- For the first time in its history, the Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance welcomed Japanese cars. Mazda was there, and so was Auto123.
Normally, Concours d'Elegance, those gatherings where exceptional vintage cars are paraded and judged, usually features vehicles bearing the Duesenberg, Rolls-Royce, Bentley or Ferrari badges, for example.
In other words, the greats of the world.
But times are changing. For one, more and more muscle cars are appearing at such gatherings. And this year, the Concours d'Elegance in Cobble Beach, Ontario, an event that held its 10th edition this past September, saw something new pull up at its gates.
That something? Japanese classic cars. Long regarded as mere second-hand vehicles, Japanese classics are beginning to gain in value on the market, and many collectors are taking an interest in them.
So much so that the organizers of the Cobble Beach Concours created a category reserved for Japanese vehicles this year. And that's not an opportunity Mazda was going to pass up.
About the Cobble Beach Concours, Canada’s Pebble Beach
There are dozens of Concours d'Elegance around the world, but very few are international in scope. These include Villa d'Este in Italy, Amelia Island in Florida and, of course, the Pebble Beach Concours, held every year at the end of August in California.
That’s not to mention the Hershey Concours in Pennsylvania, held in mid-October.
And owners of exceptional vehicles know the prizes awarded at these events are a big deal. To win a Concours, a car must be practically in mint condition. When you win a prize in a Concours d'Elegance, it's the ultimate accolade.
At Cobble Beach, those who enter a vehicle must wait five years before entering again. This ensures a rotation of vehicles from one year to the next, which makes things more interesting for visitors.
And Mazda in all that?
The automaker might not have the rich history of some other brands throughout automotive history, but Mazda has given the industry a few classics. The MX-5 (Miata), set to celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2025, springs to mind. But let's not forget the RX-7, as well as the company's first rotary engine car, the legendary Cosmo.
The journey to Mazda’s participation in the Cobble Beach Concours started with that decision by event organizers to make room for Japanese classics.
David Murphy, registrar of the Concours, said that “Many concours shows are starting to feature Japanese classes but also "rad" classes that feature some newer icons of the 80s and 90s. We started doing this with Rad Rides of the 80s in 2022. Last year was rad American and this year was Japanese sports cars and also rad era Japanese sports cars.”
He added that “The display was a success and will be back in future but next year we are going to feature Rad Euro to keep the rotation going of that class. I expect Japanese classes to return again in 2026 due to the success of it.”
The term Rad Rides refers to the car culture of the 1980s and 1990s, which saw vehicles modified from their original state.
Mazda's participation in this year's Concours d'Elegance grew out of a meeting with Murphy. Chuck Reimer, who works in media communications at Mazda Canada, told Auto123 that for Mazda, “the program started with an invitation from David Murphy, who is also involved in an 80s and 90s car and culture show in Toronto called Oblivion. Last year, we brought an RX-7 and two MX-5s from our heritage collection to display at Oblivion, and so David reached out to see if we would be interested in displaying our RX-7 at the Concours d’Elegance, with the new addition of Japanese classic sports cars."
He added that "The Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance is a very prestigious show now entering its 10th year, and I was excited to have the opportunity to show one of the finest Japanese sports cars ever made! On top of that, 2024 is also the 35th anniversary of the MX-5 Miata introduction, so we wanted to combine the two events together to celebrate Japanese classic sports cars, and 35 years of driving fun that the MX-5 Miata has brought the world.”
The MX-5s
At Mazda's invitation, we headed in a convoy of old and not-so-old MX-5s to the Cobble Beach event near Owen Sound, Ontario, some two and a half hours from Toronto.
In principle, we were to drive a version from each of the model's four generations, but a minor repair to an early model meant that we had two more recent models on hand, rather than just one.
What we found was that the pleasure of driving this car has in no way been lost over the years or the generations. What's more, the second-batch model we had on hand was a 2004 Mazdaspeed, the only turbocharged MX-5 in history. With only 70,000 km on the odometer, it looked as good as the day it came out of the factory. I was lucky enough to drive it for over 350 km, hours of pure pleasure.
The third-generation model, from 2015, was a former press vehicle that the company decided to keep in its collection. With only 15,000 km on the clock, it too is in impeccable condition.
Along the way, one thought kept coming to mind: one day, I'm going to have to find myself a used Mazdaspeed in good condition and at a good price. Getting behind the wheel of this model is like therapy.
At the show
Finally, at the concours, we were able to admire some extraordinary vehicles, of course, but one Mazda caught our eye more than all the others. And actually, it wasn't a model owned by Mazda Canada, but rather by a Detroit-area museum.
The car in question still only has 29 miles on the clock. Simply put, it's brand-new. The here should be enough to make your mouth water.
The final word
At the Concours, there was a sense we were seeing a quiet changing of the guard. Of course, the great classics will remain, and they will change hands, but there is now room for new categories of models, those from Japan.
And you can be sure of one thing. They have left their mark on generations of children who are now adults, and grown-ups who will one day want to pay tribute to them.
