2021 NER Concours Report

The annual NER Concours was held on Saturday, October 2, at The Elms in Newport, RI.  The Concours was held during the second Audrain Concours and Motor Week activities that took place September 29 – October 3, culminating on Sunday, with an international Concours d’Elegance held at The Breakers, the former summer residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.  The Audrain Museum has announced the dates of September 28 – October 2, 2022, for the next Audrain Concours d’Elegance and Motor Week.

The ability for NER Concours attendees to leave their Porsches on the lawn of The Elms until 6:00 pm after the conclusion of the NER Concours to visit nearby Audrain exhibits, including the motor Village and the Audrain Museum, was very helpful due to difficult Newport parking.

The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the coal industry. In 1898, he engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d’Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris.

The NER Concours included two categories: Full and Werks.  The Full category used traditional judging sheets, examining Porsche exteriors, interiors, storage compartments, engine compartments (where viewable), and wheels/wheel wells. Each entrant started with a perfect score, with point deductions for soil or uncorrected blemishes.  The entrants in class are ordered in descending point order.

Participants in Werks prepared their cars for the Concours. However, unlike traditional Full or Parade style judging, Werks judging considers not only the appearance but also the history of the car, its usage by the owners, and overall aesthetic appeal. By combining both subjective and objective elements, Werks judging creates a somewhat more relaxed environment and encourages participation by a wide variety of interesting Porsches. At Werks Reunions in Monterey and Amelia Island, everything is found from highly authentic restored cars, Le Mans-winning race cars, outlaw & hot rod style Porsche builds, and unique original cars.

The Concours had over 200 Porsches on the lawn, between Concours entrants and spectator Porsches.  Porsches began arriving at 7:00 am with volunteers, followed at 8:00 am by entrants.  Brewed Awakenings, one of our sponsors, was ready for all the early arrivals with free hot coffee and tasty breakfast pastries for purchase.   

Volunteers quickly got to directing the parking of Concours entrants in their respective classes, supervised parking of spectator Porsches to the designated area, and setting up the admin area and P/A system.  By 9:30 am, a judges meeting run by Head Judges Paul Whooten for Full and Lee Hower for Werks assigned the judge teams and provided final instructions.

Thanks to the many NER member volunteers, judge teams were able to begin the judging at 10:00 am and complete prior to 12:00 pm, as scheduled.  The awards ceremony commenced shortly thereafter.   Just prior to the awards ceremony Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports arrived with a 1956 356 red Outlaw coupe that his firm had delivered for the Audrain Museum collection in 2019.  The interior features tan leather speedster seats and door panels.  It has a 911 four-speed transmission and a fuel-injected cut-down four-cylinder 964 engine with 260 horsepower.  Rod gave a brief description of the build, as well as a similar previously delivered 1961 black 356 “Speedster” that was entered in the Concours, captivating the Porsche audience.

Our major sponsor, Porsche Warwick, was represented by Certified Brand Ambassador Kirk Stingle, who was awarded a first-place trophy in Werks for his 2021 Macan.  Other sponsors included South Shore Auto Works, Quonset Motor Sport, Grenon’s of Newport Fine Jewelers, and Brewed Awakenings coffee. 

South Shore Auto Works had an interesting car on display adjacent to the Concours field.  Quonset Motor Sport also had a nice display of cars.  Rick Lavigne of Quonset Motor Sport, selected Chris Dunn and his pristine 2004 white 996 GT3 for his special sponsor’s award. Grenon’s of Newport awarded a “Spirit of Speed” award to Sam Rauworth and his 2014 dark blue metallic Cayman S.

Concours trophies consisted of 7 ½” tall rectangular inscribed glass and base.  Complete Concours results are reflected in the accompanying tables.  The high quality of Porsches entered in the Concours was only in keeping with the impressive surroundings of The Elms and the beautiful weather.  Whether attendees were participating in the Concours or parking their Porsche as a spectator, an elegant time was had by all.  Many thanks to the numerous volunteers who allowed this event to function with timely precision, particularly to those who shared their enthusiasm and expertise by serving as judges for the Full and Werks categories.

Lastly, gratitude goes to the Concours Committee for the year-long planning and impressive execution of another fine NER Concours, including Bob Anastasi, Lee Hower, Paul Soares, Tom Tate, Sterling Vernon, Paul Whooten, Rick Boyer, John Fritz, Bob Hinrichs, Larry Levin, Roger Slocum, Kathy Tirrell, and Ginny Young.  See you at next year’s Concours!