Concours D'Elgance Of America At ST. John
This Weekend
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CONCOURS D’ELGANCE OF AMERICA AT ST. JOHN’S
An Exhibition of Elegance
By Steve Purdy
The Auto Channel
Michigan Bureau
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The Inn at St. Johns makes an exceptional venue for this important celebration of automobile history and aesthetics. The original Seminary building includes a chapel so beautiful it could rival many in Europe. The expansive manicured grounds allow plenty of room for the over 300 cars that will be on display but also room for relevant vendors and special displays. Ingress and egress at the show have been managed well since the move to St. John’s about 5 years ago from the traditional venue of Meadow Brook Hall north of Detroit.
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The Sunday Concours d’Elegance will be preceded by a variety of events: tours on Friday both by motor coach to explore Detroit’s automotive heritage and a traditional old car tour; a series of seminars on Saturday hosted by Hagerty, the nation’s leading provider of classic and collector car insurance; a cars & coffee show Saturday morning featuring Barry Meguiar; an automotive fine art exhibit featuring many of the most renowned artists in the world for whom the automobile is a central theme; a separate Italian car show; a fashion show luncheon; a prestigious RM Sotheby’s classic and collector car auction; and more.
Brian Joseph is the veteran chairman of the large, well-connected car selection committee. He and his team gathered cars, and other things vehicular, for the Sunday Concours, organized into 29 special classes and special displays from the earliest cars of the last century to current super cars. Classes will honor such marques and genres as the Deusenberg Model J, Post WWII Motorcycles, Rally Racers, cars with bodies by Dietrich, 110 years of Lancia, Jet-Age Trucks, Pierce Arrow, the Ford GT40, Modern Collectables, Jazz Age cars, and a variety of classic categories. Special effort goes in to creating features and classes that will appeal to all demographics.
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Auto history experts Bob Joynt and Bill Rothermel will narrate the pass in review with all the class winners beginning mid day. Even the well-heeled will learn much about these cars they did not know. They will be joined by the popular Mode du Concours Fashion show with period garb and special cars narrated by author, talent-agency owner Margery Krevsky.
The Concours d’Elegance of America ranks in the top three such events in the country along with the oldest in Pebble Beach, California and the highly respected Amelia Island Concours near Jacksonville, Florida.
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RM Sotheby expects about seventy “blue chip” classic and collector automobiles at their Saturday Motor City Auction. A wide variety of cars include a 1929 Model J Duesenberg with body by Murphy and a modern super-car classic 2006 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo with only 300 miles. The public will be able to view the cars without charge Friday all day but if you would like to bid on a car or two you’ll need to register as a bidder. Auction details at: www.rmsothebys.com
While general admission for the Concours d’Elegance (10 AM to 4 PM Sunday) is $40 in advance or $45 at the gate many of the other events throughout the weekend are without cost. Shuttles are free from public parking at the Northville High School, 45700 Six Mile Road. Get all the details at: www.concoursusa.org.
See you there!
© Steve Purdy, Shunpiker Productions, All Rights Reserved
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3 AUTOMOTIVE POWERHOUSES COME TOGETHER FOR THE HAGERTY SEMINAR SERIES
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Insider's look at the world of Automobile Design
A Design Summit, featuring:
Moray Callum – Vice President, Design, Ford Motor Company
Ralph Gilles – Head of Design, FCA Global
Michael Simcoe – Global Design Chief for General Motors
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
At the Inn at St. John's, Plymouth, MI - FREE to attend
There is no public parking at the Inn at St. John's on Saturday. Public Parking is at Northville High School - 45700 Six Mile Road - Northville, MI
Parking and shuttle are FREE
An officially sanctioned event of the Concours d'Elegance of America
The Concours d’Elegance of America annual Seminar Series Sponsored by Hagerty
The Seminars will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at the Inn at St. John’s and cover the following topics:
Pony and Muscle Car Valuation
8:30 am – 9:30 am
- Colin Comer, founder of Colin’s Classics Automobiles and noted author
- Ken Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering and the Lingenfelter Collection of over 150 cars
- Dave Kinney, ASA Accredited Senior Appraiser with an Automotive Specialties designation
- Donnie Gould, President of Auctions America
A Design Summit
10:00 am – 11:00 am
- Michael Simcoe, the new Global Design Chief for General Motors
- Moray Callum, Vice President, Design, Ford Motor Company
- Ralph Gilles, Head of Design, FCA Global
Design and Development of the Ford GT
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Moderator: Chris Theodore, retired Vice President of Ford Product Development
- Bill Clarke, Manager of Body
- Curt Hill, Manager of Powertrain, Chassis Design and Program Development
- Special Guests: David and Andrea Robertson (of the Robertson Racing Team) sharing their independent effort to take the GT to LeMans with great success. Their race cars will be on display at the Concours d'Elegance of America, Sunday, July 31, 2016.
The Inn at St. John’s: 44045 Five Mile Road, Plymouth MI 48170
About Concours d’Elegance of America
The Concours d’Elegance of America is dedicated to the preservation and historical relevance of prestigious automobiles. Through our yearly exhibition of automotive design, craftsmanship and history, we strive to provide the community at large with a visual, artistic and educational perspective of the classic world of automobiles.
Follow us at: #ConcoursUSA2016
Join: www.facebook.com/concoursusa
Partnership opportunities/General information
Diane Flis-Schneider, Executive Director, Concours d’Elegance of America
dianeschneider@concoursusa.org
(248) 643-8645 office
(248) 421-7698 cell
Media Contact
Steve Keyes, Centigrade for Concours d’Elegance of America
steve.keyes@centigrade.com
(248) 430-7627 office
(248) 952-7022 cell