Klingberg Auto Show

The Klingberg Antique Auto Show has been an annual event for 17 years. There are many types of auto shows and I have thought about how our show fits into this array.  On one hand, we have the typical auto show:  antique car owners  who have worked on their antique and/or classic automobile, their pride and joy, come to our show to show it off and spend time with others with like interest.  This adds fun and mystery to our show because we never know what owners will bring until they arrive the day of the show. If you are like me, many of these automobiles bring back memories like the car in which I learned to drive, my first car, our family station wagon we took across the country in 1955, etc. From the very beginning, I have enjoyed watching parents and grandparents telling auto-related stories to their children.

Beyond the traditional auto show, we bring some unique elements to the event: Vintage music and dancing, museum displays and a children’s play area. We also add special touches by serving home-cooked food including our own New England clam chowder recipe.  The food is literally cooked fresh in our own kitchen the day before the show.

But apart from being a typical car show, one aspect of our event is most like a Concours d’Elegance. A Concours features very rare and elegant automobiles with interesting histories, some in their original, untouched condition and others restored to be pristine and flawless. Owners compete at the top Concours d’Elegance around the world and many have won prestigious honors.  There seems to be a proliferation of car shows throughout Connecticut; there are auto shows every weekend. I even saw seven auto shows listed for one weekend in the Hartford Courant. However, there are only four true Concours d’Elegance events in all New England.   

The Auto Show and the Concours d’Elegance are really two very different kinds of shows and are rarely ever part of the same event. I know it would be much easier to plan and hold an event that would clearly be one or the other.

However, beginning in 2010, we are going to blend the two styles. We are keeping the general structure of the traditional auto show, but it will surround a Concours d’Elegance.  I have met with Concours collectors and they have accepted our special invitation to join us at the Klingberg Antique Auto Show in 2010.  With the help of some of the top collectors and antique auto restorers, we will gather rare and pristine automobiles on the athletic field in the center of our event. Most of these automobiles have six-figure values and are transported by enclosed trucks and trailers over a considerable distance. We will rearrange our layout to accommodate this.  Ancillary events usually surround a Concours, so we will work with resources in the communities neighboring our show to create an attractive weekend package for our out of town guests and our longtime supporters.

The major difference between our event and the standard national Concours d’Elegance events will be our focus on children and families. We want to change the heart of the usual Concours event from the competition between collectors and winning of prestigious trophies to helping children how have experienced  child abuse  and other forms of trauma. Our show will be a Concours d’Elegance where those who usually compete against one another come together on a beautiful hilltop and share a good time while significantly helping children in need. 

I suppose we could say it is a Concours with a Cause. With the blending of the two types of events and the major focus on children we are renaming the Klingberg Antique Auto Show the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival.

Mark your calanders now for our new Motorcar Festival date: June 19th, Father’s Day Weekend.

We welcome your comments and feedback at markj@klingberg.org