{"id":5215,"date":"2020-12-23T20:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pebblebeachconcours.net\/?p=5215"},"modified":"2020-12-31T17:58:46","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T17:58:46","slug":"the-magic-of-cars-at-the-concours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pebblebeachconcours.net\/chairmans-letter\/the-magic-of-cars-at-the-concours\/","title":{"rendered":"The Magic of Cars at the Concours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In trying times, it can be easy to forget the magic of cars \u2014 the way they draw us to them and to each other, the way they inspire us, even transmitting their energy to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A good while back, nearly a year now in fact, I was in a hotel elevator when a man turned and asked to speak with me about the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance. He seemed nervous and that set me slightly on edge, but conversations in elevators are often oddly strained, so we found a quiet alcove and he proceeded to tell me a bit about his life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His wife had died, and nothing made sense for a very long time. He was going through the motions, simply doing things out of habit, and that included attending our Concours. And it was there that the world clicked into focus again for him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Concours he realized that some things in this world \u2014 cars! \u2014 still gave him pleasure, and many people in this world shared his passion for them. And he realized he could continue on by focusing on those things and spending time with those people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My own life revolves around the concours; I even met my husband Martin through this event. Yet I am continually surprised by the deep impact it has on so many others\u2014reaching well beyond our participants and people in attendance to the wider community of enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We recently invited you to add your concours stories to the history of this event and share with others here in the Insider<\/a><\/em>, and a great many of you responded \u2014 so many that we\u2019ll be sharing your offerings over several forthcoming issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this issue<\/a>, we\u2019ve decided to focus first on concours stories tied to family.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I think about families at the concours, my mind turns first to images of Arturo and Deborah Keller crossing our ramp in cars packed to the brim (or top or tailfin) with children and grandchildren. Others too \u2014 the Atwells, the Passeys, the Hills and Hagemans to name a few \u2014 have done all they can to pass a love of cars down through the generations. And I\u2019ve been here long enough to see many of those kids grow into true car enthusiasts. Tom Price recently shared an image of him and his wife Gwen crossing the ramp with their two young sons on their laps \u2014 and those sons, now fully grown, were standing next to me as we talked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cars, and a passion for them, can be among the ties that bind us together. They embody our history, connecting us in the present and over time. Even the memory of a much-loved concours car can become a matter of family lore and legend. Time and again my staff responds to emails and calls from families trying to track down information and images of cars that were once, in some way, \u201ca member of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you read through this issue of the Insider<\/a><\/em>, I hope you discover anew some of the magic in cars. I also hope you will make plans to join us for our 70th Concours celebration on August 15, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sandra Button #DriveOn2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chairman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n