Concours highlights automotive excellence

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The Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance will celebrate excellence in motor vehicles at the fifth annual event this weekend at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport.

Themed activities for the entire family will center around a display of more than 140 cars and motorcycles Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rare and legendary Porsches will be on display and special exhibits will include award-winning automobiles from the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance as well as examples of race cars spanning 60 years of racing at Watkins Glen, N.Y. Three special classes also will be featured: outstanding Ferraris, cars from 1958, and distinctive motorcars recognized by the Classic Car Club of America.

Education is a key component of the Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance, with professionally guided field walks, informational placards about each car, access to car owners and children's programs. The art of the automobile will be presented in exhibitions of works by locally and nationally recognized artists.

"When you enter our event venue on Sunday, you will be greeted by the oldest car or motorcycle on display," says Bill Scheffler, Concours chairman. "The location layout then guides you through the timeline of automotive history and ends with significant examples of automobiles and motorcycles of today."

Judging categories will be each decade over the past 100 years and awards will be presented in the following categories: best pre- and post-war cars, open
and closed; people's choice; ladies' choice; Founder's Award for the most elegant; best contemporary; most exciting; Founder's Award for motorcycle; motorcycle we'd most like to ride home; and Best In Show.

A selection of Ferraris will be presented in a special judging class representing 60 years of limited production cars, Formula 1 and sports racing cars. The Cars of '58 exhibit will display American brands from that era of automotive design 50 years ago. The Preservation Vehicles class recognizes the growing interest in vehicles that reflect the passage of time and have been left unrestored by their owners. And the Classic Car Club of America class will show off some of the world's finest cars manufacturered from 1925-48.

Judging will end at 2 p.m. on Sunday, followed immediately by the awards ceremony.

In addition to the guided field walks where visitors can benefit from the knowledge of the event's judges, the Concours plans a "Noon Roar," when the engines of every vehicle in the show field will be turned on, providing a cacophony of sounds and vibrations.

Also part of the Concours, the Nutmeg Tour for Autism will be held on Saturday, taking 50 show cars on a 50-mile tour through Fairfield County to support the autism research, implementation and capital development programs of AIND/Giant Steps School and Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health Services. The public is invited to the Fairfield County Hunt Club prior to the 1 p.m. departure, and may see the cars at 4 p.m. on Saturday at at the end of the tour at Hall-Brooke, 74 Long Lots Road, Westport. A dinner Saturday night will feature Frank Deford, award-winning sports writer and NPR commentator, as guest speaker, and honor one of the deans of automotive art, Chuck Queener.

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The Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance will run Sunday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., at the Fairfield County Hunt Club, 174 Long Lots Road, Westport. Admission is $20; children younger than 16 are admitted free with a paying adult. Call 227-7988 or visit www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com.
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