Father of Concours d’Elegance Bob Dewar dies at 90

Bob Dewar, the Public Relations guru, motorsport journalist and founder member of the Concour d’Elegance, the annual car beauty competition show for the last 54 years, has died at 90 years old.

Dewar, who had been ailing for the last two months, passed on Thursday morning at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi Peter Wandayi, the chairman of the Concours, announced on the same day.

Funeral arrangements will be communicated by the Concours.

Concours is owned by the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club, one of the most respected and oldest sports members’ associations in East Africa that was founded by Dewar 53 years ago.

Dewar had strong qualities including deep knowledge of sports and writing, says Nation golf writer Larry Ngala who was, in fact, introduced to golf and horse-racing writing by Dewar close to 50 years ago.

A former colonial District officer who was educated at Prince of Wales (Nairobi School) and went to Oxford to University to do law, Dewar has passed with a rich heritage of motorsports.

He was one of the pioneer organisers of the Safari Rally media operations, and pioneered live broadcasting of the Coronation, East African and Kenya Safari Rally editions from the 1950s through to the early 1980s.

The Africa Concours d’Elegance is the classiest event on the Kenya Motor Sport calendar and was started by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (Kenya) in 1970. The Concours has been held annually with one interruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Dewar played a leading role at the first Concours and had been  the Event Director since 1970.

“The Alfa Romeo Owners Club is saddened by Bob’s demise and will greatly miss him. He was a beacon and a shining light to the club which he founded 55 years ago. Personally.

“I have lost a mentor and a fatherly figure from whom I learnt so much not only on matters classic cars but also on the values of hard work and strong ethics,” said Peter Wanday, Chairman of Alfa Romeo Owners Club.