Concurso de Elegancia Debuts In Colombia

Juan Esteban Ceballos contributed half of the photos and the reporting for this post.

They brought a 1954 Rolls Royce and a 2001 Ferrari. There were Jaguars and Maseratis, so many cars old and new, and so much more.

Colombia’s first Concurso de Elegancia featured years of preservation, restoration, or both, of some of the world’s most famous models.

Cars, long a hobby in places such as Asia, Europe and the United States, is proving to draw a lot of interest in Colombia, a country with a growing economy, thanks to its coffee, flower and textile exports, and a surging tourism industry.

Owners of the beautiful vehicles came from Bogotá, Cali and Bucaramanga, and of course, Medellín, to display their goods for thousands of people.

The four-day event, which ended on the Monday holiday (Corpus Christi), also offered live music and fine food. My friend Juan swears he ate the best paella of his life there.

Well, let’s see the cars. And after the success of this event, you’ll probably see them again.