Amelia Island Concours 2015

[mc2hill]

We went to Amelia Island last weekend to support my client.

 

Friday night my clients car was the feature car in the main hangar at the duPont Registry Live Aeroport Reception.  The car arrived about 1:00 and they soon had us move it into the hangar.  I did a Rinseless Wash wipe down to knock off the dust and pollen.

 

This nice 1935 Packard was in the other hangar.

 

They had brought in a few other vehicles before we left for the hotel:

A GTR700 Hennessey!

 

The event was very nice, lots of good food and drink plus more cars and planes to see.  Sorry no picture of the that.

 

On Saturday morning we went to the Ritz Carlton, where the Concours event is held.  The Bonhams auction was going on there, and we were able to look at many of the cars awaiting their turn to go across the block.  While we were walking around we saw this guy and his TV crew:

Wayne Carini from 'Chasing Classics'.

 

Out in front of the hotel were several driving experiences, including the opportunity to drive one of these Skittles:

 

Then we went down to the golf course area where they had the Cars and Coffee event.

A shot of some of the cars:

 

At the Mercedes display they had their 1939 W154 race car:

This car had twin superchargers and had a top speed of 206!

 

A couple of nice Ferrari's:

1959 250GT

 

1962 250 GTO

 

A few nice Alfa's at their display:

1933 8C 2300 Monza

 

1968 Tipo 33 Stradale

 

And something a little newer to finish on:

Aventador LP 700-4 Pirelli Edition

 

 

We did not attend the main Concours event on Sunday, but maybe next time!

 

[Team Adam's]

Awesome! Looks like quite the experience.

[Chris@Adams]

Cool!

[Sizzle Chest]

Nice shots Mike.  (looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend!)  Amelia Island Concours is something else man...has to be seen and experienced first hand  Happy that you got a chance! 

 

Thanks for posting up and see ya in a couple days!

[mc2hill]

Nice shots Mike.  (looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend!)  Amelia Island Concours is something else man...has to be seen and experienced first hand  Happy that you got a chance! 

 

Thanks for posting up and see ya in a couple days!

 

We are looking forward to it!

 

The Sunday Concours now runs $100 at the gate.  That got me thinking, if the #2 event is that much how much is the big dog event, Pebble Beach Concours....

 

 

 

...gulp $300!

[rkj4243]

Here is an article in the Detroit News regarding the Amelia Island Show..........................

 

Tradition has long guided the world of the Concours d’Elegance, a series of invitation-only high-end car shows where car owners compete for awards bestowed by old men wearing blue blazers, straw hats, tan slacks and frowns.

It is best typified by the granddaddy of the genre, California’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a once fascinating show that has degenerated into a glossy, over-hyped and overfed spectacle.

By that standard, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida is the Southern rebel, despite retaining certain elements found in other concours. Yes, the judges still wear blue blazers, and the cars are suitably old and/or rare. But imagine walking onto a field of rare Packards, Pierce Arrows and Porsches, only to find a class of ... Corvairs. Or yellow Italian sports cars. Or beach cars.

They would never do that in Monterey. And that’s the point.

“If we didn’t come up with some goofy classes, it wouldn’t be Amelia,” said Bill Warner, the Jacksonville, Florida, businessman who founded the show 20 years ago. The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance was held last weekend at the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island.

“I think that most shows are done for the wrong reasons,” Warner said. “What drives the show first is to raise money for charity. But after that, it’s to educate and entertain.”

That’s why, unlike its California forebear, this event is more than a display of the cars of the rich and famous. It is a chronicle of the broad spectrum of automotive lust, and this year’s show featured special classes that cater to the car enthusiast, such as historic BMW 328s, Chrysler Town & Country woodies and Lancia rally cars.

But what distinguishes this show is its sense of humor.

“First you have to come up with an idea that’s a crowd pleaser,” said Warner. “And we always want to do a class for people who don’t like cars.” This explains why this year’s show will have a class of cowboy cars.

Beyond that, however, Warner usually displays a model that he perceives as a silk purse, once seen by others as a sow’s ear and shows that it’s really a silk purse. This explained this year’s lineup of Porsche 914s, a car oft-derided, but when lined up at Amelia, proved the naysayers wrong.

But that’s Bill Warner: He sees what so many others miss.

“Those two fairways are my canvas and the cars are my oils,” said Warner of his show field at the Ritz Carlton. “Everyone has the same canvas; everyone has the same oils. You just have to have the creativity to come up with something special.”

Usually, Warner and his staff come up with more ideas than they can use in a year. “It’s like Johnny Mercer said. He was once asked how he wrote so many great songs and he said that he had to write them down when he thought of them or else someone else would.”

If the offbeat classes and respect for history reflect Warner’s sensibilities, then his penchant for inviting famous racecar drivers and car designers reflects his love of people.

So, this year’s show reunited Sir Sterling Moss with the Mercedes-Benz he drove 60 years ago.

“Everyone likes to see their heroes, shake their hands and get their autograph; that’s what we give them the opportunity to do,” he said. “If you are a baseball guy and you could have an evening with Babe Ruth, you’d think you had died and gone to heaven. It’s that way for me every year.”

Still, one wonders how long Warner can continue to be involved with the show, one that takes up much of his time. “I give it a thought every day,” Warner said. “I think the hardest thing for me to pass on is my demented automotive mind. You have to understand the feng shui of the show. It’s not just about lining cars up.”

[Thorsager]

What a great experience!