Hagerty acquires Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

Today, Hagerty announced that it has acquired Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, the family-run venture on the shores of Connecticut celebrated as one of the top five car events in North America. The ownership change represents Hagerty’s latest investment in connecting car lovers to cool events.

Hagerty plans to add hands-on-the-wheel experiences in addition to the static displays showgoers associate with premier concours events—the Hagerty Driving Experience, aimed at 15–25 year-olds who want to learn to drive stick shift, and “Ride & Drives,” catering towards anyone with a drivers’ license who wants to drive—and anyone else who’d like to ride in—fascinating cars.

What hasn’t changed is the structure and spirit of the Greenwich Concours. Founded in 1996 by the late Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom, the Greenwich Concours has always been a family affair. Daughter-in-law Mary Wennerstrom, who has worked on the concours since the very beginning, will stay on as the event’s Executive Director.

This past May, the two-part concours showcased vehicles coachbuilt by Zagato to celebrate the design house’s 100th anniversary. The Connecticut celebration hosted Zagato CEO Andrea Zagato, grandson of the firm’s founder Signor Ugo Zagato.

The biggest shore-side concours in the American Northeast carries a trail of well-recognized sponsors, from Bugatti and Pagani to Nestle Waters and Greenwich’s Delamar Harbor. The Greenwich Concours has had an eye to both the exotic, the historic, and the homegrown, as demonstrated by this past year’s special classes of supercars and orphan American marques.

Bonhams traditionally hosts an auction paralleling the festivities at the Greenwich Concours. Two years ago, at the Greenwich Concours, the auction house oversaw the sale of Carroll Shelby’s personal collection.

Acquiring the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance dovetails with Hagerty’s participation in premier auto events, including concours at Pebble Beach and Amelia Island. The brand’s expertise in valuation and auction coverage is also showcased during Scottsdale auction week, among other major sales events.

Cars mean many things to many people, and Hagerty has an ear tuned to the diverse ways in which car lovers interact with automobiles. Paralleling its valuation expertise and diverse insurance products, Hagerty hosts accessible events in good humor, such as the Concours d’Lemons during Monterey Car Week and the Festival of the Unexceptional, or, the Concours d’Ordinaire, in Buckinghamshire, UK. Off the lawn and onto the track, Hagerty has significantly invested in grassroots motorsport with its recent acquisition of MotorsportReg.com, North America’s largest motorsport membership, licensing, and event online management system for everything from autocross and road rallies to vintage races and local car club events.

“We’re knitting together the car community in a way no one has ever done before,” said CEO McKeel Hagerty. “Outstanding events like the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance get people excited about cars, and that’s what it’s all about. That’s how we’re going to save driving and car culture for future generations.”

Acquiring the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance offers Hagerty opportunities to build car culture across many different audiences and generations at an attractive venue that serves, each May, as a nexus of car activity in North America and abroad.