Concours d'Elegance

Concours d'Elegance (French: concours d'élégance) is a term of French origin that means a "competition of elegance" and refers to an event where prestigious vehicles are displayed and judged. It dates back to 17th-century France, where aristocrats paraded horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris during summer weekends and holidays.^[1] Over time, carriages gave way to automobiles and the gatherings became a competition among vehicle owners to be judged on the appearance of their vehicles.

A 1954 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV exhibited at the Italian Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2015

These events are often held at automobile shows, after racing competitions or, especially in the United States, as a fundraising event for charities.^[2] Many modern events also feature corporate exhibitions from luxury and hypercar brands.^[3]

History

The oldest still-extant Concours, the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, is held annually near the Villa d’Este hotel in Cernobbio, on Lake Como in Italy. The first of these was held in September 1929.^[4] The first Concours in North America was held in 1950 at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Monterey, California, in conjunction with the first Pebble Beach Road Race.^[5] The longest continually-running event is the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in California, which has been held every year since 1956^[6] (both Villa d'Este and Pebble Beach have skipped years since 1956).

Judging

Numerous local organizations sponsor Concours events. Traditionally, vehicle judging at a Concours is more demanding than that of a local neighborhood or general automobile show. Trained judges examine the vehicle thoroughly. They rate each and every component. Only those vehicles that are judged perfect (or very nearly so) in every way are considered eligible for trophy class.

Often, the competitiveness of a Concours d'Elegance forces restoration of a vehicle to surpass "mint" condition. Mint condition would be the state of the vehicle when it originally left the factory. Concours-quality cars are often given upholstery, paint, plating, and mechanical restoration to a standard far exceeding that of the car when it was new.^{[citation needed]}

Concours d'Elegance competitions also are run for classic cars. Here, the emphasis is as much on originality as the condition, although this also is very important. The general aim is to present a vehicle that is in the same, or better, condition than it was in when it left the production line. Unless original, modifications are not allowed, and components must be suitable for the year and model of the automobile. Even components or features fitted to automobiles of the same type, but in a different production year or trim level, are not allowed. Original-equipment accessories from the manufacturers' own range are allowed and some competitions allow after-market equipment and accessories, provided they are of the correct period. The automobiles must be presented in flawless visual condition, as with other Concours-grade cars.

Events

Partial list of some of the Concours.

Month	Location	Event	Notes
February	Boca Raton, Florida, USA	Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance
February	Karma Lakelands, Gurugram, India	21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally & Concours Show
February	Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand	Ellerslie Car Show & Concours d'Elegance
March	Sydney, NSW, Australia	Sydney Harbour Concours d'Elegance
March	Amelia Island, Florida, USA	Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
April	La Jolla, California, USA	La Jolla Concours d'Elegance
April	Montgomery, Texas, USA	Concours d'Elegance of Texas
April	Kyoto, Japan	Concorso d'Eleganza Kyoto
May	Lake Como, Italy	Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
May	St. Augustine, Florida, USA	Riding Into History
May	Balatonfüred, Hungary	Balatonfüred Concours d'Elegance
June	San Marino, California, USA	San Marino Motor Classic	Successor to the Los Angeles Concours d’Elegance[7]
June	Hillsborough, California, USA	Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance	The longest continually-running Concours d'Elegance in the world
June	Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	Greenwich Concours d'Elégance
June	Coppet, Vaud, Switzerland	Swiss Elegance Concours
June	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA	Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance at Ault Park
June	Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA	The Elegance at Hershey
June	London, UK	London Concours [fr]
June	Chichester, UK	Cartier Style et Luxe
June	Piešťany, Slovakia	Piešťanské zlaté stuhy – Concours d´Elegance
July	Forest Grove, Oregon, USA	Forest Grove Concours d'Elegance
July	Plymouth, Michigan, USA	Concours d'Elegance of America at The Inn at St. John's	Formerly Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance
July	Northville, Michigan, USA	Northville Concours d'Elegance at Mill Race Historical Village	First youth-focused Concours d'Elegance event in the nation
July	Dyck Castle, Germany	Masterpieces & Style
July	Massachusetts, USA	Misselwood Concours d'Elegance
July	Lexington, Kentucky, USA	Keeneland Concours d'Elegance
August	Pebble Beach, California, USA	Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance	Most famous Concours d'Elegance event
August	Zurich, Switzerland	Concours d'Elegance "Zurich Classic Car Award"
August	South Bend, Indiana, USA	Concours d'Elegance at Copshaholm
September	Keszthely, Hungary	Festetics Concours d'Elegance
September	Old Westbury, NY, USA	Great Marques Concours d'Elegance
September	Palace Schwetzingen, Germany	Classic-Gala Schwetzingen
September	Kemble, Ontario, Canada	Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance
September	Oxfordshire, UK	Salon Privé
September	Redondo Beach, California, USA	Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance
September	Nairobi, Kenya	CBA Africa Concours d'Elegance
September	Dayton, Ohio, USA	Dayton Concours d'Elegance
September	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance
September	St. Michaels, Maryland, USA	St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance
September	Chantilly, France
October	Padova, Italy	Stelle sul Liston Concours d'Elegance
October	Newport, Rhode Island, USA	Audrain's Newport Concours & Motor Week
October	Chattanooga, Tennessee USA	Chattanooga Motorcar Festival[8]
October	Manhasset, New York, USA	Americana Manhasset
October	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	Motorclassica: The Australian International Concours d'Elegance and Motor Show
October	Savannah, Georgia, USA	Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d'Elegance
October	Knokke-Heist, Belgium	Zoute Concours d'Elegance
November	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance
November	Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA	Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival
December	Tampa, Florida, USA	Gasparilla Concours d'Elegance

References

1. "East African Concours d'Elegance: History: way back in the days of horses and carriages". Concourskenya.com. August 17, 2004. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
2. Martin, Keith (February 25, 2000). "Collecting; It's The Stars' Cars That Steal the Scene". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
3. Johnson, Drew (July 6, 2011). "Summerstop: 2011 Ault Park Concours d'Elegance". Leftlane News. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
4. "History | Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este". concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
5. "History | Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance". www.pebblebeachconcours.net. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
6. "Concours d'Elegance". www.hillsboroughconcours.org. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
7. Holder, Max (June 5, 2019). "9th Annual San Marino Motor Classic Takes Place This Weekend". Motorious. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
8. "Welcome". Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. Retrieved September 6, 2023.