It was a 1941 Cadillac convertible that captured the judges on Sunday, Sept 11, 2016 at the Second Annual Ephraim Concours d’Elegance as John Nordstrom of Wisconsin was awarded the Arbor Crowne Properties Grand Elegance Award. The Concours was the conclusion of the Ephraim Hill Climb and Concours d’Elegance weekend in Door County, Wisconsin.
In its second year, the Climb requires participants to run the hill climb course on Saturday to be eligible for any awards on Sunday. An assortment of approximately 45 pre- and post-WWII cars — from a 1923 Buick touring car to a 1967 Ford Mustang — ran the untimed course of a mile in order to qualify.
Frank Heidler of Sister Bay, owner of that 1923 Buick (above,, Ron Nelson photo), was awarded this year’s Sportsmanship Award as he drove his car through the course several times. Ronald DeWoskin received an award for his 1937 Cadillac, and People’s Choice Awards went to Tom Griffith for his 1937 Bentley Drop Head Coupe (pre-war), and Wendy and Tod Wilson and their 1953 Jaguar XK (post-war). Best in Show award recipients were Jeff and Lisa Tietz (pre-war) and their 1931 Ford Sports Coupe and Best in Show post-war was awarded to John Dohmen for his 1963 Triumph TR3. The Cooper Technica Elegance in Restoration Award went to Robert Lorkowski for his work on a stunning blue 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III V12. Lorkowski, who runs L’Cars restoration shop in Cameron, Wisconsin, was representing his client, who is the owner of the car.
John Baker Welch, the man behind the event, designed the Hill Climb as a full weekend event, with a welcome get-together, a Kurt Bakkelop (Norwegian for short hill climb), an elegant dinner dance where 1940s attire is strongly encouraged, all concluding with the Concours set against a background of the beautiful waters of Eagle Harbor in Ephraim. Ephraim, which may seem an unlikely location for a hill climb, lies on the Niagara Escarpment, carved out by Glaciers centuries ago, making it a perfect spot for a Hill Climb. For complete information please visit http://ephraimhillclimb.com/
