Rare collections of automobiles get public exposure at Vail Concours

For automotive enthusiasts, Eagle County is a driver’s nirvana – provided you ignore the traffic and year-round construction on our beloved interstate highway. Off I-70, the Vail Valley has uncrowded stretches of curved and scenic highways that are among the best in the country, making for four-wheeled magic during the all-too-short summer months. Take a run on Red Mountain Pass or cruise up to State Bridge on Highway 131, and you might feel like you’re on an episode of “Top Gear.”

It’s the perfect setting for a local car community that features dedicated gearheads and certified car nuts, with well-established collectors and even a certain, part-time Bachelor Gulch-based Formula 1 champion quietly thrown into the mix. And warmer weather means a range of opportunities to catch a glimpse of those thoroughbred automobiles, including this September’s Vail Concours event, as well as the hide-in-plain-sight spectacle of the Colorado 1000 and its legions of $20-million-plus, pre-1960s autos.

Vail Concours organizer Mark Bergman, who also spearheads the informal, monthly Cars and Coffee gatherings here and in Summit County, says there’s something absolutely unique about automotive culture in Vail.

“Vail car collectors are rather private and understated, so we appreciate any chance we get to see these magnificent cars that they own,” Bergman said. “Some have 16 Porsches in their collections, others have a couple of Maseratis they might use as a daily driver. They’re all people who love to drive cars, but you don’t see many people here who are flashy and like to show off.”

The Concours, a free, public car show held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 17, represents one of the best chances to experience the automotive treasures found in some of those semi-secret local collections.

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Understanding the visceral appeal of the automobile may still be a stretch to those who see a car as a family-hauling appliance, but for dedicated auto fans, cars can stir up some serious feelings.

Take, for instance, the local legend of Bob Ruder and his notorious “brown car” – a pristine 1973 Porsche 911S, done up in distinctive Sepia Brown. Ruder, whose family homesteaded in the upper Gore Creek Valley in the 1880s and was himself born in the Gilman hospital, has been driving in Vail for more than six decades. His vintage Porsche, as well as his slightly more modern, whale-tailed 1996 993 Twin Turbo, in eye-searing Guards Red, has always been a fixture at the Concours’ predecessors, the Vail Automotive Classic and Eagle’s Wheels and Wings.

Ruder’s immaculate 1970s long-hood 911 speaks to the lore of classic sports cars, those hand-crafted long before EVs or parking lots full of hulking, seemingly identical SUVs. As Ruder says, anyone can go see a new, high-dollar supercar at a Denver auto dealership; a real enthusiast vehicle is a completely different story, with an appeal that’s far more organic. That’s part of the reason he loves to bring his Porsches out, rather than keep them locked away.

“The brown car has 99,000 miles on it, which isn’t bad for a 50-year-old vehicle,” he said. “It’s a wonderful, magnificent and very fast car, from the era before emissions controls and safety bumpers. And the 993 was the top of the food chain and the end of the era for air-cooled cars.”

Craig Heaydon, another well-known local auto enthusiast, is also dedicated to spreading the joys of automobiles. The Australian native’s collection of cars stretches into two continents, but when he’s at home in the valley, he’s often out sharing the story of his “Magnum P.I.”-styled 1979 Ferrari 308 GTB, which he purchased 20 years ago. He also likes to display his supercharged Lotus Elise, a tiny, intense sports car that requires yoga-styled dexterity to get in and out of.

“I think we have good car culture here, something that covers the whole spectrum,” Heaydon said. “There are a lot of young guys turning up in their newer Japanese cars at our Cars and Coffee meets, and we’re trying to nurture that next generation. We try to welcome everyone to any local events.”

Heaydon says he’s encouraged by the number of female automotive enthusiasts in the valley, including his wife, Julie, and the ever-increasing number of women who attend events like the Concours with their Audis and McLaren sports cars.

“The nice thing about these events is that it doesn’t really matter what you bring – you don’t need to show off,” he said. “Some people will bring an old Mazda RX-7, and others will come in a new Porsche GT3 RS, worth $280,000.”

Bergman, who came to the valley in 2016 to serve as the CEO of the Vail Board of Realtors, drives a 3-Series BMW, but puts his personal enthusiast energy into a 2006 Mazda Miata, which he’s turbocharged.

“It’s not stupid fast, but it more than doubled the horsepower. That makes it great for the summer drives we’re doing with the Cars and Coffee groups – we’ll take Fremont Pass and head over to Frisco, or eight or 10 of us will do a much longer drive over Guanella Pass and end up in Georgetown.”

Run with the help of both Vail Resorts and the Town of Vail, the highlight of the Vail Concours event is a day-long show next to the Eagle Bahn gondola, featuring everything from World War II Jeeps to classic 1960s muscle cars. The Concours features three days of driving and social events for registered participants, many of whom now travel from out of state to attend. It’s also a fundraiser, with benefits going to the Vail Valley Foundation Community Fund and the Epic Promise Employee Foundation.

“We added the Concours name in 2022 to give ourselves some national recognition, but we’re not a white glove-styled concours event like you’ll find elsewhere,” Bergman said. “Anyone can register and show their vehicle, be that a lovingly restored Chevy Blazer or a classic motorcycle.”

Meanwhile, sharp-eyed auto enthusiasts will also get a few brief moments to see the tail end of this year’s Colorado 1000, as drivers head through Lionshead on the afternoon of Sept. 15, before their vehicles are secreted off in transport trucks. The private road event, which traverses the state’s back roads with some of the most expensive classic automobiles in the world, begins and ends in Vail.