Concourse Winner (Ward K. Would Be Proud)

Chuck Richardson, retired animation exec, with 1911 Maxwell.

Chuck Richardson and Brian McEntee entered a 1911 Maxwell (earlier restored by animator/director Ward Kimball) in the Concours d'Elgance over the weekend. Mr. McEntee's report:

Our 1911 Maxwell AB Runabout won first prize for its category [Sunday] at the Concours d'Elegance in Palos Verdes, CA. ...

Concours events are very high-end, with cars that are so preened and polished that they should be held in a NASA clean room. As pretty and showy as our 1911 Maxwell is, it is not up to general Concours standards by any means. Nonetheless, we were invited to attend because this time they added a "working car" category: vintage delivery trucks & vans, police & emergency vehicles, fire engines, hearses, and the like. Our Maxwell, previously owned by Ward Kimball, is done up as a fire chief's car. It never belonged to a real fire department or was used by an actual fire chief––it was a confection of Ward's imagination made real. ...

Well, the Maxwell sparkled and literally had all the bells and whistles, and the judges were dazzled enough to give us first prize.

We and our car felt out of place amidst the Pierce Arrows, Bentleys, Rolls Royces, and Bugattis. Sure, it's very cool to see all these brilliantly preened rare cars, but we don't really understand the competition part. We don't yet know what to make of the award we got. Both of us feel that winning an award for something you own rather than something you create or accomplish is lacking. The best we can come up with is that it has added another small piece to the car's rich history, and for that we are pleased.