HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (November 5, 2006) – The premier winners, the coveted ‘Best of Show’ and the ‘People’s Choice’ awards, were chosen today for the prestigious Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival, held here at the historic Honey Horn show grounds on Hilton Head.
Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance awards included “Best of Show” awarded to Ethel Lanaux of New Orleans, LA for her 1931 Chrysler Waterhouse and “People’s Choice” awarded to Bill Alley of Greensboro, VT for his 1914 Locomobile Berlin, which was also the “Best of Show” winner at the first Hilton Head Concours in 2002. Saturday’s top honors for the Car Club Jamboree were the “Chairman’s Award” given to Richard & Mary James from the John Epstein Avanti Club for their 1988 Avanti and the “People’s Choice Award” given to George Crook representing the Jaguar Society of SC for his 1950 Jaguar. The Worldwide Group’s top sellers from Saturday’s classic & collector car auction included a 1954 Chevrolet Convertible Roadster, a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ 1 and a 1934 Packard 1101 Convertible Coupe.
More than 400 automobiles made their way to Hilton Head Island, SC this weekend to participate in the 5th anniversary event. Esteemed racecar drivers Lyn St. James, the first female selected as an Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, and Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500, were in attendance. Patricia Mooradian, President of The Henry Ford, presided as the event’s Honorary Chairperson.
Carolyn Vanagel, Executive Director for the Hilton Head Concours today remarked, “We are very pleased with the turnout for the event this year. We think it was a tremendous success and there was a lot of excitement on the show field.” Vanagel stated that the combination of the Car Club Jamboree, the presence of the prestigious honored guests, the extension of Vintage Track Day with races managed by HSR and the enhanced classic & collector car auction with the introduction of The Worldwide Group all boosted this year’s success.
Positioned as the ‘final’ Concours of the national show circuit, the Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival has quickly climbed the ranks among national Concours events. In just five short years, Hilton Head is already considered by many as being among those elite USA events with the likes of Pebble Beach, Meadow Brook and Amelia Island. Key sponsors of the event included BMW Group of North America, Adventure Radio, Hargray Communications, Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort, SunTrust Bank, the “Official Bank of NASCAR,” and WSAV.
The 2007 event is already generating excitement amongst its organizers. The dates have been set for November 1 – 4, 2006, and William “Bill” Marriott, a participating exhibitor in the 2006 show, has been selected as the 2007 Honorary Chairman. In addition, The Worldwide Group will return in 2007 for the classic & collector car auction. More information for the 2007 event will follow.