Two Beautiful Cars: The Near Future and the Past

Since 2005, Louis Vuitton has presented two awards: the Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Award and the Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award.

The Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Award is given to the car chosen as "BEST OF SHOW" at the world's most prestigious shows, while the Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award is presented to a prototype exhibited at the same shows that has a high potential to win a concours d'elegance award in the future.

"Talbot Lago Super Sport T150C Aerodynamics Coupe (c) Louis Vuitton"

This year, the Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Award went to the Talbot Lago Super Sport T150C Aerodynamics Coupe, triumphing over rivals such as the 1956 Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Competizione, the 1961 "Birdcage" Maserati Tipo 61, the 1936 Delahaye 135, the 1933 Delage D8, and the 1938 Bugatti 57C. Built in 1938 by master coachbuilders Figoni & Falaschi, this model won the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza (Cernobbio, Italy) and is currently owned by renowned New York-based collector Oscar Davis.

The selection was made by a jury of distinguished figures in the automotive design world, including jury chairman Christian Philippsen, Chris Bangle (Owner, Chris Bangle Associates), Ian Cameron (Chief Designer, Rolls-Royce), Patrick Le Quément (Design Director, Renault), Shiro Nakamura (Senior Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.), Jean-Pierre Ploué (Styling Director, PSA Peugeot Citroën), and Gordon Wagner (Chief Designer, Mercedes-Benz).

"The water-drop design created by Joseph Figoni for the Talbot Lago revolutionized the automotive industry. This car also achieved excellent results in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race," said Christian Philippsen. He noted that during the era when the Talbot Lago was born, many people, including writer Paul Morand, traveled in racing cars, and Louis Vuitton trunks served as companions on these journeys.

From left: Jury Chairman Christian Philippsen, Oscar and Betty Davis, and Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier. (c) Louis Vuitton / Stephan Muratet

From left: David Gandy, Carlo Brandelli. (c) Louis Vuitton / Stephan Muratet

The Most Powerful Plug-in Hybrid Wins an Award

Meanwhile, the Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award was presented to the Jaguar C-X75. Created to celebrate 75 years of Jaguar design and envision the future of automotive technology, the C-X75 is designed as an electric two-seater supercar with exceptional performance. This plug-in hybrid vehicle is equipped with four motors and two small gas turbines, producing a total output of 572 kW (778 hp) and a maximum torque of 1,598 Nm (163 kgm). It achieves 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h, while emitting only 28g/km of CO2. Furthermore, it offers an electric-only range of approximately 110 km, representing a near-future super sports car.

The jury for this award, chaired by Christian Philippsen, included familiar faces from OPENERS such as Masafumi Suzuki (Editor-in-Chief, ENGINE), Serge Bellu (Journalist), Harm Lagaaij (Former Porsche Design Manager), and Gordon Murray (Car Designer). Christian Philippsen commented, "Ian Callum, Jaguar's Design Director, and his team have succeeded in carrying the brand's DNA into the future, not only in terms of technology and design." He seemed to highly appreciate Jaguar's new endeavor to continue creating beautiful cars, much like Louis Vuitton's passion for innovation in crafting trunks and bags as a key part of the French philosophy of "art de vivre" – enriching life with comfortable conveniences.