Cars, Community & Connection: Reflections on the 11th Annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Columnist Nicole Egan shares her experience at this year’s Concourse d’Elegance and what keeps her coming back to the annual celebration and showcase.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
There’s something about the gleam of polished chrome under September sun, and the shared reverence for automotive artistry that makes the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival more than just an event. It’s a gathering of hearts, histories, and horsepower.
Held September 12–14, 2025, this year’s weekend long motoring festival, culminating with the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday the 14th, once again drew thousands to the shores of Georgian Bay. There, vintage Ferraris, elegant Packards, and rare motorcycles stood not just as mechanical marvels, but as storytellers. Each vehicle carried with it a legacy — of innovation, of passion, and of the people who’ve loved them.
This year, the festival felt especially poignant for me. A few weeks ago, I lost my father. He was a lifelong car enthusiast whose joy was contagious every time he spotted a classic or reminisced about the Jaguar he once picked my mom up in, with milk crates for seats, restoration in process as it was.
Attending the Concours without the ability to spam him with photos of the incredible array of classics was surreal. But as I walked the green, surrounded by machines he adored, I felt him there, and I watched with delight other children of gear heads celebrate with their parents, their grandparents.
I felt deeply the connections between car enthusiasts and enjoyed overheard restoration tales, model toys sat aside real-life versions, artists sketching incredible machines, photographers getting the glint just right, while trying to avoid the very many obstructing views of these classic beauties.
That’s the magic of this event. It bridges generations, and there’s a wide variety of how enthusiasts enthuse if you will… from period attire to match their pride and joy, to fashionable fascinators, there is joy evident all over. It welcomes locals and visitors alike—from seasoned collectors to curious newcomers.
From Friday’s driving tour of the Peninsula, which saw many of my own neighbours in Big Bay out seated roadside to enjoy the show, to Saturday’s Cars & Coffee and Concours d’Lemons in Owen Sound, the festival is a place where a teenager from Toronto can bond with a retiree from Owen Sound over the intricacies of a V12 engine. Where children play beside European classic cars and volunteers greet you like old friends.
And it’s not just about nostalgia or aesthetics. The Concours continues to make a tangible impact. This year’s proceeds supported both the Brightshores Health System Owen Sound Foundation and the Sunnybrook Foundation – institutions that provide vital care to our communities.
Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance has raised over $1,125,000 for its charities, and that’s not including this year's event. To see automotive passion fuel such meaningful causes is a testament to what this festival has become: a celebration not only of cars, but of community.
As I left Cobble Beach this year, I felt a quiet gratitude. For the organizers who make it all possible. For the community that shows up year after year. And for the chance to celebrate my father’s memory in a place he would have loved.
Oh, and as for the winners (in my eyes of course they were all winners), here’s the recap:
🏆 Best in Show: 1938 Steyr 220 Roadster. Owner: Peter Boyle – Oil City, PA
🏆 Most Outstanding Pre-War: 1932 Duesenberg Model J. Owner: William Miller – Frankfort, IN
🏆 Most Outstanding Post-War: 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. Owner: Vernon Smith – Swift Current, NL
Until next year, may the roads be open, the engines strong, and the stories ever unfolding.
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
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