The Motor City is re-emerging, what with plans already announced for the Motor Bella show and American Festival of Speed early this fall at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, and now comes the announcement of yet another fall fest in the Detroit area, the Detroit 4Fest, an off-road extravaganza scheduled for September 24-26 at the new Holly Oaks ORV Park just a few miles further to the north and adjacent to the Mt. Holly ski and snowboard resort.
Holly Oaks ORV Park, a former mining and gravel pit, spans 235 acres and is the second Michigan state park jointly managed by state and county recreation agencies, in this case Oakland County Parks and Rec and the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources.
Motor Bella is scheduled for September 21-26 and the Festival of Speed for September 30 to October 3, with the 4Fest now wedged in between.
The Detroit 4Fest will feature off-road driving seminars, including winching and recovery, and vehicle set-up; equipment demonstrations and test drives; and vendor villages.
Goodguys alters California calendar
Because California is using car-show sites for pandemic vaccination drives, the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association has shuffled the schedule for its anticipated early 2021 events in that state. The 20th Del Mar Nationals will move to October 1-3 (replacing the inaugural So-Cal Nationals at Del Mar) and the 38th All American Get-Together and 21st Summer Get-Together, both scheduled for Pleasanton, have been canceled.
“While we faced many disheartening cancellations in 2020, this is the first that we can be optimistic about,” said Andrew Ebel, Goodguys chief operating officer. “Being displaced by local vaccination efforts only serves to accelerate the pace of our return to a healthy community and events without restrictions. This news is positive for Del Mar, for Pleasanton and Goodguys.”
Late August and early November events at Pleasanton remain as originally scheduled, the Goodguys added.
The Goodguys still plan to open the 2021 auto show calendar with the Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals, March 12-13 in Fort Worth, Texas. They also plan to return to Fort Worth and Texas Motor Speedway June 4-6, the weekend of the NASCAR All-Star Race, for the inaugural Meguiar’s All Star Get-Together, a celebration of American-made or powered cars and trucks, including imports with domestic engines.
“NASCAR fans love American cars, and American car enthusiasts love NASCAR, so this collaboration was a natural fit,” said Ebel. “Families will also have plenty to enjoy at the event, so it will be a great introduction to the hobby for many in the Dallas / Fort Worth region.”
For details, visit the Goodguys website.
Goodguys launches Next-Gen award
At that Truck Spring event, the Goodguys will present The Next Generation Award, formerly called the Young Guys/Gals award, and presented by Goolsby Customs. The award will showcase the accomplishments of car and truck builders aged 25 and younger.
“We have seen more young enthusiasts than ever entering the hobby and they deserve the attention as much as our industry veterans,” Goodguys chief operating officer Andrew Ebel is quoted in the announcement.“They are incredibly creative and innovative and continue to push the limits of the car hobby. Our goal is to help them shine and to give them the platform that can help take them to the next level.”
Builders 25 and younger will have their own display area for their vehicles. The Next-gen winner at each Goodguys event will be eligible for the annual award, which includes the opportunity to display at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este postponed
Usually staged in the late spring on the shores of Lake Como, the 2021 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este has been postponed until October 1-3, the events co-hosts, the BMW Group and Grand Hotel Villa d’Este, have announced.
In a statement, the hosts said a major issue was an inability to complete adequate planning and preparation for the event in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Europe.
HMSA returns to Laguna Seca
Nearly a year after its last visit to the historic track, the Historic Motor Sports Association plans to return to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, for the Spring Club vintage races March 13-14. The vintage racing group notes that when it last visited Laguna, “the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet changed the world so drastically.”
“Handshakes and hugs were exchanged for elbow bumps and nods as we all tried to avoid getting what seemed then, to be just a new strain of cold. HMSA was preparing for a full season of racing all over North America. And then, it all changed — everything changed.”
“So much has happened in the year we have all been apart and I couldn’t be more grateful to see our racing family together again, even if we do need to stay 6-feet apart,” HMSA president Cris Vandagriff added.
Also on the HMSA calendar for 2021 is Sommet de Legendes, July 9-11 at the Mont-Tremblant circuit in Quebec.
Muscle car ‘transitions’ at Concours America
The Concours d’Elegance of America is scheduled for July 23-25 at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan, and among the featured classes is “Muscle Car Class ’70-’71 Transitions.”
“While some may argue what the first Muscle Car was, there is no disputing that 1970 and 1971 are the pinnacle years,” the concours said in its announcement. “This year, the Concours d’Elegance will step back 50 years with a celebration of horsepower and outrageous colors with two special displays.
“Commemorating the 50th Anniversary, making the decision to expand to spotlight both years is a must. “
“Invitations were extended and accepted for some of the finest examples of 1970 model year Muscle for the 2020 event from the most revered names and brands,” said class coordinator Bob Ashton, who also produces the annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show in northern Illinois.
Ditto for 1971 and the 2021 concours, so the expectation is to present nearly 20 of the best and most colorful examples.
As a bonus, Ashton said, cars from those two years that went with complete makeovers will be placed side by side.
Carlisle hosts special event
The Mopar community in Pennsylvania will rally March 9 to support one of its own, Carlisle Events reports.
“More than once in a press release, the words ‘the car community is a tight-knit group’ has been used,” Carlisle Events said in its announcement. “That phrase may never be more accurate than right now! On March 9, 2021 (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) at the Carlisle Expo Center, friends, family and the car community will come together to help a local man (Bainbridge, PA), Art Reisinger, as he battles prostate cancer.
“Not only is Art a car lover and well-respected member of the Mopar community, he’s also a long-time vendor at Carlisle Events’ annual car shows.”
Spearheaded by Carlisle’s Ed Buczeskie, the event will include a blood drive, opportunity for monetary donations, and door prizes will be offered.
“What started as a blood drive that would be marketed toward the local Mopar community has grown legs and is now spreading across the country,” Buczeskie is quoted. “Mopar ‘celebrities’ have been donating items to be used to encourage participation as door prizes and we’ve seen an overwhelming level of support from people outside of the Mopar community, too. Art has been such a staple at events in Carlisle as well as within car circles, that everyone has been eager to help he and his family during these tough times.”
Heveningham Concours waits for 2022
Organizers of Britain’s Heveningham Concours have announced the fifth annual motorsport and aviation showcase will wait for the summer of 2022 to take place.
The event, which hosts 50 cars and a dozen propeller-driven aircraft, is held at Heveningham Hall in Suffolk. In addition to judging in various classes, the event stages a hillclimb competition and a display of drifting. The concours was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic and has been canceled again for 2021.
“We are determined to look ahead to 2022 and will focus on hosting an extra special event – even by our standards,” said chief judge Max Hunt.
The concours raises money for a post-graduate scholarship in intelligent mobility at the Royal College of Art.
2021 car show and concours calendar
The following are dates currently set (but subject to change) for a variety of concours d’elegance, car shows and driving tours scheduled during 2021:
March
10-12, AACA Western Spring Nationals, Las Vegas; 12-13 – Goodguys Lone Star Nationals, Fort Worth; 13-14 – Taste of Motorsports, Chandler, Arizona; 27-April 4 – Easter Jeep Safari, Moab, Utah
April
8-11, Charlotte AutoFair, North Carolina; 9-11, Goodguys at Scottsdale, Arizona; 19-22, AACA Southeastern Division Chain of Lakes Tour, Florida; 21-25 – Spring Carlisle, Pennsylvania; 23-25 – Goodguys North Carolina Nationals, Raleigh; Derbuy GT tour, Belgium; 25 – Simply Aston Martin, Beaulieu, UK; 30-May 1, Darryl Starbird’s National Rod & Custom Show, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
May
1 – Big Displacement Showcase, Seal Cove, Maine; McPherson College CARS Club, Kansas; 9 – Simply Vauxhall, Beaulieu, UK; 14-15 – Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals, Pennsylvania; 15 – Vintage Travel Trailer Rally, Hickory Corners, Michigan; 15-16, Goodwood Members’ Meeting, UK: 16 – Simply Audi, Beaulieu, UK; 20-23 – Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Amelia Island, Florida; AACA Founders Tour, Davis, West Virginia; 21-23 – Goodguys Salt Lake Nationals, Utah; 23 – Simply Electric, Beaulieu, UK; 28-30 – Goodguys Nashville Nationals, Tennessee
