To cars, with love: Passion runs deep at Concours

Asking Carolyn Sikes to pick her favorite car is like asking which of her children she likes best. The Atlanta-based collector has 10 cars, each with its own special qualities.

And names.

There's Elvis, the flashy red '55 Corvette; Jackie, the slinky taupe '72 Jaguar; and Miss Priss, the posh '72 Jaguar MK2.

Jackie was the first car in the collection, which began in 1972. Sikes, then 34, drove around town and flipped her dark brown hair when people turned to watch her drive by, not knowing whether gawkers were looking at her or the car.

"As time went on, the car became a classic and I just became old," she said. Today, the 75-year -ld still possesses a youthful zeal for cars and can spend hours telling stories about her fond memories in Jackie the Jaguar.

Sikes exhibited Jackie and Miss Priss, the MK2, at the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance at the Port Royal Golf Club. Now in its 13th year, the 10-day celebration of classic autos featured 180 cars at the Nov. 1 Car Club Jamboree and will feature 175 cars at the Nov. 2 Concours. The festival continues to draw bigger crowds each year. About 18,000 attended last year, and organizers expect this year's attendance to approach 20,000 people.

Like most collectors, Sikes has a deep appreciation for high-end cars and enjoys the camaraderie of fellow car enthusiasts. For some, the thrill comes from owning a significant or rare car, or one that they loved as children. For others, the fun is tracking down original parts and restoring cars to their just-out-of-the-factory glory. For all, there is a story, a spark that started their love affair with cars -- the first time they heard the throaty rumble of a Cobra's engine; when they spotted an old Thunderbird in the back of a junkyard -- that propelled them into the passionate world of collecting and exhibiting.

"There's a lot of pride in owning these cars," said John Tracy of Hilton Head. "I don't go anyplace where I don't have to stop and talk to people. And that's fun."

Tracy drives a 1951 MG TD, a two-door British roadster that he bought in college for $1,200.

On his honeymoon, Tracy drove his bride to Niagara Falls in the MG. He bought a 12-picture camera for the trip. When they returned, there were 11 pictures of the car and one of his bride.

Because collectors can be so obsessive about their hobby, their cars sometimes take precedent in relationships. Collectors go to great lengths to protect their cars, from parking in the most remote area of the lot, to tearing down garage walls to win more space to house them in temperature-controlled, dehumidified buildings.

Now 76, Tracy laughs at the Niagara Falls memory. His wife, Sue, "is very understanding," he said.

Cars were also the driving factor in Sikes' marriage. When Sikes, a lifelong car-lover, met Marvin in high school, he had a '55 Crown Victoria and a '52 Jaguar XK120.

"His friends told him I only dated him because of his cars," Sikes said. "I have to admit, it certainly helped."

Sikes takes the lead in collecting and Marvin, a mechanic, keeps her cars running.

"I like to tell people I take my mechanic everywhere I go and that he works for food," she said.

The prospect of being around like-minded gearheads is what keeps many collectors enmeshed in the hobby and attending car shows year after year.

"The car may get you there, but the people are what keep you there," said Alex Stetynski of Bluffton, who has attended the Hilton Head Concours for the past three years.

This year, Stetynski is exhibiting a 1965 AC Cobra, which was once owned by Bob Shane, the former lead singer of folk band The Kingston Trio. It is featured in the "Life of the Rich & Famous" exhibit at the Port Royal Golf Club. Stetynski will also show a 1968 Maserati Ghibli, a sleek Italian tourer in banana yellow. When he bought the car in April, it hadn't been driven in six years.

"I was afraid to start it," he said. He shipped it to a mechanic to have it restored.

For most car collectors, dream cars come from the past. And buying a used car that's three, four, even six decades old can come with a host of problems. Does it run? Do the brakes work? Will that brittle hose and those rusty bolts hold?

J.C. O'Steen, a collector and car restorer from Tallahassee, Fla., who has been an exhibitor and judge at the Hilton Head Concours for nine years, is usually on the lookout for rare car parts for low-production models.

"Sometimes the hunt is more fun than the catch," he said.

His first restoration, a 1961 Corvette, took 10 years. That was before Internet. Now, the World Wide Web has made locating spare parts and vintage cars easier. However, a restoration job is still an expensive, time-consuming investment.

Collectors are happy to tell you how cheaply they bought the car so-and-so years ago, but tend to shy away from revealing how much they shelled out to restore it, or what it's worth today.

Chuck Mistele of Bluffton spent three years restoring his 1936 Auburn and declined to say at what cost. The interior wood body had deteriorated and had to be almost completely replaced, as did the engine and the tires. If he didn't use the original pieces, he had them specially made to look like originals. It wasn't necessarily about the value, Mistele said, but about making the car look like it did when it first left the dealership. Now, when Mistele drives the Auburn around his neighborhood in Belfair, he said it feels "like a time warp."

Perhaps the most impressive restoration is Joseph Cassini's award-winning dark green 1934 Packard, which took 14,000 man hours and "years and years" to restore, the West Orange, N.J., car collector said. But it was worth it. The Packard won 2013's Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, arguably the Olympics of car shows.

Cassini is bringing the Packard and four other cars to Hilton Head's Concours. He is this year's Pinnacle Award winner, in recognition to his contributions to the classic car hobby, said Concours president Carolyn Vanagel.

His collection includes 16 autos, 12 of which are "pre-war" cars built before 1942. When Cassini began collecting cars as a college graduate, he was mostly interested in '50s and '60s cars like Corvettes, Thunderbirds and Jaguars.

"I'm a baby boomer. Those were the cars I grew up with," he said. "Collectors have a tendency to gravitate toward them."

Those graying collectors, mostly in their 60s and 70s, are usually attracted to cars that they loved as kids, said longtime Hilton Head Concours judge Lilly Pray.

There's also the nostalgia factor of family cars and the influence of parents who loved cars, she said.

Pray's father was an avid collector. At one point, he owned 72 cars, she said. "If I wanted to spend time with my dad on the weekends, it was in the garage."

Pray was bitten by the auto bug early and learned everything about cars from her father. As an adult, she traveled annually from her home in Boulder, Colo., to Hilton Head to spend time with him at the Concours.

Although he died last year, Pray is keeping the tradition alive and is returning as a judge this year. As a judge, she likes to see owners observing tradition, too.

"I look at how much time the owner has taken to bring back the authentic quality of the car," she said. "Every car has a history. It's the historical cars that have held on to their elegance."

Before row after row of eye-poppingly glamorous cars appear at the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival, there's nothing but a group of local volunteers and an empty field at Port Royal Golf Club.

About 50 people, called "class hosts," arrive at 6:30 a.m. each day of the weekend festival. They get the most updated version of maps that mark where each car will be parked. They collect any other paperwork and grab the chairs they will use to relieve their aching feet later in the day.

Then, car by car, they will direct everyone to the right spot.

Each volunteer is paired with a class of cars -- say the Corvettes, or the cars pre-dating World War II -- or a specific collector at the event. They make sure the collectors know where they need to be at all times. They can point people toward food or a restroom, and casually make sure the cars are seen but never touched. When the award parades start, they ensure the cars get to the parade field in the right order and on time. They get a bit of a crash course in the car's history and learn what's unique about it -- maybe it has ostrich upholstery or was the first of its kind to have factory-installed air conditioning -- so they can answer questions should the owner step away for a while.

Most of these volunteers are car aficionados themselves. A few are collectors, too.

"It's just a passion that I've had all of my life," said Richard Sell, who has volunteered 11 years. "I'm an engineer, so I enjoy the mechanics of it. I just love the whole concept of cars. It's always been something attractive to me."

They love seeing things they've never seen before, even though they've attended dozens of car shows in their lives. This year, they're looking forward to seeing the Concours d'Elegance's honored marque, the Jaguar. Volunteer Mike Nolte owns four Jaguars himself, so he'll be able to get an idea of what his cars will look like once they are restored.

Dale Tall, who has volunteered for 12 or 13 years, said he wants to talk to man who designed the 1960s Jaguar XK-Es -- cars so beautiful and aerodynamic it's hard to believe they were made in an era without computers and wind tunnels, he said.

But as much as this event is about the vehicles, it's also about the people, said Larry Murphy, the class hosts' manager. The hosts' primary job is straightforward: ensure everyone gets a good old-fashioned dose of Southern hospitality.

The volunteers get to know the owners.

"I just enjoy listening to their stories," said Bill Kelly, who has volunteered 11 years. "How long they've had the car. How many years it took them to find that left headlight."

And they get to know the attendees.

"When you see these cars, you can't help but think about the one that you had in high school or the one you wanted when you got out of college, the one your best friend had. It really does bring back a lot of memories," Sell said.

Residence: Atlanta

Years attending Concours: 9

Cars exhibiting: 1972 Jaguar and Jaguar Mark 2

Cars owned: 10

Age: 75

Carolyn Sikes owns a mix of Corvettes, Studebakers, Jaguars, Thunderbirds and Mercedes, but her 1972 Jaguar was the first in her collection. It was also the family car. Sikes regularly squeezed four kids and a dog into the Jag for road trips, stopping every 100 miles so the child who had to sit on the wheel hump in the back seat could switch places.

When her kids were older, they'd sometimes "borrow" the Jag, like when her 16-year-old daughter Carrie stealthily nabbed the keys and headed to the mall, or when her son Marty took it out and drove it more than 140 mph.

"I guarantee you that if I sell that car, I better leave the country, because my kids actually consider it part of the family," she said.

Sikes has loved cars ever since she was a child, lusting after vehicles her single-parent family couldn't afford.

"The adage of you always want what you don't have is true," she said.

Once she got her four children through college, she and her husband, Marvin, began collecting cars in earnest, she added.

"Then it was time to do what we loved."

Residence: Hilton Head Island

Age: 76

Years attending Concours: 8

Car exhibiting: 1951 MG

When John Tracy saw a 1951 MG parked in front of his college fraternity house, he had to buy it. A friend was selling it for $1,200, but Tracy had only $600. He borrowed the other half from his father.

"I had admired this car for years," he said.

Tracy also bought a Model A Ford and a Morris Minor that his father didn't know about. He kept them at the frat house.

Now, Tracy keeps his cars in his Hilton Head Island garage, which required demolishing a few walls to make the autos fit. He drives them weekly, but never in bad weather, he said.

Residence: Bluffton

Years attending Concours: 3

Cars exhibiting: 1968 Maserati Ghibli and an original Cobra

In college, Alex Stetynski saw -- and heard -- his first Shelby Cobra and was instantly smitten. He couldn't afford one, but was able to buy a less expensive Sunbeam Tiger, which was from the same designer, Carroll Shelby.

Eventually, Stetynski became the owner of a 1965 AC Cobra, which will be featured in the "Life of the Rich & Famous" exhibit at the Port Royal Golf Club.

"It's really fast and fun to drive," he said. "People give you a thumbs up when they see you driving a Cobra."

Residence: Tallahassee, Fla.

Years attending Concours: 9

Role at Concours: Judge

Age: 72

Car philosophy: "I think people should have a passion about something outside of work, whether it's fishing or golfing or reading. Cars were my choice."

J.C. O'Steen believes cars are pieces of art. But just because his cars are museum-quality doesn't mean that he keeps them on display.

"We like to drive them very often," he said.

The hot rods get driven the most. Sometimes O'Steen even takes his 1956 Corvette to work.

The 1931 Cadillac, which is considerably more valuable, is driven only for exercise, he said. "I'm a good driver, but a lot of other drivers out there aren't. If something happened to the Corvette, it would be bad, but not nearly as tragic if something were to happen to the Caddy."

Residence: Bluffton

Years attending Concours: 7

Age: 71

Car exhibiting: 1936 Auburn Speedster

Best thing about Hilton Head's Concours: "There are no bad photos taken on a golf course."

Chuck Mistele's 1936 Auburn Speedster is one of only 150 made. His is one of the even more rare red ones. After buying the car from his father in 1972, Mistele set to restoring the car and while stripping paint, discovered a vibrant red peeking out from beneath the black top coat. He learned later that the dealership in Baltimore, Md., painted the car black to sell it.

"No one wanted a flashy car at the height of the Depression," he said.

Mistele himself has no qualms about driving around his neighborhood in an ostentatious ride. After the complete restoration, the car "looks as good from five feet as it does from five inches," he said.

Friends and neighbors sometimes request to have their wedding photos taken with the Auburn.

Mistele obliges.

Residence: Boulder, Colo.

Years attending Concours: 13

Role at Concours: Judge

Favorite class to judge: Post-war European cars

As a woman judge in a male-dominated hobby, Lilly Pray often has to prove her worth at car shows.

"They see a woman judge and they think, 'Well, what do you know?'" she said.

Despite whatever feminine guiles the boys-club collectors have about her, Pray knows her stuff. She grew up in the garage watching her father tinker with cars. At one point, he had 72 autos in his collection, mainly European sports cars but also a few old Cadillacs and even a 1954 Kaiser Darrin.

"He taught me about U.S. cars, European cars and the business behind car manufacturing," Pray said.

As a car show judge, Pray said she especially appreciates the historical aspects of cars.

"Anyone can go out and buy a Toyota. They're not special. The older cars are special."

Residence: West Orange, N.J.

Years attending Concours: 0

Role at Concours: Pinnacle Award winner

Cars owned: 16

First car in collection: 1956 Thunderbird

Joseph Cassini has loved cars since he was a kid.

"I like to say that when I was young, gasoline and hormones got mixed together," he said. "Some people outgrow it, but I never did."

Cassini has grown up to become an award-winning car collector. He said he attends one to two car events a month, and usually wins.

However, the admiration of fellow collectors was never the goal, Cassini said.

"It's not so much the gawkers. It's the feel of the car, the sound of the motor. The Shelby Cobra for instance, has this really throaty, loud sound. It's quite fast and light, so you need to know how to drive it or else you'll just be spinning the tires."

For his first year at the Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance, Cassini is bringing a 1927 Isotta Fraschini 8A S Roadster, a 1930 Minerva A 3 Position Cabriolet, a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Tourster and a 1934 Packard Convertible Victoria.

This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 11:05 PM with the headline "To cars, with love: Passion runs deep at Concours."