{"id":798217,"date":"2019-10-24T04:31:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T11:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bangshift.com\/?p=798217"},"modified":"2019-10-24T04:31:20","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T11:31:20","slug":"2019-keeneland-concours-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangshift.com\/bangshiftapex\/2019-keeneland-concours-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 Keeneland Concours Coverage: American Sports Cars Like Corvettes, Cobras, and More! Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Words and\u00a0photos by Doug Gregory) –\u00a0<\/i><\/strong>The 2020 Keeneland Concours will showcase the Corvette as its featured marque.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to go out on a limb and suggest that this might have the highest attendance\/participation of the Concours here since its inception.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The lawn will likely be trod on by many white New Balance shoes worn by folks wearing khaki and blue jean shorts.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

The Corvettes pictured pretty much speak for themselves, but my personal favorite would be the red \u201961.\u00a0 The late C1 with the stingray tail is hard to beat on the beauty scale.\u00a0 The dark blue cobra either had a very sick power steering pump or it\u2019s got a hefty blower under the hood.\u00a0 Judging by the pop in the exhaust note my money is on higher than ambient intake pressure.\u00a0 All the Trans Ams in this circle were awesome, but who wouldn\u2019t be more naturally drawn to the 20th<\/sup> Anniversary 1989 Turbo Trans Am.\u00a0 This car not-so-secretly broke the long-held tradition of GM not allowing any vehicle to have more horsepower than the Corvette.\u00a0 Certainly not the first time something left the factory underrated to maintain the Vette\u2019s top-tier status, but to do it by shoeing in a sister division\u2019s 3.8 liter turbo V-6 makes it so much sweeter.\u00a0 Two years after the demise of the Grand National and GNX Pontiac rolls out one last blast of the era\u2019s Buick Turbo 6 juggernaut.\u00a0 I have a friend that offered to sell me his several years ago.\u00a0 He bought it new and still had the unapplied decals wrapped in plastic.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t running right and we determined the ignition was kaput.\u00a0 I balked and it went to an enthusiast in Indiana.\u00a0 Oh well.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 This group also gets to make a show pick for their favorite and they chose this gleaming white early \u2018Bird.\u00a0 Getting the next generation involved in the love for vehicles is the only way our gearhead hobbies will continue to survive.<\/p>\n

This black Ford GT is the first I have seen in person.\u00a0 Certainly impressive, but IMHO doesn\u2019t have an American flare to it.\u00a0 When it started and puttered off the lawn that sealed my initial impression.\u00a0 If you\u2019re primarily interested in top-end European supercars then this is likely your cup of tea.\u00a0 Retro GT heritage is not part of this build.\u00a0 Now with the Corvette going the European way as well will the Viper be re-released one day looking like an Italian thoroughbred?\u00a0 It\u2019s not that far-fetched.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Either by slight or lack of awareness the fact the first three years did not have external door handles escaped me.\u00a0 Yep, in true early sports car fashion those were not part of the early models.\u00a0 It was an epiphany moment for me to say the least.\u00a0 I have no clue how I have skipped over reading or noticing that detail.\u00a0 We never get too old to learn something new or not so new.<\/p>\n

If you have the chance to attend the Keeneland Concours I highly recommend doing so.\u00a0 It\u2019s 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.\u00a0 This event also serves a great cause \u2013 the Kentucky Children\u2019s Hospital.\u00a0 Come on out and perhaps I\u2019ll even get a photo of your ride.<\/p>\n

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