(Words and photos by Doug Gregory) – The 2020 Keeneland Concours will showcase the Corvette as its featured marque. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that this might have the highest attendance/participation of the Concours here since its inception. My logic behind this is not only based on the proximity to the origin of Corvettes for several decades, but also the huge following of the automobile in Kentucky and surrounding states. The lawn will likely be trod on by many white New Balance shoes worn by folks wearing khaki and blue jean shorts. This last album for the 2019 event features several of the breed as well as some special-edition Trans Ams, early Thunderbirds, and a few other 2-seaters.
The Corvettes pictured pretty much speak for themselves, but my personal favorite would be the red ’61. The late C1 with the stingray tail is hard to beat on the beauty scale. The dark blue cobra either had a very sick power steering pump or it’s got a hefty blower under the hood. Judging by the pop in the exhaust note my money is on higher than ambient intake pressure. All the Trans Ams in this circle were awesome, but who wouldn’t be more naturally drawn to the 20th Anniversary 1989 Turbo Trans Am. This car not-so-secretly broke the long-held tradition of GM not allowing any vehicle to have more horsepower than the Corvette. Certainly not the first time something left the factory underrated to maintain the Vette’s top-tier status, but to do it by shoeing in a sister division’s 3.8 liter turbo V-6 makes it so much sweeter. Two years after the demise of the Grand National and GNX Pontiac rolls out one last blast of the era’s Buick Turbo 6 juggernaut. I have a friend that offered to sell me his several years ago. He bought it new and still had the unapplied decals wrapped in plastic. It wasn’t running right and we determined the ignition was kaput. I balked and it went to an enthusiast in Indiana. Oh well.
The Keeneland Concours folks have a youth judging and mentoring program to introduce kids into the world of shows of this sort and the process of judging the vehicles according to stringent standards. This group also gets to make a show pick for their favorite and they chose this gleaming white early ‘Bird. Getting the next generation involved in the love for vehicles is the only way our gearhead hobbies will continue to survive.
This black Ford GT is the first I have seen in person. Certainly impressive, but IMHO doesn’t have an American flare to it. When it started and puttered off the lawn that sealed my initial impression. If you’re primarily interested in top-end European supercars then this is likely your cup of tea. Retro GT heritage is not part of this build. Now with the Corvette going the European way as well will the Viper be re-released one day looking like an Italian thoroughbred? It’s not that far-fetched.
Lastly, I have been around Corvettes most of my life and thought I knew a good bit (not an expert) about them, especially the first three generations. Either by slight or lack of awareness the fact the first three years did not have external door handles escaped me. Yep, in true early sports car fashion those were not part of the early models. It was an epiphany moment for me to say the least. I have no clue how I have skipped over reading or noticing that detail. We never get too old to learn something new or not so new.
If you have the chance to attend the Keeneland Concours I highly recommend doing so. It’s a trip off the beaten path for most of us who are drawn more to drag racing, cruise-ins, or any form of hot-rodding tomfoolery. This event also serves a great cause – the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Come on out and perhaps I’ll even get a photo of your ride.
