The Society presented a number of awards at this year’s European meeting, held February 6, 2003 at the Automobile Club de France in Paris.

Taylor Vinson, chair of SAH’s Cugnot Awards for books in languages other than English, conferred the Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot prize on Asbjorn Rolseth for Handwerk på Jul (Rolling Coachwork – the Story of Norwegian Bodymakers). Published by Asbjorn in Oslo, Handwerk på Jul is written in the Norwegian language. An Award of Distinction was presented to Maurice Louche for his French language Le Rallye Monte-Carlo au XXème Siècle.

Kit Foster, acting for David Lewis, chair of the Friend of Automotive History Award, conferred SAH’s highest recognition on Karl E. Ludvigsen of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. Cited by nominator Fred Roe as "a prolific researcher and writer with a technical bent and an emphasis on racing subjects," Karl Ludvigsen is veteran of a long career in automotive journalism, history, public relations and consulting. His UK-based Ludvigsen Associates consults for the motor industry, and among his many books are three Cugnot winners.

A special award was presented at the beginning of the night’s program. The SAH directors had voted to express appreciation for the dedicated work of Laurent Friry in arranging and coordinating the Paris meeting for the past eight years. On behalf of the board, Kit Foster presented Laurent with a copy of The Splendid Stutz, the seminal work on that marque and a Cugnot winner in 1997. The book was inscribed by all the directors.

Most of those who attended the SAH dinner were at Paris Expo the next morning for the opening of Rétromobile XXVIII. Sometimes billed as the "French Hershey," Rétromobile is different in nearly every respect (smaller, indoors and without rusty metal) but equally attractive to automotive people of every persuasion. The 2003 show was designated "The Year of Records," centerpieced by four cars from the National Motor Museum in Britain: Malcolm Campbell’s 1925 Sunbeam, the 1927 1000hp Sunbeam, the Golden Arrow and the 1964 Bluebird.

Rétromobile brings together museums, auto manufacturers, car clubs, and vendors of cars, parts and automobilia. Displays echoed the record-setting theme, the Fondation de l’Automobile Marius Berliet of Lyon exhibiting a Delahaye 104 lorry configured as that of Prince Sixte de Bourbon-Parme, used in 1929 to attempt a direct route across the desert between Algiers and Lake Chad. Paul Berliet, head of the Fondation and an SAH Friend of Automotive History, opened the display with a press conference on Friday morning.

Taylor Vinson, right, presented Cugnot Award to Asbjorn Rolseth for Handwerk på Jul, the story of Norwegian bodybuilders. (Kit Foster photo)

Kit Foster, right, displays the Splendid Stutz, presented by the SAH Board to Laurent Friry for his many years of service in arranging the Paris meetings. (Taylor Vinson photo)