The tradition of Reading Ferrari Concours d’ Elegance

Barry,

Sounds great. I attended Reading in 2013 and had a great time, my 550 earned a platinum award, and "furthest driven" award. I like the idea at Simeon, it's half the distance for me, it's on my calendar

 

I have been a sponsor and attendee at Reading for a few years now. I am excited to hear it will continue and honor Pietro's vision. I will admit that, as a member of the Simeone Museum and donator, I dont necessarily think the Museum parking lot, located as it is, in an industrial area near the airport, is an elegant backdrop for such an event, but I look forward to seeing what the good folks at FCA have in mind. Good luck!

See you in the spring!

 

The Simeon Museum is absolutely incredible museum inside. A truly marvelous place for car lovers. The parking lot and the industrial park in which it sits, not so much. Reading was an elegant environment the several times that I have attended, hence the name. I think moving it to South Philly is not and would be a mistake, unless you plan to put all of the Concours vehicles inside. I have no interest in driving any loved car across train tracks and potholes down there. There are lots of beautiful venues in the Tri-State area, and that is where these cars truly belong. Just my humble opinion.

 

Barry,
Thank you for your comments.

While i agree with completely with Jay, personally, what I am trying to wrap my head around is the the size of the venue vs. Reading. The Simeone lot is not very big. I can't imagine it possibly holding all the cars that regularly attend the show, much less the other attendees, vendor tents, etc. What plans are there to deal with the overflow? I guess you plan on opening up fenced back lot where they do the demonstrations for the show. It's not the blacktop or the heat we are concerned about. It's the size, aesthetic, location, and route required to get there.

I understand that we lost Reading, that stinks. I trust you guys will figure out a way to make this location work. I just wish another country club or estate could have been secured.

 

Sounds great but you may like to change the date to 2015 from 1015, or have us dust off our horses and finest ornate chariots for the concourse lol

 

Barry,

I am sure Glenn and I will be in again this year as a sponsor as well. As with Joe and Jay, I personally am concerned about the venue. Having lost Reading I am sure we may be able to reach out to the masses to offer suggestions for a venue before timing is too late.

David

David

 

Just thinking off the top of my head, have you ever been to the car show at Hagley Museum? They have a very large grassy field that holds a whole bunch o' cars. If you're investigating other options, that might be an option. Or, we can Astroturf the Simeone parking lot.

 

This is an important event to keep alive. Perhaps the sponsors and organizers could band together to vet sites and spring for a more appropriate venue? I've been to shows at Hagley, Oaks, and Buckingham that were great green fields. A Main Line event will draw nice crowds, too, if that is a goal. Radnor Hunt proves that.

Brett

 

I too am disappointed. As much as I love the museum, standing around in a parking lot is not a concours. I can do that any Saturday morning at Cars and Coffee. Reading was great because it was a classy setting and a nice change of pace.

Why was the move from Reading forced, or is that not something that can be discussed publicly?

 

I agree Brett. An enjoyable part for many participants is the drive itself. The joy for many is the arrival at a "special place." There are many and you've named a few. I'd like to add two more suggestions for the committee to consider:

The Hotel Hershey. Now they already have the Hershey d'Elegance, but that is really a prewar car event. I really wish it was an FCA event. It is a top shelf setting, one worthy of these special cars.
The Elegance at Hershey

The Antique Automobile Club of America in Hershey is another to add to the list of contenders. While not centered in the Philly metro area, there is plenty of space, plenty of parking, and close to all kinds of fabulous activities. Cool Cars for Cats and Canines and my Mondipalooza event were great there. And they are highly accommodating. And a very nice setting.
AACA Museum |

One more thing to consider is how you can make it a "full plate" event. It's one of the things I enjoy most about Cavallino, that it is a destination and there's a variety of activities over several days, like track days, drives, and events at aircraft hangers and marinas, besides the Concours. This does make it more special.

You know that Reading was the Cavallino of mid-Atlantic, and I think location is paramount to its ongoing success.

 

FWIW Simeone has a huge back lot where they do the museum cars driving days that could probably accommodate a lot of the cars or extra parking areas. I've been there a few times and enjoyed it tremendously... Amazing collection of cars and history!

 

I'm glad to hear the Reading Concours tradition will live on. As far as venue wise goes, I agree with the Simeone parking lot not making much sense, as well as the spectator parking would not be enough to fulfill the venue's needs. I mean Radnor Hunt is a great venue but they already have a Concours that takes place there. I would honestly say that contacting as many country clubs as possible in the nearby region would be your best bet. Some golf clubs would probably be more than happy to host such an event. There is a golf course across from Radnor Hunt called White Manor which is very nice if we're thinking the Radnor route. In all, the event will be phenomenal nonetheless and I am very much looking forward to it!

-Jared

 

We have discussed many other venues also . Three of my favorites and places I have suggested were Longwood, Winterthur and Hagley. There are also many other possible areas. My biggest worry about Simeone is parking for non-showing attendees.
If anyone has any desire to try one of these three places, I might be able to help.

Bob

 

This Concours is by far the best, the cars are second to none I will be there with my hold house this year to support if it doesn't rain. LOL Can't Wait !!!!

 

maybe this event could be held at Radnor Hunt?

I saw a thread recently looking for an excuse to hold more events there, well, here's your chance.

Also provides for lunch, or dinner, should the concours gang be so inclined.

Don't know the cost, but how much worse could it be than the Reading Country Club, which was a nice venue, but I do recall Pietro or one of the other guys in the judges room remarking it was pretty expensive for what it was.

Maybe combine the JErsey and PA shows in to one venue, one concours. Again, I recall many of the Jersey concours attendees also being at the Reading show.

Just my 2 cents.


Dave (Now in FL, so I should mind my own business) M.

 

Yea Dave. Mind your own business😀😀😀

 

I will probably start attending this event now just because of the move to Simeone. I live in South Jersey and Reading was just too far to justify. South Philly is no problem for me though!

 

Barry,
Thank you for taking on such a monumental task of carrying on the tradition of Reading Concours d' Elegance! Considering all of the barriers you have experienced you and the committee have done a tremendous job keep Pietro's dream alive! I for one will be at next year's event no matter where it is! We can all work on improving the venue in the coming years if Simeone is not ideal.

Keep up the great work!!!

Mike

 

Longwood wood be awesome!! Jon

 

We could probably have the event at NJMP. If you act quickly . Have banquet facility. Have huge grassy field or pavement in the event of rain. Have track opportunity. Central location for a large population . Reconsider people. This event at Simeone is gonna fail people. You don't have a second chance to make a first impression . Jon in Delaware

 

Jon.

NJMP is about $12K for the day, right? Trying to remember how many cars show up, on average for the Reading show. Maybe 100? Probably a little less. I would think that moving it to NJMP would bump UP the number of attendees if one if the tracks is made available during the concours. That would complicate things some, as cars need to be judged prior to heading out onto the track.

I think there would be some serious logistical issues, but with enough time and planning, they could be overcome.

Might not work for 2015, but certainly could be put in the loop for thought going forward. Not the prettiest setting, but a great track with lots of stuff to do, and as you point out, a banquet facility.

D