Plans are well underway for the inaugural Concours d’Elegance of Texas this spring , as the organizers set out to augment the annual collector car calendar with another world class concours. The first Concours d’Elegance of Texas is scheduled for May 6th at La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa, just north of downtown Houston in Montgomery, Texas, in conjunction with Worldwide Auctioneers 11th annual Houston Classic Auction on May 5th. Visitors to Houston can look forward to a spectacular gathering of vintage motorcars, racecars and antique motorcycles over the weekend, and anticipate a Texas sized welcome at the glorious lakeside setting of La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa, recently voted the #1 resort in the Lone Star state by Conde Nast Traveler magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.

The 2012 Concours d’Elegance of Texas will feature sixteen classes for vintage and classic cars and motorcycles, with Custom-Bodied Classics as the main feature. With classes recognizing everything from Antique & Vintage, through American & European performance, sports cars and race cars and even Old West Stagecoaches, the organizers promise something for everyone. Among the confirmed participants are a splendidly aggressive and imposing 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500/540k, believed to be one of only eleven know to exist, a stately 1938 Packard 8 Model 1601 Graber Cabriolet which took First in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last year, a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera Competition Coupe with serious racing pedigree and some outstanding examples of the best custom coachbuilders of the classic era, including the very first and last Darrin built in the United States. The anonymous Texas collector who recently acquired Beatle George Harrison’s legendary 1965 Aston Martin DB5 will give the iconic sports car it’s US debut over the weekend, and for a charitable donation offer concours visitors a rare and wonderful opportunity to be photographed in the car. Concours organizers have also confirmed that long-time collector, judge, writer and exhibitor Roger Willbanks Jr. will serve as Chief Judge. “We are delighted to have R.C. on board”, said Lolly Bezy, Executive Director. “He is a well known and highly respected figure in the collector car world who has exhibited cars at Pebble Beach for over a decade and served as a long term judge at some of the country’s best known concours. We welcome the expertise, judgment and passion for the hobby that he brings to the table”

The Concours d’Elegance of Texas operates as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit and it’s board of Directors has confirmed The Collectors Foundation and The Texas Children’s Hospital as its main charitable beneficiaries. One of the consignments lined up for Worldwide Auctioneers The Houston Classic Auction on Saturday May 5th is a one of a kind 1963 Volkswagen Super Beetle Custom Street Rod, kindly donated by a well -known Houston collector. Worldwide will auction the Beetle on behalf of the Concours d’Elegance of Texas during Saturday’s sale, with both the Texas Children’s Hospital and The Collectors Foundation benefiting from the sale. Charitable donations are welcome and can be made by contacting the Concours directly at 855-262-9900 or online at www.concoursoftexas.org.

The Concours d’ Elegance of Texas weekend runs from May 4th-6th 2012, with The Houston Classic Auction presented by Worldwide Auctioneers starting at 11a.m. on Saturday, May 5th and the Concours d’Elegance of Texas scheduled for Sunday, May 6th at 10a.m. Admission to the Concours is $25 on Sunday, discounted to $20 if purchased in advance, with children under 12 admitted free of charge.

Full details on the weekend’s events are available online at www.concoursoftexas.org and at www.worldwide-auctioneers.com. Executive Director Lolly Bezy can be contacted at 1.855.262.9900, or by email at [email protected]. La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa is a four-star, all-suite facility situated just 50 miles north of downtown Houston. Visit www.latorrettalakeresort.com for information on accommodation and resort amenities and to reserve rooms for the weekend.

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