Vintage vehicles will dazzle at car show
Making payments on a minivan, but lusting after something shinier, faster, prettier, classier?
Get your fix for fancy cars at the Geneva Concours d'Elegance car show, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday on Third Street.
People who really appreciate the things engineers and designers can do with an automobile will bring their Maseratis, Alfa Romeos, Ford Model Ts, 1930s Packards and Cadillacs, Lamborghinis, steam-powered antiques, racers and the like to be judged in the "competition of elegance."
You can see them for free.
Concours executive director John Barrett of St. Charles has owned and raced vintage cars and has been involved with the Concours for years. He says it showcases the top level of automobiles that have been restored to their original glory -- or better.
Several unrestored vehicles will be displayed, and Lexus will show off its new V-8 hybrid-power vehicle.
And then there's a heartbreaker: a Rolls-Royce from the 1920s which was ruined by Hurricane Katrina. It was found four miles from its storage facility.
"It looks like it's been hit by a giant with a sledgehammer," Barrett said.
Trained judges examine the vehicles in this automotive beauty contest. Only those vehicles that are judged perfect (or very nearly so) in every way are considered trophy class.
In many cases, the cars are beyond mint condition; they have had upholstery, paint, chrome- and nickel-plating and mechanical restoration that makes them better than when they rolled off the assembly line.
On Sunday, vehicle registration starts at 6 a.m.; judging at 9 a.m.; and the show opens at 10. Awards are presented at 3 p.m.
The night before, there is a charity benefit, the Elegance Under the Stars black-tie dinner, at 6 p.m. at Riverside Banquets, 35 N. River Lane, Geneva.
Proceeds from the gala will go to the American Diabetes Association. For tickets, which are $200 per person, call (630) 479-8116.
Each year, the dinner helps a local charity; this year, it is going to American Diabetes Association activities in northern Illinois.
Mary Agnes Zellmer of Geneva, the dinner organizer, became acquainted with the Barretts through a mutual friend this spring. When that friend heard the Barretts were looking for a charity for this year's event, she thought of Zellmer, whose son has Type I diabetes and who has done fundraising for the ADA.
"It's a wonderful group of people," Zellmer said of the car show organizers. The money will be used for research and education, including camp programs for children with diabetes and a resource network for families.
For details about the show, visit genevaconcours.net.
If you go
What: Geneva Concours d'Elegance car show
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Third Street in downtown Geneva
Cost: Free
More information: Visit genevaconcours.net