Bond car helps kick off this year’s Concours on Hilton Head

After three weeks of hurricane disaster news and heroic recovery efforts, it’s good to know that anticipated, community-oriented events are still on, including the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance.

Lucie and Larry Mann, owners of Mann’s Park Plaza Cinema are hosting the Concours kick-off event Thursday, Nov. 3, at 33 Office Park Road, Suite 201.

“We’ve been clearing debris from around our business and house, but as they say, the show must go on,” said Lucie last week while she and her husband worked selling tickets, bartending and conducting a Q&A via Skype with the filmmakers of an independent documentary about eating a plant-based diet called “Eating Your Heart Out.”

It was like watching those motorized housekeepers on “The Jetsons.” The duo was sweeping, smiling, talking, fielding questions about completely unrelated topics, films and causes, heads swiveling to take in the whole business while staying focused on the conversation at hand.

Understand, this kind of multi-tasking is awesome to me. I had just left my car parked in front of the box office and completely forgot about it because I had to remember both buying popcorn and getting my mother seated at the same time. Lucie carefully, kindly and discreetly tiptoed down the aisle and leaned over to me in the dark, saying, “Carmen, can you please move your car so others can drop off their guests in front of the theater?”

At 5:30 p.m. Nov. 3, moviegoers will get a glimpse of Hollywood glamor in the shape of one of the 10 Astin Martin DB10’s made specifically for Daniel Craig in the latest James Bond movie, “Spectre.” This custom-made car — estimated to be worth $3 million — is the only one currently being displayed in the United States as EON Productions rolls out this latest Bond movie.

Ilya Kagan, regional manager for Astin Martin, explained the difference between “hero” cars and “stunt” cars.

For the movie, some of the Astin Martin DB10’s were stunt cars, driven by the stunt doubles for the movie’s action sequences, and others are termed hero cars, piloted by Daniel Craig. Unfortunately we, drooling cinematic plebeians, don’t get to know which of these cars will be on site next week. But hey, who cares, right? A $3 million car is a $3 million car, no matter whose derriere graced the driver’s seat.

Attendees will get photo-ops with the car, wine, hors d’oeuvres and a screening of “Spectre.”

Proceeds from this event will go toward the Concours d’Elegance and to the nonprofit Driving Young America, a Hilton Head Island High School program that supports students interested in pursuing a career in the automotive industry.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Bond car helps kick off this year’s Concours on Hilton Head."