With Robert Escalante’s invitation, I had the pleasure of attending the 45th annual Packard Grand Salon event today. For the past two years it’s been held at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach. The Pageant of Packard’s were presented on the upper deck of The Island Hotel… and I have to say, what a sight of beauty that was.
Judging began at 10 am for the all the categories in the pre-war and post-war divisions. I strolled through all the cars with last years post-war Best in Show winner, Mark Beythoun. He was giving me pointers on each one-of-a-kind Packard. I had my choice for Best in Show and couldn’t wait to see if it was the judges pick too. My pick of course was chosen based on aesthetics and beauty instead of the typical point system. I wouldn’t even know what to take points away for anyway… Wanna see my pick??
As everyone trickled down to the ballroom for lunch, Lugano Diamonds was on site wetting our visual appetite with two models adorned with beautiful diamonds, precious colored stones, and yards and yards of pearls. The models walked around each table showcasing all the jewelry and giving a mini bio for each piece. My favorites were the 6 carat antique pave setting $47k ring, the 130 something carat aquamarine diamond crusted necklace, and 13 carat solitaire round cut ring for an obscene amount of money. Wishful thinking…
After lunch, everyone anxiously anticipating the announcement of the winners… yeay, my choice won Best in Show post-war.