Welcome to the world of the truly awful and decrepit.
The Concours d'Lemons was conceived to be an antithesis to the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance. Unlike its prettier and more popular sister event, d’Lemons is all about kitsch, crap, and absurdity. Rust, wood paneling, matte spray paint, faux fur…normally a landfill aesthetic…are all materials that are celebrated here.
The most recent d’Lemons, held last August, was the 10th anniversary, explains Alan Galbraith, who’s known as Head Gasket and calls himself the idiot behind the whole thing. “2009 was our first year, according to the court records and arrest warrants,” he quips.
A fanatic himself, Galbraith had been working Car Week for years before he came up with the idea. “I had done just about everything there is to do, you know, from helping friends with cars to volunteering at the show,” he says. “Finally it just got a little stuffy, and I was looking for a way to let a little bit of air out of that balloon. I started this to feature cars that don’t get featured anyplace else.”
Virtually Awful Concours d'Lemons Awards Ceremony Aug. 3, 2020 1pm EST
The judges have cast votes for their favorite hoopties and after quite a bit of gerrymandering and fraud, the results have been tallied. Hopeful by Aug. 3, 2020 at 1 pm EST we will have sobered up enough to report the specious results, if not, it will be even funnier. Here are some highlights of the whole rigged process.
For another giggle, check out the deliberations for the Most Dangerous vehicle entered in the Concours d'Lemons.
Lurch was a contender! ;-) I like the way they all gasped when they saw one of Lurch's 75 year old front tires.
BTW, last year at the Concours d'Lemons near Monterey, Lurch won worst of class for Rust Belt American - GM class. See the photo that shows the Judges as they made their final assessment.