LAKEVILLE, CONN. (30 June 2023) – Ralph Gilles, Stellantis Chief Design Officer for the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep_®, Ram, Maserati and Fiat brands will serve as this year’s Grand Marshal for the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival (Aug 31. – Sept. 4).

Since first joining the company in 1992 as a designer, Gilles has put his extensive academic background in industrial design and business administration to use, holding various positions within the company that include serving as Vice President-Design Chrysler LLC in 2008, President and CEO – Dodge Brand in 2009 and Head of Design, GEC, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. in 2015.

An avid enthusiast who enjoys spending time at the track, go-karting and watching Formula 1 auto racing, Gilles has participated in the Targa Newfoundland Rally, the Car and Driver One Lap of America and the SRT Viper Cup Series. In addition, he frequently serves as a judge at various Concours d’Elegance events across the country, including Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, as well as the EyesOn Design car show.

Joining Gilles at this year’s Historic Festival will be two Honored Marques. Chrysler and the Hemi will celebrate nearly 75 years of high-performance automobiles, including the famed Letter Cars, ground-shaking muscle cars and rarely seen concept cars, including the Chrysler Turbine, the Chrysler Firepower and the Plymouth XNR.

The festival will also commemorate the centennial of the MG brand with a dedicated racing class as well as numerous examples of important MG street and competition cars.

“I couldn’t be more excited about participating in this year’s Lime Rock Historic Festival,” said Gilles. “Enthusiasts will have the exclusive opportunity to see the illustrious history of Chrysler brand performance and concept cars in one location.”  

This year marks the 41st running of the Lime Rock Historic Festival, which includes three days of historic racing, a 20-mile competition car parade through the picturesque hills and Sunday in the Park, which combines the Lime Rock Concours with the Gathering of the Marques. Find more information at limerock.com/events/historic-festival-41/