By Wolfgang (Sonny) Lott
It is Friday, September 12, 2025 and I’m in the Cobble Beach Golf Links Community, just north of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. The 11th Annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance long weekend, begins today with the annual tour of the participant’s cars, so I’ll start with that…
I) The Tour d’Elegance
The Tour d’Elegance, formerly known as the Participant’s Tour, happens today. This event showcases some of the Concours entrants on a real road driving course, which starts in Cobble Beach, goes south through Owen Sound and then crosses the peninsula to Sauble Beach, and then runs north into Wiarton for a lunch stop. Participants then drive east to Big Bay then south, back to Cobble Beach. About two hours of driving and 114 km in distance.
Those cars participating in this Tour receive a ribbon and should there be a tie during Sunday’s Concours judging, the nod would go to the participating car.
Now, I love the actual Concours d’Elegance event, but the Tour – seeing and hearing classic (and usually, rare and expensive) automobiles drive off on a real road tour – well, it just might be my favourite part of the whole weekend of events.
Rumour had it that one entrant in particular – the rare 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort “Bill Gates” car – would be participating. I was there to find out. Driving along McLeese Drive on the long approach towards the Club House, I could see that quite a few beautiful classics were parked and ready to go. No 959 though. “Ah, well”, I thought, “Maybe too much to hope for”.
This Friday promised to be perfect and pleasant. At 9:30AM, it was still cool, but the abundant sunshine was warming things up nicely. Parking in the Club House parking lot, I caught a glimpse of a silvery profile in the distance, just in front of the Club House, and thought, “Is that it”? Quickly, I got my camera ready and walked towards the Club House. There, parked in the shade of the Club House, right out front, was the “Bill Gates” 959 Komfort…gorgeous car!
Porsche unveiled the 959 in 1983 as a concept for Group B (Rally) Racing. Initially, a homologation car (200 units), Porsche produced road-going models from 1986 to 1988, making just 337 cars.
Key features of the 959 were:
- 2.8L twin turbo flat-six engine making 450hp and six-speed manual transmission,
- innovative “PSK” all-wheel drive system,
- aerodynamically optimized bodywork and
- hollow spoke magnesium wheels.
In 1992/1993 Porsche produced 8 more 959’s – these have since become the most desirable (and expensive) 959’s.
You’ve may have heard of this “Bill Gates” 959 before, but if not, here’s a brief summary.
In 1988, Bill Gates ordered his 959 from Porsche, probably paying about US$225,000. At the time, the 959 was not compliant with United States’ NHSTA and EPA regulations. So, when Gates’ 959 arrived at the Port of Seattle, WA, in 1988, it was seized and impounded by U.S. Customs. It was held for 13 years, while Gates and other Porsche enthusiasts, including Bruce Canepa, lobbied the U.S. Government for changes in legislation.
Gates paid a fine of US$28.00 per day (as well as US$500.00 per year to retain his claim on the 959) during this entire 13-year period. So, Gates paid, approximately, US$139,360 over the 13 years just to retain his claim on the car!
In 1999, legislation finally changed and the “Show and Display” exemption was passed. In 2001, the 959 was finally “released” and Washington State issued licence plates.
Seeing this (famous, rare, expensive and historical) 959 and knowing it was taking part in the concours and the driving tour, well, it made my day a little brighter. I believed this gorgeous 959 would fare well in its judged class. It is now listed as belonging to a private collection in Ontario. Note: on the Sunday, day of the Concours, the 959 won 3rd in its Class and also, the Ingenuity Award.
Also parked in the Club House driveway, was a stunning and immaculate 1999 Bentley Continental SC (I’d never seen this model before) owned by Tony Burgess of North York, Ontario. The “Sedanca Coupe” is a limited production version of the Continental T, with a removable targa-roof panel over the front seats and a total of 79 cars were built: 6 with the Mulliner package (a bespoke level of customization, with exclusive colours, materials, and features curated by Bentley’s artisans). Of these, only 48 were left hand drive. This gorgeous Bentley took 1st in its Class on Sunday.
Then, parked on McLease Drive near the Clubhouse driveway, I found a remarkable car—a 2020 Ford GT Carbon Edition (owned by Lorne Heise of Algonquin Highlands, Ontario), painted a custom Pallet Blue with silver trim. It features a 3.5 litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine making 660 hp and a 0-60 time of 3 seconds. With it’s 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, carbon fibre wheels and titanium exhaust system, it is designed for the track. In the Concours, this car took 1st in its Class (Modern Supercars & Exotics 2005 to Present).
Also visible down the street, I spied a 2006 Ford GT in Heritage Edition trim (Gulf blue and orange livery) owned by Andrew Schuller of Granton, Ontario. These cars are bigger, wider and taller than the original GT40s. They began production in 2004 and were produced through the 2005 and 2006 model years. Reportedly, Carroll Shelby had input in its development. The car is powered by an aluminum, supercharged 5.4 litre V8 making 550hp and 500 ft/lbs of torque. 4,308 cars were made with 343 having the Heritage Edition trim with Gulf livery (similar to the 1969 Ford GT40 that won Le Mans).
While photographing the 2020 Ford GT, the Porsche 959 moved into the street and parked behind the GT…another moment making my day!
At 10:05 AM, I photographed a cute, quirky, white convertible driving by…a car I had never seen before. I swear, the car, coming towards me (something about the grill configuration) looked as if it wanted to kiss me! As it drove by, I noticed the rear badging…it was a “Kaiser Darrin”. It looked like the driver’s door slid into the car body! Quickly, using Google on my phone, I discovered this was a 1954 Kaiser Darrin 161…a unique and rare (only 435 cars were produced) little American roadster. My interest spiked and I’ll tell you more about this car later. It would be displayed in the non-judged Women in Motion Class.
Further down McLeese Drive, I discovered a very nice, unique 1963 Fiat 600D Multipla, in magnificent condition owned by Matteo & Julia Giancaspro, Springwater, Ontario. I’d never seen this model before either. Reportedly, this is the first 6-seat Italian car made and was originally used by the owner’s grandfather (in Italy) for work. Many years later, he left Italy and emigrated to Canada, leaving the Fiat to decay in a garage. Although he’d told his family to scrap it, an uncle took it and restored it, taking the 600D to many car shows in Bari and Milano. Many years later, the family in Ontario acquired the car and imported it to Canada in 2022. It’s truly a generational heirloom. It was shown in the Pre-1980 Micro Cars & Compacts Class and it won 1st in its class on Sunday!
At 10:41 AM, the Tour d’Elegance began and the participating cars drove along McLeese Dr., turning right up Cobble Beach Dr. There were many transport trucks (and trailers) parked on Cobble Beach Dr., at my usual spot… so I had to scramble to find an alternate location. Just in time, I managed to photograph them heading out of the community and commencing their road tour. I noticed quite a few residents hanging out on their front porches to witness it all. The sights and sounds of these classics were definitely smile inducing.
II) Concours d’Lemons & Cars and Coffee
Both these events are held on Saturday morning in the River District of Owen Sound, south of Cobble Beach. Both are open and free to the public.
The Cobble Beach Concours web site describes the Concours d’Lemons thusly:
“This tongue-in-cheek event celebrates the quirky, mundane, and truly unique aspects of the automotive world and is part of Hagerty’s partnership with the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The Concours d’Lemons honours aesthetic and technological underachievement, showcasing the oddball vehicles that automotive enthusiasts adore”.
I love the small signs that Hagerty scatters throughout – irreverent and funny.
The Cars and Coffee event (as described by Cobble Beach Concours):
“This event welcomes individuals with vintage, exotic, and collectible vehicles 25 years and older to participate in an extraordinary automotive weekend. Saturday’s Cars & Coffee showcases a diverse array of vehicles celebrating the spirit of automotive enthusiasts. Proud owners of stunning collectible cars will gather early, polish their prized automobiles, and connect over a cup of coffee”.
Both events have proven very popular, with sizeable crowds of people in attendance.
III) Concours d’Elegance
On Sunday, Sept. 14, the 11th Annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance was held. Arriving at 7:30AM, and walking through the gates, I could see, parked under the billboard display…the 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo Coupe. Orange and covered in morning dew, this Turbo Coupe was making its Canadian debut. Known as Project F-26, it’s a bespoke reimagining of the 993 Turbo, with a Rothsport Racing twin turbo, 4.0 litre air cooled flat-6, producing up to 1,000HP! Sigh, not on my beer budget.
Then, on entering the show field, I noticed a man prepping a beautiful automobile, displayed in Class 3 European Full Classic 1916-1948. This was the 1938 Steyr 220 Roadster…one of only three known to exist. Owned by Peter Boyle, Oil City, Pennsylvania, it’s a gorgeous burgundy over cream convertible, I remembered seeing this car at two previous Cobble Beach Concours (but I don’t believe it won its class then). The chassis was built in Steyr, Austria, and the body was built by Glaser in Dresden, Germany. It was a factory demonstrator shipped to Berlin in 1938, and had technology ahead of its time (full floating rear axle, wet-sleeve aluminum engine, 4-speed transmission and streamlined Art Deco styling). This year, the Steyr 220 won its class, was awarded Best in Show, and also won the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Rolling Sculpture Award.
The “Bill Gates” 959 looked gorgeous in the morning light, as did the Ford GT Carbon Edition.
The next car to capture my interest, was actually 3 cars…all displayed in Class 20 The Genius of Zora – CERV Concepts and Mid-Engine Desire. I had seen all of these cars before but never displayed together. I had to exercise patience as the three cars were surrounded by the Chevrolet crew members prepping the cars. They certainly looked good together on the golf green show field and one can clearly see their DNA now, in the new, mid-engined (debuted in 2020) Chevy Corvette C8:
1959 Chevrolet CERV-1
Closely resembles the open cockpit, open-wheeled race cars of the era and features a striking white body with blue top. It was built as a research tool for Chevrolet’s ride & handling investigations and provided Chevrolet with a test platform for direct studies into ride/handling behaviour under “amplified” conditions. The car was made in the Warren, Michigan, Chevrolet Engineering Centre, led by Chevrolet Staff Engineers under noted driver/designer, Zora Arkus-Duntov.
Weighing about 1,600 lbs., it’s powered by a rear-mounted, lightweight 283 cu. in. V8 that produces 350 hp (1 pound per HP!)
1964 Chevrolet CERV-II
This car was entirely a Zora Arkov-Duntov project that was painted white with some dark blue trim. I th0ought the chassis resembled the Ford GT40, with monocoque design and steel subframes to carry the suspension and engine components. It was built between 1963 and 1964, with the intent of developing a separate line of mid-engine racing Corvettes.
Although the project was terminated by management, Arkus-Duntov was able to complete one car, packed with technologies he thought would make a good race car The
original engine was a 377-cu. in., all aluminum, small block V8, making about 500 hp. It had Hilborn fuel injection and featured a 2-speed 4-wheel-drive transmission. Reportedly, this was the first time anyone tried to design variable power delivery to each end of the car that would vary according to vehicle speed. It must have worked as they reported a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds!
1990 Chevrolet CERV-III
This started life as a 1986 mid-engined concept called the “Corvette Indy” and was originally equipped with 2.65 litre twin-turbo V8, built for the Indianapolis 500. The car was later fitted with a contemporary 1990 engine. It was a 5.7 l twin-turbo V8 making 650 hp and 655 ft/lbs. of torque, allowing a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds.
The car featured a lot of high-end technology for the day including rear view parking cameras, a navigation screen, drive by wire 4-wheel steering with 4-wheel drive and a Lotus-developed computer-controlled active suspension system.
Also included were a dual disc braking system and a
a custom automatic transaxle that combined a 3-speed auto transmission with a custom 2-speed transmission resulting in 6 forward speeds. Unfortunately, the car was deemed too costly to mass produce in the 1990’s with sale price estimates as high as US$350,000.
However, just looking at it, it is probably the most beautiful Corvette concept ever, reminiscent of the Jaguar XJ220, with a carbon fibre body covered in a glass-fibre finish coating of blue. Beautiful!
Next door to these historical Chevys, was another interesting class display, 75 Years of Formula One and Grand Prix Cars. Although only 2 cars were shown, they were significant in racing history and bracketed the past 75 years of the sport.
The 1983 Williams FW08C was designed by Frank Dernie and was an evolution of the FW08 updated to comply with new regulations eliminating ground effects. This example is owned by Dean Baker of Bowmanville, Ontario.
The car is a flat bottom design powered by a naturally aspirated Cosworth DFV V8 engine displacing 2.93 litres and making 480 hp.
These cars proved very reliable but were less powerful than the turbo engines of the day.
Although disadvantaged by the power difference, Keke Rosberg managed a win in this car at the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix, a 2nd in the Belgian Grand Prix, and finished 5th overall in the World Driver’s Championship that year.
This car also holds the distinction of being the first Formula One car that Ayrton Senna tested at Donington Park in July 1983. The Williams FW08C is fondly remembered as a well-balanced and competitive car that achieved success against the more powerful turbo cars of the era.
1927 Bugatti Type 39/35B This car has been displayed in numerous Cobble Beach Concours, and I’ve always been drawn to its French Racing Blue colour (as have many others judging by the crowds it attracts)!
This particular example is owned by Mike Bigioni of Aurora, Ontario, Canada and is the ultimate 2.3 litre supercharged version of the famous Type 35. It is known as the “winningest car in racing history”. It was originally a factory team car in 1927 and is believed to have raced in the Spanish Grand Prix as well as the Grand Prix of Rome. It continues to be vintage raced to this day and won the first ever Canadian Bugatti Grand Prix at Mont Tremblant in 2013.
The 1954 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing (in the European Sports Cars 1946-1985 Class) was immensely popular with the crowds. It took time to get unobstructed photographs of the car due to the throngs of people constantly attracted to it. Perhaps it was the fact that it was displayed with the iconic gullwing doors open. Coachwerks (a Victoria, B.C., car restoration company with 3 decades of experience, specializing in Mercedes-Benz) is the owner. Resplendent in its silver paint over red leather interior, it won 1st in its Class and the Chairman’s Award.
The 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz (displayed in the Pre-1980 Hollywood Glamour Class) was also stunning. Owned by Vernon Smith of Swift Current, Newfoundland, 1958 was the last year before Harley Earl went “over the top” with Cadillac’s tailfins. This car reigned supreme among the chrome monsters of the 1950’s. It is enormous… 18.6 feet long, 6.6 feet wide and 4.8 feet tall. Rear-wheel drive and powered by a naturally aspirated 365 cubic inch (6 litre) front-engined V8 making 335 hp and 405 ft/lbs. of torque. Thrust is moved through a 4-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. There’s an interior on par with any luxury automobile of the era with every comfort and convenience Cadillac could provide. This deep red convertible (with white top) gave me one of my favourite shots of the show (framing the Cadillac in the foreground allowed me to capture some of the crowd and beautiful Georgian Bay-backdrop). It won 1st in its Class and the Outstanding Post-War award.
If you’re ever near St. John’s, Newfoundland, be sure to visit Vernon’s Antique Car Museum in Swift Current. He has quite the collection. Vernon has become familiar at the Cobble Beach Concours… 6 of his cars have won 1st in Class (from 2025 to 2017) and one of his cars took 2nd in Class in 2016. He sure seems to be doing something right.
In the Vintage British Motorcycles Pre-1980 Class, one machine caught my eye, as I had never seen one before: the 1948 Sunbeam S7. Made from 1946 to 1948, it was marketed as a luxury British tourer, known for innovative car-like engineering (featuring an inline twin 487cc OHC engine, Cardan shaft drive with worm gearing and plunger rear suspension). It’s owned by Kumal Verma, Bolton, Ontario. With its ‘balloon’ tires it was created for a smooth, quiet ride. Produced in limited numbers and only in black, it was expensive (its main competitor was the BMW R75) and initial offerings had some mechanical issues (the worm drive gear). It was designed by Erling Poppe and built at the Sunbeam factory, Redditch, England (under parent company, BSA). This bike won 3rd in its Class.
Another eye-catching bike on display was a very tidy Norton that stood out from the crowd and managed to garner a prize as well.
Ending up in Class 21 Women in Motion, I once again encountered that cute and quirky, little white Kaiser Darrin 161. Sporting “LADYDRRN” Ontario licence plates, this car is owned by Halska Weiss, of Toronto.
The 161 was designed by Howard “Dutch” Darrin and built by Kaiser Motors. Kaiser Motors operated in Willow Run, Michigan from 1945 to 1953. In 1953, Kaiser merged with Willys-Overland to form Willys Motors Inc., with all production based in Toledo, Ohio. In 1963, Willys Motors became the Kaiser Jeep Corporation.
The 161 was essentially a revamp of Kaiser’s Henry J compact car. It is notable for being the 2nd (after the Chevrolet Corvette) American car equipped with a glass-fibre body, and for doors that slide on tracks into the front fender wells. It was conceived to compete with the European roadsters being imported and sold, post WWII in the USA. Although an attractive car, it was underpowered and didn’t best the Nash-Healey or Triumph TR2. Priced at US$3,668, it also cost more than a Corvette (and the Cadillac 62 and Lincoln Capri luxury cars) but did’t perform any better. So, its high price, and the lack of consumer confidence in Kaiser’s viability. made it a poor seller. Only 435 Darrin 161s were produced. Crumbling corporate finances, the pending loss of assembly facilities in Michigan and a labour strike along with a terrible, freak snowstorm in Toledo, Ohio that buried and ruined 50 stored Darrin 161s) all conspired to end production.
There was a grand selection of other beautiful cars on display and the 2025 Cobble Beach Concours appeared, to me at least, to be quite heavily attended. Crowds of people milled about, enjoying the wonderful autos on display. Another great Concours show!
The 12th Annual Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance weekend will take place September 18, 19 and 20, 2026.