Motoring Festival draws big crowd
The Highlands Motoring Festival continued to build on its reputation as one of the premier classic car events in the Southeast with a stellar four-day run over the weekend.
With an assist from some picture perfect weather, the festival drew a massive crowd to downtown Highlands as automotive enthusiasts brought out their finest rides. The featured marque for 2023 was BMW, and the iconic brand didn’t disappoint.
“We had a phenomenal turnout for all of our events and we can’t thank all of the volunteers, car owners, and people who work so hard to make this festival a success every year, enough for their hard work,” festival board member Steve Ham said. “People love to come to Highlands and drive our mountain roads and this year we were fortunate to get great weather.”
The festival kicked off with a reception on Thursday night at Art Highlands. The guest speaker was acclaimed racecar driver Brian Redman, a Formula One legend, who did battle during his racing career with the likes of Mario Andretti and Al Unser.
Friday’s premier event brought spectators out to Main Street where lawn chairs lined the sidewalk. The classic car parade featured more than three dozen custom vehicles which drove a route along 4th and Main Streets.
As it is every year, the festival’s best attended event was Saturday’s “Cars in the Park” car show at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. This year’s juried show featured 85 cars total, with approximately 25 of those being BMW’s. Over 60 other classics from Porsche, Cord, Jaguar, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and Packard were also displayed and judged.
Following the car show, the festival gala was held at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Redman was once again in attendance to talk about his storied racing career. Proceeds from the gala benefit the festival’s nonprofit partners – The Literacy and Learning Center, REACH of Macon County and The Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers.
The four-day festival closed on Sunday with the “High Octane” car show at Founder’s Park. Sunday was the only day where rain interfered with the festivities, but several participating cars and drivers still found their way back into town for one last ride through Highlands.
Following a brief break, planning will get underway for the 2024 edition of the Highlands Motoring Festival. For more information, visit www.highlandsmotoringfestival.com.