Hilton Head Island, SC, October 9, 2008 -– Start your engines! The 2008 Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival, one of the nation’s signature automotive events, is set to zoom into the Lowcountry Thursday, October 30 through Sunday, November 2. The seventh annual Hilton Head Island Concours will feature a number of exciting events including:

GREAT SAVANNAH RACES CENTENNIAL – A special 100th anniversary celebration of the Great Savannah Races will take place at the Hilton Head/Savannah Historics track event at the re-opened road course on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, Ga. Racing events will take place on Thursday, October 30 and Friday, October 31. Porsche of Hilton Head and Porsche USA will serve as the presenting sponsor for the track events on Hutchinson Island, which will mark the first time in more than a decade that this race course has been opened to the public. This two-day vintage track exhibition will offer everything for the avid performance car fan, from exhibition laps at speeds exceeding 100 mph to interactive autocross events. Visitors can also enjoy high-speed rides in the latest and greatest sports car models. The 1911 EMF race car which finished third in Savannah in 1911 in the prestigious Tiedemann Cup Race, will also be featured throughout the event.

60th ANNIVERSARY OF PORSCHE – A vintage Porsche display at the 2008 Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival will trace the evolution of the Porsche, from its early days to its contemporary expression at Honey Horn on Hilton Head Island. The collector vehicles range from the 1955 Continental to the 1978 Porsche 928, with 356 and 911 models from various years included in the display. Visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy a rare viewing of the RS Spyder, Porsche’s acclaimed race car. Other landmark anniversaries to be celebrated as featured Concours classes include the 100th anniversaries of both General Motors and Morgan and the 50th anniversary of Edsel.

BULGARI COLLECTION – Named as the premier event’s esteemed honorary chairman, Nicola Bulgari of the BVLGARI jewelry dynasty will be on hand Saturday to discuss his extensive and varied collection of early American automobiles. Already an annual exhibitor, Mr. Bulgari will showcase five examples of his eclectic taste and eye for design as part of the Quest for Speed and Style exhibition this year at Honey Horn. This noted international collector bought his first car, a 1937 Buick Model 48, for $30 in 1959. Of the 170 vintage restorations and unique originals in his collection, almost half are Buicks.

GRAND PRIX FORMULA 1 RACECAR DRIVERS – Historic Grand Prix Formula 1 Racecar Drivers including Rick Carlino, Hamish Somerville, Paul Flowers, Lee Brahin and Michael Fitzgerald will be appearing at the exhibitions at the newly-reopened Hutchison Island track. Visitors to this year’s Hilton Head Concours event also will have an opportunity to see some of the most impressive cars from Grand Prix history in action. The Historic Grand Prix drivers will race some of the most famous Formula 1 cars from the 1970s and 1980s including Somerville’s 1978 Williams FW07 and FW04, Flowers’ 1981 Tyrrell 011, Brahin’s 1975 Hesketh 308 and Fitzgerald’s 1983 Williams FW08.

TRIBUTE TO BRASS CARS – New exhibits for the seventh annual Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival include a special celebration of Brass Era (Pre-1916) Cars as this year’s Honored Marque. During the Concours d’Elegance at Honey Horn on Sunday, November 2, the brass classes will showcase at least one model from each year between 1899 and 1915. A number of Brass Era Cars including cars representative of those originally in the Great Savannah Races can also be seen on parade. A vintage E-M-F Stock Chassis Racer, which was one of three cars the factory built to enter in the Savannah race in 1911, will also be featured at the Hilton Head/Savannah Historics as well as in the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival at Honey Horn on Saturday, November 1 and
Sunday, November 2 in the Quest for Style & Speed exhibit.

BMW will return as the Official Automotive Sponsor of the 2008 Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival. Other official sponsors include Hargray as the Official Communications Sponsor, Beaufort Memorial Hospital as the official healthcare sponsor, JCB as the official construction company, Monthly Media Group as the official magazine, Adventure Radio as the Official Radio Station and Celebration Events as the Official Special Events Planning and Catering Company.

Gate ticket prices are $15 for Thursday or Friday’s vintage track event, the Hilton Head/Savannah Historics, $25 for Saturday, $35 for Sunday, $50 for a two-day (Saturday & Sunday) pass and $55 for an all-access (Thursday – Sunday) pass. Children under 12 get in free, ages 12-18 are $5 per day (with student ID) and military (with an active duty I.D.) receive ½ off general admission ticket prices at the gate. Advance discounted tickets are currently available at www.hhiconcours.com.

For more information, call 843.785.SHOW (7469) or visit www.hhiconcours.com.

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