2019 Hilton Head Island Concours Features The Classics
Sunday’s Concours D’Elegance
Hilton Head Island, SC, Sunday, November 3, 2019 — A rare 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet appeared on the showfield at the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours D’Elegance today. It won the hearts of the judges as it was picked as the Best of Show, a high honor for collectors of fine vintage motorcars. It is one of only three cars ever known to wear the rare Norrmalm coachwork. And it is the only Mercedes-Benz that Norrmalm ever did.
The ultra-rare and desirable Mercedes 540K is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Jepson, Jr. of Savannah, Georgia. Earlier in the concours it was also awarded the Carolyn Vanagel Best Rolling Art award.

What a beautiful day for a car show. It was the final day of the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours. Show goers swarmed the fairways near the clubhouse at the Port Royal Golf Club, a beautiful sight for people who really appreciate vintage metal. Cars-On-Line.com was on hand to capture the event in photos and videos for its readers. The pomp and circumstance surrounding the judging for the Concours D’Elegance was impressive. Over seventy judges were involved in determining the Best In Class awards. But only one car could be chosen the Best of Show.
Tap the video window to review Sunday’s concours through the lens of our cameras. (Video by Bob Boberg of eClassicAutos.com)
Two other cars won top honors at this year’s concours. A 1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk owned by Mark James, won the Paul Doerring Best Production/Performance Award, and a 1953 Jaguar XK120SE owned by W. Ronald Gaertner, M.D., won the Best Road & Track car award. Here is a slide show of the top award winners.
Although only a few cars could win the top awards, there were many here today that won awards in their class. This is one of the true historic events in the U.S. The vintage classic cars you see here you may never see anywhere else. Here are some of the Best in Class winners on the showfield at Hilton Head Island.
Yesterday, the show grounds were full of historic automobiles as the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours opened at the Port Royal Golf Course on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The Hilton Head Island Concours D’Elegance and Motoring Festival always draws some of the most unusual collector cars in the world. With Dennis Gage, of the TV show My Classic Car, as Master of Ceremonies, the Car Club Showcase was held here on Saturday. It was a judged event with Gage handing out trophies to the top cars.
Here are some of the top cars we saw on Saturday.
As the Car Club Showcase is a major attraction here for the Saturday show goers, we watched as some amazing collector cars crossed the podium to be awarded their prizes. Here is some video captured by Bob Boberg of eClassicAutos.com.
Part of the history of this area around Savannah and Hilton Head Island, SC, has its roots in racing. During the weekend prior to the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours activities were already underway in Savannah, Georgia. As a warm up for the Grand Concours next weekend, the Savannah Speed Classic brought collector race cars from all over the country to compete in SVRA Vintage Racing on The Grand Prize of America Road Course. As a preview of the big concours next weekend, Cars-On-Line’s car show team was on hand to cover the vintage racing here. Watch for photos and videos from the Hilton Head Island all week.
Here is a video of some of the action we saw last weekend.
The Grand Prize of America Road Course is located at The Club at Savannah Harbor (a part of The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa.) Situated on Savannah’s Hutchinson Island, the venue overlooks the Savannah River and the city’s famed River Street in the historic district.
Be sure to bookmark this page for more daily coverage of the Hilton Head Island Concours D’Elegance and a weeklong preview of the historic event.
For information on the times and ticket prices for events here on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, follow this link to the Cars-On-Line.com Car Show Calendar of Events.