Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance

If your a fan of high society, Sunday hats, and finely crafted automobiles, Philadelphia's backyard has been host to the mid-Atlantic's foremost car show for two decades. This weekend was Radnor Hunt's twentieth Concours d'Elegance, and it's one of the best places to see the most amazing automotive works of art this side of Pebble Beach. 

When the bar for events accessible to most is the BYO-everything Diner en Blanc, it's easy to see that Philadelphians are accustomed to settling for the status quo. Our urban renaissance is a clear indication that we are thirsty for more, but there is another world within the region that has never settled, and Malvern's Radnor Hunt and its Concours is emblematic of that world. 

In short, it's money.

The Concours d'Elegance isn't cheap. I snagged two general admission tickets for $40 a piece, but to attend the entire three day event will set you back more than a grand. I couldn't tell you if the black-tie gala, dinner, or road rally are worth a month of my rent, but I'm pretty sure that those who attend don't really care about a cool G. I can tell you though, as an enthusiast, the general admission is well worth it. 

Two gull-wing Mercedes SLs worth more than I'll see in my lifetime.

For those not privy to the everyday Main Line, you'll see dozens of cars you've only ever seen in magazines. This year's featured car was the Lancia, a quirky Italian carmaker many people have never heard of. I've always heard the Lancia referred to as the "poor man's Ferrari," but the classics on display were anything but poor. This year's show also featured three gull-wing Mercedes SLs, each worth about $1.5M. In fact, with more than a hundred classic cars on display, plus FC Kerbeck's stock of new exotics, the collective value of the show was easily worth more than the Comcast Center.

Again: money.

But you don't need to be rich, or an automotive enthusiast, to enjoy the Concours. For such a bougie event at such a restrictive venue, visitors and vendors were incredibly friendly. Owners were often on site and eager to talk about their investments. It's easy to look at a fully restored Packard and assume its owner is both loaded and snotty. But like any hobby, the enthusiasts run the gamut. Some are wealthy collectors, others sunk savings into their dream cars, and even more put time and energy into barn-finds.

Obviously the focus of the event were the cars, but there were also antique horse drawn carriages, motorcycles, and a fabulous musical trio called The American Bombshells that travel to veterans and perform at USO shows. And then there were the hats. Oh, the hats. What Sunday afternoon at a hunt club would be complete without a pageant of colorfully plumed, wide brimmed hats? The Sunday hats could have been a show of their own. 

So next summer, if you're looking for something a cut above the rest and want to catch a glimpse of Philadelphia's high society, take a short drive out to horse country. You'll see some things you will never see anywhere else, hear some great music, and get to sit behind the wheel of a car worth more than your house. Maybe next year I'll see what else the Concours d'Elegance has to offer - the gala, the road race, the dinner - perhaps if I start saving now.

Radnor Hunt Concurs d'Elegance

In less than two weeks, Philadelphia's countryside will become a playground for some of the most valuable, historic, well preserved, and expensive automobiles in the region. The Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance is part of one of the most historic automotive traditions in the world.

If you're unfamiliar with the Concours d'Elegance, it simply means the Competition of Elegance, and that's exactly what it is. In the 17th Century, French aristocrats would build lavish horse-drawn carriages and parade them through Parisian parks in an effort to outdo one another. When automobiles began replacing horse drawn carriages, these parades evolved into competitions. 

More than four centuries later, cities around the world began hosting their own unique Concours, showcasing the world's rarest and most astonishing modern automobiles. 

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, held at the Pebble Beach Golf Course in California, is largely regarded as the most exclusive auto show in the world. The competition is fierce and comprised of many cars you will never see anywhere but Pebble Beach, some truly unique models valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

But that doesn't mean Radnor Hunt's Concours is anything to belittle. With cars worth twenty to thirty million dollars on display at the oldest fox hunt in the United States, it's a spectacle well worth the $40 cost of admission into the show. 

The three day event also hosts a barbecue, a black tie affair, an after party, and a rally race through the rolling hills of Chester County. The latter is perhaps the most exciting. Find yourself a prime spot along the course and you'll see the region's most preserved exotics winding their way through Philadelphia's picturesque countryside. 

You don't have to be an automotive enthusiast to enjoy the Radnor Hunt Concours. As the finest Concours in the region, anyone who appreciates Philadelphia's history will undoubtedly enjoy this unique event at the Radnor Hunt Club. Splurge on the black tie dinner and you might even rub elbows with some of the Main Line's most elite. 

Even throughout the competition itself, history buffs will experience a bit of the region's automotive history they never knew existed. Radnor Hunt is the only Concours in the United States to still feature horse drawn carriages.