Stunning classics at the inaugural Arizona Concours

While the rest of the country dug out from the Polar Vortex, Phoenix was applying SPF30, adjusting its straw boater hat and parking a collection of beautiful cars on the lawn of its historic Biltmore hotel.

The inaugural Arizona Concours launched Jan. 12 and featured 76 beautiful cars spread out on the Arizona Biltmore's perfectly manicured lawn. With everything from Panhards to Packards present, just about any one of the 76 would have fit in on the 18th green at Pebble. And, as opposed to the approximately 43 million people who cram onto the grass at Pebble, a generally polite and entirely manageable 2,000 or so car lovers came to the Biltmore. That's fewer even than The Quail A Motorsports Gathering, which bills itself as pretty exclusive. Maybe Ville d'Este is more quaint, but tickets here were just 50 bucks.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This was only the first one.

“Auctions and concours go together because they're all about great cars,” said concours emcee Keith Martin. “Anywhere you go in the world, there tend to be great concours along with the very best auctions. It makes sense to have this one here.”

This 1938 Steyr 22 roadster: Most Elegant Pre-War and Avante Garde award winner

Indeed, the idea had been floating around Scottsdale for years -- hold a concours to kick off the week of auctions. Sure, why not? You would have the world's great car collectors in town that week for the auctions, and you already had a fairly good assemblage of car guys in the greater Scottsdale/Phoenix area. It'd be easy!

And, to those who didn't do all the work it no doubt took, it certainly appeared effortless.

Best in show went to Donald Nichols' 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet de Ville, a car Nichols discovered all but abandoned in an alley in 1970. The car had been sitting there since its second owner, the first owner's chauffeur, had parked it. The first owner was American industrialist Andrew Mellon, former Secretary of the Treasury. That's the U.S. Treasury. Nichols held onto it for 40 years, getting up the nerve to restore it. But restore it he did, and with stellar results.

A 1928 Isotta Fraschini

Other winners included the Make-A-Wish winner, chosen by nine kids in the Make-A-Wish Arizona charity. The kids have excellent taste, picking Bill and Linda Pope's 1939 Bugatti T57C Galabier.

Most Elegant Pre-War and Avant Garde was a 1938 Steyr 220 Roadster.

Since the concours celebrated the 100th anniversary of Maserati, a special award was granted to that marque, won by the Pope's 1937 6 CM Grand Prix racer.

From Delahayes to Daimlers, there was not a drab car in the lot.

Let's hope the momentum carries over to next year and the years after that.

By Mark Vaughn