Audrain’s Concours Motor Week 2022 was a great success. A bit of inclement weather could not dampen the spirits of those who attended this fantastic automotive lifestyle event held in historic Newport Rhode Island. Audrain’s Motor week was filled with events, parties, vendors, a tour of classic vehicles, seminars, and the Bonham’s auto auction. The week concluded with the spectacular Concours d’elegance featuring over 150 beautiful cars on the lawn of The Breakers overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
We started our visit by heading to The Gathering at Rough Point, the mansion of Doris Duke (now a museum). The lawn at Rough Point was the perfect venue for attendees to enjoy a fine display of automobiles while enjoying cocktails, wine and craft beer. Local restaurants provided delicious food from oysters, lobster rolls, clam chowder to pizza. There were several exceptional cars on the lawn including a Cadillac Cyclone concept car from the 1950s to the beautiful Pontiac Banshee concept car, which many attendees lamented that Pontiac should have put into production. There was an unveiling of a custom Land Rover which the builder had painstakingly converted into a classic “woody” wagon. The craftsmanship was quite impressive. The panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean were the perfect backdrop for this memorable event. Friday afternoon also featured the Bonhams Auction at the Concours Village. A fine selection of collector cars were available for attendees to bid on.
Saturday provided more events including the Tour d’Elegance which stopped along the route in front of Audrain’s Museum and the Concours village. The cars which were all part of Sunday’s Concours, took part in the driving tour around historic and scenic Newport. Their arrival on Bellevue Avenue thrilled the crowd which enjoyed seeing this gathering of automotive classics.
We also attended one of the many seminars. This seminar hosted by Jay Ward (director of the Cars animated movies) and Vin di Bona (television producer) was entitled “Cars of the Silver Screen” and which was entertaining as it was informative.
Sunday was the pinnacle of Motor Week with the Concours d’Elegance on the lawn of The Breakers, the palatial summer home built in 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II. The 70 room mansion with its sweeping lawns overlooks the Atlantic Ocean which provides the perfect setting for a world class automotive event.
There were numerous classes of cars vying for awards including a special 30 under 30 Class which showcases cars from enthusiasts under the age 30, American Cars 1920-1932, American cars 1933-1940, American Luxury 1945-1980, American Sports, Aston-Martin, British Sports Cars, Cadillac, Custom cars and Early Brass Era Cars. It was a remarkable gathering of automotive history once again at Audrain’s.
A magnificent 1930 Bentley Speed Six owned by William Medcalf of Vintage Bentley took home the coveted ‘Best of Show’ trophy on his matching-numbers Speed Six Bentley. The Bentley was supplied new to Viscount Mandeville, the 10th Duke of Manchester.
Audrain’s Concours Motor Week was a great success and a car lover’s dream. Dates for the 2023 event have already been announced for Thursday September 28th to Sunday October 1st 2023. Tickets go on sale in the spring of 2023. Audrain’s is not just a car show, it is a life style event.
Audrains Concours Motor Week
http://www.audrainsconcours.com
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