2011 KIRKLAND CONCOURS AND TOUR D’ELEGANCE
By Don Rose
I have a dirty little secret: the Pacific Northwest, in particular Seattle and the islands in Puget Sound, have some of the best and most scenic driving roads in the country. Does it rain a lot? Yes, or so I've been told. But I'm also here to tell you that it doesn't rain every day, as the locals would have the rest of us believe!
After Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and the reconstituted Concours of America in Michigan, there are today a wide range of distinctive regional concours events around the country: The Glenmoor Gathering; Fairfield and Greenwich, CT; Hilton Head, SC; Keels & Wheels in Houston, TX; Newport, RI; and numerous concours in California such as Dana Point, Palos Verdes and Hillsborough. The Kirkland Concours, held on the eastern shore of Lake Washington just opposite Seattle, is among the best of these. One thing that distinguishes it from the others, and was an important factor in my decision to participate, was the three-day road tour that precedes the concours. The organizers had deviously made Aston Martin this year's featured marque, so why not take my open prewar Aston up there for the tour and the show? (Just put the thoughts of soaking the car in mud and driving rain out of your mind… or was I out of my mind?)
The tour begins with a ferry crossing from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, and we spend the next two days circling the devastatingly beautiful Hood Canal. We visited three significant car collections on the islands, and no trip to the region would be complete without a winery tour. A terrific group of 'car guys' (which includes lady car guys too) participate with a wide range of collector cars, most of whom are locals who I gather make this an annual pilgrimage. And as a bonus, concours participants are spared any judging knockdowns for related road wear (which came in handy in my case).
Well, we enjoyed three days of sunny, clear and dry weather, a pleasure in our open car, followed by an encore perfect weather day for the concours, which draws vintage wooden boats parked along the shoreline, as well as the increasingly popular display of motorcycles.
So, the cars: the Kirkland Concours attracts high-quality entrants, mostly from the region, which happens to be rich with important classics, but also from points further away. For example, headlining the Aston Martin class was Harry Yeaggy's recently acquired James Bond DB5, 'The Most Famous Car in the World' and multiple award recipient at Kirkland this year.
The class was supplemented by a DB4GT Zagato and the sole DB2/4 Allemano-bodied coupe, both sent from The Blackhawk Collection, as well as one the world's most important sports racers, Greg Whitten's DBR2. There were 11 Astons in all, plus a nice turnout of local club members' cars in the nearby club corral.
My car is a 15/98 Short Chassis Open Sports, with coachwork by Abbey, one of only 25 built to this configuration. Recently restored as a show/driver by noted Aston specialists Kevin Kay Restorations, I had little expectation of any awards, given the esteemed competition. As it turned out, the judging format was 'French style,' meaning that they eschew the point system in favor of overall style and elegance. Nobody was more amazed than myself when it was announced that my 15/98 was awarded Third in Class and then went on to garner one of the special awards, the Participant's Choice trophy, with the surprise announcement by Honorary Chairman, actor and well-known British car aficionado Edward Hermann.
I like to drive all my cars, so I don't consider myself a strong concours competitor, but I was happy to see Kevin's fine work recognized, as well as some respect afforded to this often overlooked Aston model.
There were a number of truly great cars in other classes as well, including Peter Mullin's 1934 Voisin Model 27 Coupe (which has to be seen because words cannot begin to describe…I first saw this car on a stand at Retromobile circa 2007), shown by Peter’s chief car wrangler Webb Farrer. Another special sports car class was established to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type, handily won by Peter Gleeson’s sharp 3.8 OTS. And last, but certainly not least, the Best of Show was awarded to Ray Sherr’s 1911 Simplex, fresh from its superlative restoration by good friend Bob Mosier. The car was stunning and Bob was behind the wheel grinning from ear to ear.
So with the weather cooperative, I couldn't have asked for more from my Kirkland experience. The associated road tour was not only a perfect way to make new friends while exercising my old car but also goes a long way to differentiate the Kirkland Concours weekend from the numerous other regional show events vying for great and interesting cars. Needless to say, I recommend it and will look forward to a return visit.
I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts of Event Chairman Jeff Clark, Expert Commentator Keith Martin, Peter Hageman for his constant cheerfulness and Tour-meister Al McEwan, who mastered the weather and was also there for me with his Bentley jack and hammer, without whom I might still be on the side of the road, probably in the rain!
Full event results.
A: The most memorable car I’ve sold at auction, for me, is very easily identified as the James Bond Aston Martin DB5. I’ve been a Bond freak since I was ten years old and my mother took me to see Goldfinger in 1965, and that car, of course, that car became a star of the show, and also turned my head around as a young boy growing up in the Midwest, into the sophistication and elegance of European GT cars. That’s led to my own ownership of Aston Martins and I’ve been involved with the Aston Martin Owner’s Club for about 20 years now, in various directorship roles.
Q: How do you keep busy in the collector car hobby?
