Chesapeake Concours
Our community has gathered at The Winery at Elk Manor on three occasions, with 2 visits in 2014 and the last being on Sunday, August 23, 2015. Those events were under the title of Horsepower at Elk Manor. This platform set out – of course – to gather automotive enthusiasts in a beautiful and unique location. [We, as automotive enthusiasts, are quite keen to taking to the road so the opportunity was embraced.] The gatherings also served as a litmus test for an event of a grander scale. This Sunday, we return to the North East, Maryland for the spring and inaugural edition of the Chesapeake Concours. The evolution to a grander scale has arrived.
Be prepared for a special day. Gates to the winery open at 11 AM. You are encouraged to register prior to the event. While there will be card readers available at and near the winery entrance to handle admissions, please consider paying with cash ($20 for each person 16 years of age and older) in order to maintain automobile flow into the show vehicle and spectator vehicle areas. Thank you in advance for your consideration and preparation.
With the aforementioned evolution to the new platform, the standards for the show area have been refined. Some of you are familiar with the term Concours d’Elegance, which is a competitive exhibition of automotive elegance and beauty. There is a focus on automobiles from the earliest years to the 1960s, possibly with some focus on the 1970s. The event is judged for automotive perfection. Could one say that a Concours – with the resultant omission of d’Elegance - is a ‘less elegant’ automotive gathering? Well, yes, but just slightly. It is fair to say that a Concours is a bit more inclusive than its more elegant brethren. In our case, the span of years reaches to the current day. Naturally, a quality standard will be upheld. It’s not a standard Cars & Coffee-heritage gathering as seen in Hunt Valley where it’s more of an all-inclusive affair.
The show field is populated by automobiles that meet the standards of their surroundings. Well-maintained and well-presented automobiles that pay proper respect to the marque and generation are the focus. Next, while marque clubs will be participating, the presentation of a single samples of unique, beautiful and original automobiles – from the antiques to the classics to the latest and greatest – is the foundation.
Even though I'll be parking my 2009 BMW 335i M Sport in the spectator area, I'm setting aside time on Friday for some automotive detailing. The weather forecast looks spectacular for Saturday and Sunday. It’s always a roll of the dice when it comes to planning an event around the weather but we won this game of chance.
Visit horsepowering.com/special-gatherings for all information on the Chesapeake Concours. See you on Saturday in Hunt Valley and Sunday at the Chesapeake Concours!