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A date that should be on every automotive enthusiast’s busy calendar is the one for the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance—and this year, that date is Sunday, June 25. Just a stone’s throw from San Francisco International Airport, the event is held on the stunning 18th fairway of the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame, Calif, and ushers in the summer car-show season as the longest continually running concours in the world.
Founded in 1956 and celebrating its 66th edition, the open-air exhibition will field 200 collectible automobiles, with “Legendary Sports Cars” being the featured class for 2023. “Given the profound impact that sports cars have had on the automotive landscape and within the collector-car world, now is an ideal time to expand upon their recognition at our event,” says Glen Egan, chairman of the Hillsborough Concours.
The 18th fairway of the Crystal Springs Golf Course during a past edition of the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
The show field promises a rich and diverse range of European and American classics from the 1950s and ’60s, as well as relative newcomers, like a 2003 Ferrari Enzo. Other special classes will include Vintage Hot Rods, MG Sports Cars through 1973, Modified European Sports Cars through 1987, and Jaguar Sports Cars Through the Years.
Among the 200 entries on the show lawn will be a 2003 Ferrari Enzo (similar to the one shown above).
National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images
More than 20 judged classes of “Automobiles of Distinction” include a domestic mix of vehicles as diverse as American Pre- and Post-War, CCCA Approved Classics, American Muscle Cars, and American Sporting Cars Through 1987. As for international metal, there are two classes each for names like Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, as well as Japanese marques. Vintage race cars and motorcycles will also be part of the presentation.
Competing in the class designated Jaguar Sports Cars Through the Years will be this 1974 Jaguar XKE.
Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
A highlight of this year’s show is a 1966 Ford GT40 MKI, one of only 31 road-going examples built and the only one painted Opalescent Sliver Blue. While not a competition model, it was used as the pace car for the 1967 Can-Am race at Laguna Seca, where it was driven by Stirling Moss and actor James Garner. After a three-year restoration by Canepa, it debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2021.
The weekend kicks off with the “Start Your Engines” party on Friday evening at a private vintage car club in Burlingame, followed by the Hillsborough Tour road rally on Saturday, which winds its way through the Bay Area’s back roads. The festivities culminate with the concours on Sunday.
This 1966 Ford GT40 MKI is one of only 31 road-going examples built, and was driven by Stirling Moss and actor James Garner in 1967.
Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
Proceeds from the sale of tickets for all three events, available here, support local organizations, including AbilityPath, which provides support services to individuals with special needs and developmental disabilities. Also benefiting are the Hillsborough Schools Foundation and The Guardsmen, the latter being a San Francisco–based volunteer organization dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth.
Click here for more photos previewing the 2023 Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
A scene from one of the past editions of the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.
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