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2023 Concours d’Lemons

Quirky Charm and Automotive Passion

Kristina Cilia
The taillights encapsulate mini Eiffel Towers on this 1969 Citroën DS21 Safari Wagon

In the coastal town of Seaside, California, junk car enthusiasts from all around the country gathered to celebrate the peculiar: the 2023 Concours d’Lemons. While most automotive shows showcase pristine, polished vehicles that gleam under the sun, the Concours d’Lemons was an entirely different spectacle. Here, the rusted, the odd, the forgotten, and the delightfully quirky took center stage.

 Kristina Cilia
Last years winner in the ‘DerSelfSatisfiedKrautenWagen’ category, a 2000 VW Beetle owned by Battlebots HiJinx builder Jennifer Herchensoder, sits next to a 1960 VW Shorty Bus, Fred ‘Lucky’ Hayes who won First Place in the same category this year

The morning sun eventually broke through the marine layer, casting a warm glow over the Seaside City Hall lawn that had been transformed into a makeshift showground. Clunkers, beaters, and automotive misfits of all shapes and sizes were arranged around the City Hall’s green. Among them a rusty VW Ghia, a shabby Saab, and a micro fire truck that looked like it belonged more in a cartoon than on the road.

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