 1977 to 2002.
The Delphia-owned Invicta was in restoration from 2003 to 2007. Following the restoration, ongoing maintenance has continued.
Of the unique car, Ted noted most people dont know anything about it. It has a 129-in. wheel base, is not as wide as contemporary cars and seats five. The body style is a 4-door touring model crafted by Carlton Carriage Co. The body is aluminum and sports a two-tone silver and dark blue paint scheme.
The cars history suggests it spent most of its first 30 years in the jungles of West Africa as transportation for a British Colonial Administrator. Given this location, it likely survived destruction as other vehicles made of aluminum were melted down to provide material for WWII.
The Invicta Motor Company had a short but proud history, including Donald Healey's first place finish in a 4-1/2 liter during the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally for Britain's first-ever win there.
Learn more about and register for the show & glow paddock online.
View the criteria for vehicles to be considered for the concours delegance.
The Masterpiece Ltd., host of the Milwaukee Concours dElegance, is organized and operated exclusively to support other public charities including but not limited to those operating in southeastern Wisconsin which provide medical and social service care and relief to underprivileged children and families through various motor vehicle-related fundraising events.
MilwaukeeConcours.com | | |
|
