It’s high time we talked about the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival differently.
This automotive celebration, nestled in the heart of the “Scenic City,” has steadily grown in national prominence before our very eyes. Each subsequent year has brought fresh, new layers of family fun and excitement for participants and attendees alike.
Now, at its fourth year’s conclusion, we need to come out and say what many automotive enthusiasts already know.
The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival is one of America’s top automotive events.
They say numbers only tell half the story, but it’s an excellent place to start. Regarding financial impact, the Chattanooga Tourism Co. reports the Festival drove over $9.4 million into the local economy in 2022.
Not only have attendance figures grown, but so has the palatable energy you feel when strolling around the venue. Smiles are everywhere, families are having fun, and car enthusiasts are staring in wide-eyed wonderment at the prominent cars on display.
But, the best may be yet to come for this Fall event.
Festival founder Byron DeFoor, a Chattanooga developer and racer, said the 2023 event included 60-70% of his ultimate vision for the Motorcar Festival.
More Than Concourse d’Elegance
There is more to the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival than sumptuous Ferraris and the celebration of Concourse d’Elegance level automotive design. The true heart of this Festival is supporting neuroscience research.
Proceeds from the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival support Alzheimer’s and neuroscience research through the Fifty Plus Foundation, Inc. The two beneficiaries of the Foundation are the Neuroscience Center at CHI Memorial and the Neuroscience Innovation Foundation.
CHI Memorial Neuroscience Institute’s multidisciplinary team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, advanced practice providers, and therapists offer quality care for patients with a wide range of severe brain and spine problems.
Their collaborative approach is unique as all their neurology, neurosurgery, and endovascular specialists work as one group focused on delivering advanced neurologic care.
The Neuroscience Innovation Foundation supports professional medical education and lecture programs by outstanding research scientists and clinicians.
Another critical aspect of the Foundation’s Mission Statement is encouraging job and community economic development by facilitating the creation of urban biotech districts.
And finally, the Foundation also provides grants to hospitals to purchase advanced medical equipment for their Neurology service lines.
Luftgekühlt
For 2023, there were several new Festival features to entice the eye and spur your imagination. One of which was the pop-up version of Luftgekühlt.
Luftgekühlt means “air-cooled” and is often used to refer to a curated celebration of air-cooled Porsche road and racing cars.
This pop-up display was brought to the Festival by world-famous automotive Photographer Jeff Zwart, Southern California creative director Howie Idelson, and the Le Mans winner Patrick Long.
The static display showcased Porsche Racing prominently as a three-dimensional work of art. The innovative free-standing piece drew scores of Porsche owners and spectators to it.
Night Time Celebration
The Festival’s energy went up as the sun went down on Friday night. With a fun first day of events already in the books, the crowd seemed eager for more, and they weren’t disappointed.
As the first guitar licks filled the outdoor speakers, the 80’s new wave band, The B-52s, got everyone in the dance party mood. For the next 90 minutes, the band showed everyone why they have the reputation as “The World’s Greatest Party Band.”
The Athens, Ga.-based band brought their greatest hits to life as their music reverberated among the highrises of the West End. Three city blocks full of people turned the Chattanooga venue into a literal block party.
The band did their part as they ran through their greatest hits, which included “Rock Lobster,” “Private Idaho,” “Dance This Mess Around,” “Roam,” “Deadbeat Club,” and, of course, “Love Shack.”
To take the visceral experience up a notch, multitudes of lasers bounced beams of vibrant light overhead. The concert alone was worth the weekend admission price and part of what makes this Festival unique in the country.
Saturday night brought an elegant outdoor fundraiser to the city streets. The “Please Unlock My Brain” event was a wonderful culinary experience but also insightful into Alzheimer’s and neuroscience.
Mecum Auction
The Mecum Auctions, billed as The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction, returned to the Chattanooga Convention Center for two days. Final 2023 totals aren’t available, but we expect the results to be comparable to 2022.
For 2022, Mecum Chattanooga posted $21.2 million in sales, an increase over the inaugural event’s 2021 figure of $18.7 million.
This year, consignment positions were limited to 600 entries. Mecum says the last couple of years have been unprecedented in price growth in the collector car hobby.
Here are the top ten vehicles purchased over the two-day event.
- #1 – $203,500 – Riley Daytona Prototype IMSA Racer – 5.0L V-8, 6-speed
- #2 – $203,500 – 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Custom – 5.7L V-8, 6-speed
- #3 – $176,000 – 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 3LZ convertible – 5.5L/670 HP V-8, Automatic, 23 miles
- #4 – $167,750 – 2022 Mercedes-Benz G550 – Twin-Turbo 4.0L V-8, Automatic, 15,393 miles
- #5 – $145,750 – 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 – 6.2L/755 HP V-8, Automatic
- #6 – $121,000 – 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – Supercharged 6.2L/840 HP V-8
- #7 – $115,500 – 2016 Porsche 911 Turbo S – 3.8L Flat-6
- #8 – $112,750 – 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible – Dual-Quad 282 CI V-8
- #9 – $105,600 – 1990 Ferrari Testarossa – 4.9L/385 HP Flat-12, 5-Speed
- #10 – $104,500 – 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible – 396/375 HP V-8, 4-Speed
Uncompromising Success
With the eye-catching golden-laced Westin Hotel serving as the focal point, the 2023 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival was an uncompromising success.
The weekend’s activities were so diverse and in-depth that a single article doesn’t scratch the surface of the experience.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t touch on the special NASCAR exhibition hosted by Ray Evernham, the drift demonstration by Adam LZ in his 800 Hp, 2023 RTR Spec 5 Ford Mustang, or the curated J. Williard Junior Ferrari Collection.
Also, Saturday was American Car Club Day. Hundreds of classic American cars of every type lined the streets of the West End, from restored classics to a display of historic NASCAR stock cars.
Live seminars beamed out on numerous jumbotron TVs throughout the weekend. Guests at these seminars included Ray Evernham, Chip Foose, David Hobbs, Bryan Redman, Lyn St. James, and Tom Cotter.
In addition to the show downtown, Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six group took over the under-two mile Pace Grand Prix at The Bend for speed track action Friday and Saturday. The track was packed both days with spectators.
Of course, Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance was not to be missed. Hagerty Insurance considers this event among America’s best, and for good reason.
The competition was next-level intense, with about 40 judges and more than 100 cars.
Another fascinating part of the entire Motoring Festival is the impressive collection of Ferraris that attend each year. These invitational cars are some of the most significant Ferraris ever built.
This totally immersive, all-encompassing experience compels us to talk about this event differently.
Quite simply, The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival has emerged as one of the best automotive events in the country.
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