Boca Raton Concours Raises More than $1m for Boys & Girls Club

The seventh annual Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance presented by Mercedes-Benz USA and AutoNation raised more than $1 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Hosted for the seventh consecutive year at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the event took place February 22-24, 2013 and featured an amazing weekend of philanthropy, comedy and of course, a stellar automobile and motorcycle display all to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County.

Each year the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance grows, bringing together new supporters, introducing exciting new event components and showcasing even better exotic, classic automobiles and motorcycles, and this year was no different. This year the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance honored the 50th Anniversary of Lamborghini and highlighted Rolls-Royce and Bentley as featured marquees with a tremendous lineup of memorable events.

Friday kicked off the weekend of events with the Bonhams auction preview, an automobile art show and a seminar titled “The Collector Car Market – The Past Five Years, and The Five Years to Come.” Grand Marshal Keith Martin moderated the seminar, which featured panelists Bill Rothermel, Dave Kinney, Dr. Paul Sable, Tom duPont and Wayne Carini. The event was attended by a packed house of collector car enthusiasts.

More than 3,000 guests attended the duPont Registry Live Hangar Party that evening. They experienced select tastings from more than 20 of the best South Florida restaurants and eateries, and indulged in an array of fine wines and spirits. Guests also perused a fine selection of exotic and classic airplanes, motorcycles, boats, motor coaches, automobiles, and business and private jets, along with luxury vendor displays featuring jewelry, fine art and more.

Saturday, the automobile art show and Bonhams auction continued at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The inaugural Bonhams auction was a huge success, with a total of 46 cars sold for $3.7 million. A diverse selection of American and European motorcars, along with several contemporary models, attracted a full house of onsite bidders and numerous telephone, absentee and live online bidders. With participation from around the world, and buyers from as far afield as mainland Europe and the Middle East, the competition was brisk, particularly for the most desirable offerings.

That evening, more than 800 guests attended the gala dinner and live auction, which included a cocktail reception and silent auction followed a performance by legendary comedic icon Bob Newhart. The gala dinner began with the presentation of the Automotive Lifetime Achievement Award and Lee Iacocca Award, presented by Honorary Chairman Mike Jackson, Chairman and CEO of AutoNation. This year, the Automotive Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to automotive industry icons Colin Brown of JM Family Enterprises, Inc. and Emerson Fittipaldi for their personal and professional contributions to the automotive industry.

For the fourth year in a row the Concours presented the Lee Iacocca Award to a person who has demonstrated dedication to the classic car hobby through vehicle preservation, club participation, and who has unselfishly assisted and encouraged others in perpetuating an “American Automotive Tradition.” This year Steve Wolf, director and president of the Boca Raton-based European Autobody, Inc., received the coveted award.

Following the awards presentation, a stellar live auction took place, giving guests the exclusive opportunity to bid on luxurious packages and one-of-a-kind exotic items. Guests had the opportunity to own some of the very first all-new exotic vehicles delivered in America, including the 2014 Audi R8 V10 Spyder courtesy of Audi USA, Audi Coral Springs and Audi Lighthouse Point, one of the very first 2014 Maserati Quattroportes, courtesy of Ferrari-Maserati of Fort Lauderdale, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series (one of only 100 made), courtesy of Mercedes-Benz and AutoNation, a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, courtesy of Lamborghini Palm Beach and a 2013 McLaren MP4-12C Spider, courtesy of The Collection, all benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Following the live auction, Bob Newhart took the stage for a laugh-out-loud, memorable performance.

Sunday concluded the weekend’s festivities with the Automobile & Motorcycle Exhibition spanning all eras on the newly-renovated and expanded showfield at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. More than 6,000 guests from around the world experienced an automotive showcase like no other, featuring cars and motorcycles from a wide range of time periods. An expert panel of judges, led by Grand Marshall Keith Martin, Chief Judge Dr. Paul Sable and Honorary Judges Carl Bomstead, David Schultz, and Mark Gessler, was responsible for selecting the finest vintage, antique, classic and exotic vehicles based on period, presentation and cleanliness.

The awards ceremony highlighted each winner as they drove to the judge’s booth to receive their trophy, courtesy of Tiffany & Co. Winning entrants received their awards during a special presentation emceed for the seventh year in a row by Tom duPont, owner of duPont Registry magazine and renowned car collector, who has officiated awards ceremonies at some of the nation’s largest concours events including Pebble Beach and Amelia Island. Collector car aficionado Bill Rothermel described every winning car in extraordinary detail, including its full history, which he has done at several concours all over the country. Best in Show was awarded to Jim Patterson of Louisville, KY for his 1947 Talbot Lago T26.

Once the show kicked off, guests were invited to walk through the automobile art show and vendor row featuring vendor tents such as the 2013 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance tent, offering hats, commemorative Concours program magazines, and posters and pins from previous years event’s and this year’s event. Guests also enjoyed a selection of gourmet food, wine and cocktails from more than 30 of South Florida’s finest restaurants at the Concours d’ Gourmet Pavilion.

“We began this event seven years ago for two reasons,” said Rick Case, Founder and Producer of the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance. “One was to unite car enthusiasts from around the world and two was to support a much deserving charity: the Boys & Girls Clubs. Now, a marvelous seven years later, we are thrilled to say that not only is the Boca Raton Concours thriving but it has become, in a short seven years, the fastest growing and most charitable Concours in the world.”

The seventh annual Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance could not have been made possible without the support of its sponsors: Audi Coral Springs; Audi Lighthouse Point; AutoNation; Bentley Palm Beach; Boca Aviation; Boca Raton Resort & Club; duPont Registry; Ferrari-Maserati of Fort Lauderdale; Hagerty Insurance; Honda Aircraft Company; HondaJet Southeast; JM Family Enterprises; JR Dunn Jewelers; Lamborghini Palm Beach; Mercedes-Benz USA; Rick Case Automotive Group; Rolls-Royce Palm Beach; Sky Limo Air Charter; The Collection; Ulysse Nardin; and more.

All to benefit a deserving cause, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, the entire Boca Raton Concours team is comprised of a group of about 200 volunteers who dedicate their personal time to the planning and execution of the event. With no paid promoters, producers or staff, all the proceeds go to serve the 12,000 needy children that attend the 12 Boys & Girls Clubs in Broward County. In 2013, the event attracted more than 10,000 attendees and raised more than $1 million dollars for the Boys & Girls Club, making the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance the fastest growing concours in the nation, and the world’s largest for charity.

Plans are already underway for the eighth annual Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton, FL with Mercedes-Benz as the featured marquee. Save the date for February 21-23, 2014, and visit www.bocaCDE.com for updates.