David Letterman’s 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica coupe.

Arthur Zafiropoulo had this 1952 Ferrari 342/375, formerly owned by King Leopold III of Belgium, restored.

1931 Chrysler Imperial CG Dual-Cowl Phaeton, owned by Nicola Bulgari.

Reynolds duPont, Jr., with his 1929 duPont Model G sedan.

Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom with former-President Bush and Mrs. Bush.

DeWolfe Hotchkiss with his 1939 Hotchkiss Grand Sport Cabriolet.

The original Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was judged Best Pre-War Mercedes-Benz at the Concours d’Elegance.

King Leopold III of Belgium and David Letterman, though celebrated in different fields, have shared a common bond – a passion for fast Ferraris.

In the case of the former monarch, it was a 1952 Ferrari 342/375 cabriolet, custom-built and bearing the royal crest on the dash, while Letterman’s car is an impeccably restored 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica coupe. And last June both cars were displayed next to each other on the show field of the Greenwich Concours Europa, with Letterman’s car winning the Chairman’s Choice trophy, and the ex-King Leopold cabriolet – now owned by Arthur Zafiropoulo of California – taking Best of Show.

Reynolds duPont, Jr., in keeping with family tradition, brought his 1929 duPont Model G sedan to the preceding day’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, while DeWolfe Hotchkiss, nattily attired in 1930s-gentleman sporting apparel, brought his 1939 Hotchkiss Grand Sport Cabriolet (his ancestor, Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss, started building Hotchkiss automobiles in France in 1904).

Astonishing custom Italian coachwork was much in evidence on the 2003 show field, with such rare cars as Ralph Marano’s one-off 1948 Vignale-bodied Packard competing for honors with Thomas Kerr’s one-off Boano-bodied 1955 Lincoln, trailered in from Pennsylvania.

Nicola Bulgari, the famed international jeweler who is absolutely passionate about classic American Buicks, sent two of his pre-war Buicks to the Greenwich Concours, then listened as Keith Flickenger, his American curator, walked the field, cell phone in hand, describing the cars displayed to Bulgari in his Rome headquarters. The list included financial-guru Jim Roger’s custom-built ‘round-the-world Millennium Mercedes-Benz; a 1931 Duesenberg originally owned by Queen Marie of Yugoslavia; a 1959 Rolls-Royce convertible first owned by Tony Curtis; a 1948 Chrysler Crown Imperial limousine commissioned for Marjorie Merriweather Post; a 1960 Corvette originally owned by film-director Martin Scorsese; and a 1938 Cadillac convertible sedan believed to have been first owned by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Christiana and Jack Beebe’s 1939 Buick convertible sedan, with a custom one-off body by Maltby of London, won the GM Buick Division’s trophy for most outstanding Buick; the Beebe’s owner’s portfolio includes a photograph of Churchill, Eisenhower and Stalin standing in the car, reviewing a victory parade in Copenhagen. Talk about provenance!

The previous year, a 1939 Cadillac limousine, originally commissioned by MGM Studios for Academy Award-winner Greer Garson and fitted with a red-silk-and-satin interior to complement her red tresses, shared the show field with – among other Cadillacs – a 1926 touring car originally owned by famed Antarctic explorer Admiral Richard Byrd. Nearby was a 1904 Columbia once owned by opera star James Melton.

Possibly the most famous car of all time – shown at Greenwich in 2001 – is Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Not the flying caricature of a car from the movie of the same name, nor the fictional Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang of James Bond author Ian Fleming’s juvenile tale that inspired the movie, but the actual Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang built in 1921 by Count Louis Zborowski, a wealthy London playboy. In the years immediately following World War I, Count Zborowski and his dilettante friends amused themselves with wild escapades in powerful cars. The young count built a series of ultimate high-performance cars by installing surplus aircraft engines – which were in plentiful supply after the war – in automobile chassis. Of three Chitty-Chittys built, only one survived to this day. It has a monstrous 18.8-liter, six-cylinder Benz aero engine originally used to power Zeppelins, mounted in a lengthened and strengthened Mercedes chain-drive chassis. Now owned by Bob Bahre of Maine, its appearance and exhaust roar are as intimidating today as they were 80 years ago.

The Greenwich Concours is a contemporary extension of the concours of the era between World War I and World War II. The term originated in France in the 1920s -- literally “a gathering of elegance” – to denote the exhibiting of custom-bodied motorcars by their proud owners and by European carrossiers, or coachbuilders, frequently in conjunction with the latest couturier designs. As these early concours grew in scope and popularity, they attracted sponsorship, and prizes were awarded for outstanding design. The early concours featured mostly French designs, but it wasn’t long before German, Italian, English and American coachbuilders were also vying for recognition by the cognoscenti. The focus was on excellence of design, with custom coachwork fitted to the finest chassis.

Though the outbreak of war in 1939 brought an interruption to these glorious events, automotive aficionados have revived the concept of the concours, both here and abroad, and the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance is ranked among the top such events in this country.

The Greenwich Concours -- which spans three days and also includes displays of vintage motorcycles and a vintage aeroplane or two -- is unique in the range of attractions for both spectators and car owners. The spectacular waterfront setting of Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, site of the Concours, also permits the inclusion of a small, select display of vintage wood-hulled boats each day.

Further, there are two separate and distinct concours, plus a number of ancillary and complementary events. Saturday’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance features American automobiles, both pre- and post-war, and pre-war European cars. Sunday’s Greenwich Concours Europa is solely for post-war European sports, competition and touring cars.

Both concours are invitational meets, with invitations sent to selected car collectors by the Concours Selection Committee, and the cars vetted by the Committee’s panel of experts. (And, incidentally, once a car has been exhibited at Greenwich, it is not eligible to be shown again for three years.)

The cars are displayed beginning at 10 am each day, when spectators are welcomed, and the panel of Concours Judges, some 36 in all, under the guidance of Chief Judge Edward Herrmann – the multi-award-winning actor and a passionate car collector begin their evaluation of the 150 or so cars entered, plus the motorcycles and boats. The judging is completed by noon, then the results are tabulated; the drive-by and presentation of trophies commences at 3 pm, with commentary by Grand Marshal Don Peterson. The banquet takes place on Saturday evening at the Greenwich Country Club, following the awards presentations.

Because there’s so much to do, the Greenwich Concours has proven immensely popular with families as well as with die-hard car enthusiasts. There’s a gallery of automotive art where showgoers can meet the artists, a book alley, a demonstration of panel forming on a rolling wheel, fascinating displays by such heritage-conscious automobile companies as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Lincoln, Saab, Volvo, Mini, Land Rover, DaimlerChrysler, Jaguar and AI Design. Automobile magazine is the overall Title Sponsor of the Concours.

The Greenwich Grand Tour, limited to 50 Concours-entered cars, takes place on the Friday preceding the weekend public days. It includes a catered waterside lunch and a tour of several luxury Sunseeker yachts, followed by a tour through town and onto back-country roads, offering bystanders an opportunity to see these beautiful machines in their element – on the road! There's a mid-afternoon “pit stop” at the CitationShares jet hangar at White Plains airport, with a fly-in of vintage aeroplanes, followed by the second stage of the tour, culminating with a reception at a prominent car collector’s home.

Two thousand four marks the ninth anniversary of the Concours d’Elegance. Founders and co-chairs Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom are expected to make this year's event even more outstanding, while keeping the spirit and tradition of the original “gathering of elegance.”