The fourth year of The Atlanta Concours d’Elegance was held at the newly opened Tyler Perry Studios just south of Atlanta. The studios are located on the former US Army Fort McPherson, and the show field was the base’s parade field. It was a lovely venue, with the grassy field flanked by officer’s quarters on one side and barracks on the other, all built in the late 19th Century. Saturday was the day for the “Invitational Classics and Coffee at the Concours” – a selection of interesting local automobiles. Seven of them would be selected to attend the Concours the next day. Then came the rain.
Tropical Storm Hermine came ashore in the Florida Panhandle on Friday, and rain and wind from it drenched the event on Saturday. There were cars, but it’s accurate to say that nearly everyone was miserable – determined, but miserable. Had the event still been held on a golf course, it’s unlikely that the grounds keepers would have allowed cars onto their fairways. Thankfully, the parade field drained well after the rain stopped late Saturday night.
The organizers of the Atlanta Concours d’Elegance are innovative in how they involve the community. The area around Ft. McPherson includes a large minority community, and the organizers made plans to include them. Collector James Collier was back with his Chevies (Vintage Roadcar, January 2017, Volume 7, Issue 1). The Concours aligned with the Metropolitan Chapters of 100 Black Men to provide “an opportunity to learn about automobile history and iconic individuals who once owned these rare works of art.” Those “iconic individuals” whose cars were on display included local hero Reggie Jackson and entertainers Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, and Lennie Hayton and Lena Horne.
Sunday’s weather remained mainly overcast, but attendance didn’t seem to be affected. There were some no-shows among the concours entrants, but all-in-all, it was an interesting variety of cars from the Brass Era to the 1960s. Shoes got a bit wet, but it was worth it.
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