Last weekend I had the opportunity to be one of the judges at the third Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance in Pinehurst, North Carolina, an event that has been a hidden gem in the concours world. However, Pinehurst Concours president Jay Howard has done something amazing and has brought event-planning expertise to help to make Pinehurst a true world-class concours in a very short period of time.
The concours benefits the USO and hosted a number of USO shows during the weekend by the immensely talented East Coast USO tour troop. It also chose actor and USO supporter Dennis Haysbert as grand marshal. The star of the television series The Unit, 24, and currently featured in the Fox series Backstron also was a tremendous master of ceremonies for the week. He was approachable and very enthusiastic, always happy to pose for a photo and have a conversation with attendees and entrants. Not only is he a great actor and USO spokesperson, he is a car guy who owns a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302.
Like any concours, the most important part, at least for car guys, is the quality of the cars. Usually with a new concours it is difficult to get top-level cars but this seems a non-issue at Pinehurst. Some of the cars on display included a pair of Duesenbergs, a pair of Pierce Arrows, a Ferrari 1967 275GTB/4 NART Spyder, a 250 California Spider SWB, a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL1 (one of two built), a Talbot Lago, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, and even a Tucker. No matter what kinds of cars you love, there was something on hand to wet your appetite.
The beautiful setting at Pinehurst only added to the event, making for the perfect place to show of these magnificent cars. In addition the schedule for the event ran like clockwork.
Just to add another bonus for spectators attending the event, the band Three Dog Night performed a concert at the show field at the end of the day, perfectly capping off this tremendous event.
Photos by Andy Reid
