Celebrate Father’s Day at the Rodeo Drive Concours
Even the Rolls-Royce formerly owned by Fred Astaire will be there, on loan from the Petersen Automotive Museum.
If your dad is anything like my dad, one of his favorite things to do is to attend a car show on Father’s Day. For this year, philanthropist and event organizer Bruce Meyer has you covered if you live anywhere near Beverly Hills, California. The event he started, the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance is now in its 27th year, and has been a worthy attraction for 50,000 or more people all along the route.
Meyer is elated that the car show portion of the Father's Day fest is back for 2022 after a parade-only version snaked through Beverly Hills last year. He and three friends came up with the idea nearly 30 years ago as a fund raiser to restore a fire truck from 1919 and the event has grown exponentially over time, moving to Rodeo Drive about 15 years ago.
The list of 50 participating cars is almost unbelievable, so if you go, please take pictures and share them with me. Some of my favorites on the docket include a 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Suisse Graber Cabriolet, 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster, 1970 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R, and a 2008 Koenigsegg CCX. The two oldest vehicles in the collection are bookend Blue Ovals: a 1912 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup; the newest, a brand-spanking-new 2022 Ford GT. Nine Rolls-Royce examples, six Ferraris, and a lone Pagani are in the mix. And for a little throwback celebrity flair, the Petersen Automotive Museum is sending Fred Astaire’s Rolls-Royce.
The Rodeo Drive Concours is free to attendees and supported by sponsors, including Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, O’Gara Coach, Auto Vault Storage, Geary’s, Two Rodeo, Ferrari of Beverly Hills, Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills, RM Sotheby’s, and Pirelli Tires.
At the end of the event, Meyer and the Rodeo Drive Committee will present a check for $10,000 each to the Beverly Hills Police Officers Association and Beverly Hills Firefighters’ Association, non-profit organization that support first responders and their families.
"A great place to watch the parade is on Beverly between Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevard," Meyer suggested to me on the phone. "Bring an old car, park it on the street, and cheer the others on."
Starting today at about 9:30 a.m. PT, the rally will kick off, escorted through the streets by Beverly Hills Police. Taking a different route from last year, the parade begins in front of City Hall in Santa Monica, heads north to breeze through the entryway to the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, then south on Beverly Drive and up Rodeo Drive. At the end of the rally, the car show will commence at Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Boulevard and end at 4 p.m.
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