{"id":27355,"date":"2019-08-17T05:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-08-17T09:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=27355"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:24:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:24:18","slug":"concours-delegance-of-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/events\/2019\/08\/concours-delegance-of-america.html","title":{"rendered":"Concours d’Elegance of America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Concours d\u2019Elegance of America at The Inn\nat St. John\u2019s is held yearly in Plymouth, Michigan, a suburb that sits about 20\nminutes east of downtown Detroit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to their site, Jay Leno once\ndescribed the Concours as a place where \u201cordinary millionaires can compete with\nbillionaires on an equal playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show adds to that, however:
\u201cIt is also true that the show has evolved into an event that has something for car enthusiasts of all ages and automotive interests. The show is the opposite of stuffy. It\u2019s families in shorts and T-shirts with young children riding in strollers and enjoying ice cream. It\u2019s young gearheads with telephoto lenses photographing their dream cars from the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. It\u2019s senior citizens reminiscing about the cars of their youth. There\u2019s even a beer tent.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, a friend of mine who shows\nart there, the extremely talented Dan Brown, sent me two tickets to the event\nvia snail mail. What a gesture! If someone is willing to knock the dust off of\ntheir penmanship and break out the stamps to send me a letter via the United\nStates Postal Service, you bet I\u2019m going to take advantage of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Concours is a relatively small show set on\na well-groomed, tree-lined golf course. I did enjoy the ample shade as it was\npushing 90 degrees on the sunny Sunday in late July. The show is judged by\nautomotive luminaries from around the country, and while \u201cfamilies in shorts\nand T-shirts\u201d are allowed to enjoy the show, I did feel for my designer friends\ntasked with judging while sweating it out in their button-down shirts and\nsports jackets! The price you pay to be a tastemaker, I suppose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 41st version of the Concours d\u2019 Elegance featured around 300 automobiles and motorcycles, the quality of which was something to behold. The FCA family definitely made its presence felt; including a 1954 Ferrari 375MM that was one of two Best in Show winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The two prancing pony cars from the country\nshaped like a boot that caught my eyes were a \u201859 250 TdF with a killer blue\nand red color scheme, as well as the legendary F40. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were a couple of classic Mopar\u00ae<\/sub>\nconvertibles on display as well. This very rare 1960 Imperial Crown was one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And a \u201861 Plymouth Fury matched up with it\nnicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dodge was represented on the rolling greens\nand fairways by thrill rides of wildly different persuasions, both old and new.\nA solid yellow 2001 Viper GTS ACR and my friend Zach Thompson\u2019s one-of-one\nstone white with blue stripes 2017 Viper GTS stood on the contemporary end…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…while a quartet of wicked muscle cars from\n1969 showed of rock star examples from the original horsepower wars. Two were\nPlymouth vehicles, a black Road Runner and a red Barracuda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And two were orange Dodge vehicles, both winning\nawards, including the 440 6-Pack Super Bee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the ever elusive HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> engine-powered Charger\nDaytona that literally *just* last week surfaced from its 2nd restoration. One\nof less than 70 built, the story is that its first owner was a notorious drug\ndealer who wrecked it. The car was found in a ditch and the drug dealer was\nfound in a field nearby. Dead. Crazy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cars with alternative power sources also had a\nplace on the links, and Chrysler brought along the ever-popular Turbine car it\nbuilt in the early \u201860s. Those lines never get old! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favorite out of these featured\nMopar vehicles? And if you attended the show, what stood out? <\/p>\n\n\n\n