Weekend in Connecticut

September 16-17-18, 2011 — The Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance in Westport, Connecticut intrigued me. So did the Roaring 20s show in Southbury, Connecticut and the Bennington (Vermont) car show. I would have preferred to drive to Vermont with its pastoral scenery and relatively quiet roads than the heavily-traveled corridor through Massachusetts and Connecticut. But Connecticut offered the opportunity to see a greater  variety of cars. I went to the Bennington show just last year and would probably see many of the same cars.

So I made the decision to go to Connecticut. Now I had further choices. The Concours d'Elegance iin Westoprt was held in combination with a Bonhams antique car auction Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Roaring 20s show was Sunday only. I determined Westport was less than an hour's drive from Southbury, so I reserved a room at the Crowne Royal where I stayed the last time I attended the Roaring 20s show in 2009. I would make the decision whether to go to the Roaring 20s show or return to Westport on Sunday after I arrived.

I left Friday morning. The trip was uneventful. I checked into the Crowne Royal around noontime, had lunch, and drove down to Westport. I spent the afternoon under the Bonhams tent where there was a collection of over 100 cars in various states of repair, some incredibly expensive, like the Bugatti with peeling paint and no engine (photo inset) with a range of $150,000-$200,000 and the beautifully restored 1935 Duesenberg at $475,000-$525,000.

I returned to Westport Saturday for the Concours d'Elegance held on the spacious grounds of the Fairfield County Hunt Club. There was an admission charge of $10. On Sunday the admission would be $30. They told me there would be some different cars but many the same. I wasn't convinced it would be worth $30, so I made the decision to go to the Roaring 20s Sunday. As for the Westport show on Saturday, it was spectacular. There were some of the finest brass era and 20s and 30s cars I've seen. That day alone made the trip worthwhile.

Sunday I drove up to the Southbury Training School where the Roaring 20s show was being held. I was immediately disappointed. Unlike two years ago when they hosted 1,100 cars before the day was over, the fields were mostly empty. I think the economy is taking its toll on car shows. Other shows this year have seen declines. I came close to forfeiting the five dollar admission fee I just paid and driving back to Westport for the third day of their show which would have cost me another 30 bucks! But I stuck it out, and many more cars arrived as the day went on, although it never reached the level of 2009. Still, a few rare cars, like a 1957 Dodge Custom Lancer D-500 and others, made it worthwhile.

Here are links to my photos and videos of the three days.

Bonhams Auction Preview:
http://www.linwoodstreet.com/bonhams11/

Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance:
http://www.linwoodstreet.com/fairfield/

Roaring 20s:
http://www.linwoodstreet.com/roaring20s11/