Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance

November 8, 2013

With blue skies and perfect temperatures, it was a made-to-order day for an outdoor activity, and what better way to spend your day than to attend a car show. But, not just any car show -- the 12th Annual Concours d'Elegance, which is held every fall on Hilton Head Island. This year's Concours had a stellar lineup, including some special classes that were sure to be make you smile -- a large display of beautifully-crafted wooden motor boats, a contingency of Micro Cars, and group of "Life is a Beach" cars. There were two car displays that had the spectators clamoring for more -- the Great Gatsby display, representing cars from that era; and a group of cars from the 2013 Pinnacle Award winner, who brought three past Pebble Beach Best of Show winners. There was also an impressive collection of Porches on-site to celebrate the 50th year anniversary of this iconic 911 model.

The grounds of the Port Royal Golf Club, which is the new home for Hilton Head's annual Motoring Festival, was the perfect canvas for showcasing these beautiful and unique pieces of rolling art . Here's some of the picture-perfect sights of Hilton Head's 2013 Concours.

Major Awards

Best of Show, 1929 Stutz Supercharged Coupe

This right-hand drive Stutz, which cost $9000 when new, is the only one of the five built that is still in existence. Most of the body design traits became popularized by a generation of hot rodders. This supercharger isn't only for show, it really works. Full restoration of this car was completed in 2012.

People's Choice Award -- 1933 MG L1

The crowd loved this 1933 MG L1 and its owners. It was awarded the People's Choice Award,partly due to its great look and its history of originally, since it was used as a police car in England. The owners were decked out in period dress -- the husband was a British “Bobby," who had his wife handcuffed. He said he kept the key, but she was last seen still wearing handcuffs. No word on whether he later found the key.

Best Pre-1948 Car -- 1934 Chrysler Airflow CY

Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows were the first mass-produced cars with aerodynamic design. No open cars or convertibles were produced. Model CY was the only 8 cylinder Airflow built, and only 444 were built in 1934, and solely for the Canadian market. This car is the only restored Model CY in the United States, and one of only about 10 remaining in existence.

Best Post-1948 Car -- 1964 Shelby Cobra

This Shelby Cobra, which was originally owned by Shelby American, was raced under contract by Tom Payne. Its USRRC racing history includes a 1st place win in the Pacific Raceways GT class in 1965. It was bought in 1981 by its current owner, who ran it in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association events for several years, receiving many class wins. This Cobra is original, down to body panels, motor, transmission, differential with its cooler, and even has its original wing nuts on the battery.

The Four Winning Cars

Special Recognition

  The Great Gatsby Era

A special display of a group of seven cars from the Great Gatsby Era (late '20s to mid- '30s) were headliners at the 2013 Hilton Head Concours D’Elegance. The cars were a 1928 Packard 443 Roadster, a 1930 Stutz Model MB Roadster, a 1931 Pierce-Arrow 42 Convertible Coupe, a 1931 Rolls Royce Transformable Sedan, a 1931 Chrysler Special Roadster, a 1932 Auburn 12-160 Boat-tail Speedster, and a 1931 Cadillac 355A Seven Passenger Sedan. Cars of this period were fast, elegant, luxurious, and the options were completely customizable, dependent upon how much the buyer was willing to spend.

The Great Gatsby Seven

The Pinnacle Award

  Three Past Pebble Beach Winners

This award honors those who have made significant contributions to the car-collector hobby through their selection and preservation of significant historic automobiles. As this year's Pinnacle Award winner, Sam Mann selected three of his automobiles to be displayed at the this Concours. All three of these were former winners of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance -- the 1938 Delage D8 Devillars Cabriolet won Best of Show in 1996, the 1934 Voisin won Best of Show in 2002, and the 1937 Delage D8-120 AeroDynamic Coupe won Best of Show in 2005.

1938 Delage D8-120 DeVillars Cabriolet - 1996 Pebble Beach Winner

1934 Voisin Roadster - 2002 Pebble Beach Winner

1937 Delage D8-120 Aerodynamic Coupe - 2005 Pebble Beach Winner

For more of the sights of the Concours, go to our gallery.