Worlds Apart, But Not So Different By Ruby Rae Scalera
At first glance, there is very little in common between The Race of Gentlemen and The Greenwich Concours D’Elegance. Taken within the automotive hobby, they are on opposite sides of the enthusiast spectrum – rat rods, customs, and racing, sponsored by Sailor Jerry’s Rum, and Les Mans cars, super cars, and grand tours, to the background of popping champagne and wine tastings. For all intents and purposes, they barely exist within the same world of the automotive hobby. Miles apart – both literally and figuratively, these two shows, occurring on the same weekend in June, should have no crossover in cars, attendees, or history.
At first glance.
But as the classic car hobby and the car show culture, begin to shift below our feet, it becomes imperative to take a closer look at what makes for a really good automotive event. When we do that, digging deeper into the process of putting on a show, the history, the cars, we begin to realize that maybe these two wildly unique events are not happening on their own islands, independent of the events around them, but within the world of a changing automotive culture, and the rising passion of a new generation of enthusiasts.
Because though The Race of Gentlemen includes kicking up sand on a New Jersey beach with the oversized tires of vintage hot rods, and the Concours artistically arranges their classic supercars before a New England harbor scene, the two shows – and so many others that seem out of left field, have a lot in common.
It’s best to go back to the beginning. Both of these events are ripe with the smell of aged exhaust, well-worn leather, and the faint hint of mothballs. While TROG focuses its attentions on the early days of American racing – and not the kind of American racing with much glory or legality to its name, The Concours turns towards the racers of Les Mans and The Mille Miglia, with names broadcasted across television screens, and through the pages of history. Each shows handpicks the history that appeals to them, and fills in the blanks, but there is no denying that the fundamental theme of both of these events is the proliferation and passion for the hobby, and the hope that these interesting and unique slices of the automotive world will help to keep the car culture alive for generations to come.
They will. Because another similarity between these two deceptively disparate events is the quality and show runnership. Both events were run like clocks – parades, auctions, and races going off without a hitch. Food was plentiful, entertainment was exceptional, vendors were interesting, and crowds were big. The quality of shows of this size is indicative of nothing less than complete passion and investment in a truly loved world of cars.


These events have likely been in the works for eleven months and three weeks, and it shows. It shows in the quality of vendors – historians, magazines, classic car merchandise, automotive manufacturers. It shows in the seamless ability to put on a day’s worth of perpetual racing, or several hours of high class auction in the pouring rain. It shows in the number of amazing, wild, rare automobiles. Alone, the passion and drive of these show runners is enough to bridge the supposed gap between these two events.

These are the events which will inspire the next generation of enthusiasts to pick up the torch. One of the most exciting elements of The Race of Gentlemen, was seeing just how many young families and children were in attendance. From the experience of many, myself included, attending car shows as a child can have an everlasting effect – mainly, a lifelong obsession with the automobile. These events are the kind that get a person excited about cars all over again. They inspire us to race home to pull out our classic car reference books, giddy with the thought of a rare find, or to check our phones for the year a certain driver won a race. They feed a love for the classics, a passion for the hobby, and a hope for the future.


Events like these couldn’t come at a better time. Both the automotive industry and the classic car hobby are in flux. Alternative energy and autonomous cars seemed to reign automotive headlines. Classic car shows are often losing cars or attendees, as both the automobile, and the owner, begin to grow older. Millennials are only now beginning to realize just how cool cars can be – after growing up in the age of black plastic trim, boxy designs, and lackluster power. The hobby needs stability, it needs a future made up of the next impassioned generation of enthusiasts.




These are just the events to make that generation want to rise to the challenge. The Race of Gentlemen and The Greenwich Concours D’Elegance may be automotive worlds apart – Ford Pickup Trucks to antique Ferraris, rat rods to Porsches and Jaguars. But the message remains. Put on an event that will make people talk. Put on an event for the die-hard car enthusiast. Put on an event that will make them come back year after year. Put on an event they will never forget.

Both of these shows are unforgettable. They may be different, but they’re after the same goal. If just a few more show runners follow their examples, there’s no doubt that a bright, young, and passionate generation will be soon to accept the car culture torch. After all, the standard has been set.