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Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance 2011

Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance 2011 Marks its 45th Year Anniversary

This year's hallmark charity event will feature over 300 vintage and collectable cars on exhibit

The 45th Annual Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance will be held on Sunday, June 26th from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM at Stanford University's Sand Hill Road Athletic Field, located at the corner of Sand Hill Road and Pasteur Drive.

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Established in 1967, the Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance is a fun day for the entire family…live music, soft beverages, wine, beer, food court, souvenirs, prize drawings, Tiffany & Co. silent auction, and hospitality canopies to stay cool and mingle with friends. Produced by the Palo Alto Lions Club, the event features rare vintage and collector cars.

This year's featured American marque is the Flathead Ford ('flathead' refers to the vehicle's unique engine configuration) built in 1953 and earlier, and the featured European marque is BMW. In addition to the exclusive marques, there will be special exhibits of environmentally-friendly ‘green’ cars (full electric, hybrid gas/electric, and high-MPG gasoline & diesel vehicles), and exotic supercars. A special exhibit of very rare Bonneville Land Speed Record Cars as well as the Gallery of the Greats vintage race cars and flathead powered hot rods will be on display. Several rare Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles are also expected to be at this year’s event.

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Different from a ‘show and shine’ car show, the Concours d'Elegance is a judged event with entries of various classes evaluated on many criteria, including the quality of the restoration, adherence to the original manufacturer specifications, rarity, and uniqueness of the vehicle. Qualified judges from the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) evaluate the automobiles with trophies being awarded based on these criteria.

To encourage involvement of local car clubs, there is a Car Corral where club members can gather and enjoy a day in the sun among like-minded people. And, for someone looking to buy a vintage or unique vehicle, the event includes a ‘Cars for Sale’ lot adjacent to the Concours field.

Admission: Children under the age of 12 are admitted free of charge when accompanied by parent or guardian, students with student body card pay only $10, and adults pay $25 (adult discount tickets can also be purchased online for $20 prior to the event).

All net proceeds from the event provide funding for the American Diabetes Association, as well as a multitude of Palo Alto Lions Club local community charities.

Additional information is available on the Concours website at http://www.paconcours.com.

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