Log in

Concours in the Hills rolls out Feb. 8

Posted 1/20/20

The current benchmark for high-performance cars is to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, but Concours in the Hills has gone from zero to 950 in just six years.

To clarify …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Concours in the Hills rolls out Feb. 8

Posted

The current benchmark for high-performance cars is to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, but Concours in the Hills has gone from zero to 950 in just six years.

To clarify that, the first show was in 2014 but six short years later, in 2019, there were about 950 cars on display. In fact, the show has broken records in all four categories each successive year, growing to an estimated 25,000 spectators, 108 dealers and sponsors, and over $155,000 raised for Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

The show was started by Peter Volny, a 15-year Fountain Hills permanent resident and lifelong car aficionado. While there were many car shows across the Valley of the Sun, they were all held in parking lots where the cars were close together and it was difficult, if not impossible, to prevent non-show cars from having access. If someone left their SUV or pick-up truck overnight, visitors might have a million-dollar Ferrari or vintage muscle car next to it, creating a rather interesting scene.

Concours in the Hills is now the largest car show of its type in Arizona, drawing entries from all over the state and as far away as California, Nevada and Colorado. Volny attributes the success to the venue in Fountain Park, which he thinks is the most beautiful spot for a car show.

The show is not a formal “white gloves” concours. It’s designed to be a fun event to showcase a wide variety of domestic and imported vehicles and provide an opportunity for car lovers to meet new people and make new friends. The show is arranged by vehicle brand to encourage exhibitors to make those new acquaintances. Awards are given for Best Domestic, Best Import, Best of Show and Best Car Club Display.

One obstacle as the show grew its boundaries was entrants who didn’t want to be in the “boondocks” on the outer edges of the show. This was countered in 2017 by inviting the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation to fly in their genuine Vietnam-era Cobra Gunship Helicopter, around which the organizers parked 31 Cobras, attracting huge crowds.

In 2018 the United States Marine Corps flew in the current version of the Cobra, called the Viper, so naturally there were a group of Vipers arranged around that and even larger crowds gathered.

In 2019 there were five helicopters on display, and more are expected in 2020. There is now also a large military vehicle section.

The show is officially declared open by a group of famous racing car drivers who live in the Valley. For 2020 this includes two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, Daytona 24 Hour winner Didier Theys, F1 driver Derek Daly, Indy-Car Champion Paul Tracy, Indy-Car Driver Lyn St. James, and Mirage Driver and Team Owner Harley Cluxton. They will announce, “Gentlemen, and ladies, start your engines” at which time all the cars fire up and rev their motors, which Volny said may actually register on the Richter scale.

The 2020 Concours in the Hills will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8, and organizers are hoping to break all the records yet again. Vehicle entries are $60 while spectators are free. Owners can register at givetopchf.org/concoursinthehills.

The 100-percent charity show is owned by Scuderia Southwest, which also organizes the monthly Scottsdale Motorsports Gathering which is commonly called Cars & Coffee.

For more information, visit the website at concoursinthehills.org.