I have always had a thing for cars, and cars have played a prominent role in the history of our family.

Before I was born, my dad rallied in Triumph and Austin Healey sports cars.

I came of age in the ’80s, in the time of the DeLorean, but the cars of my dreams came from an earlier time. Race cars and super cars of the ’60s, ’70s and earlier were the images that papered my walls.

Many of those classic cars will be on display at next weekend’s Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Georgian Bay, which is why I am excited to be honourary co-chair of the event. For the first time ever, a world-class concours is at our doorstep.

A concours d’elegance is not your average car show. I have been to the Beverly Hills concours many times, and it has a significant impact on the area.

The most prized cars from around the world are rarely seen. Owned by serious collectors who invest years and millions into restoration, they risk bringing them out in public only a few times a year, and only to compete in the top concours.

The better the show, the better the cars.

Cobble Beach is officially the new kid on the block, so there is a lot of excitement and lot of hot cars.

The best of the best are coming: a 1934 Pierce-Arrow that won Best in Show at Pebble Beach, and a 1938 Steyr 220 that just won Best in Show this year at Pinehurst.

Cars that started a racing dynasty will be there: the 1956 Maserati 200 SI made famous by racing great Sir Stirling Moss and the 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 F1 that Gilles Villeneuve drove to his first win in Formula One Grand Prix. For Canadian race fans, it doesn’t get any better than this.

More than 100 cars from the past 100 years will be on display, set against the dramatic Georgian Bay shoreline. You can stroll through the different eras of the automobile, dating back to the early 1900s.

There will be American classics, such as a 1930 V16 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood Roadster, a 1936 Cord Phaeton, and five Rolls-Royces.

There will be movie cars featured on screen, including “Eleanor,” the Shelby Mustang, and “Bernadine,” the XJ220 Jag, from Gone in 60 Seconds.

For Hollywood cars from behind the scenes, look for the 1937 Cadillac V-16 Custom Imperial Cabriolet, owned by MGM GM Edgar Mannix, who had a rep for covering up the studio scandals. The car was used to drive Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh around the studio lot while filming Gone with the Wind.

Among the many Cadillacs will be a 1949 Concept Coupe de Ville owned by Charles Wilson, then president of GM.

Wilson gave the car away when he became secretary of defense and it was not seen for 64 years, until it was shown at Amelia Island this past March.

There will be a 1912 Stutz Bearcat and a 1913 Mercer Raceabout 35J, owned by the same family. At the time, fans of the Stutz would yell “there is nothing worker than a Mercer!” and those who preferred the Mercer would respond “you have to be nuts to drive a Stutz!”

Supercars at the Cobble Beach show will include a McLaren Spyder and a 1976 Lamborghini Countach with scissor doors.

Money raised at the event will go toward a new helipad for the rooftop of Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital. On a personal note, I know first-hand how important it is to get to the emergency room fast.

Just over 10 years ago, a helicopter played a huge part in saving my life after I crashed my car while practising for an Indy race at Kentucky Speedway.

And chief judge John Carlson has recruited an all-star team of classic-car experts to judge this new concours.

Cobble Beach is an amazing golf course and resort set on Georgian Bay, a Canadian gem in itself. Join me there (if my film schedule permits), if only to see a mystery car revealed at 10 a.m.