The Concourse is Coming, the Concourse is Coming

            Sunday is one of the true highlights for car fans of all inclinations from around this region. The 34^th annual Concourse d’Elegance being held in Ault Park opens its gates to avid enthusiasts at 10 am. Of course the Ault Park Concourse is not simply limited to Sunday’s showing of classic and exotic cars, it is an affair lasting the whole weekend and beyond.

            If you’re not familiar with what a Concourse d’Elegance is, it stems from the 17^th century French aristocracy who would parade their elegant horse drawn carriages around the parks of Paris, demonstrating their taste and wealth. As times passed, the horse drawn buggies were replaced by the new horseless carriage and the concept of the car show, or competition of elegance, was born.

            Perhaps the most famous Concourse in the U.S. is the annual event held in Palm Springs with its upscale sophistication, its seemingly endless parade of amazing automobiles and its often record breaking auction. But Cincinnati’s Concourse is one of the better known as well as longest running events in the country. It dates back to 1978 when William and Helen Williams helped found the event as a fund raiser for the Arthritis Foundation.

            Since its beginning on the Williams’ estate, it has grown and taken up residence since 1996 in beautiful Ault Park.

            This year’s Concourse features its regular 13 different classes, ranging from Antiques through 1924 up through Future Classics from 1975 until today. There are classes for Pre-War Vintage and Classics, American Collectors, Foreign Collectors, Asian Collectors, various Sports Cars, Racing Cars, American Performance, and yes, even Motorcycles.

            In addition, this year’s featured theme is “Red Hot Rides” with an emphasis on Ferraris and, believe it or not, fire engines.

            There are also special displays for the 100^th anniversary of the Indy 500 (ask me sometime how I broke the car that won the 500 one year) as well as the 50^th anniversary of the Jaguar XKE and a celebration of the American station wagon titled “Wagons Ho” the 85^th Anniversary of Route 66.

            The Concourse d’Elegance offers something for every car lover with beautiful machines set out all across the Ault Park lawn. The pictures here are from past events and hopefully show the variety of cars that are entered each year. Following this year’s event I will surely have enough photos and individual car owner stories to stock the blog for quite a while. But don’t wait for me to post, make plans to enjoy the event in person.

            To get more information or to pre-order tickets, go to www.cincyconcours.com and check out one of the coolest and most entertaining automobile events.