HomeNews and EventsHagerty adds Lemons, IMSA acquires vintage racing group

Hagerty adds Lemons, IMSA acquires vintage racing group

Our weekly roundup of car show and vintage racing news and notes

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Hagerty, which already stages itsFestival of the Unexceptional,” an annual car show in England for ordinary but beloved vehicles, is adding the stateside Concours d’Lemons to its portfolio of events. 

The company announced a licensing agreement to produce the fabulously fun events for the bottom end of the car collecting hobby under a licensing agreement that also has Lemons organizer (aka “head gasket”) Alan Galbraith joining the Hagerty team.

“Created in 2009 as a send-up of high-end concours events, Concours d’Lemons features vehicles that would never find their way onto the manicured lawns of Amelia Island or Pebble Beach,” Hagerty said in its news release. “Judges, including celebrities from the automotive world, award thrift-store-sourced trophies to cars divided into classes such as, “Rust Belt American Junk,” “Needlessly Complex Italian” and “Most Dangerous.” 

The show culminates in the presentation of the Worst of Show trophy. Spectators and participants appreciate the relaxed atmosphere, unique cars, and the event’s humorous and often irreverent take on the car show world.”

Lemons
Bribing judges is encouraged at the Concours d’Lemons and Mario D’onofrio hopes his goodies will sway votes toward his 1982 Mercury Lynx

“It’s almost impossible not to smile when you see a once-forgotten misfit of the automotive world celebrated in the way that only Lemons can do,” Hagerty chief executive McKeel Hagerty is quoted. “We’ve been a long-time sponsor of Lemons, so it’s a thrill to welcome Alan to our team. Concours d’Lemons ties the car community together while creating on-ramps for new enthusiasts.”

Hagerty’s first production of a Concours d’Lemons is scheduled for March 5 during The Amelia events on the northeast Florida coast.

“The Concours d’Lemons gets bigger and dumber every year and putting the show on the golf course is really ridiculous,” Galbraith noted. “You’ll have Pintos and Pacers rusting away next to Ferraris and Lamborghinis, I can’t wait.”

IMSA acquires Historic Sportscar Racing group

Historic Sportscar Racing, the sanctioning body for the annual Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion during Monterey Car Week, has been sold to the International Motor Sports Association, which is part of the NASCAR family and primarily operates professional sports car racing in the United States and Canada, such as the recent Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“Bringing HSR into the IMSA family substantially strengthens the links to previous generations of sports car racing, from eras that predate IMSA all the way through to cars that have competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” IMSA president John Doonan was quoted in the announcement.

HSR traces its roots to the mid-1970s with a group of Jaguar enthusiasts who staged a vintage race in Atlanta that has become known as “The Mitty.” HSR became an official sanctioning body for vintage racing in 1991 and since then has staged more than 250 vintage races in the US and Canada.

Goodwood celebrates V10 era of F1

Ayrton Senn’s V10-powered McLaren F1 car among those expected for Goodwood’s 78th Members’ Meeting | Goodwood photo

Goodwood has announced its 79th Members’ Meeting, scheduled for April 9-10, will celebrate the V10 era of Formula 1 with 20 cars from the 1989-2005 era expected to provide an iconic soundtrack for the event.

Until 1966, the Goodwood circuit was home to the non-championship Glover Trophy race for F1 cars, and cars from that era also are expected for the Members’ Meeting events.

The F1 cars will share top billing for the weekend with the previously announced Group C reunion and celebration of the Porsche 956 and 962 racers that 40 years ago produced Porsche’s first victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Donington sets vintage festival schedule

British touring cars from four decades to race again at Donington Park | Donington Historic photo

Donington Park has announced the schedule for the 2022 Donington Historic Festival, scheduled for April 30-May 1 and featuring Group C racers, four decades of British Touring Cars, a 3-hour endurance event for pre-1966 GT and Touring cars and pre-1960 sports cars, and an 80-minute race into dusk for Ford GT40s.

Pebble Beach reveals marques, classes for 2022

The centennials of the Lincoln brand and of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race will be featured at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, along with cars by Carrossier Hermann Graber, Talbot-Lago Grand Sports, the Alfa Romeo 8C and TZ, featured marques McFarlan and Otto Vu, a class showcasing Unorthodox Propulsion and another for 1932 Ford Historic Hot Rods.

The concours is scheduled for August 21.

Italian Spiders featured at London Concours

Italian Spiders such as this Alfa Romeo to get featured class treatment | London Concours photo

The London Concours, scheduled for June 28-30 at Britain’s Honourable Artillery Club, will showcase classic Italian convertibles as one of its featured classes with cars such as the Ferrari 250 GT California, the Maserati 3500 Vignale Spider, and the Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider in a curated class.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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