Screaming Fords at Kirkland Concours d'Elegance

Compared with its high-tech-center neighbors--Bellevue and Redmond--the town of Kirkland, Wash., is relatively unknown. But Kirkland is where the vibrant car-collector scene in the area is shown at its best each fall at the Kirkland Concours d'Elegance.

And while you may not have heard of Kirkland, you've probably heard of its famous Pacific Northwest weather--not the best, you'd think, for outdoor car shows. But when the weather cooperates, as it usually does for this event--the eighth annual--the comfortable temperature and filtered sunshine make ideal conditions for car displaying and viewing.

It was not just grand older cars that graced the grounds of Kirkland's Carillon Point on the shores of Lake Washington. Many of the Pacific Northwest's most recognized individuals in classic-car collecting and vintage-car-racing circles, are the driving forces behind this event, and they and their fellow concours volunteers--yes, volunteers all--gathered an impressive group of classic automobiles and vintage race cars to the shore of Lake Washington.

Racing was represented by “Screaming Fords,” the featured class for this year's show. Several significant Ford-powered cars were on display, headlined by selected GT40s, GT350s and Cobras. At precisely 11:45 a.m. that Sunday, the shores of Lake Washington, which have often echoed with the roar from unlimited hydroplanes, echoed again with sharp crack of the nine original GT40s firing up at the same time, joined in by a few other Ford-powered cars whose owners just couldn't resist contributing to the great sound.

The concours raises money for Seattle Children's Hospital and Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, the favorite charities of the Northwest special-car world. The Kirkland event joins the annual Pacific Northwest Historic races as one of Children's biggest one-day fund-raisers. The concours's pre-event gala and two-day Tour d'Elegance, which concluded with a visit to Woodinville wineries the previous day, combine to make a fulfilling weekend for car aficionados.

Carillon Point is not a large venue so it's special to get an invitation to show your car there for the Kirkland Concours. Just 100 cars were in attendance from as far away as Texas and Alaska. In addition to the Ford-powered racers, a variety of cars and motorcycles were joined by several vintage race boats.

Best of Show was awarded to Peter & Merle Mullen's 1937 Delahaye 135-M Figoni-Falaschi.

By Martin Rudow