Concours d’Elegance Kenya

There is a number of classy motor events on the Kenyan motor calendar but the Concours d’ Elegance Kenya is at the top of the list. In this event, the entry is for owners of classic vintage cars and motorcycles from all over the world. The event attracts hundreds of motorists and spectators to admire the vintage machines parading on the green fields.

Concours d’Elegance 2013

For the second year running, CBA (Commercial Bank of Africa) will sponsor the Concours d’ Elegance motorshow. The Kenya Motor Sports Federation has already approved of this. The date  of the event is 29 September at the Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi. There will be 12  classes for cars  and  8 classes  for  motorcycles. This year’s machines will be judged on cleanliness rather than on originality.

“To ensure high standards of judging, the Concours entry list is limited to 70 cars and 40 motorcycles. We have already received two entries from Tanzania for this year’s event.” Concours secretary Lucy Mungai said.

Where it all started

Back when the means of transport on land was limited to horses and carriages, the aristocracy in France paraded the carriages for viewing on weekends and holidays during summer. This was in the 17^th century and with time, it became a noble pastime that was known as ‘a gathering of elegance’ or as it is in French ‘Concours d’ Elegance’. As time passed by and technology improved, the advent of motor cars made the Concours more competitive especially with many manufacturers fighting to be the best to get the attention of potential buyers. Today, there are Concours d’ Elegance events all over the world involving classic vintage cars and motorcycles.

To prove its popularity, the Kenyan event has seen entries involving vehicles registered in a number of countries in Africa, Australia, and Europe. This brings together some of the most magnificent machines that have retained the sheen of the past. Some of the special appearances involve vehicles manufactured before 1940. Some of the winners of the event are older vehicles such as Phoenix Aviation’s Ford 1929 Ford Model A which took the overall winner award in 2009.

The show is not only about an overall winner, there are also other categories to be contested and the competitors get to experience the vintage era as well as delight in driving their golden machines slowly down the judging lane. The inspection by the judges is somewhat a lengthy process especially with the cars to inspect increasing with every event, but this has since been regulated to 70 vehicles and 40 motorcycles to make sure the judgment is precise. The judges have to check the underside, the exterior, the interior and the machines under the hood or the trunk.

There is also a vintage motorcycle class, a sight to behold especially because the bikes manufactured 6-8 decades are incomparable to anything on the road today. The event also includes sales of the vintage machines and interested buyers can walk around and view the different paraded cars and motorcycles and strike a deal with the participant. The Kenyan Concours d’ Elegance might not be as excellent as the one in California, but vintage car lovers should watch this space.