Well, as you all have likely guessed, this event meant a great deal to me. It was a chance to represent Studebaker well on a respected platform that normally does not represent them as well as build up my automotive chops. It was a fantastic event all around, so lets get to it.
At the super-fancy gala on Friday, I had gone ahead and gotten in contact with a few people and made merry. These same people were present later in the concours, so it is a good thing that the "wheels were greased" with the ambient social setting the gala provided. (yes, that's my mom to the right. Love her!) As for the thumbs up, don't ask me why I did it. I suppose I just do it naturally in photos.
Then, on Saturday, I got my car prepped and stowed away for the actual concours the following day. While I was working away, a couple of young children accompanied by both their father and grandpa approached me and were very excited. They couldn't believe they were seeing an actual young person working on a Studebaker, let alone HIS Studebaker. Needless to say, I showed the little ones all around my car. It is my express goal in the community to not be one of those collectors who treats their cars like diamonds. How is the new generation supposed to care about automobiles if they can't feel the subtle vibration of the chassis, hear the engine ticking away, or smell the sweet scent of dino-juice? They really can't and that's why I have to do something about it, if only in my small way.
Given how there was plenty more hours in the day, I attended a few lectures. The first (and most prominent) one was concerning the future of the enthusiast community as a whole. This is where I got to meet all of the other "30 under 30" members for the first time. I also learned that this event, the 14th annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance, is the first of its kind to have such a category in history. WOW! After the weight of these humbling words had passed, plenty of useful commentary and (polite) debate was shared among us. We came to the conclusion that we should do everything we can to not just promote the car world in general, but also the idea that you can have an inexpensive car and enjoy it just as much as the more "established" nameplates. This is especially true of both the Independent marques and a lot of Japanese models. Yay! We're ahead of the curve for once!
The other "30 under 30" cars were as follows (regrettably no photos yet): 1953 Chevrolet 3100 "stepside" pickup, 1965 Studebaker Commander two-door sedan, 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible, 1972 Chevrolet C10 "Cheyenne" truck, 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS, and a 1995 Nissan Skyline (Japanese import, the only tuner car in the whole concours).
The final event of Saturday was a dinner where I got to meet both Mr. Brandon Anderson (the current president of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum) and the Castle family who just now donated Duesenberg No. 1 to the museum that was purchased by the family brand new in 1921. While the comedian provided for entertainment was in my view mediocre, the food was actually really good. I suppose you would expect it to be at a place like this, but still.
That is all for Part One! For the thrilling conclusion, please flip the record or shake your mouse over to Part Two!
At the super-fancy gala on Friday, I had gone ahead and gotten in contact with a few people and made merry. These same people were present later in the concours, so it is a good thing that the "wheels were greased" with the ambient social setting the gala provided. (yes, that's my mom to the right. Love her!) As for the thumbs up, don't ask me why I did it. I suppose I just do it naturally in photos.
Then, on Saturday, I got my car prepped and stowed away for the actual concours the following day. While I was working away, a couple of young children accompanied by both their father and grandpa approached me and were very excited. They couldn't believe they were seeing an actual young person working on a Studebaker, let alone HIS Studebaker. Needless to say, I showed the little ones all around my car. It is my express goal in the community to not be one of those collectors who treats their cars like diamonds. How is the new generation supposed to care about automobiles if they can't feel the subtle vibration of the chassis, hear the engine ticking away, or smell the sweet scent of dino-juice? They really can't and that's why I have to do something about it, if only in my small way.
Given how there was plenty more hours in the day, I attended a few lectures. The first (and most prominent) one was concerning the future of the enthusiast community as a whole. This is where I got to meet all of the other "30 under 30" members for the first time. I also learned that this event, the 14th annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance, is the first of its kind to have such a category in history. WOW! After the weight of these humbling words had passed, plenty of useful commentary and (polite) debate was shared among us. We came to the conclusion that we should do everything we can to not just promote the car world in general, but also the idea that you can have an inexpensive car and enjoy it just as much as the more "established" nameplates. This is especially true of both the Independent marques and a lot of Japanese models. Yay! We're ahead of the curve for once!
The other "30 under 30" cars were as follows (regrettably no photos yet): 1953 Chevrolet 3100 "stepside" pickup, 1965 Studebaker Commander two-door sedan, 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible, 1972 Chevrolet C10 "Cheyenne" truck, 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS, and a 1995 Nissan Skyline (Japanese import, the only tuner car in the whole concours).
The final event of Saturday was a dinner where I got to meet both Mr. Brandon Anderson (the current president of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum) and the Castle family who just now donated Duesenberg No. 1 to the museum that was purchased by the family brand new in 1921. While the comedian provided for entertainment was in my view mediocre, the food was actually really good. I suppose you would expect it to be at a place like this, but still.
That is all for Part One! For the thrilling conclusion, please flip the record or shake your mouse over to Part Two!
Comment