Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Fairest of them All

A Competition of Elegance or Concours D'Elegance. I've always wanted to attend one, and somehow always managed to miss one. I am committed to going to the Huntington Beach Concours D'Elegance on June 5th and/or 6th, primarily because one of their featured makers is Ferrari!!! (I've had a love affair of sorts with Ferrari since age 5). It's their Silver Anniversary (25 years!) The show honoring Ferrari as well as Ford will actually be on Sunday. And of course, that same day includes the Pomona Swap Meet...

Check the site out for additional information http://www.hbconcours.org/

The Concours D'Elegance dates all the way back to 17th Century France, when aristocrats would parade around in their horse-drawn carriages in Paris during summer weekends. When the first automobiles were introduced, the Concours become more of a competition amongst vehicle owners. The rules were simple and very straightforward. The best looking car wins. However, along the course of the years judging became much more strict. A car is examined by a trained judge, and is inspected very thoroughly in its entirety. To be eligible for a trophy class, the car must be, for a lack of better words, perfect.

There are Concours D'Elegance for new and for classic cars. One focusing on classic cars will emphasize on originality over condition; by originality I mean how close it is to the way it was when it rolled out of the factory. Judges want to see a car that is in the same or better condition than the way it was once it got off the production line. Modifications are not allowed unless they are original.

Because of all these demands, a Concours car is usually not one used for driving. During the show, it'll get maintained and dusted often to upkeep its flawless look.

Estimable Concours include the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance, the Meadow Brook Concours D'Elegance or the Amelia Island Concours D'Elegance. Concours are not limited to cars, they have them for motorcycles as well. In fact, the Huntington Beach Concours will feature Ducati motorcycles and other manufacturers.

*notice the 1960s Ferrari 25o GTO on the image... yea I captured one of those :) *