Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance announces new judges, Rolls-Royce/Bentley focus for 2019

By Bill Hayward

Chief Judge Phil Neff of the 2019 Greenbrier Concours d'Elegance.
Phil Neff, Chief Judge. Photo: Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance.

Two Pennsylvania-native vintage car experts will lead the team judging 100 pristine classic cars at the second annual Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance, set for May 3-5, 2019, at The Greenbrier, a prestigious resort in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.

Organizers also announced that the 2019 event will include a featured class for automobiles from celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Joining the Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance team as Chief Judge is Phil Neff, a veteran judge of concours competitions. A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Neff’s extensive experience in the field has included showing, rallying, and judging cars at events across the U.S. Currently, Neff serves as director of research at the collector-car valuation firm USAppraisal.

Neff’s past involvement in the concours world has included chairing the car selection committee for 100 Motor Cars of Radnor Hunt in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and serving as operations director for Elegance at Hershey (2011-2012). He has also collaborated on books published by Coachbuilt Press, a Philadelphia-based custom publishing firm specializing in high-end automotive titles.

“I’m extremely excited about this new opportunity,” Neff said. “The Greenbrier is a special place that has a long history with the automobile industry. The inaugural Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance in 2018 was a huge success, and we’re looking forward to building on that foundation.”

Joining the Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance team as honorary chief judge is automotive historian, writer, and retired marketing professor Dr. Paul Sable of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. An avid collector specializing in cars from the 1950s, Dr. Sable has judged at nearly every major concours event in the U.S., according to the Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance organizers.

In addition to the featured class for Rolls-Royce and Bentley, the 2019 Greenbrier Concors d’Elegance will showcase 100 distinguished vehicles, against the backdrop of what organizers call the resort’s “iconic front entrance,” in ten other classes, including:

  • ​Brass Era Cars
  • Classic Cars
  • Pre-War Production Cars
  • Post-War Production Cars
  • Foreign Sports Cars
  • Exotic Sports Cars
  • American Sports Cars
  • Preservation Cars
  • Race Cars
  • Muscle Car

Although concours d’elegance events have a reputation for an exclusive perspective on what constitutes a classic automobile, the list of 2018 winners, with vehicles spanning the 1911 through 2017 model years, attests to the broad scope of the Greenbrier competition. Champions for the 2018 inaugural event, which also grouped vehicles into 11 classes, included:

  • Brass Era Cars: 1911 Stanley Steam Car, Model 63 owned by Eric Arbuckle
  • Classic Cars: 1928 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS owned by Peter Boyle
  • Pre-War Production Cars: 1934 Swallow Sidecar (Jaguar) SS1 Saloon owned by Carl Baxter
  • Post-War Production Cars: 1953 Mercedes Benz 220 Cabriolet A owned by Martin Stickley
  • Foreign Sports Cars: 1960 Triumph Italia 2000 GT owned by Alan Anspaugh
  • Exotic Sports Cars: 1966 Ferrari 275GTB owned by John Gerhard
  • American Sports Cars: 1957 Ford Supercharged Thunderbird owned by Marvin Hill
  • Preservation Cars: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette owned by Mark Davis
  • Race Cars: 1957 Ferrari 500-TRC owned by David Carte
  • Muscle Cars: 1967 Ford Shelby GT350 owned by Hunt Palmer-Ball
  • Vipers: 2017 Dodge Viper owned by Bob Miller

Applications for the 2019 competition are currently open on the Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance website. To be considered, vehicles must meet specific criteria, including being at least 30 years old and “of the highest quality.” The online registration form provides additional details about the selection criteria and process.

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