September 18-21, 2025 • Charlotte, NC
September 18-21, 2025
Charlotte, NC
This is the 50th anniversary of the making of the movie “To Catch a Thief” with Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, and a 1953 Sunbeam Alpine MkI. We’re hoping to screen it! The Rare Rootes cars are to be the featured group!
Start making plans to join the Rootes faithful in Charlotte, NC on September 18-21, 2025. Our host hotel this year is the Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord. The hotel is one of the best United hotels in recent memory. Every room is a suite, and the dining, catering and meeting rooms are all first class. Our room rate is $139.00/night and it is good three days before and after.
All the information about hotel reservation is here and the floor plan is here
The parts room will be one of our biggest and the hospitality suite is purpose built. Parking for Rootes cars will be in the first rows closest to the North entrance. Other cars and trailers will go in the far lot on the North side. An aerial view of the hotel showing designated parking areas will be published as we get closer to the event.
This year the registration fee will be $175.00, the lowest in recent years. Generally, the prices in Charlotte are higher than some other recent United venues, but we will use the profits from recent United’s to offset the costs and keep the cost to you as low as possible. In addition to socializing with fellow Rootes enthusiasts and access to our Parts Room and Hospitality Suite, your registration fees include lunch on Friday and Saturday, the annual banquet, and admission to the attraction of your choice on Sunday. That is great value for your money.
Our event memento is a travel/toiletry bag with the TEAE logo. We will also offer polo shirts and tee shirts. The color this year is silver/light grey. The polos are made from moisture-wicking performance material and will have an embroidered logo on the right breast. The tees are 100% cotton and will have the logo screen-printed across the front. We are still negotiating the cost of the shirts, but expect the price to be similar to the shirts at past events.
So, what do we have planned?
Thursday
Arrival and check-in begin around noon. The registration desk is located immediately on your left as you enter the North entrance. We plan to have the Parts room and Hospitality Suite open by midafternoon.
Friday: Leisurely Drive
We will head east toward Badin Lake for a leisurely cruise through the North Carolina countryside. We are still working on the exact route. As we head back toward our hotel we will stop for lunch at the Five Points Public House in Albemarle, NC. A private room is reserved, and you can choose from three box lunch sandwiches: turkey club, chicken Caesar wrap or BLT. Non-alcoholic beverages are included.
After lunch you have free time to continue wandering. Possible points of interest include Hendricks Motor Sports HQ, the Mustang Museum and the Concord Mills Mall. The mall is huge. In addition to over 200 stores there is the SeaLife Aquarium and Go Kart racing.
For those who volunteered to be Concours judges we will have a judges meeting in the meeting room at 3:30.
Friday evening, we will gather in the lounge for Happy Hour. Upon check-in, you will receive tickets for two free drinks. At the conclusion of Happy Hour, we will convene in the meeting Room for the General Membership Meeting.
Saturday: Concours Day
We have run into a late snag with our Concours venue, but we are working with the local county parks department to come up with a suitable venue. As we have done the past couple of years, we will take a break from the judging at noon to eat lunch, which will be North Carolina BBQ.
We are working on a guest speaker for Saturday evening. We are also working on a 70th anniversary screening of the movie To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and prominently featuring a 1954 Sunbeam-Talbot. More information on the Saturday evening activities soon.
Sunday: Things to see in Charlotte
But no autocross
Unfortunately, this year we will not have an Autocross. The local SCCA went out of their way to schedule an event for our weekend, but their Charlotte venue was not available.
So choose one of the events and admission is included in your registration fee.
NASCAR Hall of Fame
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is more than just a venue to honor the heroes of stock car racing —It’s a museum and shrine to the history, heritage and future of the sport.
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The N.C. Transportation Museum is a historic site, once home to Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility in the southeast, and a museum featuring all types of transportation history – railroading, automotive, aviation, and more. For more information see the website. Our tour package does include a train ride.
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Our group will participate in the “Feel the Thrill” Speedway tour which includes a ride through two infield race tracks, Pit Road, and a stop in Winner’s Circle for a photo opportunity.
Sightseeing Cruise on Lake Norman
Take a leisurely cruise around Lake Norman on a pontoon boat. Participation is limited to twelve due to boat size. So, register early if you want to choose this activity. (The rental of a second boat is possible, if demand is great, but that will require reducing the tour length to one hour instead of two.)
Awards Banquet
Sunday night we will wrap things up at our annual awards banquet. We will have a cash bar which will open one-half hour prior to dinner. The dinner options will be
- Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Salmon
- Penne Romano (suitable for vegetarians)
Registration to open around April 1st.
Please register early. This will save you some money and help us get accurate attendance figures. Planning for and making the trophies, shirts and meals requires time well in advance of the actual event date, so getting accurate numbers early is essential.
See you in Charlotte.