It's part of a charity event that will bring together a collection of mostly privately-owned vintage vehicles for public view. The event will take place in Barrington, but to get a sneak peek at some similar automobiles ABC7 headed to a restoration shop in the West Loop.
The sound of something very old getting a new life, a 1946 Alfa Rameo is being restored to its original glory. It's what they do here at Cooper Technica in the West Loop.
"We specialize in the restoration of pre-war, European sport and touring cars," said Owen Bassett, production manager, Cooper Technica.
And every car has a story.
"The interesting thing about this car is it has a Lebasto sunroof. So the entire top of the car would open up," Bassett said.
Most of these classic cars are privately owned, including a 1955 harvest gold Corvette that was recently restored for a woman who lives in Paris. It's rare that the public gets to examine cars like this one up-close.
Next weekend, the 7th annual Barrington Concours d'Elegance will assemble 140 pre-war and European exotics in one place for public viewing.
"If you're familiar with a cruise night, this is really the super bowl of cruise night," said event co-chair Patty Dowd Schmitz.
Organizers say the cars will come from private collections and museums all over the nation.
"Some of the things you will see are a very rare collection of French cars called Avions Voisin," Dowd Schmitz said. "We also have a very rare collection of Indy cars from various places around the world that were in the Indianapolis 500 that were assembled for us by former race car driver Bobby Rahal.
In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Corvette, the event will also feature a collection of vintage Corvettes. The entry fee is $25. The ba Barrington Concours d'Elegance raises money for local charities.
To see photos of cars that will be on display at the show: https://carolfox.box.com/s/k8thmwrxz990ojt3v2ts
For more information: www.barringtonconcours.org
