The Greenwich Concours d’Elegance 2022: Quality over Quantity

For the second year of Hagerty ownership, the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance returns to its site in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, overlooking Connecticut’s Greenwich Harbor, from June 3 to 5.

Hagerty also recently purchased the Amelia Island concours, a North Florida staple. “These concours events are very important for the car world,” said Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty. “They’re part of our purpose to save driving and car culture for future generations. It’s a community that gathers together.”

Matt Orendac, vice chairman of the concours group at Hagerty, said there are no plans to move from the current waterfront location, which is gorgeous but requires a shoehorn to fit everything in. Events start with a Grand Tour around Greenwich’s leafy lanes on Friday. Saturday is reserved for a Griot Garage-sponsored Cars and Community event, including a Concours d’Lemons (celebrating automotive mistakes and cars that missed their 100-point restorations) and RADwood (celebrating cars of the 80s and 90s). To encourage younger entrants into the hobby, there’s a kids’ zone with driving simulators.

Traditionally, the Greenwich Concours had one day for exhibiting American and one day for European classics, but now it’s all-in-one on Sunday. “We’re emphasizing quality over quantity,” Orendac said. “We have 18 very specific classes. It’s on a limited footprint, but it will be great.”

Celebrated as part of the Concours will be cars bodied by Italian coachbuilder Vignale. Helping to coordinate is Chuck Schoendorf, the Connecticut-based owner of three Vignale-bodied and ultra-rare Cunningham C-3s. He also built, from a spare chassis, an exacting replica of the one and only Cunningham C-4RK. Expect to see a Cunningham or two, but also some of the self-taught Alfredo Vignale’s Ferraris.

Also in focus is a group of Chrysler “letter” cars. Like those Cunningham C-3s, they were powered by Chrysler Hemi V-8s, and built for 10 years, from 1955 to 1965. The ads called them “America’s Most Powerful Car,” and they’re sometimes described as the beginning of the muscle car era. Speaking of those big American V-8s, there will also be a “Powered by America” grouping of cars so equipped, including the Facel Vega, DeTomaso Pantera, Shelby Cobra, and—maybe—Sunbeam Tiger. Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter helped coordinate.

At the opposite side of the spectrum will be a Brass Era car display. Other marques getting special attention include Alvis, Aston Martin’s DB cars and the Cadillac Eldorado. Hagerty always makes cars from its fleet available for ride and drives, and at Greenwich they will include a 1971 Ford Bronco, a 1960 Plymouth Fury and a 1963 Lincoln Continental.

Judy Stropus, well known to Connecticut car enthusiasts, is the 2022 concours grand marshal. She was a pioneer in race timing and scoring at a time when women were mostly excluded from track paddocks.

Also part of the 2022 Concours are three seminars, held Saturday. The first, at 10 a.m., is “Hypercars, Supercars, Exotics: The New Golden Age of Speed,” moderated by Hagerty’s Larry Webster and featuring auto journalist Jamie Kitman, Larry Kosilla of AMMO Auto Care and James Machinist of Hagerty Garage + Social.

“The Intersection of Cars and Time,” at 1 p.m., is moderated by Hagerty’s Matt Tuccillo, and will discuss building a watch portfolio along with a car portfolio. And “Fakes, CopyCats, Replicas and Continuation Cars: The Risks and Upsides of the Unoriginal,” at 2:15 p.m., is again moderated by Webster and features Dave Kinney of the Hagerty Price Guide, TV personality Wayne Carini, and Ramsey Potts of the Broad Arrow Group. 

Greenwich sometimes features gala auto auctions, but not this year. McKeel Hagerty said space was a consideration.