The Cars are the Stars at the 10th instalment of the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance, as they take to the stage and to the green, at Cobble Beach Golf Resort Community. A long-held tradition stemming from the 17th century when cars would parade through the parks of Paris, France, evolving into what we now know as a competition of elegance (Concours d’Elegance) displaying not only antiques but classic automobiles, for both competition and celebration.
With 18 classes in total for judging purposes, a panel of 48 judges will take the 18th fairway to begin scoring each of the 4 or 8 hand-selected vehicles in each class, to choose the best in that class. Vehicles are chosen by a committee of automotive experts, who study each vehicle closely, paying attention to the finer details, right down to the correct bolts used for that car’s time period. First, second and third place is awarded within each class, and each class winner is eligible for one of either the Best of Show, the Most Outstanding Pre or Post War awards.
This year, Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance will be hosting some very important automotive anniversaries. The Ford Mustang has been an icon in the motoring world since the 1960s, with this year marking 60 years of the cult classic! Alfa Romeo – the brass ring of Italian innovation celebrates 70 years. When discussing the iconic Mustang, it was noted that the Ford vehicle is among the first that comes to mind when you think of muscle cars. However, when it comes to muscle car brands, few can match the high-performance expertise of Dodge, celebrating 110 years! This anniversary is unique, as it doesn’t celebrate Dodge as a company, but rather marks 110 years since Dodge embarked on its journey into car manufacturing.
The show field will feature some great examples of the Mustang, with 5 examples of the legendary Shelby Mustang including a rare GT350H, the 1967 GT500 prototype for the 1968 model year and 2 GT500 convertibles. The one-off 1963 Ford Mustang II concept will also join from the Detroit Historical Society. This rarely seen concept was produced to showcase and tease the production body of the upcoming Mustang but features unique front and rear clips as well as a lowered roof-line. Other great Mustangs, including 2 preservation class Mustangs and two Boss 302s will also be on the show field.
Alfa Romeo will also be represented on the fairway, with two stunning examples of their legendary cars of the sixties, a 1960 Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce and a 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV. Dodge and Mopar also feature some legendary muscle including a 1970 Hemi Cuda Convertible, a Canadian-market 1969 Hemi Roadrunner Hardtop and a rare Cuda AAR and 1971 Charger R/T. Aero war cars from NASCAR are also making an appearance, a big-winged 1970 Plymouth Superbird and a very limited and rare, long-nosed 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II Dan Gurney Special.