The Vail Automotive Classic car and air show is right at 2 months away. My wife and I attended this last year and it was a fantastic event. We are making arrangements to attend again this year, and will certainly be attending on Sunday. I'm especially looking forward to seeing some of the cars that will be participating in the Colorado Grand. Who else is attending, are are there any other events or things we should look at doing while there?
We are going to Vail for sure, but waiting until the following week when the Colorado Grand cars are on display. The most amazing collection of cars in one place I have ever seen.
Couple of words from experience... If you have a car on display, bring sunscreen and keep hydrated. You'll be on the ramp all day on Saturday. There are hangers, but, predominantly, you're in the direct sun. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a collapsible chair. The ramp is concrete and not especially pleasant to be on for hour upon hour. Don't expect a big turn-out of exotics. It's growing, but these aren't usually the big-ticket cars. But, don't get me wrong...it's fun and a worthwhile cause. On Sunday, the class winners (and any special invitees) are displayed in the Village. Pretty sure the farmers market will still be going on. So, expect lots of families with kids and dogs walking around. Also, lots of cyclists walking through. I'm not aware of anyone having had any damage to their car, though. Again, a collapsible chair would be useful. CO Grand is a different beast, and Camchain can comment. The Concours de Non-Elegance is Saturday morning until roughly 1pm-ish. Cars will start leaving earlier, though (it's been a LONG week for them). So, get there early if you want to see as many as possible. The cars come into the Lionshead finish line on Friday afternoon, which is the only time you'll see them running (unless they're leaving). I'd guesstimate that about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cars aren't on display on Saturday and are, instead, already being put on the transporters. Lots of old iron, but the Ferraris on display typically haven't been that plentiful. Lots of gullwings, Jags, MGs, though. Again, worth it, as there are so few opportunities to see this diverse a group of cars in one place. CW
Great point. We are staying closer to Idaho Springs around 10K elevation and it was blisteringly hot at the airport last year. Last year's exotics were a MP4-12C, couple of 959's--spoke to one of the owners and his son, very nice guys. There were also a couple of R8's, some GT3's, couple V8 vantages, for GT, handful of Cobra replica's, and a very nice Gran Turismo. Here's a few pics from last year that I took. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just had an email reminder from them... Vail Automotive Classic | The Vail Valley's Premier Auto & Aircraft Show 9/11 - 9/13 CW
Will it be there tomorrow? That's great news! Pass I'm looking forward to seeing your work. Looks phenomenal from the photos Sent from my cellular device using Tapatalk
Had a good time at both shows this year. The Wheels and Wings seemed down on numbers compared to last year, but had some more impressive autos. They also had some large private aircraft on display. Not sure if this adds to the venue though as they take up a lot of space and are visually impressive they do not add much in the way of experience. They are completely roped off (and for good reason) but it also doesn't make them quite as entertaining. There were some impressive cars there this year, and I plan to attach some photos of the event, but I need to resize them. The venue downtown is a more attractive setting to see the cars; however the people that are there viewing them are much less courteous than at the airport. There were several occasions I witnessed with owners having to shoo people away from their cars when they would lean on them or lean into the cab with drinks, etc. I got some good pictures that I'll post.
Please post some of the very original 1974 Pantera GTS, the owner mentioned his father was the original owner...it was a very nice venue and event for a perfect Sunday morning car fix!
I certainly got the sense, based on Sunday's display in the village, that the turn out was down this year. CW
