Everyone’s heard of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and everyone on the collector car planet has heard of Pebble Beach. But the best-kept secret in collector cardom may be the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance.
“It is the vibe,” explained retired Autoweek publisher Dutch Mandel, a low country resident himself and a big fan of the show. “(It’s) low country casual with a Gullah Geechee shine. It is situated in a part of the world unique to car shows — again, the low country. It was the first time for (Ford VP of design) Moray Callum and won’t be the last. It is not crowded but comfortable, like the best restaurant in town that’s not been discovered and everyone knows your name.”
“HHIC captures what I love about the world’s best concours, without having to navigate the pomp and circumstance often associated the stereotypical upper crust event,” said Jay Ward, creative director of the Cars franchise for Pixar. “Think Pebble without the fancy suits or Amelia at a smaller scale.”
This year’s concours was held last weekend on Hilton Head’s Port Royal Golf Club, and like a lot of these things it’s not so much just a concours as it is a week-long celebration of all things cool car.
The fun started 30 miles south and a week earlier with the Savannah Speed Classic races Oct. 26-28. The races were brought into the concours in 2008. They take place on The Grand Prize of America Road Course, a circuit that traces its roots back to 1908, when the best drivers of the day fought it out on a dirt track on Hutchinson Island in the Savannah River across from the town of the same name. The current 10-turn course was designed by Wally Dallenbach, and the town had great hopes for it. In 1997 it hosted an Indy Lights race. But, like a lot of tracks, fortune and profitability proved elusive. When the concours brought vintage racing back to the Grand Prize in 2008, it breathed new life into the facility. Last weekend 130 racers went wheel to wheel for trophies and glory. BMW provided support in the form of, among other cars, no fewer than six M1s.
In the week between the races and the concours, there was plenty to do. The Vintage Auto Film Exhibition on Thursday, Nov. 1 saw the Southeast debut of “Natural Born Racer,” the Scott Dixon epic.
And, with an airport just a shuttle hop away, there were airplanes. The Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom Tour brought a B-17, B-24 and TF-51C Mustang two-seater with dual controls. The Aero Expo at HH International included many other planes and was held on the Saturday before the concours.
“The vintage aircraft on display are paired with classic cars from the same era,” explained Ward. “It’s a nice twist not just having cars there and slightly reminiscent of Goodwood Revival in the way they have more modes of transport than just the automobile. It’s included with your concours ticket, and they offer a shuttle to take you to the airport. There’s also a large vintage boat display, so it’s all there!”
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Saturday’s Car Club Showcase was somewhere between the best cars ‘n’ coffee you’ve ever seen and a real concours unto itself.
“The Saturday Car Club Showcase has a field that many concours would be proud of,” said Sports Car Market publisher and three-time Hilton Head Island Concours emcee Keith Martin. “And it’s just a warmup day at Hilton Head.”
Our own Autoweek “Design Among the Stars” dinner Saturday night allowed diners to mingle with designers like FCA’s Ralph Gilles, Ford’s Callum and Pixar car sketch artist Jay Ward. Volvo SVP of design Robin Page and Buick’s Bob Boniface were also in attendance. The goal for most diners was to get a car sketch on a napkin. Many succeeded.
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It all led up to Sunday’s concours. With 200 cars and motorcycles lined up on the first and 18th fairways of Port Royal Golf Club’s Planter’s Row course, the field rivaled some of the best concours in the world. Proof of that was in the Best of Show winner.
“The best-of-show Stutz DV32 owned by Judge (Joseph and wife Margie) Cassini would have been a finalist at any concours in the world,” said Martin.
The car had all the trappings of a winner, with a cockpit way at the back behind a long hood — this one was 6 feet long, the longest of any Stutz ever made. Cassini is no neophyte when it comes to winning show cars; he won Pebble Beach twice: in 2004 with a Horch and in 2013 with a beautiful Packard.
So when you’re plotting out what to do for your pre-Thanksgiving break next year, remember, it’ll be starting to get cold wherever it is you live and the low country is never cold. Consider putting the Hilton Head Island Concours on your schedule.