Three new classic car show extravaganzas are being added to the calendar in October, one in Rhode Island, one in Tennessee and the other in Las Vegas.
First up is the inaugural Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week, an exclusive four-day event hosted by the Audrain Automobile Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, that takes place October 3-6.
The “celebration of all things automotive, luxury, sport and history” is chaired by none other than everybody’s favorite comedian car guy Jay Leno, while the concours d’elegance is chaired by well-known classic car expert Donald Osborne.
Among the rare and exceptional vintage and modern vehicles on display will be 12 cars from the General Motors Heritage Division, including such famed concept cars as the 1938 Buick Y-Job, the 1954 Corsair Concept and the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen.
Events include the Gathering at Rough Point on October 4 at the oceanside mansion and museum with 70 cars on display, a concert that evening by music superstar John Legend, the Tour d’Elegance for cars in the concours on October 5 that includes a 50th anniversary celebration of the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, and the Concours d’Elegance on October 6 held at the Audrain museum, with cars spanning the decades from 1900 through 1970.
A special car show feature Sunday focuses on younger enthusiasts with its “30 Under 30” class for those 30 and younger to showcase their cars built for $30,000 or less. Leno will be among the class judges.
Tickets for each event are pricey, and available at the concours website.
During the following week, the inaugural Chattanooga MotorCar Festival kicks off at downtown Chattanooga’s Tennessee Riverfront from October 11-13.
“The Festival resembles its European counterparts by incorporating unique classic car events tailored to the vintage/historic car collector and racer, and the welcoming hospitality that is the trademark of the American South,” according to a Festival news release. “It includes Time Trials Between the Bridges, Rendezvous of the Greats Concours d’Elegance and a High Jinks Rallye.”
The MotorCar fest expects a number of classic car and motorsports celebrities to attend the events, with racing legend Brian Redman serving as Grand Marshal of the Festival. IMSA champ Jim Pace, overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, is chairman of the Time Trials, with Alain de Cadenet, racer and TV commentator, serving as announcer.
Tanner Foust, three-time U.S. Rallycross champion, winner of four X Games gold medals and two Formula Drift Championships, will be a featured celebrity driver, and on October 12 will perform drift demonstrations on the 1.5-mile Time Trials circuit in a custom 900-horsepower, V8-powered Volkswagen Passat. Volkswagen is a major sponsor of the Festival.
To help launch the inaugural MotorCar Festival, the DeFoor Brothers development company, presenting sponsor of the event, is donating 1,000 two-day complimentary admission tickets to the Fifty Plus Racing Foundation, the Festival’s charity presenter, which benefits the Erlanger Neuroscience Institute.
Customers must register for the complimentary $55 multi-day tickets, two maximum, at the event website, using code 50PLUS.
On Saturday, October 27, the Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance takes the stage, held at the DragonRidge Country Club with a view of The Vegas Strip.
The following day, the concours cars will take a Sunday drive in the Tour d’Elegance that will include a cruise down The Strip, which will be closed off to regular traffic for the 2-hour tour, which is free and open to the public.
The show begins Friday, October 26, with a gala banquet at the Frank Gehry-designed Keep Memory Alive Event Center, with food by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and presentation of the first Helene Awards for innovation and contributions to the auto industry.
After the weekend’s car show and tour, a celebrity golf tournament will be held Monday, October 28, at the Dragon Ridge course, with proceeds benefitting the ArtCenter College of Design.
For more information, visit the event website.
AACA Hershey Swap Meet
The Hershey Regional Antique Automobile Club of America presents the massive AACA Fall Meet from October 9-12 on the grounds and parking lots surrounding Hersheypark and The Giant Center.
More than 250,000 car enthusiasts flock to Hershey, Pennsylvania, for the annual old car swap meet and giant antique car show with more than 1,200 cars on display. The flea market has more than 9,000 vendor spaces with 1,000-plus vehicles for sale in the car corral.
Other events include the Ladies Luncheon, High Wheeler Contest, Race Car Condition Run, Judging School, AACA Juniors, Talent Show and Old Time Movie Night.
The Hershey Region of AACA began hosting the Eastern Division AACA National Meet in 1955, and has held it every year since.
For more information, visit the event website.
Fall Carlisle Swap Meet
The Fall Carlisle collector car flea market and car corral held October 2-6 is the final event of the flea market season for Carlisle Events in Pennsylvania.
“This massive automotive flea market is one of the best opportunities to get your hands on all things automotive before the winter non-picking blues kicks in,” Carlisle Events says in a news release.
The meet boasts 8,100 vendor spaces along with a Manufacturers Midway, plus a two-day collector car auction presented by Carlisle Auctions.
For more information, visit the event website.
HVA Register vehicles at Hilton Head Concours
The 18th annual Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival in South Carolina has announced a new partnership with the Historic Vehicle Association, which will bring four vehicles from the National Vehicle Register and Library of Congress to display at Royal Golf Club during the Festival’s Car Club Showcase on Saturday, November 2, and at the concours on Sunday, November 3.
The Hilton Head appearances represent the first time these vehicles will be shown together, having made their national appearances at different occasions during the Cars at the Capital showings when they were inducted into the national register of significant vehicles.
The cars in chronological order are:
The 1907 Thomas Flyer, the winner of the original Paris to New York endurance race, of which it is the only surviving artifact.
The 1933 Graham Standard 8 Sedan “Blue Streak,” famed for its groundbreaking aerodynamic styling.
The 1947 Tucker 48 Prototype “The Tin Goose,” the prototype of the 50 cars eventually produced.
The 1985 Modena Spyder, a replica Ferrari 250 GT California Spider that appeared as a crucial element in the popular film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival is a sprawling event of motorsports and car shows held from October 24 to November 3.
For more information, visit the event website.
‘Cruisin’ for a Cure’ in Orange County
More than 3,500 collector vehicles – classics, muscle, cars, trucks, exotics, customs, vintage cars and movie cars – are expected for the 20th annual Cruisin’ for a Cure celebration held September 28 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.
In addition to a 1.5-mile cruise-in, highlights will include appearances by automotive industry celebrities, displays by more than 200 vendors and exhibitors, live entertainment and a special “ALL Women Owned Cars and Model Car Contest” in the OC Fair’s Costa Mesa Building.
The fair is held during the final weekend of “Prostate Cancer Awareness Month” and focuses on awareness and early detection of the disease, which affects one in nine men.
For more information, visit the event website.
More concours and events
Goodguys Rod and Custom Association presents the Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on September 27-29, with a huge field of hots rods, customs and classics, along with a huge swap meet, Nitro Thunderfest, Burnout Competition, an AutoCross course for the Summit Racing Big Hoss Shootout, plus a Track Cruise around the high-banked oval. Fore more information, visit the event website.
The 8th annual Galpin Car Show takes place October 6 at Galpin Motors in North Hills, California. More than 1,000 classic cars and other vehicles are expected for the free show. For more information, visit the event website.
The Cajun Street Rod Nationals presented by the National Street Rod Association will be held October 4-6 at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, Louisiana. For more information, visit the event website.
