In its first start, car show makes a splash
Kent Marburger has always been a car guy. As a kid, he cut out pictures of cars from magazines and pasted them onto construction paper. On Sunday, he proudly stood next to his 1930 Packard 7-45 Roadster, which he spent years restoring.
"Most of the work was done in Michigan," said Marburger, of Palatine. "I'd drive up there two days a week just to do some of the grunt work."
Marburger's car was one of almost 100 vehicles from all over the country featured at the inaugural Barrington Concours d'Elegance event at the Makray Memorial Golf Club in Barrington.
Typically, it takes about $100,000 to fully restore a car, and most people keep their car after all the work is done, Marburger said.
"I'd never sell it," he said. "If I sold it, I'd just start looking for another car."
The event raised money for local charities, including the Barrington Hills Conservation Trust, Cowboy Dreams of Illinois and Hospice of Northeastern Illinois.
Concours celebrates automotive history and features some of the world's finest and most rare, historic, classic, sports and performance racing cars.
About 5,000 people were expected to attend the car show, said Susan Stoga, the event spokesman.
Other events during the weekend included a kickoff dinner Friday night at the Onion Pub and Brewery in Lake Barrington and an evening gala Saturday night at the golf club.
Mary Bradford-White, president of the board of trustees for Barrington Hills Conservation Trust.
"Everything turned out great," Bradford-White said. "It far exceeded our expectations."
The car show will return next year, Bradford-White said.