Raymond Arsenault on Life and Business: Gallery – the 10th annual Hemmings Concours d’Elegance weekend

Sunday’s 10th annual Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance. Photos by Hemmings staff.

For some, the changing color of leaves or cooler overnight temperatures signal summer’s inevitable transition into fall. For those of us in the Hemmings offices, it’s our annual concours weekend, consisting of the Saturday Cruise-In Spectacular and Sunday’s main event, the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance itself. Held last Saturday and Sunday in Saratoga Springs, New York, our 10^th annual show may well have been the finest one to date.

Volvos at Saturday’s Cruise-In Spectacular.

Saturday’s cruise-in packed the lower field at Saratoga Springs State Park, with help from Volvo Sports America (VSA), a club that focuses on the P1800, but welcomes owners of all out-of-production Volvo models. Classic American cars were well represented, too, as were muscle cars and other imports, ensuring that fans of most makes and models had something to cheer for at awards time.

Cords in the mist: move-in on Sunday morning.

A 1954 Cunningham C-3 Vignale coupe takes to the Sunday show field.

Sunday’s weather couldn’t have been better, and the field of roughly 160 classic cars included everything from brass-era automobiles to CCCA Full Classics to muscle cars and sports cars. Our military vehicle class included a trio of 1918 Dodges, assembled together for the very first time since serving in World War I. Special guest Lee Holman entertained the crowd with tales of racing (from NASCAR to quarter-mile to European circuits), and a wide array of vendors offered attendees everything from parts, tools and restoration services to automotive-themed artwork.

A trio of Dodge military vehicles, reunited for the first time since 1918.

Our Best in Show: a 1932 Studebaker President convertible sedan.

For the first time, the Best in Show winner was chosen from a pool of three finalists, including a 1958 De Soto Adventurer convertible owned by Vernon Smith of Newfoundland, Canada; a 1954 Cunningham C-3 Vignale coupe owned by Jim Taylor of Gloversville, New York; and the ultimate winner, a 1932 Studebaker President convertible sedan, owned by George Vassos of Agawam, Massachusetts. We’ll have more on the show-winning Studebaker in tomorrow’s Hemmings Daily, but for now enjoy a selection of images from this weekend’s show.