This weekend, on Sunday September 7 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, the Des Moines Concours d’Elegance (www.desmoinesconcours.com) will surround the acclaimed John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines with over 150 beautiful antique and classic automobiles and motorcycles to celebrate “the art and design of the automobile.” The Concours will be an event to remember, and one that adds to the rich cultural scene in Des Moines.
Already, though, an example of one of these fine cars has “come home” to Des Moines, and is currently on display at American Dream Machines (www.admcars.com) just west of the sculpture park.
??So what, you might ask, is the connection between the Des Moines Concours d’Elegance and a shop that specializes in American muscle cars? The car is a stunning 1929 Packard 645 Deluxe Eight Dual Cowl Phaeton, which is on loan to the Concours from the Heartland Acres Agribition Center in Independence, Iowa (www.heartlandacresusa.com). The building that houses American Dream Machines at 1500 Locust was built in 1929 as a Packard dealership. That means this car, or one just like it, could have sat in this same window, even on the same checkered tile, overlooking downtown Des Moines in 1929!
The building has changed, the view of downtown Des Moines has changed, and cars most certainly have changed, yet this beautiful vehicle can still sit in the place where Packards–once once one of the finest cars in the world–waited to be sold as they overlooked one of the finest cities in the world: Des Moines.
The Des Moines Concours d’Elegance takes place this coming Sunday, September 7 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm surrounding the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines. Admission is free to the public. Thanks to support from generous sponsors and donations, proceeds from the Concours will benefit Children’s Cancer Connection (http://www.childrenscancerconnection.org).
To follow up on this release and to get assistance with your story, please contact:
Des Moines Concours d’Elegance:
Peter Hemken, Co-Chair: 515-480-3896, hemkenpc@aol.com
Daryl Metzger, Co-Chair: 515-491-3000, dmetzger@smithmetzger.com
American Dream Machines
Randy Johnson: 515-245-9100, randyj@admcars.com
Thank you for your time and interest.
David Stone, on behalf of the Des Moines Concours.
