Michael Satterfield
by Jeffrey Schroeder – 5/15/2011
The 2021 car show circuit is back in full swing and the Fourth Annual Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance was no exception. Literally, a breath of fresh air, the relatively new Concours is one of the main events at The Greenbrier Hotel which is a true historic gem hidden in the sleepy little Allegheny Mountains town of White Sulfur Springs, WV.
Seemingly built to hold major automotive Concours, the historic Greenbrier Hotel can accommodate the largest of the large with 710 rooms as well as restaurants, theaters, a casino as well as numerous on-sight activities if you decide to take a break from all the collector cars. There’s even a secret bomb shelter built during the Cold War large enough for the Senate and House of Representatives to reside during a nuclear attack!
More than just a car show, the three daylong event features other collector car activities including the Summit Drive to the Virginia Museum of Transportation, a Saturday morning Cars & Cocktails, Automotive Roundtable Discussion, Charitable Dinner benefitting the Mountaineer Autism Project, First Responders Children’s Foundation, AACA Library, and Research Center and finally the highlight of the weekend, Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance.
Sunday’s main event offered enthusiasts, participants, and onlookers alike an opportunity to admire nearly 100 perfectly placed Collector Cars on the resort’s lovely manicured grounds. Configured as traditional Concours, the entrant’s showpieces were categorized into familiar classes including Pre-War Production, American Classics, European Classics, Post-War Production, Sports Cars, Muscle Cars, Jaguar, Pontiac, Preservation, Movie Cars and an interesting class referred to as Just For Fun.
Showcasing something for everyone, the field was loaded with marques including Duesenberg, Isotta-Fraschini, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac V-16, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Bentley, Packard, Alfa Romeo, and many other familiar Concours circuit favorites.
The awards were aplenty with three awards in each of the classes as well as some Greenbrier specific specialty awards named after Greenbrier notables including the Sam Snead Award, Dorothy Draper Award, Duke of Windsor Award, Princess Grace Award, and of course the Best of Show “Governor’s Trophy” awarded to the 1933 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A Sports Tourer that was once featured in the epic movie “Giant” featuring James Dean.
All in all, it was a great little getaway with outstanding cars, friendly and enthusiastic car people, and remarkable accommodations; what could be better?
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