06/06/2004 THE BUFFET

THE BUFFET

By JOHN GRAFMAN

You know, for the kids! Big kids and little ones, the Huntington Beach Concours has something for everyone. At what other concours are you likely to find both a '69 Vette and a '69 Schwinn three-speed? Bart McGrath, event chairman, and the staff of this event are staying the course, and have kept true to their roots. Created as a means to benefit the Children's Library in Huntington Beach, they still put the kids first after all these years. Now, while custom bicycles and parrot shows may seem to be an odd mix with a normal concours, this cocktail of new and old goes down well, thank you very much.

Thrown into this year's blend is a generous dose of classic Vincent motorcycles. These are the baddest of rides. As seen through today's eyes, these machines are the coolest of the cool. Dark and mysterious, tough and classic are just some of the thoughts that come to mind upon admiring these hip machines from a bygone era. I can just picture Marlon Brando or Steve McQueen tooling around town and scaring the bejesus out of anyone and everything. One can only imagine what kind of reaction they received in their time.

In spite of the bikes, parrots and motorcycles, as well as food and music, all of this added a welcome, unique flavor to the event.

The large helpings of automobiles really are more than satisfying. This event contains an overdose of Porsches. We therefore shouldn't be the least bit surprised in this venue becoming selected as the permanent home of the Porsche Club of America's Orange Coast Region's very own Porsche White Gloves Concours (PWGC). If 911s are your taste, this is the place to be. They seem to have one in virtually every flavor.

Speaking of flavors, GM has been dishing up the Corvette for over fifty years and the Concours had tasty samples on hand to enjoy. Several of the models from the sixties set against some more current variations remind us of how the world has changed so dramatically, some for the better and some for the worse.

Of course, the affair had a sampling of foreign motorcar classics from the French Delehaye to the Japanese neo-classic Z from Datsun (Nissan). While the event in Huntington had a little bit of something for everyone, the downside of trying to physically squeeze it all into the grounds was a challenge for the event planners.

The HB Concours still remembers its roots. This well-rounded hearty meal was certainly not an event ordered off the kids' menu. Dig in!

More can be found on this event at www.hbconcours.org