Art of the Car Concours®

2012 Art of the Car Concours®

The Sixth Annual Art of the Car Concours® will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 24, on the KCAI campus. The event will feature about 200 vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles, including cars, trucks, racing cars and motorcycles belonging to collectors from eight states.

Returning this year as the presenting sponsor is The Kansas City Mercedes-Benz Dealers, Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City and Aristocrat Motors.

This event, a benefit for the KCAI scholarship fund, is growing in popularity and stature among vintage and classic collectors. The Concours is unique for its size and scale in having no formal judging and no classes of vehicles. The intention is to provide a wide range of very high-quality, original, vintage vehicles in an eclectic, informal setting, without the pressure of traditional Concours events.

Admission is $15 at the gate; $12 online in advance of the event; and children 10 and under are admitted free. Early admission tickets ($25) allow entrance before 10 a.m. (as early as 8 a.m.) for those who would like to photograph cars as they arrive and are being positioned on the lawn. Buy tickets now.

Would you like to become a sponsor?

Sponsorship opportunities are available for 2012 at levels from $1,000 to $10,000. Check out the sponsor benefits we offer, and please notify us of your interest as soon as possible. Sponsor benefits are unchanged from 2011.

Youth judging, courtesy of Hagerty's "Operation Ignite!"

The youth judging event, "Operation Ignite! Connecting Kids and Cars," sponsored by Hagerty Insurance, will again allow young judges to view show vehicles up close and interact directly with their owners. This is a great opportunity for young people to learn about our automotive history, and we are pleased that it continues to be a part of the Art of the Car Concours®.  For more information, please contact Brenda Zeller at 816-561-4999 or bzeller@millerco.com.

Interested in volunteering?

If you are interested in returning as a volunteer in 2012 –– or volunteering at the Concours for the first time –– we would love to have you. Here is where you can learn more about volunteer opportunities.

For your viewing pleasure

Exhibitor Rodney Booth has provided a video recap of the 2011 Concours, so that you can get the flavor of event.

Rare Talbot Lago to be on view at this year's Concours

Exciting news: The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif., is sending its Pebble Beach, Essen and European Concours award-winning Talbot Lago to the Art of the Car Concours. Only nine Teardrop coupes were made, and this is considered the best in the world. For more information about the museum, visit http://www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com/. Photo © 2006 Michael Furman

Pebble Beach Concours "Most Elegant Open Car" coming to Kansas City

It won’t be hard to spot Carl Cedergren’s 1913 Hudson at the Sixth Annual Art of the Car Concours — it will be the daffodil-yellow speedster with gleaming nickel-plated fixtures. The vehicle is one of only five that were built and introduced by Hudson in 1913. It was the first six-cylinder car and the first with an electric starter and lights.

Learn more

Ginger Rogers' 1929 Duesenberg to star at Art of the Car Concours

A car as blond and beautiful as movie star Ginger Rogers will be a star attraction at the Art of the Car Concours June 24 on the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute, 4415 Warwick Blvd., in Kansas City, Mo. Fresh from an appearance in March at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the 265-horsepower 1929 Model J Duesenberg Convertible Coupe that once belonged to Fred Astaire’s most famous dance partner will be coming to Kansas City. Rogers’ vehicle was the first Duesenberg to have a Murphy body and a disappearing convertible top. The original upholstery is gone, but current owner John Groendyke of Enid, Okla., replicated the original: reptile-pattern embossed leather. Photo by Chad Chambers

1965 Porsche 904 returns to Art of the Car Concours

A star attraction at the 2012 Art of the Car Concours will be Robert Serra’s 1965 Porsche 904, which will be making a repeat appearance. The metallic silver coupe, a GTS 904 Carrera, won a People’s Choice Award at the 2007 Art of the Car Concours.

For out-of-town visitors - hotel information

The Art of the Car Concours is working to identify special rates at local hotels, for your convenience. Here is information available to date: 

Holiday Inn Country Club Plaza
$89 per night
One E. 45th St.
Kansas City, MO 64111
816-753-7400