This year marked the 22nd year of the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival. I have had the pleasure of attending and judging at Hilton Head for the last 14 years, and over that time I have seen the show go from a nice local/regional event into something even more.
This year was the first year that new concours president, Chris Brewer, was officially at the helm of the event, and he has elevated the show to what was this year one of the top five concours events in the U.S. The tricky part was that he was somehow also able to capture the friendly “Lowcountry” feel that has been a staple since the very beginning.
The four day event began with the Grand Motoring Film Festival in which more than 30 films, both feature length and short subject, vied to win in their categories. My favorite film of the week was the film about the BMW effort to break the Pikes Peak record with a production SUV entitled “Peak Power.” The film won the brand category, and of you have not seen it, you can check out part 1 and part 2 here.
Friday started out with the driving tour and wrapped up with the Flights & Fancy hangar party. Just a quick drive from the concours host hotel, this event featured collector cars, aircraft, live music, and some terrific food and drink from local chefs and suppliers. One thing that makes this concours feel special is that they use local chefs and work hard to immerse guests into the rich culinary culture of the area.
The cars and airplanes on display included the Elvis Jet (which let you sit on Elvis’s chair and sofa). My favorite display of the entire Flights & Fancy party was the Cord 812 originally owned by Amelia Earhart, which was parked next to a Lockheed Model 10 Electra just like the one she flew.
Saturday hosted the traditional Car Club Showcase, something that the Hilton Head Concours was the first to incorporate. This is where local and regional car clubs come together to display their cars. These cars are even judged by some of the most well-known judges for the Concours d’Elegance. This makes for a special event where local classic car owners, who have fantastic cars but not million dollar cars, can participate and feel included.
A spectacular addition to this year’s Saturday schedule was the Rolls-Royce National Owners Club Mini Meet. This is again something I have not seen any other concours event in the U.S. pull off, and it did a lot to elevate the Saturday program. The Mini Meet saw almost 100 Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles from every era on display. It was a sight to see! The caliber of these cars would be more than welcome at any top tier concours.
Sunday is always the big event, the Concours d’Elegance. This year, the classes included: the honored marque of Bentley and Rolls Royce, the 125th Anniversary of Packard, CCCA Full Classics, Brass Era, Cars of 1964, 60 Years of Mustang, Ferraris, supercars, and much more. No matter what kind of cars you love, they were there.
In addition to the car classes, it has been a Hilton Head Island tradition to include a display of some fabulous boats, and this years offerings were simply stunning.
This year’s event was extremely well attended and, in fact, saw record attendance for spectators. I say this as someone who has not only judged, but has also shown a car and covered it for the media over the last 14 years.
At the end of the day there are always a few cars that rise to the top and awarded the best of their categories. The winner of this year’s Best of Show Concours d’Elegance went to a 1911 Oldsmobile Limited Touring Car owned by David and Patricia Peeler of Weddington, NC.
But wait, Mr. Brewer and his team did not stop there! They added an additional award this year, called the Best of Show Concours de Sport. This is an award that every concours event should have, as it allows for cars that are not full classic cars, but are important and historic sports cars, to be seen on equal terms with the other classics. This year’s Best of Show Concours de Sport was well deserved and went out to a 1957 Ferrari 250 GT TdF owned by Frederick Fischer of Wildwood, MO.
The William F. Hilton Award was presented to founding board member Stew Brown of Hilton Head Island in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the Concours d’Elegance and the legacy it leaves.
There were also a number of famous personalities at this year’s show; notably racing legend Bobby Rahal who was showing his Toyota 2000GT which won best in class in its division.
The other important special awards included the Paul Doerring Founder’s Award to a 1965 Shelby Mustang GT-350 owned by Nicolas Smith, Stuart, FL, and the President’s Award that went to a McLaren F1 LM owned by The Rare Wheels Collection. Yes, Hilton Head Island had a McLaren F1 on the field, as well as a Ferrari F50.
At the end of the show, I went to dinner with a number of friends who took part as judges or exhibitors. All of us have been to this show many times, and every one of us could not believe just how far Hilton Head has come in a year. It is still the friendliest concours of the entire year, with that signature southern hospitality, and more about the people than the cars. But this year it added so much to make it the best Hilton Head Island Concours yet. Great job team and we are all looking forward to next year.
Comments are closed