McPherson College students win second-place honors in world's most prestigious car show

A group of local college students made automotive show history when their car took second place in the world's most prestigious car show.

Students at McPherson College's automotive restoration program made the trip to Pebble Beach, California, this month to compete in the 72nd Concours d'Elegance, an annual automotive event that most car enthusiasts only dream of participating in.

It was the first time in history a car restored by students landed a podium spot, or ranked in the top three in any class of the competition. And it was a hit among those in attendance.

"You work with the car day in and day out ... and you get used to it," said Jeremy Porter, a McPherson senior. "I mean, we know the finish is really good on it, but then, for example, you get people saying that this is one of the best paint jobs they've ever seen. And it's from respected individuals in the industry. ... It really makes you realize 'oh, this is something we did really, really well.'"

The college's fully restored 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Cabriolet was among 216 vehicles from 18 countries and 30 states. Only a small percentage of entrants ever get special recognition.

Of course, McPherson's path to Pebble Beach is much like the car they restored. It was a journey defined by attention to small details. The details, Porter said, really matter.

McPherson College's journey to Pebble Beach

The restoration process took seven years and an estimated 17,000 to 18,000 working hours to complete.

"In simple terms, you take a car apart, you refinish everything and put it back together again," Porter said. "But it's not that simple."

The 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Cabriolet is one of 203 in its body style, one of 560 built overall and it has more than 13,000 individual parts. And some of the methods of finishing the car are not methods commonly used in today's design.

In their work, students could tell the car had gone through a restoration in the late 1980s or early 1990s, but it wasn't done correctly, Porter said.

"Our focus for the restoration was the build made in 1953," Porter said. "So, it was using as many original components as possible, and then using correct hardware."

"That time boils down to spending x number of hours making sure your tiniest details such as hardware is right," Porter said.

It's this attention to detail, in harmony with the body, engine and other mechanical work, which turned heads and spread lasting conversations among attendees at this year's Concours d'Elegance.

Concours d'Elegance Chairman Sandra Button said the student's efforts were well deserving of being showcased on this large of a stage.

"It was heartening to see McPherson students, many of whom were recipients of our Phil Hill Scholarships, competing on our show field with a car they had researched and restored themselves,” Button said in a statement.

Button went on to say that the student's dedication to perfecting even the smallest details of a challenging restoration project provide her with hope for the future of classic cars.

"I think the shocking fact that I have to remind myself and people who don't know the project is this was twenty-something year olds — that this is the first major restoration they've ever done," said Abigayle Morgan, the assistant program director of automotive restoration at McPherson College. "And this was all while being a full-time college student."

Scholarships help students participate in the prestigious show annually

McPherson College senior James Pawlak was one of this year's Phil Hill scholarship winners. The scholarships help support the students' trip to Pebble Beach to participate in various events.

"I try not to make myself excited for stuff like that, and if it works out, then it's cool," Pawlak said. "It was pretty surprising."

Pebble Beach has been awarding scholarships to McPherson students since 2009, when they first established the scholarship in memory of Formula One World Champion Phil Hill. The scholarships provide students the opportunity to participate in events as judges, panelists and prepare and present cars, among other events. This year, Pawlak worked as an apprentice judge for one of the classes.

"Just to get the perspective to what it used to be like to what it is now is a cool way to look at things," Pawlak said.

This year, there were five scholarship students from McPherson and around and a dozen alumni and current students who made the trip to Pebble Beach.

Along with competing, students were able to network with automotive aficionados, industry professionals, collectors, and other enthusiasts, bonding over the best in classic cars.

"It was a lot of really cool experiences that you can really only get there, during car week," Pawlak said.

Preparing for a career in automotive restoration

Porter and Pawlack said they aren't exactly certain what they want to do post-graduation, but they know they want to do something within automotive mechanics. They'll both be graduating with the nation's only bachelor's degree in automotive restoration.

The program is renowned, attracting people from across the nation and globe to the heartland of America. Porter is from Seneca Falls, New York, and Pawlak is from Chicago. The school has even gained support from notable car collectors like Jay Leno.

“As the only automotive restoration program in the country, we are used to making history, but winning second place at the Concours is truly special,” McPherson College Provost Amanda Gutierrez said in a statement.

Some graduates go on to work in the custom car business, others work in restoration shops or mechanical service shops. But wherever they go, Porter said, they are equipped with a foundation to be experts.

"(The program) has taught me so much about classic cars," Porter said. "It sets you up to do whatever you want to do in the car industry. It's been an incredible opportunity."

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on X @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: McPherson students' restoration makes history at Concours d'Elegance