The evening was capped by a private dinner for attending collectors at the spectacular Moore Building in the
Design District. Attendees were joined in the dinner by display cars including the incredible new Karma SC1
Concept, De Tomaso P72, Apollo Intensa Emozione and the historic 1981 Lamborghini Countach LP400
Series III “Low Body” with Mimram provenance from Curated which served as the Grand Prix of Monaco
“Intervention Car” from 1981 through 1982 having just completed a thorough restoration.
At the private dinner in the Moore Building, suggested donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation were made
and attendees responded with just under $50,000 in cash donations to the worthy children’s cause that
creates life-changing wishes for minors with a critical illness who have reached the age of 2½ and are younger
than 18 at the time of referral.
The organization grants wishes through its 60 chapters located throughout the United States. Make-A-Wish
also operates in 45 other countries around the world through 38 other affiliate offices.
Concours Day
Overnight, while some of Miami slept, event crews placed tens of thousands square feet of red carpeting
covering the length of 39th, 40th and 41st Streets creating a hugely impressive display on its own.
As Sunday morning dawned, rain showers which had been forecast rolled in off the Atlantic Ocean right
through Miami as worried organizers fretted over arranging the cars in their designated spots on the red-carpet
display, so despite passing showers, traffic delays and late arriving entries, the show went on none the less
and the crowds responded.
Among the highlights of cars making on display at the Miami Concours included the brand new all-electric
Karma SC2 Concept making its Miami debut. Karma Automotive, owned by Chinese auto supply company
Wanxiang Group, has produced an 1100BHP all-electric Missile. The all-wheel-drive SC2 EV can go from
0-60 mph in a claimed 1.9 seconds.
Karma says the SC2 is set to represent the future of its brand. Currently, the only production car the
company makes is the Revero, a hybrid based on the now-defunct Fisker Karma sedan. This new concept
packs a 120kWh battery mounted in the center tunnel, sending energy to all four wheels via two electric
motors, one at each axle. There's also torque vectoring, a motorsports-style push-rod suspension setup, and
carbon ceramic brakes.
Another astounding car of note making its Miami debut was the incredible De Tomaso P72. The P72 is
meant to be a homage to the De Tomaso P70 prototype racing car, a version of which was on display in the
Concours.
The De Tomaso brand was acquired by Hong-Kong based Ideal Ventures in 2014, the same company that
had acquired German automobile manufacturer Gumpert. Under the new management, work was started to
revive the brand. After an advertising campaign based on the company's history and some teaser videos of
the new car in development under the code name "Project P", the company introduced the new sports car at
the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The new car, called the P72 uses a carbon fiber monocoque chassis
constructed to LMP1 standards.
De Tomaso plans to build only 72 units of the P72, a move that was made to ensure exclusivity of the car.
The car is still due for road homologation but De Tomaso has assured that the car will remain the same as
the pre-production model that was shown at Goodwood.
Among other cars of interest on display included the Apollo IEs. The Miami Concours marked the first time
that three Apollo IE’s publicly displayed together and were joined by the visionaries behind the brand,
Chairman Norman Choi, General Manager & CMO Ryan Berris and designers, Jowyn Wong and Jakub
Jodlowski.
Extra Space Allowed for Over 100 cars
Over 100 cars were on display in the third iteration of the Miami Concours affording to the extra space
provided by adding 40th Street to the event layout. Classes of the 55 judged cars included Luxury Touring,
Modern Era Competition, Racing 50s & 60s, Sports & GTs of British Isles, 1980’s, Modern Classics, 1960’s
Ferraris, 1970’s Ferraris, Ferrari Supercars, Spirit of Preservation, 1950’s American, 1960’s American,
European Sport & GT, Lamborghini V12 and Hypercars.
Among the significant event entries included the stunning 1959 Ferrari 250 GT SWB of Martin Sucari which
won merit Race Cars of the 50’s & 60’s. Ferrari 250 GT SWBs are currently among the most valuable and
collectible historic racing Ferraris and rank as some of the most successful racing Ferraris in history.
Other interesting event entries were the 1992 Jaguar XJR-15 of Matthew Ivanhoe and which was a finalist for
Best of Show. Also, the entire line-up of Ferrari Supercars from the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo to the La
Ferrari made an incredible display on the red carpet.
It is always most difficult to point to highlights but the Design District venue lends itself perfectly to the
display of the world’s most significant post-war automobiles. The selection of historic Lamborghini Miuras
and Countachs is always precedent setting at Miami.
Special categories included a special award from Pininfarina, Innovator Award presented by De Tomaso
Automobili and Matt Burns Spirit of the Concours Awards all culminating with Best of Show.
Chief Judge, Dr. Mark Moskowitz who returned for his second year of service to the event stated, “Our judging
team was diverse and skilled. They included seasoned Detroit designers, famed racers, print and television
motoring journalists and the chief judges from at least a dozen major concours around the country. Two were
among the 27 members of the prestigious International Chief Judges Advisory Group.
“There was an array of some of the best designed and most celebrated Supercars and Hypercars in the world.
But, in the end the judges chose an old-school classic, a beautifully preserved and historically important 1950
Rolls Royce Silver Dawn drop head coupe, as the best of show. The owner, Guy Lewis, shared that his car
had been on some of the great concours lawns but never on the red carpet!
The cars were the stars and deserved the red carpet. The field included many of the great classics, sports
and super cars of the past seventy-five years.
“The racers were a hit and among the best of show contenders were a CanAm era racer designed by the
legendary Alejandro de Tomaso with engineering input from Carroll Shelby and Peter Brock. Also, a historic
Porsche powered Le Mans racer in GRID chassis. Interestingly, the latter was the sole sister car to the one
driven by Miami Concours judge, David Hobbs.
“The dedication of the fans and participants was remarkable. The early morning rain failed to dampen their
spirits. The cars did not retreat to their trailers and the crowds came out in droves”, said Moskowitz.
Among the awards was the Matt Burns Spirit of the Concours trophy named for the late South Florida Ferrari
mechanic, Miami Concours judge and friend to many in attendance who passed away in July of 2019. In a
moving tribute, The Matt Burns Spirit of the Concours award was presented to noted Miami collector Jaime I.
Del Valle for his incredible preservation 1955 Jaguar XK140 by Matt’s wife, Melissa Burns.
“For the third year in a row, the Miami Design District welcomed car aficionados and locals alike to the
neighborhood for the Miami Concours that featured an impressive showing of exotic cars and supercars,” said
Craig Robins, CEO of Dacra Development and developer of the Miami Design District.
“This year’s event brought more people than ever, a signal of an incredibly popular and successful event,
which could not have been possible without the exceptional team at the Miami Concours. As the event
continues to expand, we can’t wait to see what next year’s edition will look like!”
The fourth annual Miami Concours will return for President’s Day Weekend in 2021, stay tuned for details.
Report: Barton Workman
Images: Albert Manduca, and Jorge A. Guasso
2020 Miami Concours Award Winners by Class
As reported by Chief Judge Dr. Mark Moskowitz
Luxury Touring Cars:
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL • Dr. Chuck Niles
Modern Era Competition:
1985 GRID-Porsche • Jim Comer
Race Cars 50’s & 60’s:
1959 Ferrari 250 GT SWB • Martin Sucari
Sports & GTs:
1950 Healy Silverstone • Frank Rubino
1980s:
1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC AMG • Peralta Family
Modern Classics:
2002 Porsche GT2 • Jorge Ruiz
1960’s Ferrari:
1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 • Juan-Manuel Fayen
1970’s Ferrari:
1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona • Vince Vento
Ferrari Supercars:
2004 Ferrari Enzo • David Dayan
Spirit of Preservation:
1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary • Dennis Crowley
1950’s American:
1956 Ford Thunderbird • Sebastian Gomez Puerto
1960’s American:
1967 Chevrolet Corvette • Ric Benitez
European Sport & GT:
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL • Leo Schiegel
Lamborghini V12:
1972 Lamborghini Miura SV • Joe Battaglia
Hypercars:
2020 Apollo IE • Barry Skolnick
Pininfarina Award:
Ferrari 288 GTO • J.R. Amantea
Innovator Award:
2020 De Tomaso P72 • De Tomaso Automobili
Matt Burns Spirit of the Concours Award:
1955 Jaguar XK140 • Jaime I. Del Valle
Best of Show Finalists:
1965 De Tomaso P70 • De Tomaso Automobili
1955 Lancia B24 • Leo Schiegel
1992 Jaguar XJR 15 • Matthew Ivanhoe
Best of Show:
1950 Rolls Royce Silver Dawn DHC • Guy Lewis
|