Chrome and steel replaced iron on the 18th fairway at Cobble Beach over the weekend for the fourth annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Automotive enthusiasts were treated to a display of over 100 classic cars, vintage motorcycles, and supercars. Each vehicle in the Concours has been selected from private collections across North America, making the event “one of the me most prestigious classic car events in Canada,” according to organizers. And the cars on display certainly backed up that assertion.
The Cobble Beach event follows the long-time aristocratic French tradition of showing off artful (and expensive) items before a picturesque backdrop. In this case, a warm September afternoon with a light breeze off the bay to cool the hot cars on display.
However, unlike its snobby French roots, the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance uses the gathering of automotive prestige for charity, with all proceeds going to the Sunnybrook Foundation Helipad Campaign as well as the Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation. Since 2013 the Concours d’Elegance has raised over $185,000 for the Sunnybrook Foundation.
“We have some of the rarest cars in the world all in one place, all in Owen Sound,” says founder and chair of the Cobble Beach Concours Rob McLeese.
“Rare” seems an understatement given some of the vehicles that lined the fairway at Cobble Beach. The pristine 1929 Willys-Knight 66B Plaidside, which has been drawing a lot of attention from automotive enthusiasts since its restoration was completed in 2012, is a prime example of the commitment to automotive history and detail presented by the Cobble Beach Concours organizers and vehicle collectors alike.
The vehicles featured at Cobble Beach competed in 20 categories from cars produced as early as 1903 to modern day supercars, and a new emphasis on make-specific classes, for the best-in-class prize as well as the coveted best-of-show prize.
Among the notable make-specific classes were Aston Martin, Classic Packards, two classes dedicated to Corvettes, and two devoted to Canadian engineered or built vehicles.
It would be Burlington, Ontario's Gerry Hockin's 1932 Auburn Speedster who would take home both the People's Choice Award and the Best of Show at Cobble. The eight-cylinder speedsters are widely regarded as the only true sports cars built in the United Staes during the 1930s.
The next edition of the Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegnace will run on September 16 & 17, 2017.
