2024 Vail Concours highlights

For a guy who helps organize car shows, it turns out that I’m not that into car shows. Don’t get me wrong—I love looking at cars and talking to people about cars. Those are the two critical elements of any car show. So, what’s my problem?

It’s the open hoods. The thing is, I love good design, like the sloping rear of a 911, the knife edge of a Pantera’s nose, or those iconic doors on a Delorean.

An open hood makes a car look broken.

No, really. I understand. The owner wants to show off the hours that went into modding and detailing their baby. I respect that 100%. I do.

But looking at a car is an emotional experience. When I look at a car, I imagine it on the perfect day, on the perfect road, experiencing it how the original designer dreamed it. I haven’t always been this way. It just hit me while attending the Vail Concours last weekend.

First, it was a really good event. There was a nicely curated group of cars that included everything from a Model T to a late model McLaren 720S. I’m happy I went and would go back!

Yes, sometimes, I want to see what’s inside—like this Ferrari Testarossa. I know the owner and have chased this car on rallies. So, I’ve had many chances to dream about the noise that 12-cylinder engine makes under full acceleration. This time, however, the owner opened the frunk to show us that the car came with matching luggage! Let’s hit the road!

And since it’s a Ferrari, you’ll need room for your extra tux. There’s more luggage space (and luggage!) in the nooks and crannies of the interior.

In case you’re wondering where the name Testarossa comes from, it means Red Head in Italian. The owner shared the car’s red cylinder heads with onlookers. 

This little Porsche 912 hotrod is an absolute favorite of mine. Yes, the engine cover is up, but that’s because the heart of this beast is the first Polo motor. It’s just a 4-cylinder, but those 4 cylinders are 2/3 of a 911 engine. And the owner isn’t afraid to drive it. The motor is what makes this one special, but I love the paint scheme.

Not every car had its hood open and I daydreamed about driving every one of them.

Like this Porsche 959 Komfort. What made the 959 special? Well, Jerry Seinfeld loves 959s because they were incredibly over-engineered. Despite selling them for $225,000 in 1986, Porsche lost another $200,000 on each one. It was one of the most technologically advanced cars of the 1980s. It’s basically a prototype for today’s sports cars with a turbocharged 2.8-liter engine based on LeMans-winning technology and an all-wheel drive system that won off-road rallies. I know you’re wondering, so I’ll say it. The 959 could do 0-60 in around 3.7 seconds and the S version could top 200 mph. Off the charts fast for the 1980s.

On the other end of the spectrum was this Ford Model T. Unlike Porsche’s 959, it wasn’t fast, but it was a technological marvel—rather, the factory that built it was. This Model T was produced on one of the first moving assembly lines, that allowed Ford to quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively build 15 million Model Ts.

There was another Ford product in the show that’s much rarer than a Model T: the Pantera. Technically, this car was made by DeTomaso, but in the early 1970s, you could buy one at your Lincoln-Mercury dealership. Panteras were built in Italy, but used Ford’s 351 Cleveland V8 putting out around 345hp in GTS trim. I drove one once and the experience was raw. Think of the Pantera as a Shelby Cobra wrapped in an Italian suit. Between the mid-engine configuration, gated shifter that stirs a ZF transmission, and the contrasting black hood sloping down to that razor-sharp nose, this was the stuff of my schoolboy fantasies.

Say what you will about the DeLorean, it wears its stainless steel body much better than Tesla’s Cybertruck. But it’s more show than go. John DeLorean cared more about the car’s fabulous gull-wing doors than in finding an engine to match its looks. The 130hp that motivates it is far less than the 1.21 gigawatts needed to go back to the future.

The Brits were in attendance as well. This Jaguar XK140’s bonnet was open, so I won’t show you its front end, but the rear half of this car is sensuous. 1950s and 60s Jaguars were relatively inexpensive given the level of luxury and performance they offered. This base XK140 came from the factory with 190hp, or about 50% more than the DeLorean, and 25 years earlier!

The Vail Concours ends the three-day Vail Concours weekend that includes a driving tour, cars and coffee, and the Concours. It’s in beautiful Vail, Colorado and takes place each year just as the leaves are beginning to change.

So, what was best in show for me?

That’s easy! The Vail Concours isn’t Pebble Beach. It’s for fun, not perfection. The best in show is whatever was the most memorable. The Porsche 959 was up there. So was the little orange Porsche 912. I’d love to drive the Testarossa, too.

But best of show? It wasn’t a car. It was the people. Like the owner of the McLaren who gives “Uber” rides to disabled vets. Or the Mustang driver whose car-themed shirt matched the one worn by his life-size teddy bear mascot. Actually, all of the owners that showed up to share their pride and joy. And the enthusiasts who just came to see the cars.

These people know that cars are not trophies. They’re tools that help us connect with other people and with simpler times.

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