Byron DeFoor, right, with CMF Concours Director since 2019, Ken Gross. (Chattanooga Motorcar Festival image)
Byron DeFoor, a Chattanooga developer and racer, is realizing his dream of creating a European-style festival here in his hometown. He choose to have the festival in Chattanooga because “Leaving this community a better place than I found it has always been a driving force in my life” Building the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival the last three years has been both rewarding and challenging for DeFoor but he feels the rewards definitely outweigh the challenges.
Proceeds From the Festival Support Neuroscience Research
CHI Memorial’s Dr. Ranjith Babu performs an awake craniotomy to remove the patient’s brain tumor and preserve important, healthy brain tissue. (CHI Memorial image)
The funds raised through the Motorcar Festival will allow the expansion of the CHI Memorial Hospital Memory Disorder Center. That includes clinic space for evaluations and testing, expanded community dementia outreach education programs, and research infrastructure for clinical trials. Funds also support the NeuroScience Innovation Foundation in Chattanooga and the state-of-the-art neuroendovascular and surgical operation rooms.
An Exclusive Display of 18 Rare and Valuable Ferraris are on Display Throughout the Festival
Bob Bodin’s 1960 Ferrari 250GT Short-Wheelbase Berlinetta. (Image courtesy of The Commerce Ave Collection)
An estimated 14 of the 18 Ferraris entered in the Gathering are worth over a million dollars each with at least 2 of them worth over 10 million dollars. Four of the Ferraris were raced. The cars will be shown on a display field Sunday from 8 AM until 3:30 PM and mid-day Saturday a number of the Ferraris will drive from the Westin to the Pace Grand Prix at The Bend for a parade session you don’t want to miss.
The Worlds Largest Collector Car Auction Company is Hanging Out in the Scenic City This Weekend
A scene from the Mecum Auctions event at the 2021 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. (Image courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.)
Mecum Auctions is back for the second year as part of the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. There are an estimated 600 American muscle cars, classics, Corvettes, trucks, exotics, Hot Rods, customs and more coming up on the auction block at the Chattanooga Convention Center this weekend. (There is a 69 Corvette Stingray for auction Saturday if anyone feels like buying me a particularly cute Christmas Gift.)
The auction is taking place on the same weekend as Mecum Chicago 2022 auction and is the first time a singular collector car auction company has staged auctions in two different cities on the same dates. Yet another record setting moment for Chattanooga.
There Are Several Car Displays Throughout the Festival
1933 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A 2- Door Sports Tourer Castagna (Image courtesy of Stephen R. Plaster)
There is a selection of significant world-class automobiles participating in the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday and showcases throughout the weekend in a variety of displays including RADwood, V8s in the Village, Concours d’Lemons, and Car Club displays.
“In addition to great classic cars and the special ‘Gathering of the Greats–Ferrari Edition’, we will have a display of rare and aerodynamic Czechoslovakian Tatra cars, a selection of NASCAR ‘wing’ cars from the 1970s, presented by Ray Evernham, and a Talbot-Lago T150C-SS teardrop coupe by Figoni and Falaschi,” said Ken Gross, Concours Director. “Fans will not want to miss it.”
