A Concours at Pinehurst–Why Not?

As major golf resorts go, Pinehurst ranks right up with the best of them. Nestled in North Carolina’s Sandhills region, it’s located just a few miles northwest of Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, home of the 82^nd Airborne. So why bring a historic automobile event, a Concours d’Elegance or “competition of elegance” to an area best known for being host to the U.S. Open and other prestigious golf tournaments?  As Pinehurst Concours President Jay Howard said to us in a 2014 radio interview, “Why not?”

With four years under his belt and a fifth underway the first Saturday in May when we were invited for a behind the scenes tour, Jay explained that developing a world-class automotive Concours at a historic golf resort made perfect sense.

“When you think of golf resorts in the United States, there’s really three romantic names that come to mind, Pebble Beach, Augusta and Pinehurst. We’re the American home of golf here, as Tar Heels we may not fully realize the reach that the reputation of Pinehurst has around the world.  Augusta’s not going to have a Concours, Pebble Beach has a very successful one and when you look at the logistics that surround this area, if we can host a U.S. Open, we can host a Concours.”

The stars each year at the Pinhurst Concours are the cars and what a stunningly beautiful backdrop historic Pinehurst Golf Resort is for this display of rare vehicles. Each automotive work of art is steeped in its unique history and are brought to the Sandhills to have their story told and enjoyed by the attendees.

Vehicles entered into this competition are divided into various classes based on era and type of car. Signs along the fairway denote the classes:

American & European Classics Pre-War, American & European Classics Post-War, European Sports Cars, Modern Sports cars, Race Cars, American Sports/Muscle Cars Pre-1975, Unique/Limited production, Packard, Porsche Carrera Pre-1975, Japanese Classics and a special class for Chevrolet Corvettes 1953 – 1972.

Stroll along the greens at Pinehurst like we did during the initial staging of some of the cars the Friday prior to the Concours and you will begin to imagine yourself being transported back to the day when these cars were brand new.

It really is a car show like no other as Pinehurst features only the best of the best. After each car competes for a “Best in Class” award, each class winner competes for the highly prestigious “Best of Show.” Previous winners from 2013 to 2016 were a 1938 Steyr Roadster, 1931 Cadillac 452A, 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 Tourer and a 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 Tourer. That’s exceptionally tough competition!

More modern classics are found in the post-war, muscle car and sports car classes. Our favorites on this Friday before the big show were the early post-war American cars like a 1947 Chrysler Town & Country Woody Sedan owned by Mike Grasso and Stephen Warren of Salisbury, N.C. Stephen bought this former estate car thirty years ago, restoring it back to original showroom condition.

This particular car was involved in a front-end collision in California several years ago after its first restoration. But you’d never know it after seeing it staged for the 2017 Pinehurst Concours.

Beautifully restored, vintage automobiles weren’t the only attraction at the Pinehurst Concours, however. With Porsche Cars North America as one of the main sponsors of the weekend, we couldn’t help but take advantage of the Porsche Ride and Drive they were offering in front of the clubhouse. We had a choice of an all-new Panamera Turbo or the iconic 911. We opted for the all-new Panamera Turbo with standard all-wheel drive and 550 horsepower, but you’ll need to wait until next month for our full review.