Subtle Style Enhanced Exotic Car Extravaganza

The quaint town of Winter Park, just miles from Orlando, became a haven for new and exotic, rare and unusual high-end autos and those who enjoy them. Through the tireless effort of co-chairs Joyce Crabtree and Bob Tallgren, and planning and coordination by Exquisite Foods' Tim Webber, the fifth annual Winter Park Concours d'Elegance, a weekend-long event filled with galas, tours, receptions, and, of course, cars, took place at various locations throughout the Winter Park and surrounding areas.
Festivities actually kicked off on Thursday, October 19 from 6 PM to 9 PM at the Scott Laurent Collection on Park Avenue (Winter Park's main drag) with an artist's reception and unveiling of renowned automotive artist Stephen Bach's event-related poster painting.

At 7 PM the next evening, the Seminole Harley-Davidson in Sanford hosted a casual fund-raiser and welcome reception Wheels & Keels. Silent and live auctions, which benefitted Angel Flight Southeast, a charity that arranges free transportation for those in need by private aircraft to distant medical facilities, were set up and held inside the facility. Motorcycles and black leather couches branded with Harley-Davidson's logo served as minimal but appropriate decor. Outside, local caterers and restaurants offered tastings of dishes such as pepper-crusted tuna from the Westin Grand Bohemian Orlando, curried cream cauliflower soup, Vietnamese beef with avocado served on a silver spoon, and marinated mushrooms atop goat cheese on crostini from Luma on Park. Blackwater Bar-B-Q served mini pulled pork sandwiches, while Exquisite Foods made jambalaya. The Wine Room, Blue Martini Orlando, Tim's Wine Market, and Pierre's Wine Cellar offered wine and martini bars, and EVS Florida Group Inc. served up coffee and espresso from a bar branded with the Harley-Davidson logo. Naturally, cool old cars, antique boats, and a $1.2 million bus from Millennium Luxury Coaches were on the grounds for guests to view.

Saturday's activities began with breakfast at Dexter's of Winter Park and then a driving tour, which concluded with lunch. As evening fell, guests dressed to the nines and headed to the Mercedes-Benz of Orlando dealership for the fifth anniversary black-tie gala. Webber dotted outdoor areas with show cars, bars, and tall round tables dressed identically to the main room—ideal for mingling. The main event took place in a covered area behind the dealership. Multiple tables dressed in black-on-black box pattered linens with camel-colored, textured suede overlays (reminiscent of elephant skin) and topped with a variety of floral centerpieces from Jonathan's Flowers Wines & Chocolates were placed on both sides and in front of a small stage, where the Bobby Mercer Swing Band played throughout the evening. As a giveaway, bottles of wine were placed at each seat. For dinner, Exquisite Foods created a buffet under an adjacent tented structure. Guests dined on heirloom tomato and Caesar salads, lobster bisque or corn and crab chowder, paella, potatoes, roasted spring leg of lamb, and Madagascar peppercorn-crusted beef. For dessert, guests indulged in a chocolate decadence bar, a station filled with assorted sweet treats.

Sunday's grand finale was the culmination of all the lead-up events. By 7 AM, participants had parked their prized automobiles up and down Park Avenue, which had been closed to traffic. New and classic, common and rare Ferraris, Bentleys, Mercedes-Benzes, Jaguars, Corvettes, and even a 1948 Healey Westland (the predecessor to the Austin Healey) were situated among sponsor and charity tents for all to see. Some vendors, such as Infinity, rented wearable outdoor ad screens from Gotcha Mobile Media to tell their story. Local shops got in on the action by donating merchandise to a midday fashion show held in the center of everything in Central Park. But truth be told, the focus was on the autos. At 3:30 PM, an awards ceremony began. The winner for Best of Show? The 1948 Healey Westland.

—Shari Lynn Rothstein