Time On The Tour d'Elegance With Wilhelm Schmid

Last month, I spent a weekend with A. Lange & Sohne in Newport, Rhode Island, to attend the few days of festivities that make up Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week, for which Lange is the title sponsor. Since 2019, it’s been a yearly gathering in the picturesque New England town, filled with enthusiast and owner gatherings, seminars, and even an auction for many historical cars. But the star of the show, if you’re here to see the best of the best, is the two main events of the weekend: the Tour d’Elegance drive, and the grand finale that is the Concours d’Elegance. If you missed my photo report of the Concours d’Elegance, where you’ll get to see a ton of beautiful cars as well as, surprise surprise, an absolutely overwhelming number of Langes, be sure to check it out. But today, the focus is all on the Tour d’Elegance.

Each year, more than a hundred of the world’s most beautiful cars take to the roads of Newport for the drive, from pre-war legends to modern masterpieces. This year’s Tour d’Elegance begins at Second Beach in Newport, winds along Ocean Drive, and then returns to a grand finish on Bellevue Avenue — where the public can then chat with the drivers and owners. Sounds like a lot of fun, and imagine my surprise when I first learned I’d been designated navigator for A. Lange & Söhne’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid on the drive. So bright and early Saturday morning, we drove off in a gorgeous Champagne Yellow 1963 Porsche 356B Cabriolet, and had a lighthearted chat about Lange, cars, and more over the cool fall breeze of the coast. As part of an automotive-themed two-day series on Hodinkee, we’re thrilled to share some of the highlights of the 3-hour drive with Wilhelm Schmid and yours truly.

For more information, visit A. Lange & Söhne’s Audrain page and the Audrain Concours online.