New auto festival in Saudi Arabia, and a Ferrari concours in Arizona

A new automotive festival takes place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on November 21-26, featuring exhibitors and vendors from around the world, including collector car shows, displays and a Worldwide Auctioneers sale with about 400 vehicles plus automobilia.

Bonnier Events has organized the festival, which is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to open the nation to new entertainment, cultural and business opportunities.  The festival, foreseen as an annual effort, is being promoted as the largest such event ever held in the Middle East.

Part of the Saudi festival, the Global Auto Salon will present “world-class hot rods, muscle cars, exotics, classic cars, trucks, sports compacts, race cars and other specialty vehicles on display,” according to the organization’s website.

“Visitors will also have access to hundreds of exhibitors showcasing their brands and newest products as well as dozens of industry experts and celebrities,” the website says.

The Global Auto Salon will host a number of celebrities, including acclaimed custom-car builder Chip Foose, Dave Kindig of Kindig-It Design, Adrienne Janic from Overhaulin’ , Ryan Friedlinghaus from West Coast Customs and racing veteran Emerson Fittipaldi.

Another festival feature is the 1-day collector car sale by Indiana-based Worldwide Auctioneers, which promises a diverse selection of vehicles and collectors’ items for its first Middle East auction.

For more information, visit the event website.

Ferrari concours hosted during international gathering 

The Ferrari Club of America hosts the annual international meeting of Ferrari enthusiasts this year in Scottsdale, Arizona, featuring the FCA 2019 Concours d’Elegance and Coppa Bella Macchina on Thursday, November 7, on two large soccer fields at the Scottsdale Sports Complex.

The concours is split between Ferrari models at least 5 years old and the latest supercars from the Italian sports car company. It includes a Preservation Class for cars more than 30 years old and kept as original as possible.  The newer cars built after November 2014 are part of the Futuro Classico judging.

The Coppa Bella Machina judging is for cars that already achieved platinum awards in the concours, while the Coppa GT class goes a step further, for Ferraris achieving both the concours and Coppa nods plus having the owner demonstrate driving ability on a race track.

But if nothing else, the FCA concours gives the public an opportunity of examining these Italian thoroughbreds for themselves.

For more information about the concours and the Ferrari festival, visit the event website.

Goodguys hosts its season-ending events

The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association holds its final two car shows of 2019 this month, with the 30^th annual Autumn Get-Together on November 9 and 10 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California, and the 22^nd Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals on November 15-17 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Both shows promise a massive gathering of hand-crafted street rods, muscle cars and custom cars and trucks, plus swap meets and car corrals, autocross competitions and, in Scottsdale, the Goodguys Top 12 Vehicles of the Year on display.

Goodguys also has released its schedule of nationwide shows for 2020, which can be accessed on the association’s website.

More concours and events

The 35^th year of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, featuring more than 3,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles and about 300 vehicle club displays, takes place November 7-8 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.  For more information, visit the event website.

The 25^th annual Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance has announced the featured marques for the next event, to be held May 2-3, 2020, in Seabrook, Texas.  They are Pre-War Packards, Corvettes (1953-1972), Porsches (1948-1973) and Vintage Motorcycles. The concours, which hosts vintage watercraft as well as classic cars, also will feature Century Boats and Yellow Jacket Boats. For more information, visit the event website.