The fourth annual Concours d’Elegance took place this past weekend at Churchill Downs, featuring cars from the very beginning of the automobile revolution (a three-wheeled Benz Patent Motor Wagen from 1886—the original precursor to the modern Mercedes-Benz) to the Super Cars of today (think Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and Ferraris) and everything in between.
And, while one might assume that the owners of such rare and exotic cars would be hyper-sensitive (and perhaps a bit arrogant) about having hundreds of dreamers around their realities, quite the opposite was true.
Owners stood or sat near their prized possessions, drinking Cokes® and eating hot dogs as if they were actually normal people, and were quite obliging in answering questions, taking pictures or just making small talk with the average Focus drivers in their midst.
Enthusiasts, even those not brazen enough to put their hands on the spotlessly shined, space-aged Lamborghinis wrapped in carbon fiber, got up close and personal to the vehicles they drive in their imaginations.
Generations of families, retired drivers and those not yet able to reach the pedals oohed and ahhed over roadsters that were on the streets long before they were born. Folks of all ages wandered among the Thunderbirds, GTOs, Buicks, and even old Model As, reminiscing about the wheels from their past.
The event, a fundraiser for Brooklawn of Louisville, also featured a fashion show (sponsored by The Summit) where models stepped out of autos that matched their period-styled dress, live music, and a special exhibition of James Bond vehicles, thanks to the Ian Fleming Foundation.
The Louisville Concours d’Elegance is over for another year, and your chance to see the 1966 Shelby Cobra (signed by Carroll Shelby himself) is gone, but the committee is already hard at work planning next year’s event, set for October 7, 2012.
Image: Courtesy Louisville Concours d'Elegance
