Sit at the Cool Kid's Table with Sporty Sedans from Volvo, Alfa Romeo, and Cadillac

Think about the popular kids who went to your high school. Likely, the popular guys were athletes, drumming up entertainment by poking fun at anyone outside of their circle and listening to Kid Cudi, while the popular girls could be likened to the 2005 movie Mean Girls. (now a bit dated, but gives a good idea nonetheless)

One common strand shines through with this group, though. Given their position, it was nearly impossible for them to break out--lest they risk being considered "unpopular." Think of your established sports sedans in this way. Your BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis are all very attractive in the most conventional ways, and their athletic performances often earn them top marks. But behind all that, they're not very interesting--they're simply not allowed to be.

But, like Bob Dylan first belted back in 1964, "the times they are a-changin.'" Today, performance alternatives from Cadillac, Volvo, and even Alfa Romeo are part of the mix, taking swings at the cool kids. And in some cases, offer higher performance than their beige counterparts.

Let's start with the Volvo S60. This compact sedan traces its roots to the economical S40, which came out in 1995. But for its second generation, debuted in 2004, Volvo added more flavor to the mix. This S40 shared chassis with the Mazda3, but employed Volvo's signature turbo five-cylinder engine, which gave luxury buyers up to 218hp. Nowadays, thanks to a lineup consolidation, the S60 picks up where the S40 left off.

On the outside

The S60 is far from being the new kid on the block. We've had this generation around since 2010 but, thanks to sharp Swedish design, it's managed to stay fresh. Most recently, those at the drawing tables smoothed some of the features that made Volvo's of yesterday distinctive, like nixing most of the chrome from around the grille, trimming headlights to fit in a single lens, and adding splitter-like style elements to the front and rear bumpers. Still, there's no mistaking its Swedish heritage. All trim levels offer attractive wheel choices, with honorable mention going to the 18-inch Tucan diamond-cut wheels--a clever 10-spoke design with the middle section painted gloss black-- and the 20-inch, ten spoke alloys offered exclusively with the Polestar trim.

On the inside

Most eyes that land on the base model Dynamic S60's interior will find it a bit drab. There's a certain lack of flavor in this cabin, and the large, flat, sparsely-populated dashboard could be a turn-off for some. But I take a certain joy in Swedish minimalism, especially given the 'Vo's materials are up to snuff. The signature "floating console"--where radio and climate controls sit on a thin, curved panel with a storage cubby underneath-- retains its charm. It's trimmed in a finely-textured aluminum and hosts a Coliseum of buttons in its center. Dynamic models get a plain, but nicely contrasting white lettering on the gauge cluster, while higher trim levels receive a modern LCD display.

Front seats are given generous side bolsters across all trim levels, with Polestar trims sporting black, alcantara-lined, 8-way power seats with blue stitching. In the back, the S60's sloping roofline manages to encroach on taller passengers, but this happens across the board for small performance sedans and the cold hard truth is: those rear seats are hardly ever used anyway.

Which trim?

If you've got the cash and the desire, Polestar is the trim you want. Named after the performance arm of Volvo, the Polestar S60 is an end-of-term project engineers worked all semester for. Polestar limits production numbers of these high-performance variants of normal Volvos, and they're essentially an exercise in the very best of what these engineers can do, given a vast playpen full of parts and a generous budget.

In true Volvo fashion, the S60 also comes in a wagon variant, S60, pictured here in Polestar trim.

Pricing for Polestar models starts at $60,000. This will net you a turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder good for 362hp and 347lb-ft of torque, mated to a remapped Aisin 8-speed automatic. (chosen for its compatibility with the inline-four) But the most interesting parts are those connecting Polestar to pavement. Power is split--with bias thrown to the rear wheels thanks to a Haldex all-wheel-drive system--and meets the road via Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245-section tires. 14.6-inch Brembo brakes up front provide maximum stomping power, while 11.9-inch discs bring up the rear. Multi-link cleverness in the suspension should come as no surprise, but the most impressive units are the Öhlins racing shock absorbers, which are 80% stiffer than those found in the 2016 Polestar S60, and a carbon fiber strut brace up front.

Those looking for a more pragmatic S60 should go for the Inscription trim. Volvo's approach to the Inscription line is one of refinement, craftsmanship, comfort, and elegance. The same 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder shows up here with more modest internals and returns a healthy 240-horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Sensus, Volvo's in-car tech suite also shows up here, allowing Inscription owners to adjust power steering response and braking distribution. Volvo stretches the S60's wheelbase three inches in Inscription trim, which improves rear legroom and overall comfort. A $925 blind spot safety system and a $1400 Park Assist Pilot system (allowing semi-autonomy) are available, along with an $800 convenience package, a $1300 climate package, and a $1500 technology package, (offering adaptive cruise control and lane assistance). Tick all the boxes, and you're looking at an MSRP of $44,620.  

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Let me smash up some romantic musings about Alfa Romeo really quickly. The name Giulia has been on Alfa Romeos since 1962, when the name first showed up on a compact coupe and rumor has it, the name's inspiration came from one forbidden Italian damsel who's story has funded fortunes of more condensed-novel-summary-study-guide writers than any other; or Juliet, in American renderings of the Shakespearean tragic.  If rumors are indeed true, it's proof that a carmaker selling on passion and beauty can still nod to the hokey side of things. But that evaluation alone massively undervalues this machine.

Alfa Romeo returned to American soil in 2008, after a decade-long hiatus, with the 8C. Chrysler Group's restructuring led to confusion and budget problems soon after the 8C debuted, and Alfa took another break from the American market, returning again in 2014 with the 4C, which is still being sold. But their trophy child, the one they've put all their chips on, is the Giulia.

On the outside

The first thing you'll notice about the Giulia, compared to its 60s and 70s predecessors, is that it's got four doors instead of two. Next, you'll notice the "Trilobo" shield-shaped grille, a familiar shape gracing Alfas since 1954. On the Giulia, it's sculpted into the front fascia, giving an aggressive, hunkered-down appearance to the front end, regardless of trim level.

From the drawing board, the Giulia's design is fairly unique for Alfa Romeo, given it's been produced entirely in-house. The walk around reveals more conservative styling, with the rear even hinting at contemporary KIA designs. But the restraint pays off in this instance, as it generally has with Alfas previous.

Wheels on offer are nothing short of spectacular. Alfa have used the Italian motorsport's lucky charm clover to their advantage, and offer a range of 18 and 19-inch wheels inspired by the green symbol. Base models come with a plainer 10-spoke aluminum wheel, but buyers can upgrade to 18-inch, five spoke sport wheels, 18-inch Turbine wheels, or a 17-inch, 7-hole design inspired by earlier bottle-cap wheels (the jury is still out on those). Bumping up to the Ti trim gets you two more wheel options: 19-inch, five-spoke dark aluminum alloys or a more-attractive, 18-inch ten-spoke variant. Quadrifoglio buyers get deep-dish, 19-inch Bright Technico wheels standard, which are more than sufficient.

On the inside

You won't mistake the Giulia for a Volvo, but stepping inside, you'll notice the equally conservative approach. Seats and driving position were at the top of the engineer's list, and an open spread of glass mated with thin pillars gives drivers an excellent view of what's going on outside. Ti buyers can get retro, shuttered inserts in the seats with the Sport Package. The minimalist approach to the inside--the high-contrast elements of the dash even include the monotone steering wheel emblem--work together to aid the driver and connect him or her to the experience. There's no coddling here, apart from heated seats of course.

Entertainment is controlled by three large knobs placed on the center console. One drives the 8.8-inch display, but the others are far more interesting, chiefly the one that controls Alfa DNA--a drive-mode system that tailors the car for either malaise or terror, with a couple notches in between. A dual-pane sunroof is a $1350 extra, and really only worth it in Keeping up with the Joneses-fashion.

Which Trim?

I've already name-dropped Quadrifoglio (which roughly translates to "cloverleaf") and this is the trim you must get if you're able. At $72,000, it's certainly not cheap, but as an engineering exercise, the Quadrifoglio is top-of-the-line. Start with the twin-turbocharged, 2.9-liter heart. This 90-degree V6 is the six-cylinder sister to the ballistic, Ferrari-designed V8 that powers the 488GTB. The six is more tame than it's big sister, but is still good for a less-than-slouchy 505 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque. But the most delightful news of all, this all-aluminum thoroughbred sends all of its power through a carbon fiber driveline to the rear wheels because, well, it should.

Unfortunately, there's one hitch for the motoring enthusiast that can be spelled out in two letters: ZF. It's the eight-speed automatic you'll get in every Giulia on the American market and, though it's very good, it holds no candle to a third pedal experience.

Weight is saved in the Quadrifoglio by the fitting of a carbon fiber hood, trunk, and roof, along with aluminum doors and fenders. This, not so much for weight savings themselves, but for a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution. An active carbon fiber splitter up front can provide up to 220-pounds of downforce, and a clever torque-vectoring differential keeps the power down.

For those who want to enjoy Alfa's return to the sedan market without breaking spine, bank, and all local traffic laws, the Ti trim offers a great alternative. The Ti starts at $39,995, offering all-wheel-drive for an additional $2,000 up front, and a turbocharged inline-four good for 280 horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque. Like the Quadrifoglio, you're limited to the ZF eight-speed, but in this trim it nets you a respectable 27 combined MPG. You can also choose between Sport and Lusso packages, both $2,250 extra. The former offers the aforementioned 19-inch wheels, column-mounted aluminum paddle shifters, as well as painted brake calipers and Sport Seats. Lusso gives buyers the ten-spoke, 18-inch wheels, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, and leather trim on the dash and upper doors. A $1,200 Performance Package adds Active Suspension and a mechanical rear differential.

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Our third contender is a potent rear-wheel drive sedan that arguably gives the best overall track experience out of the three. As if the world weren't already toppled over; it's a Cadillac.

Now, it's no secret American car manufacturers are and have been behind the eight ball when it comes to sporty sedans for some time. Cadillac first tried the formula in 2004, with the original CTS sedan. Instead of going for a muscle car with two extra doors, they mated the rear-wheel drive runner with a peppy V6 and multi-link suspension.

As a contender for the German big-three, though, it still missed the mark. The new ATS-V, though, is our strongest ever rallying cry. And it's aimed directly at the establishment.

On the outside

The borderline-compact sedan started life in 2013, but the V-variant--now little brother to the CTS-V--only arrived on the scene last year. Designers had one word in mind when shaping this thing: aggressive. It sits several inches off the ground, with the flared-out haunches you'd find on a Bulldog. 

Every line on this car is sharp, from massive air inlets in the front bumper and hood to the nearly-vertical spoiler crowning the rear, like an arrow pointed back. A carbon fiber front splitter gives a bit of down force, but worlds of curb-appeal--world's more important when you're climbing into the ring with BMW and Audi.

Unique in this group, the ATS-V is available in both two- and four-door trims, the coupe costing a couple grand more than the sedan. 18-inch forged alloys come standard and for an extra $600 you can have them with a polished aluminum or dark grey finish. Base model ATS sedans come with even more wheel options, starting with 17-inch alloys and moving up-market to 19's finished in graphite, silver, or black, for an additional $2,600 to $3,200.

On the inside

Stateside manufacturers have always struggled with interiors in both design and materials used. By domestic comparison, the Cadillac's interior eclipses that of most offerings from the American Big Three. Compared to the Europeans, it's at least enough to elicit a curious "Hmm."

 ATS-V buyers get optional Recaro buckets inspired by Robo Cop, handsomely trimmed in leather and alcantara. They're heavily bolstered on both the sides and bottom, which means there'll be no thrashing about up front when the roads get twisty. Rear passengers aren't so lucky, with leg room and lateral-G support taking hits. But the likelihood of your Uber driver showing up in an ATS-V is slim to none--they'll be too busy reeling in the twin-turbo V6's lush power band.

Go back to the dashboard, and you'll find Cadillac's familiar and oft-infuriating CUE system, housed in a somewhat cheap black plastic surround. Haptic feedback buttons show up instead of traditional knobs and buttons, and are likely to sour some buyers. But as with any new car, this just takes some getting used to.

Which trim?

At this point, my coverage skews heavily towards the ATS-V. At $60,695, it rings in several grand cheaper than its German rivals and bests all but the mighty C63 AMG in horsepower. (Caddy: 464, Benz: 469) Under the hood, you'll find an old family friend who's been on a triathlon bender. The L-series V6 has been in GM's stable in one form or another since 2005, and has made appearances in everything from the Camaro to the Colorado. In the ATS-V, it's a twin-turbocharged screamer with titanium connecting rods and high flow fuel injectors, egging you on into the highest reaches of the rev-band.

But the most delightful part of all is the optional Tremec six-speed, also as familiar as an old Seiko watch. The ATS-V is the only car in this group to have a manual transmission option, and with both rev-matching and no-lift tech built into its programming, makes it the only reasonable choice.

However, buyers shouldn't rule out base and Premium Performance trims, which start at $35,590 and $47,990, respectively. Base model buyers get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder good for 272 horsepower, while Premium Performance buyers get the same 3.6-liter found in the V, only sans-turbos and upgraded internals. That engine is good for 335 horsepower. Both come standard with a ZF eight-speed auto and rear-wheel drive, with base buyers gaining the option for all-wheel drive.

For an additional $695, Premium Performance buyers can get the 600W engine fan from the V (part of the Track Package), and for another $945, buyers get performance springs and dampers.

We've got more options than ever now for a truly potent performance sedan. No matter which you choose, you'll get stellar performance and road handling, along with features you've come to expect in luxury cars from the establishment. But today's difference? You don't have to buy from the most popular kids in school anymore.

(special thanks to Jim Ellis Alfa Romeo, Capital Cadillac, and Volvo Cars of Marietta for allowing me to photograph their fine offerings of each vehicle)

2016 Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance

On Saturday, the Port Royal Golf Club hosted a car club event that precluded the Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance. The Car Club Showcase represents a more laid back approach, more like a traditional car show than the Concours, with its rigorous judging process.

The 18th green was home on Saturday to several car clubs, including the Chevrolet Corvair Club. Much like our now president-elect, the Corvair marched firmly across the line of convention. An air-cooled engine, producing between 80 and 150-horsepower depending on the variant, sat atop the rear axle. Mind you, this was in the 1960s, when most manufacturers, including General Motors themselves, were on the cusp of the muscle car craze.

The Corvair represented something different, a design gamble for Chevrolet that would prove sucessful. It was a car of seemingly endless variants. There was a convertible Corvair, a four-door sedan, even Corvair vans and pickup trucks. One such truck, owned by James Law, has covered thousands of miles to different Corvair club events. Law told me of trips from his home in Leesburg, Georgia to Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, and Pennsylvania. Since restoring the truck in the late-1980s, he's driven it to every event including this one.

Jim Law's 1963 Chevrolet Greenbrier Rampside pickup truck.

The proper name for it is Greenbrier, the tag given to van and pickup variants of the Corvair. It began production in 1961 and could be had with either a 2.4 or 2.7-liter turbocharger flat-six engine. Jim's truck is a "Rampside," an option which meant it had a traditional tailgate at the rear, but also a large panel on the driver or passenger's side that could be folded down for easier loading. He he once used the truck to haul around his welder and acetylene tanks before it was restored.

In line next to Jim's 1963 Rampside was another yellow truck; this one has a small block V8 shoehorned in the bed. And next to the yellow truck was an excellent example of a six passenger Greenbrier van, complete with picnic table.

No doubt the Corvair and all of its variants now have fans that stretch across the globe. There's a strong Corvair following in the Netherlands, as well as in Australia, where the Australian army ordered 500 amphibious Corvair Dynatrack articulated vehicles, but never completed the deal. In 1969, the last year the Corvair was sold, GM could claim nearly two million overall sales.

But the Corvairs were far from the only cool story to come from this years Hilton Head show. Reed and Jan Tarwater, a couple from Greenfield, Indiana, drove their 1972 Fiat 124 Spider to the show. This car immediately caught my eye on Concours day. Reed explained the process he underwent to discover the name of the paint color: "Orange," he said, "that's what it was listed at in the book. I think it's hilarious." 

But the bright color is probably the least impressive thing about this Italian sports car. Reed bought the car new in March 1972 because of its advancements and no-nonsense construction. Four wheel disc brakes were standard, a rarity for the time, and the dual overhead cam engine would prove to be a robust power plant for years to come. Since its purchase, Jan and Reed have racked up 128,000 miles on the roadster, saying it's still a daily driver whenever the weather is nice enough. 

"We almost sold it once," says Jan. "Thankfully we changed our minds just in time. The dealership hadn't even processed the paperwork yet, and we got it back." Since then they've taken the car to Nova Scotia, and on other smaller trips around the midwest.

Indeed there was something about this year's show that felt more open than it ever had been before. Whenever I poked around a car with my camera, an owner would appear, ready to share stories of their time with it. 

This happened again with a miraculous 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 short-wheelbase limousine.

"People call it the 'Christmas Car,'" said Guy Lewis, the owner who quickly noticed my curiosity in the Moss Green Mercedes. The rich red interior was a special order option. From 1963 to 1981, Mercedes built only 2,600 of these colossal sedans, most going to dignitaries around the world. Guy now owns several, including the green car on display, which has been painstakingly restored.

What's the furthest you've driven it, I asked. By the way he skirted the question, I knew the answer was "Not far." But he told me of another 600 sedan his mechanic picked up. It had been sitting in a warehouse in New Jersey for a decade, and Lewis had no intention of getting it fired up right away. But the car needed to get back to his mechanic's shop in Tennessee. Guy told him to trailer the car back, no silliness. But his mechanic was able to get the car going and drove it back to Tennessee the same day.

As with pretty nearly any Concours event, there were plenty of very early automobiles. These are cars where you can literally see the framework of the automobile, in some cases in its most rudimentary form. Model T's lined up in a row, followed by countless other small-batch cars like the 1908 Moon C and the 1912 Stevens Duryea. On Saturday, the South Carolina tourism board even displayed a pair of very rare cars from Anderson, a manufacturer based in Rock Hill, South Carolina from 1916 to 1925.

Walking through the vendor area to get to the next show field was also an exercise in familiarity. BMW and Porsche were out selling new cars, with the new Panamera as a showpiece for the latter. But past the vendors was some truly fantastic vintage sheet metal. 

A 1953 Maserati A6GCS on display at the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance.

Maserati, Alfa Romeo, side-by-side. Any car buff knows this is a match made in racing heaven. While the trident car enjoyed steady crowds, it was the more bubbly Italian I was interested in. 

Bodied by Bertone, the Giulietta Sprint Speciale sports a shape on par with the legendary E-Type Jaguar. The same elements are at play: tucked-in wheels and curves unheard of today. In a time before wind tunnels, engineers used methods that were rudimentary at best. They tested aerodynamics by tying pieces of yarn to the leading edges of the car, then driving on the freeway with photographers alongside to document the results. And it seems their quasi-scientific methods worked. This car, which debuted in 1957, held the passenger car record for lowest drag coefficient until 1977, when it was bested by the C6 Corvette. 

I'll make no bones about it: Italian sports cars from the 1960s and 70s will always enjoy my complete and undivided attention, despite being a bit fickle (see also: not that well built, unreliable, ephemeral) . You can call it bias if you want; in fact you're entirely right if you do. But something about those classic designs mated to engines whose notes can inspire a generation of car enthusiasts, many whose parents weren't yet born when the cars debuted.

Another of these truly amazing, albeit less-than-sensible, Italian sports cars on display was a 1971 Lancia Fulvia. The Fulvia was a rarity for Lancia in the sense that it was built almost exclusively on its own platform. It was meant to replace the Lancia Appia, a front-engine, rear-drive economy car built to mimic some of the company's more expensive offerings.

The Fulvia, instead, rode on a short wheelbase front engine, front wheel drive platform. This compactness, combined with the punchy V4 engine, made the Fulvia coupe a star on the rally circuit. This was the car that would start Lancia on the road to become the most successful brand in rallying history. The Fulvia alone won the Italian Rally Championship every year from 1965 to 1973, missing out on a 1970 win. It would go on to be replaced by the now-legendary Lancia Stratos HF in 1974, and laid the groundwork for the Delta Integrale and 037, both of which also enjoyed huge rallying success.

As Sunday afternoon rolled around, the crowds were in full swing, and my friend and I had neared the last section of the show field. I noticed a bit of commotion while I was photographing a Peugeot 402 Darl'mat. When I finally looked over, I noticed a tow truck; a bit odd, but not entirely out of place at a classic car show of sorts. But then I paid closer attention to the crowd.

"In the lake. Yeah, a car went into the lake. Just rolled in!" Sure enough, a 1938 Packard had been bumped out of gear and rolled into the water hazard behind where it was parked.

The car was completely submerged, and eventually a diving outfit showed up in a Ford van. I watched as some volunteers showed the diver where to hook the tow truck chains on the axle of a car parked nearby, so he'd know what to do once underwater. Fifteen minutes later, and the tow truck finally started to winch the Packard out.

When the car surfaced, it looked decent at first. But a closer look at the entire car showed that the removable roof mechanism had suffered damage, and that it had definitely sat in a murky pond for nearly an hour.

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Despite the immaculate cars on the Sunday show field, you could still see the effects of hurricane Matthew. Areas were roped off, and wood was still chopped and piled among them. The storm hit just three weeks ago, and it's miraculous how quickly everyone's taken stock and moved forward. Around town, brush piled eight and nine feet high, but through all hours of the weekend, giant dump trucks with cranes and giant trailers attached were criss-crossing the island. Despite the loss of trees, there was astonishingly little damage to buildings. The most I heard of was flooding and minor roof damage in some cases. 

The show went on at Port Royal, and you got the sense that the show will almost certainly go on in the region as a whole. And for the Packard owner, the recovery may take just as long.



Check out all of the pictures from the 2016 Hilton Head Island Concours on the Unofficial Stig Facebook page. 

From Hearses to Hennesseys: The 37th Annual Concours d'Elegance of America

I thought the woman was going to have a stroke when I said I was really looking forward to the hearse exhibit at the Concours d'Elegance of America. She was giving me a tour of the Plymouth Historical Museum. The small Michigan town was host to its own slice automotive industry, after all. But hearses? She couldn't comprehend why I was so interested.

The hearses were only the beginning of what made this Concours special, though. The hearse category contained about ten examples of death chariots, from the late-Victorian horse-drawn era to the dazzling late-50s. The last car in the row was a Cadillac Landaulet, which sported all of the dazzle and excess that was late-50s Cadillac. It had the same huge tail fins and torpedo tail lights that graced the 1959 Eldorado. In fact, the same Cadillac also featured a special slide-out table for easy coffin loading, but even it wasn't exempt from decoration.

Hearses on display ranged from a horse-drawn, Victorian jewelry box to a ritzy 1959 Cadillac Landaulet.

Such niches in automotive enthusiasm have rarely been explored in any car event, let alone a Concours. The culture of the Concours is wrapped up in the shiny, dazzling, dust-free excess of the upper-upper class. But this particular Concours broke away from that, in more ways than just hearses.

The classic "flying B" hood ornament is a mainstay at any concourse event.

One of the biggest struggles within the car enthusiast community is the age disparity. "How do we get kids interested in cars?" is a question that's often thrown around. Even worse is the "kids just don't care about cars" nowadays troupe. This is of course a fallacy. But disparity between car enthusiasts is still a real issue. Unless you're a weirdo like me, who is interested in obscure Italian cars like the Fiat 8V, there's not much of interest, especially when a vast majority of show cars were built quarters-of-centuries before you were born.

Cars like this Austin Model 60 sedan are striking and historically-significant, but not especially appealing to the newest generation of car enthusiast.

Even for an (I'd like to think) open-minded enthusiast like myself, it's hard to connect with cars like the Duesenburg SJ or an Auburn Boattail Speedster. I can appreciate these cars for their fantastic engineering, and even their groundbreaking design, but I just don't connect to them as well. I feel like it's the same way for the youngest generation of car enthusiast.

When I was in the hotel lobby on Friday, I overheard a group of high school kids talking about cars. A Concours volunteer walked by and they immediately began asking "is the LaFerrari going to be here? What about the 918?" Thankfully for them, both cars were on the lawn on Sunday morning, and I'm glad the cars were there too.

Right up front, there was a rotunda of modern exotics: an Alfa 8C, a Lamborghini Diablo VT, the 918, the LaFerrari, and the crowds were huge.

I'll be the first to say I'm not a huge fan of contemporary hyper-exotics. For me, a lot of the flair is too much; it's overdone. But I remember what I liked back in high school, and I understand. These cars have always been the bedroom posters, and there they were at the Concours, just as promised.

2001, a Lamborghini Diablo VT. This can be called a "refresh," as Lambo didn't change their 1990 exterior design all that much. However Audi's new ownership of the company meant many bigger changes underneath the skin.

A pair of Alfas: the new 4C and the 8C from 2009.

So the organizers had the clincher, but they were still free to diversify even further. Early Japanese Sports Cars is not a category I expected to find in the cradle of the American automotive industry. Not when the domestic cars I spotted on the highways and city streets drastically outnumbered the imports. Not when I saw a bumper sticker that said "Be American, buy American ('else yer a socialist Obama-lover)" in the Henry Ford complex.

There were only a handful of cars in this category, but they were all supremely interesting. But these weren't cars that were entirely out of reach. They weren't one-of-a-kind; there was a Datsun 240Z. Furthermore, they weren't a hundred years old. They're cars that people my dad's age remember seeing on the road. And they're another group of cars that aren't often represented at car shows of this caliber.

A 1970 Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO (above) and a 1966 Hino Contessa 1300S are two Japanese sports cars that are truly one-of-a-kind in the US; both cars are the only known examples here.

In addition to the Japanese Sports Cars and the Hearses, there were Bonneville Salt Flats cars, 1960s Pro-Stock Hot Rods, Suburban Town Cars, and European Post-war cars, just to name a few.

It is said that over 10,000 people attended last year's Concours d'Elegance of America. I would be staggered if the number wasn't larger this year. I saw all kinds of people who turned out in the 90 degree Michigan summer morning to look at fantastic cars. I saw the kind of interactions that give me hope for a new generation of car enthusiasts. My new generation, ideally, is one that is interested in cars at more than face value. I want kids to be intrigued by cars, like I'm intrigued, whether it be their interesting historical significance, stunning design, or groundbreaking technology.

The interior of a 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic. It's almost plebian compared to the car's exterior design.

An ultra-rare Tucker 48 sedan. The Chicago car firm only produced 51 cutting-edge cars before mysteriously closing its doors.

A road-going version of the Lancia Stratos rally car.

This Concours was different from all the others I've been to in the past. It fostered an environment of learning, teaching, and acceptance of all different levels of enthusiasm: from a priceless Austin, to a Superlite SLC, to an Izuzu 112. Detroit may be the cradle of the American car industry, but it enthusiasm seems to be all-inclusive.


See more of my photos from The Concours d'Elegance of America below.