2018 Cobble Beach Concours d Elegance
The 2018 Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance held on September 15 and 16 at the Cobble Beach Golf Resort Community on the shore of Georgian Bay.
This past September the Cobble Beach Golf Resort Community hosted its 6th annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This extraordinary automotive weekend kick started on Friday evening with a cocktail reception at the Cobble Beach Lighthouse where some lovely 40 and 50 foot yachts were bobbing gently in the breeze at the adjacent dock. On Saturday morning with Cars & Coffee at Cobble Beach presented by Michelin, spectators enjoyed over 150 cars primarily from around Ontario as they gathered on the Cobble Beach driving range and enjoyed a day on the sparkling shore of Georgian Bay.
The NAACC is pleased to have two reports on this event.
Please see below.















Cobble Beach Concours D’Elegance Owen Sound, ON, September 2018
Report by Bob Ford Jr.
Again, in 2018 I had the honour of being invited to judge at the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. I was thrilled, to say the least, because this is one of only a couple of Concours shows in Canada and is said to be the best! The show takes place on the 18th green of the Cobble Beach Golf and Country Club overlooking Georgian Bay on Lake Huron – a beautifully location to feature some of the best cars in North America.
The weekend started off Saturday with an approximate 90 km tour of the Grey Bruce area that the show cars could participate in. We left the Cobble Beach Golf Links at 9:00am and headed south with the first stop at Grey Roots Museum & Archives and Moreston Heritage Village. This was a beautiful stop where we could park and tour through the restored houses, Forge, Church, School House & Garage with interpreters dressed in period clothing to answer all our questions. From here we proceeded north through the scenic countryside for our second stop at the Wiarton Keppel Airport where we had Lunch in the airport hangar at the Flying Diner. At the Wiarton Keppel Airport all the cars were parked on the runway with a couple of planes which made for some good photo opportunities. Then from here the Tour headed back to the Cobble Beach Golf Club where we could spend the remainder of the afternoon at the 2018 Cars & Coffee at Cobble Beach and attend the seminars if we wanted to.
The Cars and Coffee at Cobble Beach Show is always another Highlight of the weekend. Cars & Coffee show has a diverse group of local cars and their owners, who participate in the Cobble Beach weekend and show their spirit & enthusiasm for the Automotive hobby. There were some beautiful cars here on display this year and so little time for us to see them all! Then after the Cars & Coffee Show and Seminars we had a short break before the kick-off banquet that night and then back to the hotel for an early night.
Sunday was an early rise for judging day. Sunday is always a busy day for car owners and the judging team alike. The car owners start moving their cars onto the 18th green at 5:30 am and are very busy with final clean up and detailing. Judges start their day with a judging meeting at 8 am and then out to the field for 9:30 am to start judging their assigned classes. A judging team can have 3-8 cars to judge per class and only 2 hours to do it. The results must be handed in 11:30 for tabulation and ribbon placing on the cars. Then after a short lunch (which I never seem to get time for) we are off to the podium for the awards presentations. Because it is such a busy day with judging and awards presentations it is next to impossible to see all the cars in the show. Luckily this year I had the help of my own photographer, Magessa O’Reilly, who took my camera and got pictures of the cars that I was unable to get while I was busy judging.
The 3 top vehicles in the show This year were parked on the back of the club house overlooking the greens. They are a 1942 Chrysler Town & Country Barrelback Owned Vernon Smith From Newfoundland (Outstanding Pre-War), 1958 Lancia B24S Convertible by Pinin Farina owned by Robert Mirvis from Los Angeles, CA (Outstanding Postwar) and a 1938 Delahaye 135MS Coupe owned by Robert S Jepson Jr Savannah, GA (Best of Show). Below is a list of all the winners of the 2108 Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the pictures that speak volumes for the event.
Many thanks go out to the management, staff and volunteers that were all part of the team that successfully created an amazing weekend that highlighted one best Automotive event in Canada.
Bob R Ford – Membership NAACC
Class 1 Horseless Carriage – small horsepower
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1911 Ford Model T – Thomas Huehn, Warkworth, ON
1912 Hupmobile Model H – Roger Hadfield, Milton, ON
1910 Cadillac Model 30 Demi-Tonneau – Garry & Annette Potter, Oro Station, ON
Class 2 Horseless Carriage – large horsepower
1st Place 1913 Mercer 35J Raceabout – The Longfield Family, Brampton, ON
Class 3 American Production Pre-war
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1933 Ford Cabriolet – John Irish, Smiths Falls, ON
1932 Chevrolet Two-Door Deluxe Coach – Norm Alward, Port Colborne, ON 1928 Chevrolet Station Wagon – Scott Sinclair, Caledon, ON
Class 4 American Classics Open 1920’s
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1928 Stearns-Knight H-8-90 – Gallery 260 Limited, Toronto, ON
1928 Auburn 8-88 Speedster – Richard Harding, Beavercreek, OH
1924 Cadillac Roadster V63 – André De Montigny Celine Meloche, St-Hippolyte, QC
Class 5 American Classics Open 1930’s
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1936 Auburn 852 SC – Larry Titchner, Toronto, ON
1931 Chrysler Imperial CG Dual Cowl Phaeton Convertible – Paul Needham, Kilworth, ON 1930 Packard 745 DeLuxe Eight Waterhouse Convertible Victoria – Mike Bigioni, Uxbridge, ON
Class 6 American Classics Closed
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country “Barrelback” – Vernon Smith, Swift Current, NL 1938 Packard 1607-1136 Club Sedan – Tom Brace, Falcon Heights, MN
1934 Packard 1104 – Karol Shaw, Grafton, ON
Class 7 European Classics
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1938 Delahaye 135MS Coupe – Robert S. Jepson, Jr., Savannah, GA
1938 Steyr 220 Roadster – Peter Boyle, Oil City, PA
1937 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Open Two-Seater by Carlton – David de Muzio, Newport, RI
Class 8 European Sports Cars
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S Convertible by Pinin Farina – Robert Mirvis, Los Angeles, CA 1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy-Body Roadster – Gil Melo, Cambridge, ON
1960 Triumph Italia 2000 GT – Alan & Robin Anspaugh, Yardley, PA
Class 9 Corvettes
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible – Bill Wallace, Toronto, ON
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe – Tony McBride, Louisville, KY 1955 Chevrolet Corvette – Geoff Corlett, Mono, ON
Class 10 American Muscle Cars
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1969 Dodge Charger R/T – Sandro Brocca, King City, ON
1970 Chevelle SS LS6 – Fred Cini, Wasaga Beach, ON
1962 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible – Brent Erickson, Thamesville, ON
Class 11 Supercars
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
2005 Maserati MC 12 – Miles Nadal – Dare to Dream Garage, Toronto, ON 2018 Ford GT – Alan Boughton, Caledon, ON
2003 Lamborghini Murcielago – Robert Calisi, Toronto,ON
Class 12 American Production Post-War
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible – Doug Pegg, Kettleby, ON
1956 Mercury Montclair – Elaine and Tony Lang, Chepstow, ON
1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible – Murray McEwan, Bothwell, ON
Class 13 Hot Rods
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1932 Ford DeLuxe Coupe V8 – Ted Koudys, Beamsville, ON 1927 Ford Model T Coupe – Mike Campbell, Blackstock, ON 1927 Ford T coupe – Keith MacIntyre, Binbrook, ON
Class 14 Vintage Motorcycles – German
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1975 BMW R90S – John & Kate Lammers, Wainfleet, ON 1973 BMW R75/5 – John & Kate Lammers, Wainfleet, ON 1938 DKW SB200 – Dietrich Look, Kitchener, ON
Class 15 Volkswagen
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1952 Volkswagen Beetle (Type 1) 11G Sedan – John Cilia, Toronto, ON 1966 Volkswagen Split-screen Microbus – Gary Turner, Toronto, ON
1964 Volkswagen 21-Window Samba Bus – Alvin Ziminsky, James Creek, PA
Class 16 Unique and Limited Production
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1959 OSCA Model 118S Touring Coupe Prototype 1600 – Peter Boyle, Oil City, PA 1949 Cadillac Prototype Coupe de Ville – Steve Plunkett, London, ON
1973 Mohs Safarikar – Mark Zalutko, Forty Fort, PA
Class 17 Preservation pre-war
1st Place 1940 Buick 56S Super Sport Coupe – Greig & Carlene Charlton, Campbellville, ON 2nd Place
3rd Place
Class 18 Preservation post-war
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Coupe – Jeffrey Seigel, Toronto, ON
1978 Porsche 928 – Chris Thibert, Maidstone, ON
1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS Convertible – Michael Chiavetta, Charlottesville, VA
Class 19 Factory-Built Shelby Cobras
1st Place 1963 Shelby Cobra – Legendary Motorcar Collection, Halton Hills, ON
2nd Place 1965 Shelby Cobra – William Halkiw, Toronto, ON
3rd Place 1965 Shelby Cobra – Legendary Motorcar Collection, Halton Hills, ON
Chairman’s Award
7D-1937 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Open Two-Seater by Carlton, David de Muzio, Newport, RI
Chief Judge’s Choice
16F-1967 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, Andrew Schuller, Granton, ON
National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Rolling Sculpture Award
21C-1938 Buick Y Job Concept, GM Heritage Center, Sterling Heights, MI
HVA Preservation Award
18F-1978 Porsche 928, Chris Thibert, Maidstone, ON
Margaret Dunning Spirit of Driving Award
4C-1929 Stutz M8 Convertible Coupé, David Berks, Ottawa, ON
Bruce Grey Simcoe Award
5B-1938 Cadillac 9067 Body No. 1, Jean-Pierre Viau, Saint-Edouard, QC
Most Elegant Pre-war
5G-1931 Chrysler Imperial CG Dual Cowl Phaeton Convertible, Paul Needham, Kilworth, ON
Most Elegant Post-war
12A-1955 Cadillac Eldorado, Brenda Passer, Tottenham, ON
McLaughlin Legacy Award
16A-1949 Cadillac Prototype Coupe de Ville, Steve Plunkett, London, ON
Tom Thomson Art Gallery Timeless Design
8B-1963 Jaguar Series 1 E-type Fixed Head Coupe, Brad Marsland, Waterloo, ON
Ingenuity Award
4D-1928 Stearns-Knight H-8-90, Gallery 260 Limited, Toronto, ON
Poetry in Motion
8A-1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, Miles Nadal – Dare to Dream Garage, Toronto, ON
People’s Choice
6B-1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country “Barrelback”, Vernon Smith, Swift Current, NL
Outstanding Pre-war
1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & C ountry “Barrelback” Vernon Smith, Swift Current, NL
Outstanding Post-war
1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S Convertible, by Pinin Farina, Robert Mirvis, Los Angeles, California
Best of Show
1938 Delahaye 135MS Coupe, Robert Jepson, Savannah, Georgia
Check out the full 2017 gallery by Bobby Ford here>>
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The 2018 Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance held on September 15 and 16 at the Cobble Beach Golf Resort Community on the shore of Georgian Bay.
Report by Rob McLeese
This past September the Cobble Beach Golf Resort Community hosted its 6th annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This extraordinary automotive weekend kick started on Friday evening with a cocktail reception at the Cobble Beach Lighthouse where some lovely 40 and 50 foot yachts were bobbing gently in the breeze at the adjacent dock. On Saturday morning with Cars & Coffee at Cobble Beach presented by Michelin, spectators enjoyed over 150 cars primarily from around Ontario as they gathered on the Cobble Beach driving range and enjoyed a day on the sparkling shore of Georgian Bay. (Cars and Coffee image will follow)
While folks enjoyed Cars & Coffee, Concours participants and Judges enjoyed a tour of Grey County with stops at the Grey Roots Museum and Archives including the Moreston Village (which has a replica of a garage from the 20’s) and a delicious pulled pork lunch at the Wiarton Keppel Airport before returning to Cobble Beach for homemade ice cream from the local Big Bay General Store.
Pictured: 1928 Stearns-Knight H-8-90
Lenssen Photo (Jordan Lenssen)
Saturday afternoon was filled with two seminars. The first “How to Sink or Swim at Classic Car Auctions” was packed with attendees eager to hear from the panel of experts (which included a procurement specialist from Barrett Jackson) on the ins and outs of buying and selling at classic car auctions. The second seminar was “Evolution of Design, over 100 years of GM in Canada” presented by Kip Wasenko. Kip, a former Design Engineer from Cadillac who was responsible for the modern era Cadillac design, shared stories of his 40 year design career with GM in the U.S., Europe and Australia.
Saturday evening the Cobble Beach Golf Resort hosted the Kick off Dinner presented by Chubb. This dinner celebrates the car owners, judges and sponsors who make this event possible. Each year the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance supports two charities through live auctions, raffles & direct donations and we are pleased to announce that $81,500 was raised in 2018 bringing the grand total over 6 years to more than $440,000.
Sunday brought fog in the early morning as the Concours cars were loaded onto the 18th fairway show field.
Pictured: 2005 Maserati MC 12
– Lenssen Photo
By the time gates opened at 9:00 a.m. the fog was lifting to unveil a great 80+ degree F sunny day.
Concours field – Photo by David & Sherry Buck
The Concours saw over 10,000 people attend over the weekend and the competition for Best in Show was fierce. “This has been one of the most impressive collections of vehicles in Cobble Beach history” said Rob McLeese, founder and chair of the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “We focus on quality over quantity of vehicles on the show field. With just over 100 impressive vehicles, you have the opportunity to thoughtfully look at each one and learn the history of the vehicle. These aren’t just pretty classic cars, they are artifacts of history that often carry rich and meaningful stories” added Mr. McLeese.
As Sunday’s show drew to a close, the 1938 Delahaye 135 MS Coupe with coachwork by Figoni & Falaschi owned by Robert Jepson, Jr. of Savannah, Georgia, was crowned 2018 Best in Show.
Best of Show – Photo by David & Sherry Buck
The cream coloured Delahaye 135 MS Coupe features a tri-coloured red white and blue grille and was first displayed at the 1938 Paris Salon, where it represented Figoni & Falaschi’s contribution to auto design that year. The original purchaser of the vehicle bought it from the Show and drove it for 3 months until he recognized the danger of impending war. Realizing his vehicle was a treasure, the owner concealed the car in a false room in his home in order to protect it from being confiscated by German forces. The vehicle remained hidden for 27 years and was finally rediscovered in 1965 by Antoine Rafaelli, a well-known car hunter.
Barrelback – Photo by David & Sherry Buck
Our pre-war winner was a 1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country “Barrelback”, owned by Vernon Smith from Swift Current, NL, it was also a real favourite with the audience as it was also voted ‘People’s Choice’.
Our post-war winner was a 1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S Convertible by Pinin Farina owned by Robert Mirvis from Los Angeles, CA.
Lancia – Photo by David & Sherry Buck
In addition to the above wonderful cars, the 2005 Maserati MC12 was presented by the Dare to Dream Garage owned
MC12 on field – Lenssen Photo
by Miles Nadal. This car represents Maserati’s desire to return to the competitive racing scene after a 37-year absence. Its sleek carbon-fiber bodywork is both sophisticated and aggressive. Designed by Frank Stephenson, the MC12 is underpinned with the chassis and drivetrain of the Ferrari Enzo. Even so, it’s hardly a carbon copy. It is capable of extreme performance, with a zero-to sixty-mph time of less than four seconds; and a 205-mph top speed thanks to its 6.0-litre 630-horsepower V-12. It is among the rarest of the supercars, as only fifty were ever built.
Mohs Safarikar – Photo by David & Sherry Buck
Another vehicle that garnered a great deal of attention was the Mohs Safarikar owned by Mark Zalutko of Forty Fort, PA. This was in the Concept Car category and was one of 3 prototypes built by Mohs Seaplane of Madison WI. It was built for use on an African safari but was never delivered. One of the unusual features was an aluminum body covered with 40 yards of Naugahyde that was stretched and stapled over polyurethane foam padding. The vehicle showed at Cobble complete with rifles in their holders.
Last but not least and always a crowd pleaser, the Classic wooden boat field boasted “Miss Supertest III” a 1959 Unlimited Class Hydroplane owned by Murray Walker of Bracebridge, Ontario. Miss Supertest III was designed and built by Canadians and is the only three-time winner of the Harmsworth Trophy. First awarded in 1903, the Harmsworth has long been recognized as the world championship of power boat racing. Undefeated in her career, Miss Supertest III won the 1959, 1960, and 1961 Harmsworth Trophy races, breaking the 39-year-long American stranglehold on the coveted trophy. Only two boats have been inducted into the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. In 1955, the illustrious Bluenose and her captain Angus Walters were inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame; Miss Supertest III and Jim Thompson joined the world-famous schooner and skipper in 1960. In 2011, Canada Post issued two commemorative stamps honouring Miss Supertest III on the 50th Anniversary
of her defense of the Harmsworth Trophy, along with her driver Bob Hayward, and owner/designer Jim Thompson.
Miss Supertest – Lenssen Photo
Each vehicle that competes at the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance is only eligible to re-apply for a coveted spot on the lush 18th fairway once every four years. This minimizes repeat vehicles and ensures a completely unique show each year for attendees and participants alike.
The Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance team is looking forward to another great show on September 15, 2019. We hope everyone can join us. Tickets are now on sale.
www.cobblebeachconcours.com
Past coverage of the Cobble Beach Concours

2017 Cobble Beach Photos and Report>>

2016 Cobble Beach Photos and Report>>

2015 Cobble Beach Photos and Report>>
