FEATURE STORY
Model-Building Contest a hit
More than 300 kids participated in Hagerty's National Youth Model-Building Contest this summer, which culminated in final judging at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August.
The contest was created by Hagerty Plus, a towing and benefits program for collector car owners.
Tyler, a 9-year-old car enthusiast from Miami, Fla., was selected as the grand prize winner. His model of a 1932 Ford Woody was chosen No. 1 by a VIP judging panel at Hagerty’s annual Pebble Beach cocktail party. The panel included McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance; Jay Leno, host of “The Tonight Show” on NBC and a well-know collector car aficionado; Manfred Fitzgerald, head of Brand and Design at Lamborghini; KC Crain, publisher of AutoWeek Magazine; and Ed Gilbertson, chief judge of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Tyler represented the Magic City Mustangs club.
Rounding out the top five finalists, who were all in attendance for final judging at Pebble Beach, were 13-year-old Justin of Fort Myers, Fla., and his 1968 Shelby Cobra (Gulf Shores Mustangs); 8-year-old Christopher of Omaha, Neb., and his 1958 Chevrolet Impala (Great Omaha WPC Club); 12-year-old Rachal of Lindale, Texas, and her 1953 Chevrolet Corvette (Corvettes of Tyler); and 10-year-old Willow of Sarasota, Fla., and her 1953 Chevrolet Corvette (Suncoast British Car Club).
The five finalists received complimentary travel to California for themselves and a parent, and they were allowed access to classic car events in Monterey during the week.
"We created this contest as a way to get young kids excited about classic cars and to offer a taste of the collector car hobby," McKeel Hagerty said. “The first Duesenberg I ever saw was sitting on my bookshelf. It was a kit model and I put it together myself… and managed to smear only a little glue on the tiny plastic windshield. This was my introduction to major classic cars. And this is the essence of why we created this contest.
“We all need to get kids interested in cars and to pique their interests. Building models is a great way to do that.”
Car clubs play a critical role in promoting the hobby to youth, and the Model Building Contest is a perfect example of how your club can get involved. Earlier in the year, Hagerty Plus distributed more than 300 model kits to over 30 car clubs throughout the United States. Each club hosted the contest on a local level and selected a winner.
Photos of those cars were posted at www.hagerty.com, and the five finalists were chosen by popular vote. A total of 11,225 ballots were cast.
In addition to the model-building contest, Hagerty sent out more than 20 Youth Judging kits to local shows and hosted its own Youth Judging events at the Amelia Island Concours, CCCA Grand Experience, Hagerty Family Car Show, Meadow Brook Concours, Fairfield Concours, Rocky Mountain Concours and Barrington Concours.
For more information about Hagerty’s youth programs, contact Rory Carroll at 800-922-4050, ext. 8105, or rcarroll@hagerty.com.
Information about the 2009 Hagerty Model Building contest will be coming soon at http://www.hagerty.com/ModelBuildingContest/model_programs.aspx.