The Concours in the Hills, held in Fountain Hills, Arizona, has become a keystone event in Arizona car culture. Aside from bringing out some of the most elite supercars and classics in the region, it promotes charitable causes: Registration proceeds support the Phoenix Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders as well as the Cardiothoracic Surgery Fund. Here is a link to a story about last year’s event.
Peter Volny, who launched the Concours in 2014, shared some statistics about the history and reach of the event: To date, it has raised $450,000 for Phoenix Children’s, and this year it brought out about 1,000 vehicles. Following a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Peter announced that those vehicles had a combined estimated value of about half a billion dollars ($500 million). That claim is probably something that relatively few car shows around the nation can make.
Five warbird planes did a flyover to kick things off at 10 a.m. — just one example of how the Concours consistently goes above and beyond to make the experience unique for everyone who attends. Best of all, spectator registration was free. To give a quick glimpse of the variety of vehicles on display, we’ll showcase one vehicle from each decade from the 1940s through the 2010s.
1940 Ford DeLuxe Convertible
Model-year 1940 Fords were known for their streamlined styling: the Art Deco, prewar look had a Lincoln-inspired, horizontal-bar grille. The DeLuxe was one of the first Ford models to adopt sealed-beam headlights that were faired into the fenders. Power came from a 221ci, 85-horsepower, flathead V8.
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible
Any “Tri-Five” Chevy is a popular feature on The ClassicCars.com Journal, so we knew you’d appreciate this 1957 Bel Air convertible in eye-catching red. The Bel Air was, of course, renowned for its extensive chrome, its bold tail fins, and the introduction of a powerful (for its time) fuel-injected 283ci V8 engine.
1963 Volkswagen Beetle
The beloved “Herbie” Disney movie franchise, dating back to 1968 with “The Love Bug,” was all about an underdog racing car — a vehicle that since become a pop-culture icon. The German compact had a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-four and remained in production for over 60 years.
1979 Honda Civic
The first-generation Civic, produced from 1973 through 1979, was known for its incredible fuel efficiency and simple design. You may have seen Andy Reid’s recent story on a car like this. The innovation behind the engineering had to do with what Honda called CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion), which allowed it to meet emissions standards without a catalytic converter.
1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SL
The final and most refined iteration of Mercedes-Benz’s classic R107 roadster had a 5.6-liter V8. It was known as a luxurious grand-tourer for its time, often accompanied by a removable hardtop in addition to its retractable soft top. The owner of the car was not available to comment on the plush teddy bear that appeared to be out for a parade ride.
1995 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo
The Z32 was a legendary, wedge-shaped 1990s sports car. Its twin-turbocharged V6 (dubbed the VG30DETT) was capable of 300 horsepower and 283 lb-ft of torque. The Z could be uniquely optioned for its time, featuring removable T-tops, Bose audio, and a HICAS rear-wheel-steering system. This Cobalt Green Pearl 300ZX was originally delivered to Universal City Nissan in Los Angeles and stickered at over $43,000, including its optional leather upholstery.
2000 BMW Z8
BMW’s aluminum-bodied luxury roadster was produced from 2000 through 2003. Only about 5,700 units were built, and about half of them came to the United States. It had the same S62 4.9-liter V8 that powered the M5 sedan of the era. If this car looks familiar, it’s probably because you saw it in the 1999 James Bond movie “The World Is Not Enough.”
2012 McLaren MP4-12C
The MP4-12C boasted a number of important innovations for its time, including a carbon-fiber mono-cell chassis with dihedral doors, as well as hydraulic “ProActive” chassis control. It was powered by a mid-mounted, 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that was capable of propelling the car to 60 miles per hour in only about three seconds.
We look forward to seeing how the Concours continues to grow and evolve — it’s a definite feast for the senses that gets better every year. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
