Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, The Ritz Carlton, 15th
March, 2009
Misty Morning Hop
Peering out of the hotel window as dawn broke on 15 March, it
looked as though I was back in "foggy London town", as a heavy
mist shrouded the landscape. Oh well, no need for sun block
today and no point in rushing to the concours, as dew covered
cars are not at their most attractive. So a leisurely few cups of
coffee later I made my way down to the hotel car park, where sure
enough, the rental Dodge was laden with a heavy dew, still at
least it was better than (I think) last year, when I had to try and
scrape frost off the windscreen! About halfway into the thirty
minutes drive, a white ball started to appear in the distance
through the mist, surely not the sun, but maybe it was, I was
heading east and that's where it rises! Almost unbelievably the
mist burned off in what seemed like minutes, so that by the time I
arrived in the parking lot, there was a clear blue sky and a decent
ambient temperature, so a jacket was already superfluous,
maybe I should have packed the sun block after all!
Recession, what Recession?
Despite the ongoing financial crises throughout the world, all the
talk of doom and gloom, unemployment and the like, people still
seem to want to do their favourite things. From the vast crowds
queuing to enter the concours field on Sunday morning, visiting
the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is certainly one of them,
and from my experience of it over the past few years I fully agree.
Perhaps in these times of uncertainty in almost every direction,
whether it be job loss, financial ruin through some supposedly
respectable financial institution, or the still omnipresent threat of a
terrorist attack, maybe people are adopting an attitude of enjoy it
while we can. So let's do just that!
Ambience in Abundance
One of the great things about the Amelia Island Concours
d'Elegance is the relaxed atmosphere, almost garden party like in
its ambience. There is plenty of space between the individual cars
so that you can really appreciate them, the owners, or their
representatives, are approachable, as they aren't under massive
pressure, as this is a "beauty contest", and their pride and joy
won't lose out if it has the wrong widget on its flim flam! Also the
crowd that it attracts are for the great part knowledgeable and
respectful of the assembly that is there for their pleasure and
enjoyment.
Eclectic Exotica
Drawing a comparison with the two Goodwood meetings in the
UK, every year one is left wondering where do they keep finding
these hitherto virtually unknown wonderful creations from the
annals of motoring history? Each year at Amelia Island, Bill
Warner and his team assemble a truly eclectic array of over 270
phenomenal automobiles, to provide attendees with what must
surely be one of the greatest concours fields in the world. Full
credit must also go to the large number of dedicated collectors,
who rescue, restore and preserve our motoring heritage for us to
enjoy.
I must admit that my preferred eras are the fifties and sixties, but
each year when I walk the field at Amelia Island, the pre-war
selection of truly amazing vehicles never ceases to amaze me.
Whether it be the sheer size of some of them, the total excess of
others, engineering excellence, styling details or materials used,
they exude passion from their creators, and all from a time long
before our electronic age, which leaves one in awe of their
creativity.
As examples, how many of us knew that there was a car called
an ALF Rhino? There was, and the one on show was a 1915
Speedster, with an abundance of highly polished brass work, and
unsurprisingly a rhinoceros as a radiator mascot. How about a
1906 National Model E, or a Pungs-Finch Finch Limited from the
same year, the 1914 Rauch & Lang Electric Roadster, or from
more recent times a Meskowski (Urgo/Kuzma) Sprint Car from
1962, or a 1970 Mongoose Indy 500 Racer, the list is almost
endless! We should not forget the amazing 1938 Phantom
Corsair, like something pre-dating Darth Vadar, which was as
menacing in black as it was imposing in size.
Themes R Us
Each year there are different themed classes and honoured racing
drivers or motoring legends. For 2009 the chosen driver was the
Brit, David Hobbs, who was the Honorary Chairman of the event,
and regaled everybody with humorous anecdotes of deeds doing,
when professional racing drivers were also serious party animals.
Amongst others in attendance were Brian Redman, another who
can tell a fine tale or two, Parnelli Jones, Johnny Rutherford and
Bobby Unser. Naturally there was a class featuring "The Cars of
David Hobbs", spanning his thirty year professional career, and
even though he was from my "time", I must admit that I didn't
realise how prolific it had been, from Ford GT40s, Ferrari 512 M,
Formula 5000, plus numerous other outings in a wide variety of
machinery including many Porsches and BMWs in various
guises.
A novelty this year was the "Giallo Fly" class for yellow Italian
cars, which was predominantly Ferrari orientated, with a Maserati
Ghibli aand a Bora from the same company making up the
numbers. This year's event also had a class for the cars of Bob
Tullius' successful Group 44 team, ranging from a 1969 Triumph
GT6 to a 1985 Jaguar XJR-7, in their familiar white and green
livery. Other celebrations were the 50th Anniversary of the
American GP at Sebring, and the 50th Anniversary of Indy
Roadsters at the other famed Florida track, Daytona, with a
colourful selection of cars that had raced there over the years.
And The Winners Were
The Best In Show Concours d'Elegance award went to a
spectacular 1931 Voisin C20 Demi-Berline from the Munder
Collection in West Palm Beach, Florida, whilst the Best In Show,
Concours de Sport award went to a Miller single seater from the
pre-war race car group.
Be There or Be Square
If you've never visited the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance,
make a note in your 2010 planner now. Seasoned concours
veterans from California and Texas, on their first visit, that I spoke
to, were blown away by it, and will surely be back again, no doubt
with some spectacular machinery to add to the already great
selection.
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