Concours d'Elegance has such a nice ring to it. But it seems so many things sound better when you say them in French. In this case the words, Concours d'Elegance has a much classier ring to them than "Car Show." A Car Show can be just a bunch of dusty daily drivers parked in one section of the mall parking lot for the amusement of the local shoppers. But a Concours d'Elegance is literally an examination of elegance, or in this case an examination of beauty. Beautiful cars will not just be shown, but examined and appreciated for their beauty. The French words conjure a much more gentile and refined image that plain old Car Show.
A Concours d'Elegance suggests a high society charity event of smartly dressed couples strolling over manicured lawns to view pristinely restored classic cars from the far distant, but far more elegant Brass Era of refined carriage building that evolved into the first automobiles. Dashing runabouts from the 1920's driven by Flappers and Swells. And 1930's sedans owned by (but not driven by) the Captains of Industry who never felt the bitter bight of the Great Depression. Set on great estates or private country clubs, a Concours d'Elegance is a social event of the summer season set at places like Amelia Island or Pebble Beach. Strictly a white linen affair. Please, no loud noise, no oil drips and certainly no automobiles from the past 20 years.
But there are some chinks forming in the armor of this snooty crowd. The old boys and girls who can remember when that Stutz Bearcat was sold as new are dying out and new blood is required to keep the Concours d'Elegance tradition alive. Over the course of the last few years, the post war examples of Italian and German marques have been allowed to join this exclusive club. Sometimes included in the main festivities and sometimes allotted their own "corral" as a sub set of the main show, these newer cars are admitted to draw a broader and presumably younger audience to the Concours. And as a shocking and controversial addition, Hot Rods from the "classic era" of the 1950's are also being invited to participate as the resell value of these old street rods climbs into the range of six figures.
There are two major alternatives for the car show audience to the Concours d'Elegance. The 1960's Muscle Car Era is booming with interest and the owners of these cars will dedicate shows entirely to their appreciation. Although the cars are often just up-optioned versions of pedestrian American models of the era, the owners and fans if these cars are every bit as snobby as the up-market Concours crowd and clannishly exclude Japanese cars of the past 35 years.
In the course of the last 35 years, Japanese cars have made a huge impact on the US and the World's automobile industry. Affordable and well engineered, the Japanese automobile has revolutionized consumer expectations for value and performance. The fan base for these cars skews young and far less affluent and it is the fastest growing segment of the auto enthusiast market. Vast halls are filled in major cities by the Hip Hop Generation at events that celebrate their taste in cars, music and lifestyle. In this generation of car fans, emphasis is placed on chrome, paint, and entertainment suites rather than restoration and preservation. It is not uncommon for huge sums of money to be invested in these show cars that are too "valuable" to be driven on the street in the pursuit of judged competition.
So where does this leave you and me, the average Joe, with a cleaned up old car and no niche to fit into? Feeling that my 1987 Honda CRX Si does not have enough pizzazz for the Hip Hop crowd, no American Muscle qualifications and certainly no credentials for the Concours crowd, I decided to throw my own Car Show. I invited all my car-loving friends and family along with their hobby cars to come to my house for a celebration on the cars that have fallen into the gaps between the major categories of car shows. No prizes and no judging, we just all came together for a day of comradely enjoyment of the cars we have fun with. And because I was the host, I parked my CRX on the front lawn so that I could pretend I was showing it at one of those snooty Concours d'Elegance.