Dr Kevit Desai the Patron of the Africa Concours d’Elegance leads the entries from the front with his magnificent Mercedes 450SLC coupe and his 1968 gleaming bronze Jaguar 420 Saloon. Other noteworthy cars already listed for the classiest event on the Kenya motorsport calendar include a 1969 Alfa Romeo spider sports car for Alec Davis.
The class for utility vehicles has been strongly supported by Jan Allan and Jonathan Somen with old Land Rovers. Among other entries which are expected to win prizes are Benson Muli’s 1970 Volkswagen Kombi and the Volkswagen pick-up of the Rift Valley Technical Training Institute in Eldoret which was made in the same year.
The Concours d’Elegance has been held for the past 52 years by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club to mark the organization’s anniversary and to give the owners of well-kept cars and motorcycles an opportunity to show them to the crowd of Concours fans who flock to the Nairobi Racecourse on the last Sunday of September.
The event also rewards the owners of treasured vehicles with a chance of winning prizes and having their machines marked by a team of highly experienced judges.
In addition to the awards for the top three cars and motorcycles there are prizes in the 12 classes for cars and the eight motorcycle categories. There are also awards for the best entries representing various manufacturers.
Crowd-pulling motorcycles that will bring spectators to the Racecourse parade ring for the assessment of bikes include the 1952 Ducati 65T of Gilgil motorsport enthusiast Russell Hughes and the oldest machine so far entered in the Concours d’Elegance which is the 1925 Triumph 550 SD of Dominique Antoine. He is known for his meticulous preparation and is among the likely overall motorcycle winners.
Simon Christy a previous overall motorcycle winner who has also been chief judge will be showing a 1976 Honda CB 400F and a 1979 Kawasaki KZ 1000. Another big machine that will appear at the Racecourse is Tumaini Muthiga’s 1999 Harley Davidson and Henry Hunt’s 1981 BMW 1000.
