Photography by Tim Suddard
You should go here.
Now in its sixth year, the Old Town Festival of Speed & Style, presented by Burke & Herbert Bank, deserves to be a destination event in the concours scene. The event, held this year on May 18, is set in charming Old Town Alexandria, along the Potomac River and right near Washington, D.C. This site reminds us of the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel, California, or the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival concours, two events we dearly miss.
While visiting this event for the first time, we were pleasantly surprised by both the quality of cars and the venue–not snooty yet, at the same time, very high end. Open-air cafes and live music staged throughout provide a relaxing backdrop for gawking and talking classic sports cars.
The 100-plus-car field offered something for nearly everyone, from the humble English Ford Anglia to a Lamborghini Miura. Ferrari and Jaguar were particularly well represented.
This event features more than just a car show as the weekend also includes a fashion show, a Saturday gala and a driving tour the night before.
There is no age limit for cars at this event, and we saw late-model Ferraris and even a Miata race car. Some of our favorites were a pristine BMW 2002 Turbo, an Irish Green Porsche 911S and Lotus Esprit Turbo.
Logistics are fairly easy, too. We stayed about a mile away at the Hotel AKA Alexandria and found street parking a block from the field. You could also easily take a train to a nearby station and then hop a free shuttle provided by the show.
We made the event a two-fer by attending the Carlisle import show the weekend before. It’s just a little more than two hours away. And once at the Old Town Festival of Speed & Style, we found an event worthy of attending again.
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