Way back in September 2019 Hagerty made a bold move acquiring the Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance. This was the first of the company’s event acquisitions which also would later include The Amelia Island Concours, the Detroit Concours, RADwood, and the Mccalls hanger party in Monterey which was renamed Motorlux.
The acquisition of Greenwich met its first obstacle almost immediately when the Covid-19 epidemic started a few months later, and as a result most events for 2020, including the Greenwich Concours, were cancelled.
In 2021 the first Greenwich Concours under Hagerty ownership and management was held. They started by making a number of changes to improve the concours and to better engage with not only the older collector car fan but also to be more welcoming to younger car enthusiasts. People, of course, grumbled with some even going as far to say that Hagerty had ruined the concours. This was far from the truth, as what they were doing was working to change the concours in a way that would allow it to be more relevant. In many ways the Greenwich Concours under Hagerty was a brand new event, and new events take time to develop and improve.
It is evident that the event team has indeed hit their stride as the 2024 edition of the Greenwich Concours was not only was much improved, it was the best version of the event I have attended in the last 14 years. The cars at the Saturday Concours de Sport spoke well to younger enthusiasts and were amazing examples of cars that in some ways were more rare than the cars on Sunday. Classes included hot hatches, Japanese Sportcars, rally cars, and others. Standouts were the completely original-from-new 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI, the Shelby Dodge CSX, the Subaru WRX Colin McRae championship winning WRC rally car, and the all original yellow Acura NSX-T, which despite its amazing condition had been driven more than 92k miles by its original owner.
In addition to those cars there was a period special modified class with an amazing AMG 560SEC widebody and a DP 935 as well as a Barris built hot rod/custom car class. The Best of Show winner for the Saturday Concours de Sport was the stunning white and purple Barris-built 1957 Chevrolet 210 “El Capitola.”
After the Saturday Concours de Sport was the Saturday night party on the lawn of the concours. This dinner event was the best idea for a Saturday that we have ever seen at Greenwich. It was somehow both elegant and casual with amazing food and great music. The sense of community was tangible and people stayed at the party until very late, talking about cars and eating delicious food.
The Sunday main event Concours d’ Elegance was just what you would expect for a concours in Greenwich, Connecticut: top tier cars in amazing condition. There were classes for Morgan, Rolls-Royce, 100-year-old motorcycles, road racing motorcycles, Porsche 356 Carreras, Cadillac V16s, and others. Of special note was the collection of amazing 356 Carrera cars all owned by the 2024 Greenwich Concours Grand Marshall Steven Harris. Like all his Porsche cars they were spectacular and were on display all weekend.
Standout cars of the weekend for me were the Aston-Martin DB2/4 by Ghia, the preservation class MV Agusta 500 that was raced by Giacomo Agostini, the Britten V100 racing bike (yes, that’s me sitting on it after judging), and the spectacular Ferrari 250 GTO which was paired with the Pontiac GTO that Car and Driver used for a comparison test of in the 1960s. That specific display was set up by Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter and included a huge standup of the cover of the magazine.
At the end of the concours there of course was a Best of Show winner, and that award went out to the stunning 1931 Cadillac 452A All-Weather Phaeton, one of four that were built. Designers called this model an all-weather Phaeton because it featured roll-up side glass instead of the usual side curtains found on standard four-door examples.
Yes, the cars were amazing and the parties were fun, but my big takeaway from Greenwich was how enjoyable the weekend was. Greenwich brought together a diverse group of car enthusiasts who basically spent the weekend together telling stories and having a great time while looking at cars. I have to say if this year’s Greenwich Concours is an example of what they are capable of, the future definitely looks bright and if you missed Greenwich this year you should add it to your list of must attend events for 2025.
Andy, a great write up on the event, and insight into the long term viability of ANY car event.