Today on the Vette Vues blog we are looking at the 25th Greenwich Concours presented by Hagerty on the waterfront green at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.
Hagerty, a leading provider of classic car insurance, has reinvented itself in the face of hybrids, electric cars, and assisted driving. The strategy includes acquiring major car shows to preserve car culture and the California Mille to keep alive the enjoyment of driving.
Corvette Racing and performance enthusiasts have reason to be gratified. At a packed seminar entitled What Comes Next, panelist Ed Welburn, former GM VP of global design, was quick to point out that the Corvette is THE ICONIC BRAND. The Corvette has not only gained supporters in the high-tech tug of war between designers and engineers but, more importantly, has earned the trust of both performance-minded racers and enthusiast customers.
The Greenwich Concours, held on the first weekend in June, was envisioned by Bruce Wennerstrom to attract a larger audience stemming from the Madison Avenue Sports Car Club and Chowder Society, founded in 1957 by a group of self-deprecating, rather elite auto enthusiast ad execs that met on the second Tuesday of each month at Sardis Restaurant at 234 W 44th Street in the heart of the NYC Theatre District.
The MASCD&CS gained more status and notoriety under Bruce’s leadership until he died in 2015 at 88. Hagerty became a welcome presence that led to buying the Greenwich car show in 2020, only to be wiped out by the pandemic.
Hagerty invited cars representing the top of their classes for traditional judging on Sunday while turning Saturday into a day of seminars and informal exhibits to educate, inform, and entertain.
The What Comes Next seminar was posted online to an audience reported to exceed 50,000.
There were interviews with celebs like Jay Ward, Creative Director of Pixar Animation and creator of Lightning McQueen and Grand Marshal.
This 1990 Corvette Grassroots Club Racer was spotted in the Concours d’Lemons celebrating the weird, wacky, and the worst. Owner James McGuire started with a C4 he found at $ 1,800 on Craig’s List.
It’s not exaggerating to say Hagerty is making the biggest impact on Car Culture and Driving in the past 50 years, evidenced by its presence at some 2,400 events handled by folks from its well-trained staff of 1,700.
If you’re wondering about the money needed to carry out its strategy, Hagerty recently raised $ 830 mm from private investors via a SPAC transaction valuing the company at $ 3BN, arranged by Aldel Financial. Well worth a read:
Next year’s Greenwich Concours date is June 3-5, 2022. For more info visit https://www.greenwichconcours.com/.
Article by Jan Hyde Registry of Corvette Race Cars
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