Supposedly, the concept originated in 17th Century France where well-heeled Parisians paraded their spiffy carriages through the city’s parks on summer days. Eventually, such carriages evolved to become “horseless carriages.” The first recorded formal automotive concours was held in Italy in 1929—The Villa d’Este in Cemobbio at Lake Como.
It was a while before the concept was introduced to the United States. The first such contest on American soil was held in 1950 at Pebble Beach on California’s Monterey Peninsula. A similar competition was initiated in 1956 at Hillsborough on the San Francisco Peninsula. Since that time the concept has spread and other California competitions are held at Alameda, La Jolla and Palos Verdes. Among those in other states are the well-respected gatherings at Amelia Island, Florida and Hilton Head in South Carolina.
Though not established as long as some of these pioneer events, the Niello Concours a Serrano is celebrating its 15th edition October 7th of 2018. This year’s theme is Festa Italiana and will feature “Italian marques” according to the website. Of course, in addition to the Italian cars that are featured this fall, there will be plenty of automotive entries from all over the world. Over 200 entries are expected to be on display. These will include not just classics, but also more modern and exotic vehicles. Attendees may also be attracted to the collection of vintage motorcycles and a fashion show.
More information can be found at www.TheConcours.net. Videos of the event are available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKze0OMi16KnDY9aaosscg