Kirkland Loses the Classic Car Show Concours d' Elegance to Tacoma

Kirkland’s highly regarded vintage car show Concours d’ Elegance will move next year to the America’s Car Museum in Tacoma.

The volunteer board of the non-profit Kirkland Concours agreed to legally transfer ownership to ACM after the ninth annual Concours event earlier this month at Kirkland’s .

Regarded as one of the best vintage car shows in America, the news is being met with disappointment by Kirkland civic leaders and classic car buffs alike.

“Of course we’re disappointed,” said Bill Vadino, executive director of the , which lent administrative and volunteer support to the show. “But the event leaves a nine-year legacy of about $1.5 million donated for uncompensated care at and Seattle Children’s hospitals.”

The 2012 “Phil Smart Kirkland Concours d’Elegance, presented by America’s Car Museum” will take place Sept. 9, 2012 at ACM’s Haub Family Field in Tacoma.  The 3.5-acre show field has ample room to accommodate all of the Concours’ classic coupes, sedans and sports cars.

“As a board, our goal has always been to insure the long-term viability and significance of the Kirkland Concours,” Jeff Clark, chairman of the event, said in a press release. “Partnering with America’s Car Museum gives the Concours a home that’s at the heart of the collector car community in the U.S.”

The board has agreed to remain as a working Founders’ Committee to assist with the transition and production at the new location.

This year's packed event on Sept. 11 featured all kinds of vintage autos, from beautiful Corvettes from the 1950s and '60s to incredibly restored Stutz Bearcats from the Roaring '20s to 100-year-old Pierce Arrows. It also featured what some consider the most famous car in the world, the 1962 Aston Martin DB5 featured in two James Bond movies. Ray Scherer of Westlake Village, CA., took Best of Show honors with his stunning 1911 Simplex.