Art museum event features vintage vehicles

Perry Atha plans to share stories about his vintage car with spectators and car aficionados this weekend.

"It’s a classic car," Atha, Prairie Village, said. "It’s a joy to drive."

Atha will exhibit his 1966 Lotus Elan S-2 two-door convertible at the fourth annual Art of the Car Concours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at the Kansas City Art Institute’s campus, 45th and Oak streets, Kansas City, Mo.

"It’s a piece of heritage that is fun," he said.

Atha’s convertible will be one of more than 180 vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles – including cars, trucks, racing cars and vintage motorcycles – belonging to Midwestern collectors.

Atha said his British-built Lotus Elan turns heads on his weekly errands and attracts attention in area parking lots.

"That happens all the time," he said. "That’s part of the fun. It opens up the memory floodgates. It creates a bond. People enjoy that."

The sports coupe has been in Atha’s family since 1966. He said his father, Russell Atha Jr., bought the Lotus Elan in 1966 from Paige Motors in Webster Groves, Mo., after losing his Alpha Romeo to an engine fire.

Atha’s uncle drove the car for a number of years, then Atha bought it from his father seven years ago. He said all four of his children enjoy either driving or riding in the Lotus Elan.

"They’re eyeing it already," he said. "It’s always going to stay in the family."

Atha said after owning the Lotus Elan for a year, he had the car restored from the ground up. Foreign Car Enterprise, Kansas City, Mo., restored the fiberglass body, replaced worn leatherette seats with real leather, and created a new wooden dash identical to the original.

"The car looks like it just rolled off the show room floor," Atha said. "I wanted to keep it as original as I could."

Atha still remembers the look on his father’s face when he showed it to him.

"It was priceless," Atha said. "That was the best part of the whole thing."

Craig Vaughan, Foreign Car Enterprise principal, said he also owns a Lotus Elan.

"Mine is a ’67," he said. "It’s just one series newer."

Vaughan said the Lotus Car Co. in England produced around 7,000 Lotus Elans over a 10-year period. He said the car weighs 1,300 pounds with a 125-horse-power engine and dual overhead cam.

Vaughan said the Lotus Elan was pricier than other sports cars of the day like MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey.

"They’re a great little performance car," he said. "Lotus has never been a cheap car."

Vaughan said the Lotus has been voted one of the top 50 sports cars by numerous magazines. He said the fiberglass body, four-wheel disc brakes, and independent rear suspension and maneuverability set the Lotus Elan apart from other sports cars.

"It was way ahead of its time," he said. "They have a real passionate following."

The Concours event also will feature President Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow Limousine and the Bobby Darin "Dream Car," a one-of-a-kind custom car designed for the singer by Detroit clothing designer Andy Di Dia in 1953 and completed in 1960.

"In four years, the Concours has grown to the largest in the Midwest for high-quality original vehicles of a wide variety," Marshall V. Miller, event chairman and founder, said. "There is no similar event in Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, St. Louis or Dallas. As a result, exhibitors, sponsors and visitors from around the country will be traveling to Kansas City for the Concours.

"This year we have many new vehicles that will delight our guests. We especially encourage multi-generations of families to attend, as that is how I started my interest."

FAST FACTS

For tickets to Art of the Cars Concours, visit www.artofthecarconcours.com. Proceeds benefit the Kansas City Art Institute’s scholarship fund.

Attendees will be invited to vote for their favorite vehicles. "People’s Choice" ballots will be distributed, and there will be trophies made by KCAI students for the top five cars. Corporate sponsors, the KCAI president and the Concours chairman also will provide trophies for special vehicles they choose as the best in particular categories.

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