This year’s Concours d’ Elegance was again held against the backdrop of one of Honolulu’s most renowned landmarks, the Aloha Tower. It remains a fitting venue for our most prestigious event of the year. The August timeframe paid off, as the morning mist was very minimal except for some showers experienced by those who made the trek during the early morning hours over the Koolaus. As in past years, the Tower’s center promenade was once again graced by seventeen of Hawai‘i’s most prestigious Porsches, two brand new ones (a Cayenne Turbo and 911 Turbo) which were graciously displayed by Porsche of Honolulu, thanks to Darryl Lee. And except for the conspicuous absence of any Boxsters, each category had representation.

Fierce competition took place in Category I, `77 or earlier, between Linus Pauling’s `64 356SC Cab, Rick Woltz’s `59 356A Cab, Jim Wayman’s `55 356, Franklin Wong’s `57 Speedster, and Chad Castle’s `71 911s Targa. Category II, `78-`85, involved a close duel between Lance Uehara’s `81 911SC, Richard Lau’s `84 Carrera, and Ambro Ilagan’s `79 930. The hotly contested Category III, ‘86-`92, pit three pristine specimens against each other: Ed Yuen’s `91 Turbo, Woody Hopler’s `87 Carrera, and Rod Laszlo’s `92 C4 Targa. Chip Hughes and new member Jim Ainge anchored Category IV, `93 -`99, and Category V, `00-`04, respectively, with their `96 993 and `03 Carrera. John Arafiles and Frank Montoya battled it out in the Wash & Wax category with their pair of `99 Carreras.

Two teams of judges combed the lineup with their expertise in scanning Germany’s most cherished sports cars. Team #1 included Scott Schulte (German Auto Specialists), Darryl Lee (Porsche of Honolulu), Chris Stormer (Air-Cooled Engines), and Jeff Yang (GT-I Hi), and Team #2, Creighton Lee (European Auto Specialists), Sean Ornellas (German Auto Specialists), and Aran Sagon (Porsche of Honolulu). Together they put on their best lenses and inspected engines, storage compartments, interiors, and exteriors of all fifteen entrants.

By 11:30 the judges had completed the tough task of sorting out which entrants would emerge as the best in their respective categories. After an intense accounting by the crew in the booth (Marsha Lee, Maude Lau, Gwen Won, and Liz Ilagan), the final results of the 2003 Concours d’ Elegance were ready to be unveiled. The long-awaited moment had come for the anxious participants for all their hard work buffing, rubbing, wiping, and many un-natural contortions over many days and hours of preparing their cars for the big event. Ribbons were presented by Concours Chair and V.P., Ambro Ilagan, and President, Ed Yuen.

Cat II - `78-`85:
First Place: Lance Uehara - `81 911SC
Second Place: Ambro Ilagan - `79 930
Third Place: Richard Lau - `84 Carrera

Cat III - `86-`92:
First Place: Woody Hopler - `87 Carrera
Second Place: Rod Laszlo - `92 C4 Targa
Third Place: Ed Yuen - `91 Turbo

Cat IV - `92-``99:
First Place: Chip Hughes - `96 993

Cat V - `00-04:
First Place: Jim Ainge - `03 Carrera

Wash & Wax:
First Place: John Arafiles - `99 Carrera
Second Place: Frank Montoya - `99 Carrera

People’s Choice:
Ambro Ilagan - `79 930

Congratulations to all the winners and congratulations to all the participants for being part of this glorious event. The final awarding of trophies will be held at the Christmas Party in December at the Mid Pac Country Club in Lanikai. We want to thank all the judges, the planners and the support team in the booth who promoted the club’s T-Shirt sale and performed the critical task of tallying the judges’ scores, and to Chad Castle for displaying his Porsche model in the booth. A special thanks go out to Cherie Tanaka, Aloha Tower Marketplace Marketing Director, and Marketing Assistant, Michelle Asato, and their Guest Services crew for all their help and coordination.

As in previous years, the event was capped off with lunch at Don Ho’s Island Grille. Unfortunate circumstances prevented several participants from making it down to the Marketplace. We hope all is well and look forward to your participation in next year’s event. To all the membership, start preparing now. The year will be up before you know it. Our goal for next year is to have enough cars to fill every stall, about 28 in all, at the Marketplace in the 2004 Concours d’ Elegance. It’s been both a pleasure and a rewarding experience to chair this year’s event.    Mahalo.