The Concours in the Hills is not really a concours d’elegance per se, since it’s lacking the formal accoutrements that go along with such high-stakes events. But none of that stuff was missed by the hordes of people attending the fifth annual show along the lake in Fountain Hills, Arizona.
More than 700 vehicles, ranging from vintage cruisers, sports cars and street rods to the latest exotic supercars, could be seen at this diverse show held in a gorgeous setting. Fountain Hills is famous for its gigantic fountain, naturally, which spouts at intervals from the center of the manmade lake, and which provided a stunning backdrop for the cars spread out on the grassy slopes adjacent to the shoreline.
While it might not be an actual concours, it is a thoroughly enjoyable local car show that seems to have been embraced by most car collectors in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. The cars on display were as broadly assorted as we’ve seen, with members of the Citroen club as plentiful as those from the Ferrari group, and the classic Cadillac drivers as comfortable here as the ones showing Jaguar sports cars and race cars.
Every kind of collector car, truck or motorcycle is welcome, and the wide range of collector vehicles shows it. And for spectators, there’s no charge for wandering around and gawking at the automotive finery.
There was quite a selection of late-model supercars from such makers as Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, plus many newer Corvettes, Vipers and Ford GTs. Most of the vintage show cars were from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s eras, aside from the street rods built from pre-war Fords and such, with few of the grand classics that you might see at a more-formal event.
Although, we did spot a very attractive 1926 Cadillac Victoria Coupe, looking shiny and fresh.
Some other highlights included a trio of rare and valuable Jaguars from the 1950s, C- and D-Type race cars as well as an XKSS; a perky lineup of minimalistic Citroen 2CVs; four DeLorean gullwing coupes, doors up; a terrific display of Cadillacs spanning the post-war years; some excellent “Tri-Five” Chevys from the mid-’50s; an impressive group of McLaren supercars; a wildly painted and drastically lowered “rat rod” Ford among the host of hand-crafted street rods; plus plenty of desirable Mustangs, Camaros, ‘Cudas and Corvettes.
Once again, the Concours in the Hills proved to be a relaxed and fun show with a selection of cars diverse enough to appeal to just about anyone who browsed the field.