Introduction
The self-proclaimed “Classic Car Capitol of Canada” held the first ever Canadian Concours d’Elegance on July 18th in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. This small town is located approximately three hours south-west of Toronto, and is home to RM Auctions.

RM Auctions commemorated its ongoing success with a 25th Anniversary Celebration that encompassed the entire weekend, beginning with a Classic Car Tour and Car Show, and concluding with a Concours d’Elegance. Fortunately the wet weather forecasts didn’t materialize, which allowed for a beautiful day at Tecumseh Park. We’re proud to present a 60-shot slideshow of this inaugural event.

Rare American Icons
The tens of thousands of automobile enthusiasts that attended were treated to a spectacular showing of vintage autos that arrived from across North America. Some of the cars in attendance included a Zora Arkus Duntov autographed Corvette Stingray Grand Sport (chassis #1), 3 of the 51 Tucker Torpedoes ever built, an un-restored Chrysler Imperial LeBaron, and a recently restored Isotta Fraschini Type 8A.

Two further special cars on display were the 1953 Ferrari 166 MM Abarth Spyder we recently featured, and the 1961 Chaparral 1 Sports Racing Car that founded the Chaparral Racing Car dynasty. Both of these cars will be crossing the auction block next month at RM’s Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction. Many of the autos exhibited were past winners of Pebble Beach and/or Meadowbrook Concours awards, which made this Canadian Concours the highest in quality Canada has ever seen.

Conclusion
Concours d’Elegance around the world traditionally present awards for best in class, best in show, and other special awards, however this Canadian Concours was offered as a celebratory gathering of Concours-worthy classics. Each entrant was given a Canadian Concours Cup Trophy in appreciation for their involvement. At this time there isn’t a Canadian Concours slated for next year, but mumblings in the classic car world are saying that an annual event isn’t far-off.