After a rain-soaked 2019 outing and the cancellation of 2020’s festivities, the Highlands Motoring Festival returns this weekend, revving into its 14th year as the region’s premiere automotive event.
The 2021 schedule features more opportunities for motoring enthusiasts to enjoy than ever. This year’s event offers double the driving tours, an opening-night soiree featuring a renowned guest presenter, a suave collection of exotic Italian autos, and, perhaps most important, an opportunity for car-lovers of all kinds to come together in a beautiful setting on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.
The festival is co-chaired by Mark Chmar and Steve Ham, whose passion for automobiles is matched only by their desire to provide support for the Highlands-Cashiers communities.
The Literacy and Learning Center, Community Care Clinic of Highlands, and REACH of Macon County are beneficiaries of the Motoring Festival, and in turn, “these charities provide critical support and volunteers for the festival,” Chmar said.
Putting on an event of this scope in Highlands has presented challenges due to the size of the town and available display areas. However, as Ham explained “Highlands sells itself.”
The festival’s reputation has grown year-by-year, and the natural assets of the landscape and roadways have drawn such an abundance of enthusiasts wishing to participate that it offered the organizers the ability to curate top-tier automobiles.
“Thus, the limitations actually became an opportunity,” Chmar said.
In a new venture, this year’s event features a collaboration with The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts entitled “Freewheeling: The Allure of the Automobile in Contemporary Art,” the exhibit runs May 11 through August 21 and features a revolving series of storied and exotic cars as well as automobile artwork.
This year’s featured marquee and special exhibits include a selection of unique pre-WWII automobiles, the cars of Highlands’ restorer and customizer Tim Voss, and a collection of Porsches presented by Road Scholars from the Ingram collection.
Additionally, the “Pure Bloods d’Italia” display will highlight the elegance and power that is a signature of classic Italian cars, featuring mid-century productions by Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and a Detomaso Pantera Gr. 4 that has twice raced at Le Mans.
“Our goal is to make money for our charities and put out the best possible product,” Ham said.
The Highlands Motoring Festival has something for everyone. Saturday’s premiere event “Cars in the Park” is a classic car show at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Park.
This is a juried display of approximately 100 specially invited automobiles from around the world, representing a diversity of styles and concepts from the earliest days of the automobile through 1989.
Sunday morning’s event, “High Octane,” is a casual automotive gathering open to any interesting automobile. There is no registration or judging. This type of diversity and accessibility are key components that Ham and Chmar both admire and strive for.
“If you’re coming to win a trophy, you’re coming for the wrong reason,” Chmar said.
The camaraderie among the car-loving community and Highlands’ setting are the guiding principles of the Highlands Motoring Festival.
The Motoring Festival weekend kicks off at The Bascom on June 10 and concludes June 13. For more details and a full schedule of events visit highlandsmotoringfestival.com.