The London Concours 2020, which already has been delayed until August 19-20, will feature a “Speed of Sand” celebration with an homage to pre-1949 American hot rods.
To be staged on the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company headquarters and billed as “the capital’s finest automotive garden party,” the featured grouping will include appearances by Matt Farrant, three-time “King of the Beach” on the Pendine Sands and his 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup and Rebecca Dunn, “the fastest woman on the sand” and her 1930 Ford Model A coupe.
The hot rod grouping, sponsored by the Ace Café that is known for its custom car evenings, is being organized by the Vintage Hot Rod Association, which annually sends more than 150 pre-1949 modified American vehicles through speed trails on the famed Pendine Sands.
“The Sands were once known as the fastest place on Earth, thanks to a fierce rivalry in the 1920s between Malcom Campbell and J.G. Parry-Thomas, both of whom fought for the land speed record on the seven-mile arrow straight stretch of hard sand running from the village of Pendine towards Ginst Point,” concours organizers said in their announcement.
“Ever since 2013’s VHRA Hot Rod Races, speed has returned to the Sands, attracting a global audience of Hot Rod enthusiasts, many of whom will be represented at the London Concours.
In addition to Farrant and Dunn, another early entrant is Chris Rawlins with a 1932 Ford Streamliner inspired by the California dry lakes racers of the late 1940s.
Additional featured classes at the concours include “The Pursuit of Speed” and “The Era of the Hypercar.”
For more information, visit the concours website.
Goodguys plan virtual show April 25
The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association will host a virtual car show starting at 10 a.m. (Pacific time) on April 25.
Hot rods and street rods will be showcased at 10 a.m., trick trucks at 10:30, customs and cruisers at 11, a Nitro Thunderfest will be staged at 11:30, muscle cars and street machines take featured place at 11:45 and an autocross, with virtual ride-alongs, starts at noon, the group said.
Modern machines will be featured at 12:30 p.m. with awards presented at 1 p.m.
Registration begins at noon (Pacific) on April 21 on the Goodguys Instagram site, #goodguysvirtualcarshow.
Pasadera sets ‘Ford vs. Ferrari,’ Hot Wheels themes
Organizers of the Concours at Pasadera have selected “Ford vs. Ferrari” as the theme for their second event. The new concours made its debut in 2019 and again this year expects to be the opening event for Monterey Car Week. The Pasadera event is scheduled for Friday, August 7.
Organizers expect more than 80 cars and motorcycles to be presented at the event on the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. In addition to the full-size vehicles, a special Hot Wheels Concours is planned and will feature Bruce Pascal’s 1969 Hot Wheels Beach Bomb, which is valued at $175,000.
Also showcased will be several full-size Hot Wheels cars.
For more information, visit the concours website.
Fall car-show calendar filling quickly
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the fall car-show and concours calendar continues to evolve and to fill to overflowing some dates. Here’s the updated schedule, based on official announcements, as of April 14, 2020:
August 9-16 — Monterey Car Week, Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals, Street Rod Nationals Southeast (Kentucky), Goodguys Great American Nationals (Pennsylvania)
August 19-20 — London Concours
August 21-23 — Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance (Colorado), Geneva (Illinois) Concours d’Elegance, Street Rod Route 66 Nationals (New Mexico), Goodguys West Coast Nationals (California) (plus the Indianapolis 500)
August 27-30 — Corvettes at Carlisle, Artmobilia Weekend (Carmel, Indiana) (plus the rescheduled New York International Auto Show)
September 4-7 (Labor Day weekend) — Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance, Lime Rock Historic Festival, Groesbeck Grand Prix Festival of Motoring (Texas), Crescent Beach Concours d’Elegance, Sonoma Speed Festival, Foothills Motoring Festival (Pinehurst, North Carolina), Royal Concours of Elegance (England)
September 11-13 — Goodwood Revival, Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance, Vail Classic, EyesOn Design, Goodguys Colorado Nationals, Wisconsin Dells Automotion
September 18-20 — Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance, New York City Concours, Dayton Concours d’Elegance, Oregon Festival of Cars, LaJolla Concours d’Elegance, Street Rod Nationals Northeast (Vermont), Arizona FuelFest (plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans)
September 25-27 — Salon Prive (England), Telluride Festival, Ironstone Concours d’Elegance (California), St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance (Maryland), Goodguys Lone Star Nationals (Texas)
October 2-4 — Audrian’s Newport Concours d‘Elegance, Fall Carlisle, Street Rod Nationals South (Knoxville, Tennessee), Goodguys Del Mar Nationals (California)
October 9-11 — Chico Concours d’Elegance (California)
October 16-18 — Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, Keels & Wheels, Lake Mirror Concours d’Elegance (Florida)
October 23-25 — Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance (plus the Mille Miglia race/rally)
October 30-November 1 — Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance, Copperstate 1000 vintage rally car show, Western Street Rod Nationals (Bakersfield, California), Luftgekuhlt 7 (Durham, North Carolina)
