A Classic Case of Automotive Style : Cars: 200 vehicles were displayed at ‘Concours d’Elegance,’ marking the 100th anniversary of the gas-powered auto.

More than 5,000 people celebrated the 100th anniversary of the gasoline-powered automobile Sunday by viewing refurbished antique and classic cars at the “Concours d’Elegance” on the UC Irvine campus.

The 11th annual event, a benefit for the Assessment and Treatment Services Center of Orange County, is translated as a “competitive show of style.” Cars on display ranged from an 1895 Hertel Roadster to 1993 muscle cars.

Visitors strolled through sun-dappled Daniel Aldrich Park, inspecting over 200 cars and trucks, including many makes from bygone eras: Stevens-Duryea, Schacht, Winton, Mercer and Thomas Flyer. Some members of the Horseless Carriage Club of America drove in rally formation to the event, while some older models were transported by truck.

Among the cars on display were a 1932 Packard once owned by film star Jean Harlow, a rare 1955 Mercedes with gull-wing doors and a 1935 Duesenberg built for an Indian maharajah and now owned by Gen. William Lyon, an Orange County developer and car collector. Lyon called the car one of the best of his well-known collection.

Proud owners and restorers stood by their vehicles, most polished to a high gloss, happy to deliver impromptu lectures about automotive history. Many dressed in period costume: straw boaters for men, broad-brimmed hats and parasols for women.

Teams of judges inspected some of the cars taking part in the competition, evaluating them on the condition and authenticity of their exteriors, interiors, chassis and engine.

A 1908 Winton owned by Dr. and Mrs. Ross Bewley of Stockton was judged “best in show.”

A “hard-core” competitor, said Peter L. Eastwood, one of the judges, will try to steer judges away from a car’s weak points, and offer such things as original sales brochures to prove the authenticity of parts or accessories.

Eastwood, a 41-year-old restorer from Pasadena, said he is a third-generation lover of vintage automobiles. His family owns five Duryeas of the estimated 100 still in existence. All five were on display Sunday.

The Duryea is considered the first gas-powered auto manufactured and sold in the United States. The first ones were driven in September, 1893.

“I grew up with them,” he said, “and to me they’re very interesting.”

Contemporary developments in the U.S. auto industry intruded at one point in the daylong event, when sign-carrying demonstrators from United Consumers of America appeared outside the gates of the show.

The signs and flyers criticized Chrysler Corp. for manufacturing “lemons” and urged buyers to “exercise caution when considering the purchase of a new Chrysler Corp. car.”

Kent Wilken, a member of the committee that organized the event, was cited and released by campus police after he allegedly grabbed some flyers from one of the demonstrators, said UC Irvine police officer Steven Monsanto.

Monsanto said that one of the demonstrators made a citizen’s arrest for petty theft and battery before he arrived and cited Wilken.