Concours 2011 – Red Mill Museum Concours d ‘Elegance

 On September 10, NNJR Concours hosted the second annual Red Mill Museum Concours d‘Elegance. This event was an outrageous success, with over 50 Porsches in attendance. Fortunately, we were bestowed with reasonable weather in light the horrible rains that dominated late August and early September. People came from as far north as the Hudson Valley and south to Philadelphia. Cars ranged in age from as far back as 1957 up to 2011. Almost the entire lifespan of the Porsche automobile was represented. This event was also open to the public and over 200 people came to the event to enjoy the beautiful vehicles on display. The location of the Mill along the Raritan River allowed the vehicles to be majestically displayed and provided an incredible back drop for some magnificent photography.

 Judging for this event is always a daunting task. But our team of seasoned NNJR judges made light work of the vast field of cars. There were a total of seven classes to be judged and roughly 30 of the 50 entrants choose to be fully judged. The judging staff included; Bob Knapik, Phil Stern, Jeff McFadyen, Ed Neighbour, Rick Barrack, Jerry Manna, Paul Muir, Fred Simonson, Steve Kroeger, Ed Vasquez, Stu French, and Warren Gisser. A special thank you goes to Marlys and Dennis Thovson. Marlys, as always, worked tirelessly at our registration table while Dennis photographed the entire event. Now it is time to present the winners.
 The 356 class consisted of 6 entrants. The class was broken down into early and late 356 models. In the early 356 class, Lake Underwood II took second place with his 1957 356 Speedster. First place was won by Jeff McFadyen and his beautiful 1957 356 Outlaw. Jeff’s car has been sweeping all the Concours events across the country this year including the Porsche Parade. In the late 356 class we had the remaining four entrants. Taking an honorable mention was Greg Spreeman with his 1965 356 coupe. In third place was Bill Oldenboom, a beautiful 1964 356 coupe. Second place went to Jim Crawford with his outstanding 1962 356 coupe. First place was won by David Deluca and his stunning 1962 twin grill roadster. Overall the 356 class had a group of beautiful and competitive cars.
 In the early 911 class we had an interesting group of cars. Taking the third spot was Mark Morrissey with his 1978 rally look 911. In second place was Yale Evelev with his beautiful metallic blue 1970 911. The first place trophy was taken home by Ed Neighbour and his stunning black 1978 911 coupe.
 The mid 911 class saw our largest number of entrants for the event. This is always one of our most competitive classes. Taking the honorable mention was Jerry Manna with his incredible 1984 speedster turbo. The third place trophy went to Nick McGreevy and his super clean 1989 Silver Anniversary Edition 911. Fred Simonson took the second place trophy with his gorgeous 1989 turbo look cabriolet. Winning the class and taking home the first place trophy is national champion Bob Knapik with his always perfect Guards Red 1989 911 coupe.
 The late 911 class consisted of a group of beautiful 964’s and 993’s. Coming in third spot was Peter Freid and his 1997 911 coupe. The second place winner was Paul Muir with his silver 993 Carrera S, and the first place position was won by John Griffith and his gorgeous 1994 Guards Red 964 Speedster.
 Since water cooled cars are now becoming the most abundant class at our Concours events, we now have a water cooled 911 class. This class was shared by 996 and 997 body styles. In third place was Rich Waddell and his lovely Macadamia Brown 911 Carrera S. The second place position was won by Joe Smith and his stunning blue 911 Carrera. The first place trophy was taken by Rick Barrack and his highly polished black 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. Rick has dominated the Novice class this year. He has shown a sharp eye for detailing and consistently produces a winning car at every event.
 Lastly, in the 928/944 Class we had some beautiful cars on display. In second place trophy was earned by Kevin Brown and his well prepared 1988 944 turbo. The first place winner was Phil Stern with his always competitive 1987 928.
 A special thanks to Flemington Porsche who was kind enough to sponsor the event and bring out several new Porsches for everyone to enjoy. The GT2RS was an especially nice touch.
 There you have the big winners of the Red Mill Museum Concours d ‘Elegance. I look forward to next year’s event with the goal of making this the premiere Porsche Concours in the Northeast. We are well on our way.
 Looking forward to the remainder of the NNJR Concours Season, our next event will be held on November 5 at Flemington Porsche. Our guest will be The Dent Man who will take care of those nasty parking lot dings. Following on November 13 will be at ID Signs to go over proper preparation of your car for winter storage.