A Festival of Classics

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: May 2024

In America 110 years ago, technology was meager, financial ruin was one downturn away, war was ongoing in Europe, and Americans walked everywhere (or took a streetcar if they lived in cities.)

On the bright side, Charlie Chaplin made his film debut, Babe Ruth did likewise on the baseball field, and The New York Times reported that the women of 1914 were “becomingly and decently clad; and that evening dress, in spite of the eccentric broadening effect at the hips, will be gratifying to the eye.”

In France, one of the most historically important race cars of the 20th century was built – the Peugeot L45 Grand Prix Racer. These automobiles ushered in the use of a dual overhead camshaft engine, a feature that can be found under the hood of almost every modern-day race car. Designed by the renegade geniuses known as the Charlatans, their brilliance lay in their ability to imagine, and then execute the entire technical package to effectively increase their racing advantage. The car raced in the Indianapolis five times, finishing third in 1916 and notably was also raced by World War I ace and subsequent owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Eddie Rickenbacker.

The Peugeot L45 is among the 85 classic cars on display at “Classics in the Park” in Highlands’ Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on June 8. The centerpiece event of the Highlands Motoring Festival, these vintage cars represent a meaningful reflection on the history of the last century in the US, and the importance of how we tell the stories of that past.

For those whose passion is automobiles, nothing is likely to beat the excitement of the chance to wander through acres of historic cars and participate in auto-related events spread out over the four-day festival, June 6–9.

What began in 2008 as a simple single day car show, the Highlands Motoring Festival is today an entire ‘holy’ weekend for the motoring faithful. Voted Best Concours by Classic Motorsports Magazine in 2019, it’s one of the South’s most esteemed automotive events.

The festivities kick off on Thursday and continue with full throttle excitement until Sunday. Highlights of the weekend are four exhilarating driving tours, designated as technical rallies designed to give drivers a chance to experience the mountains, and the Friday evening’s Main Street Parade, which historically includes 100 mostly antique and show cars.

Organizers are particularly excited about the Saturday evening gala at the Vineyard at High Holly, hosted by this year’s Grand Marshall Bill Warner, founder, and chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The final act of the weekend is the free ‘High Octane’ social and car gathering at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Sunday morning at 8:30 A.M.

The festival is organized by community volunteers and all proceeds go to local human needs charities. For full details, visit HighlandsMotoringFestival.com.