Car collecting experts to participate in panel discussion during the 2018 Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance weekend

Milwaukee, Wis. (June 23, 2018) — Car collecting experts with outstanding credentials will participate in a panel discussion on Saturday, Aug. 4, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Milwaukee Hilton, Walker room, 4^th floor. The seminar, open to the public and a ticketed event, is part of the weekend of activities supporting the 2018 Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance.

The panelists include:

Colin Comer
Noted car collector and author Colin Comer has also been associated with the Milwaukee Concours since its inception. Beyond serving on the event committee and chairing numerous car classes over the years, Colin has also served as a judge for 11 of the event’s 13 years, including three years as an Assistant Chief Judge and the past two years as Chief Judge. Colin is the founder of Colin’s Classic Automobiles in Milwaukee, Wis., as well as the Marketplace Director for Hagerty Insurance, a Contributing Editor for Road & Track, Vintage Motorsport, and former Editor-at-Large for Sports Car Market and American Car Collector magazines. Colin has also judged at many other concours events including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Colin’s voice and advocacy for the hobby is far reaching. He is a champion of the principle of preservation over restoration as well as encouraging people to drive their collector cars to truly experience them. Among his many accolades, Autoweek magazine named Colin an automotive industry “Mover and Shaker,” and Esquire magazine declared his Shelby Cobra Fifty Years the “Greatest Car Book of All Time.”

Jonathan Klinger
Jonathan Klinger is vice president of public relations for Hagerty. In his current role at Hagerty, Klinger has increased Hagerty’s position as the influential source of classic car knowledge, which has led to significant national media attention. Additionally, he has expanded awareness and support of Hagerty’s advocacy programs by introducing young people to the classic car hobby, providing career opportunities to keep restoration skills alive and starting a national dialogue to protect automotive heritage.

Prior to joining Hagerty, Klinger was the director of development for the Automotive Restoration Program at McPherson College—the world’s only college that provides a four-year degree in Automotive Restoration. He has a technology degree in Automotive Restoration and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration, both from McPherson College. Jonathan currently serves on the McPherson College Board of Trustees.

In October of 2010, Klinger challenged himself to drive a stock 1930 Ford Model A as his only form of personal transportation, with no exceptions for distance or weather conditions (living in northern Michigan). His goal was to prove to younger generations that classic cars are meant to be driven, can be reliable, and can be purchased for less than $10,000. He maintained a daily blog and created a community of driving enthusiasts who followed his daily adventures throughout the 17,000-mile, year-long journey.

Donald Osborne
Donald Osborne is an automotive consultant, historian, Accredited Senior Appraiser and a member of the American Society of Appraisers. He is the Principal of Automotive Valuation Services and advises on collection building, vehicle acquisition, and sales. He travels extensively in the U.S. and Europe, attending major events, rallies, and auctions. He has appeared as co-host of the nationally-broadcast TV show “What’s My Car Worth” and has judged at major concours events including Amelia Island Concours and many others.

Millions see him as host of the segment “Assess & Caress with Donald Osborne” on the CNBC Primetime show Jay Leno’s Garage, where he shares his knowledge of classic car values weekly with Jay and the viewers. Osborne is a contributing editor and auction analyst for Sports Car Market magazine and has written for many publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Business Week Online, Hagerty Magazine and Road & Track magazine. He is an active participant on many seminar panels and symposia. Osborne is a quintessential car guy who loves sharing his automotive knowledge with other enthusiasts.

Osborne is the author of a book Stile Transatlantico / Transatlantic Style: A Romance of Chrome and Fins, published by Coachbuilt Press. It tells the story of the creative exchange between Italy and America in mid-century automotive design.

Steve Valenti
Steve Valenti is co-founder of Valenti Classics, located in Franklin, Wis., which caters to an international audience offering not only custom car builds and complete concours restorations to exacting standards but also preservation, authentication, sales, service, maintenance, appraisals, consulting, storage and a car locator service. Valenti is a car builder, designer, fabricator, painter along with many other hats that need to be worn. Growing up around classic cars, Steve was bitten by the bug early on. Now with 27 years of experience in the collector car industry he has had the opportunity to work on some pretty amazing and rare vehicles and garnered the respect of industry leaders. Since 2010, Steve has also served on the Board of Trustees at the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Automobile Museum.

Moderator, Jonathan A. Stein
Jonathan Stein is an automobile writer, editor and historian who is best known for his long stints at the helm of Automobile Quarterly and at Hagerty Magazine. He is also an avid enthusiast of small British and Italian sports cars. Stein has written two books independently and co-authored another three. He has also edited and/or published another dozen or so titles at Automobile Quarterly, Inc. and at Bentley Publishers, while also working on projects with photographer Michael Furman’s Coachbuilt Press. A study leader for Smithsonian Journey’s automobile trips to Europe, he has consulted for museums, auction houses, restorers and collectors, and has judged at many concours in the United States and Europe. In a new role at Hagerty, he continues to manage the growing seminar program, many of which he moderates.