The Audrain Automobile Museum presents the inaugural Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week coming to Newport, Rhode Island on October 3rd -6th, 2019.
Having long celebrated being the epicenter of sailboat racing, Newport has also hosted distinguished tennis, golf, coaching events, and polo matches. Early origins of auto racing stem from Newport as well; in one of the first sanctioned track races in our country’s history, Willie K. Vanderbilt raced his wealthy friends and fellow pioneering gear-heads in the Vanderbilt Cup at Newport’s Aquidneck Park horse track, where the Newport State Airport now resides.
Newport truly is the backbone of grand sporting. Not only was Newport a trailblazer in sporting at the turn of the 20th century, it has also hosted events such as the America’s Cup, the U.S Amateur Golf Championship and the first ever Summer X Games in 1995. Today, Newport stands as a beacon representing America’s luxury sporting activities.
With all of this history, and help from their Event Chair, world renowned collecting, restoration, and culture expert, Jay Leno and their Concours Chair, Donald Osborne, noted classic car historian, consultant, writer and television personality, the Audrain Automobile Museum is proud to add another chapter to Newport’s extensive book of automotive and sporting fascination.
Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week 2019 will be the first of an annual event which aims to enliven the story of the automobile and its racing history in the northeast region of our country.
Newport’s history is unmatched when it comes to luxury and elegance. Some of the country’s most elite families like the Vanderbilts, Astors, Belmonts, Goelets, and Dukes vacationed here during summer months. It established Newport as the East Coast’s original coastal resort town. Events during the Motor Week will take place at Newport’s most breathtaking venues, some of which housed these influential families, including The Breakers, Rough Point, The Redwood Library, and the National Museum of American Illustration. These historic venues are nationally recognized and are the epitome of luxury, providing a scene incomparable to any other. The organic relationship between the opulent history of Newport and the city’s fascination with the automobile will be proudly displayed and celebrated throughout the week.
Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week has been created to unite a passion for cars with the opportunity to help the community. The Concours & Motor Week’s main purpose is to help support state and local non-profit organizations such as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Boys & Girls Club-Newport County, and The Autism Project. In addition, proceeds from the event will go to help Veterans, the senior community, support local police and fire departments, local museums as well as the historic societies and infrastructure of Newport and the State of Rhode Island.
With the support and assistance from the Preservation Society of Newport County, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Salve Regina University, along with car enthusiasts, luxury car brands, venue partners, and supporters in Newport, Audrain is able to execute one of the highest quality events that the community has ever seen, and raise money to increase the local economy.
The Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week has proudly partnered with the International Tennis Hall of Fame as the host of the “Concours & Motor Week Village.” The Village will house celebrity symposiums featuring expert automobile collectors and celebrity guests including Jay Leno and Donald Osborne. The Village will also be home to a world-class classic car auction, automobilia, car displays, an A-list concert, merchandise, and more.
Vehicles will be carefully selected and vetted to participate in the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, October 6th. Those chosen vehicles will also participate in the Tour d’Elegance in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge as part of their 50th Anniversary celebration. We are also proud to announce the first ever “30 Under 30 Concours d’Elegance”. This will be an opportunity for car enthusiasts 30 years of age and younger to showcase their cars that have been built with $30,000 or less. Jay Leno, with a group of other car experts, will judge entrants and present the trophy to the winner of this inaugural event. The Motor Week will be comprised of various ticketed and non-ticketed events, bringing together car enthusiasts of all ages and families alike, in celebration of Newport’s history of the automobile.
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