It’s my job to know about sports cars. and through many years of owning and driving stuff, I’ve picked up a nugget or two of information. So it came as a real surprise to hear teens swap details on a vintage Ferraris and Jaguars at the recently held Palos Verdes Concours in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Truth is, I’m no longer much of a concours guy. Maybe it’s burn out, seeing the same old cars, or NOT seeing the cars as crowds swarm around them, snapping the obligatory selfies.

I go to concours now to network with the owners, picking up on a great story or two, hearing about interesting automobiles.

But I had an epiphany during a Sunday morning visit to this event a short, twisty drive from home, brought about by my voyeuristic interaction with these same pressing crowds.

A stone’s throw from the Pacific, it’s warmer than Monterey, and in my eyes prettier, due to the tropical palm trees and bougainvillea. Set on the Los Verdes golf course and now perhaps its permanent home, this gem of a car show is rapidly escalating into the place to chat with owners and spectators alike, about some of the finest cars in the region.

Worth every penny of the modest admission fee, a special nod to the mostly volunteer staff scattered around. They were a knowledgable crew quick with directions, obviously interested in making sure you got from place to place, and that all the attendees stayed safe in the unseasonably hot weather.

“Look daddy, a horsie”, as she lightly traced the Black Prancing Horse with one tiny finger.

Suddenly shamed into realizing they didn’t hold this concours for me, they held it for the crowds, for the people that don’t jump in and out of exotic cars on a weekly basis. They held it for dads to pass on tiny nuggets of information that may one day influence a child’s future buying decision.

Concours have become outdoor museums for the youth of today, growing up in the era of the soon to be self-driving vehicle, and I heard many a father give a history lesson to a young boy or girl (yes, even little girls seemed interested when dad was do the narration).

Concours exist to connect the past with the present, at the intersection of “where we’ve been” meets where we’re going” and educates us all why automotive preservation is just as important as the ABC’s.

Held in September, make your way to this continually growing event, and make sure to take your kids!

Dave