The second weekend of March saw the 16th annual Amelia Island
Concours at the Ritz-Carlton. The event started on Friday morning
with the tour for this year's featured marques Allard, Kurtis and
Duesenberg. This was the first opportunity to see some of the
entered cars driving down the coastal road to the turning point at
the Amelia Island State Park before heading north again for a
parade at downtown Fernandina Beach. Especially with the very
usable Allards one could see what to expect the following Sunday
as many of the participants took the chance to enjoy their cars in
the mild climate of spring in Florida. The few participating
Duesenbergs made curious for the next days with no less than 4
classes for the American pre-war icons alone.
The following two days one had to choice of visiting one of the
seminars held in the Ritz-Carlton ballroom or the auctions of
Gooding&Company and RM.
The highlight of the weekend is without doubt the concours itself
whose reputation is on eye level with Pebble Beach and that is
one of few events of this kind in America attracting cars from all
around the world. Being a typical American event it is packed with
lots of classes (39) and hundreds of cars (about 300) so the setup
of the cars is quite a challenge and therefore this year many cars
were already brought to the golf course the day before to avoid a
rush in the morning. Being the weekend of the change to summer
time sunrise was just about 7:30 am and with the first visitors
coming in at 9:30 am there was not a large time window to direct
all the cars to their designated place and to prepare them for the
judging.
As all the cars settled down and after a first look around it
became clear that the selection of cars was as spectacular as
expected and especially with the Duesenberg classes the
organization around Bill Warner did a great job. More than 30
Duesenberg where put together at the center around the lake in a
closed, open, race and even an own supercharged class. Beside
a Model A and a Model X Boattail the classes where dominated
by the popular Model J in various forms bodied by Murphy,
Judkins, Hibbard and Darrin as Dual Cowl Pheatons, two door
convertibles or Saloon.
Race cars are not the first thought when talking about
Duesenberg but the race class featured some wonderful Indy
racer and the famous “Mormon Meteor”, the strongest
Duesenberg ever build. Being a former Pebble Beach winner it
was no surprise that this year's Best of Show in the category
sport went to this impressive machine. As the Amelia Island has
many former race drivers in their jury this might be the only
concours with two Best of Show, on in the mentioned sport
category and one in the category elegance. This year Duesenberg
made a clean sweep as the elegance award was presented to the
1933 Duesenberg SJN Arlington Torpedo Sedan owned by the
Nethercutt Collection. The car is nicknamed “20 Grand” due to its
value when new and it was restored more than 30 years ago,
winning Pebble Beach in 1980 and still looked fresh after all these
years. Compared to the winner images of the last years at least
the two cars had the same dimensions making this look more
natural.
The other featured marques Allard and Kurtis might not be that
glamorous but one could rarely see so many examples at one
spot. Especially the Kurtis are rarely seen and there were some
interesting racers on show.
Other classes featured the common European and American
classes but some classes made us smile because on had to
think twice about their meaning. The class “Cars of Florida”
featured cars with names related to Florida like a Ferrari 365
GTB/4 (Daytona), a Maserati Sebring or a Rambler Palm Beach
Concept.
Mercedes-Benz celebrated 125 years of the automobile and 3 of
the large 600s were exhibited, and this might be the only chance
to see a car once owned by the pope standing next to a car
owned by Hugh Heffner.
Another class was devoted to special cars build due to the vision
of one man and when a black Bugatti entered the field on
Saturday evening many attendees thought that Ralph Laurens
Atlantic was coming in as no one expected a Replica on the
green but this fiber glass bodied car was one of these specials. A
total different story was the Tucker in the same class, build due
to the vision of one man as well but with the intention of building a
revolutionary car against the establishment but its fate is well
known.
The Ferrari class saw several cars already shown at Pebble
Beach or the Cavallino Classics in January. Today it is a common
practice to restore a car before doing the round on the concours
circus. The 212 Export (0092E) with body by Vignale won the
class after winning its class in the former two events as well.
Worth mentioning is the beautiful 375 America (0293AL) in its
original pale-blue livery and the 365 GTB/4 (14271) once
competed in the Cannonball. As its driver Dan Gurney was one of
the Judges he could tell a few stories during the award ceremony.
Another American race driver was honored this year with a class
of its own, former Indy winner Bobby Rahal presented some of his
cars, both sports cars and single seaters.
One of our favorites was the BMW 328 MM Roadster that was
sold post auction last year by RM at Monaco making its
American debut in Amelia. The car is still in very original and
fortunately the prominent American owner intends to keep it in
that condition.
This year's concours attracted more than 20.000 visitors making it
a big success. It is very interesting to see that the organization
finds new cars year by year and we are already curious what to
see next year when the concours is held again on the second
weekend of March (9.-11.).
Text&Images: Peter Singhof (www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
<http://www.ClassicCarphotography.de/>)
Bests In Show
The Ritz-Carlton Best in Show Concours d'Elegance
1933 Duesenberg SJN Arlington Torpedo Sedan
The Nethercutt Collection
Helen and Jack Nethercutt - Sylmar, CA
The Ritz-Carlton Best in Show Concours de Sport
1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster
Harry Yeaggy - Cincinnati, OH
Best In Class Winners
Best in Class-American Classic Closed (1925 - 1948)
1930 Stutz Lancefield Supercharged Coupe
The Mitchell Collection - Montgomery, TX
Amelia Award-American Classic Closed (1925 - 1948)
1934 Packard 1108 Dietrich Sedan CV
Paul E. Andrews, Jr. - Fort Worth, TX
Best in Class-American Classic Open (Pre 1931)
1931 Marmon V Sixteen Convertible Coupe
Don Bernstein - Clarks Summit, PA
Amelia Award-American Classic Open (Pre 1931)
1929 Packard 640 Custom Super Eight Phaeton
Carl and Kathy Manofsky - Oak Brook, IL
Best in Class-American Classic Open (1932 - 1936)
1935 Auburn 851 SC Boattail Speedster
Bob and Brigitte Thayer - Atlanta, GA
Amelia Award-American Classic Open (1932 - 1936)
1932 Packard 903 Sport Phaeton
Frank and Loni Buck - Gettysburg, PA
Best in Class-American Classic Open (1937 - 1948)
1937 Packard 1508 Convertible Sedan
Perin Family - Cincinnati, OH
Amelia Award-American Classic Open (1937 - 1948)
1940 Packard 1807
Linda and Richard Kughn - Dearborn, MI
Best in Class-American Production (Post War)
1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Hard Top
Bill and Barbara Parfet - Hickory Corners, MI
Amelia Award-American Production (Post War)
1960 Chrysler 300F
The BHA Automobile Museum - Hunt Valley, MD
Amelia Award-American Production (Post War)
1955 Chrysler C300
Ken Laird - Lemoyne, PA
Best in Class-Allard-Race
1950 Allard J2 Le Mans
Steve and Jeanne Schuler - Capistrano Beach, CA
Amelia Award-Allard-Race
1951 Allard J2 Le Mans
Alan and Marsey Rosenblum - Utica, NY
Best in Class-Allard-Street
1959 Allard Palm Beach MK II
Robert Hartson and Stephen Hartson - Stratham, NH
Amelia Award-Allard-Street
1951 Allard J2
Don and Molly Marsh - Columbus, OH
Best in Class-Cars of Bobby Rahal
1986 March 86-C
Patrick S. Ryan - Asheville, NC
Amelia Award-Cars of Bobby Rahal
1982 March 82/G1
Jimmy Leeward - Ocala, FL
Best in Class-Classic Cadillac
1931 Cadillac V-16 452-A All Weather Phaeton
Andrew and Marsha Edmonds - Vero Beach, FL
Amelia Award-Classic Cadillac
1934 Cadillac V-12 Convertible Sedan
Robert M. Pass - St. Louis, MO
Best in Class-Cars of Florida
1956 Rambler Palm Beach by Pinin Farina
Scott D. Morris - Kearney, NE
Amelia Award-Cars of Florida
1953 Allard Palm Beach 21C Roadster
Axel and L. Hanko Rosenblad - Yulee, FL
Best in Class-Duesenberg-Closed
1929 Duesenberg J-151 Murphy Sport Sedan
Bill and Barbara Parfet - Hickory Corners, MI
Amelia Award-Duesenberg-Closed
1932 Duesenberg J-137 Judkins Coupe
Richie and Sharon Clyne - Las Vegas, NV
Amelia Award-Duesenberg-Closed
1935 Duesenberg J-540 Judkins Berline
William B. Ruger, Jr. - Newport, NH
Best in Class-Duesenberg-Open (1923-1929)
1929 Duesenberg J-175 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton by Murphy
Charles E. Letts, Jr. - Bloomfield Hills, MI
Amelia Award-Duesenberg-Open (1923-1929)
1929 Duesenberg J-147 Convertible Coupe
Robert Perry - Birmingham, AL
Amelia Award-Duesenberg-Open (1923-1929)
1929 Duesenberg J-129 Dual Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron
John D. Groendyke - Enid, OK
Best in Class-Duesenberg Open (1930-1936)
1931 Duesenberg J-104 Convertible Victoria by Rollston
Ralph and Adeline Marano - Westfield, NJ
Amelia Award-Duesenberg Open (1930-1936)
1932 Duesenberg J-154 Convertible Victoria by Murphy
Bill and Barbara Parfet - Hickory Corners, MI
Amelia Award-Duesenberg Open (1930-1936)
1930 Duesenberg J-277 Convertible Victoria Hibbard and Darrin
OFF Brothers Collection
Bill Johnston and Ron Elenbaas - Richland, MI
Best in Class-Duesenberg-Race
1915 Duesenberg Indianapolis Racer
Joe and Cynny Freeman - Brookline, MA
Amelia Award-Duesenberg-Race
1931 Duesenberg Indy Race Car (2-man)
Terence E. Adderley - Bloomfield Hills, MI
Best in Class-Duesenberg-Supercharged
1935 Duesenberg SJN 564 Rollston Cabriolet
Bill and Barbara Parfet - Hickory Corners, MI
Best in Class-European Custom Coachwork French
1937 Bugatti 57SC Coupe
Ray Scherr - Westlake Village, CA
Amelia Award-European Custom Coachwork French
1931 Delage D8
Richard Atwell - Fredericksburg, TX
Amelia Award-European Custom Coachwork French
1947 Talbot Lago
Passport Transport - Maryland Heights, MO
Best in Class-European Classic Pre-War
1931 Mercedes-Benz 370S Mannheim Sport
Kemp Auto Museum - Chesterfield, MO
Amelia Award-European Classic Pre-War
1933 Derby L8 Roadster
Tampa Bay Automobile Museum - Pinellas Park, FL
Amelia Award-European Classic Pre-War
1924 Bentley 3 Litre Tourer by Jarvis
Dr. Harvey L. Carter, III - Dallas, TX
Best In Class-European Post War
1952 Bentley R-Type Continental HJM Fastback
Orin and Stephanie Smith - Vero Beach, FL
Amelia Award-European Post War
1951 Bentley Mark VI 4ÂĽ Litre
The Nethercutt Collection
Helen and Jack Nethercutt - Sylmar, CA
Best in Class- Ferrari
1951 Ferrari 212 Export - Vignale
Peter McCoy - Beverly Hills, CA
Amelia Award-Ferrari
1953 Ferrari 375 America
Jaime Muldoon - Gainesville, TX
Best in Class-Horseless Carriage (1895 - 1915)
1904 Rambler Model L Canopy Rear Entrance Tonneau
Reggie and Cindi Nash - Richmond, VA
Amelia Award-Horseless Carriage (1895 - 1915)
1902 Knoxmobile Roadster R
Frederick Schumacher - Wyckoff, NJ
Amelia Award-Horseless Carriage (1895 - 1915)
1905 Buick C
Les and Roberta Holden - Southern Pines, NC
Best in Class-Horseless Carriage (40+ Horsepower)
1910 Pierce-Arrow 48SS - 7 Passenger Touring
Whitman and Lynne Ball, Exton, PA
Amelia Award-Horseless Carriage (40+ Horsepower)
1915 Peerless 48 HP Seven Passenger Touring
James Hackman - Middleburg, VA
Amelia Award-Horseless Carriage (40+ Horsepower)
1912 Simplex 50
Ann Finn - Roxbury, CT
Best in Class-Cover Cars of Hot Rod
1936 Ford Roadster
3 Dog Garage - Boyertown, PA
Amelia Award-Cover Cars of Hot Rod
1927 Ford Roadster
Frank Morawski - Bel Air, MD
Amelia Award-Cover Cars of Hot Rod
1932 Ford Little Deuce Coupe
Curt Catallo - Clarkston, MI
Best in Class-Kurtis-Race
1953 Kurtis-Kraft KK500B
Bill Akin - Hermitage, TN
Amelia Award-Kurtis-Race
1963 Kurtis KK500L Roadster
Robert McConnell Collection - Urbana, OH
Amelia Award-Kurtis-Race
1955 Kurtis-Kraft 500SX
Don and Debra Blenderman - Houston, TX
Best in Class-Kurtis-Street
1949 Kurtis Sport Car
Arlen and Carol Kurtis - Bakersfield, CA
Amelia Award-Kurtis-Street
1954 Kurtis 500KK
Roger Hoffmann - Point Reyes, CA
Best in Class-Motorcycles
1931 BMW R-2
Jack and Judie Wells - Lake City, FL
Amelia Award-Motorcycles
1953 BMW R51/3
Norman and Belinda Buck - Flagler Beach, FL
Best in Class-Mercedes-Benz (Post War)
1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
Jim and Nancy Utaski - Skillman, NJ
Amelia Award-Mercedes-Benz (Post War)
1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB Limousine
Guy, Loyda and Rose Lewis - Pinecrest, FL
Best in Class-Orphan Concept
1954 Plymouth Explorer
Petersen Automotive Museum - Los Angeles, CA
Amelia Award-Orphan Concept
1960 Plymouth XNR Concept
Karim Edde - Beirut, Lebanon
Best in Class-One Mans Dream
1954 Sorrell-Manning Special
Mark and Newie Brinker - Houston, TX
Amelia Award-One Man’s Dream
2006 Excalibur R.S.
Bob Shaw - Richmond, IL
Best in Class-Race Cars (Pre-War)
1927 Cooper Miller Indy Racer
Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation - Los Angeles, CA
Amelia Award-Race Cars (Pre-War)
1937 Riley Special Dirt Track Racer
David Rex - Williamsburg, VA
Best in Class-Race Cars (Post War - 1965)
1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione
Herb Wolfe - Englewood, NJ
Amelia Award-Race Cars (Post War - 1965)
1960 Aston Martin DB4GT Lightweight
Lammot J. du Pont - McLean, VA
Best in Class-Race Cars (1966 - 1977)
1966 Lola T70 Spyder
Archie Urciuoli - Casey Key, FL
Amelia Award-Race Cars (1966 - 1977)
1971 Porsche 908/3
Collection of Fica Frio, LTD - Jersey, Channel Islands
Best in Class-Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
The DeNean Stafford Family - Tifton, GA
Amelia Award-Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Bill Kennedy - Taylorville, IL
Best in Class-Sports Cars (Pre-War)
1935 MG NB Magnette
Tom and Kathleen Metcalf - Ashland, OH
Amelia Award-Sports Cars (Pre-War)
1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Bertone
Corrado Lopresto - Milan, Italy
Best in Class-Sports and GT Cars (Post War - 1953)
1952 Abarth Fiat Bertone 1500 Biposto B.A.T. 1
Chris and Angie Drake - Petersfield, England
Amelia Award-Sports and GT Cars (Post War - 1953)
1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Berlinetta
Corrado Lopresto - Milan, Italy
Amelia Award-Sports and GT Cars (Post War - 1953)
1953 Porsche 356 S Coupe
Steve and Elayne Gunder - Dublin, OH
Best in Class-Sports and GT Cars (1954 - 1963)
1963 Mercedes-Benz 230SL
Elona and Weston Hook - La Jolla, CA
Amelia Award-Sports and GT Cars (1954 - 1963)
1956 Maserati A6G/54
R. Q. Collection - Monterrey, NL, Mexico
Best in Class- Sports and GT Cars (1964 - 1974)
1966 Lamborghini 350 GT
Kevin Cogan - Louisville, KY
Amelia Award-Sports and GT Cars (1964 - 1974)
1970 Maserati Ghibli Spyder
Ivan and Myrna Ruiz - Dawsonville, GA
Best in Class-Vintage 1915-1923
1920 Mercer Series 5 Sporting
John W. Rich, Sr. and John W. Rich, Jr. - Pottsville, PA
Amelia Award-Vintage 1915-1923
1919 Paige Daytona Speedster Prototype
Ed and Judy Schoenthaler - Oak Brook, IL
Corporate Award Winners
The Hagerty Children's Award
1929 Duesenberg J-129 Dual Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron
John D. Groendyke - Enid, OK
1910 Packard Model 30 Phaeton
Robert McKeown - Perryopolis, PA
1954 Plymouth Explorer
Peterson Automotive Museum - Los Angeles, CA
Art Eastman Award for the Most Beautiful Racecar
1937 BMW Mille Miglia
Oscar Davis - Elizabeth, NJ
The David E. Davis Jr. Trophy for the Most Outstanding Post-War
American Car
1949 Packard Custom 8
Dr. William Baker - New Oxford, PA
The Claude Nolan Cadillac Award for the Most Elegant Cadillac
1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
Dr. Mitchell and Nadine Terk - Jacksonville, FL
The General Motors/Dave Holls Award for the Most Outstanding
General Motors Car
1903 Cadillac Model A
Lee Perry - Scotts Valley, CA
The FIVA Award for the Most Well Preserved and Regularly Driven
Vehicle
1940 Duesenberg SJ Town Car Cabriolet by Rollson
Gary Bahre - Alton, NH
The Gil Nickel/Far Niente Award for the Best Car in Which To
Tour The Napa Valley
1935 Duesenberg SSJ
The Collier Collection - Naples, FL
The Meguiar's Award for the Car with the Most Outstanding Finish
1930 Cadillac Roadster
Frank and Milli Ricciardelli - Monmouth Beach, NJ
The Heacock Award for the Most Significant Allard
1947 Allard Steyr
Bruce and Jolene McCaw - Bellevue, WA
The Porsche Trophy for the Most Historically Significant Porsche
1979 Porsche 935
Collection of Fica Frio, LTD - Jersey, Channel Islands
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway/Tony Hulman Award for the
Most Historically Significant
Indy Car
1930 Duesenberg Fred Frame
The Collier Collection - Naples, FL
The Breitling Watch Award for the Car of Timeless Beauty
1937 Squire Corsica Short-Chassis Roadster
Charles Wegner, West Chicago, IL
The RM Auctions Trophy for the Most Elegant Open Car
1927 Duesenberg "X" Boat Roadster
Dr. Peter Heydon -Ann Arbor, MI
The Ford Motor Company/E.T. "Bob" Gregorie Trophy for
Enduring Design Excellence
1936 Cord 810
Rob and Barbara VanDewoestine - Durham, NC
The First Coast News Award for the Car Representing The Most
Advanced Styling For Its
Era
1948 Tucker 4 Door Sedan
Keith and Eileen Carpenter - Parker, CO
The Spirit of Ferrari Award for the Ferrari Representing the Spirit
of Enzo Ferrari
1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Bruce and Jolene McCaw - Bellevue, WA
The Hot Rod Magazine Trophy for the Car Best Representing the
Spirit of Hot Rodding
1934 Ford Coupe
Canepa Motorsports Museum - Scotts Valley, CA
The Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award for the Most
Elegant Mercedes-Benz
1961 Mercedes-Benz 300D Cabriolet
Tom and Lynn Isgrig - Cincinnati, OH
The Mercedes-Benz Club of America Award for the Most
Historically Significant Mercedes-
Benz
1954 Mercedes 300SL Coupe
Wellington Morton - Fruit Cove, FL
The Motor Trend Classic Award for the Editor's Choice
1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible
George and Nancy Weaver, East Earl, PA
Automobile Magazine's Driving Enthusiasts Award for the
Individual Who Drives Their Car
Regularly
1930 Duesenberg J-357 Convertible Coupe by Murphy
Harry Van Iderstine - New Smyrna Beach, FL
The Millard Newman Award for the Rolls-Royce Best
Representing the Spirit of Millard
Newman
1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Don and Darby Wathne - Grassy Key, FL
The Road & Track Trophy for the Car the Editors of Road & Track
Would Most Like To Drive
Home
1950 Abarth 205
Ronit and Elad Shraga - Savyon, Israel
The duPont REGISTRY's People's Choice Award for the Best Car
as Chosen by the Vote of
The People
1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Saoutchik Sedanca Coupe
Robert and Agata Matteucci - Jupiter, FL
The Spirit of the Mille Miglia Trophy for the Car That Best
Expresses the Spirit of Road
Racing
1952 Allard J2X
Bill and Annabelle Wilmer - Basking Ridge, NJ
The Amelia Island Award for the Most Elegant Formal Sedan or
Town Car
1932 Cadillac 452-B Imperial Limousine
Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum - Fairbanks, AK
The Buddy Palumbo Award for the Car Restored By and Driven To
the Show by Its Owner
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2.3 Litre
Roland Duce, Nottinghamshire - United Kingdom
The Cantore Trophy for the Entrant Experiencing Just Plain Bad
Luck
1932 Marmon Sixteen
Brent Merrill - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Camille Jenatzy Award for the Car with the Most Audacious
Exterior
1955 Chevrolet Aztec
Jeanie and Barry Mazza - Fort Pierce, FL
The Spirit of the Concours Trophy for the Individual Demonstrating
the Spirit of the Hobby
1937 BMW Mille Miglia
Oscar Davis - Elizabeth, NJ
The Fashion Group International Award for the Best Presentation
of Fashion and the
Automobile
1921 Brewster Double Enclosed Drive
Colonel Frank and Patricia Wismer - Stratford, CT
The Jaguar of Puerto Rico Award for the Most Outstanding Jaguar
1951 Jaguar XK 120
Jim Taylor - Gloversville, NY
The Bridgestone Tire Award for the Most Elegant Sports Car
1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster
Harry Yeaggy - Cincinnati, OH
The Chairman's Choice Award for the Car Found Most Appealing
by the Chairman
1935 Duesenberg J-585 Speedster
The William Lyon Family - Newport Beach, CA
The Joe Pendergast Award for the Spirit of the Concours for the
Best Historical Race Car
Still Actively Raced
1948 Allard K1
Pete and Joanne McManus - Thornton, PA
The RaceTorations Award for the Best New Coachwork or Re-
Creation
1938 Bugatti 57C
Richard Longes - Sydney, NSW, Australia
The Spirit of Sebring Award for the Car Best Representing the
Spirit of the Sebring 12 Hour
Race
1986 Porsche 962
Jerry Molitor - Chester, NJ
The RM Restorations Award for the Most Historically Significant
Duesenberg
1921 Duesenberg Race Car
Simeone Foundation Museum - Philadelphia, PA
The Heacock Classic Insurance Award for the Most Significant
Kurtis Car
1937 Kurtis Tommy Lee Speedster
Fred and Nancy Phillips - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The RM Auctions Trophy for the Most Elegant Closed Car
1933 Duesenberg SJN Arlington Torpedo Sedan
The Nethercutt Collection
Helen and Jack Nethercutt - Sylmar, CA
The Judge North Trophy for the Most Historically Significant Race
Car
1968 Porsche 907 LH
Collection of Fica Frio, LTD - Jersey, Channel Islands
The Bentley Boys Award for the Most Sporting Bentley
1926 Bentley "Big Six" 6½ Litre
Tom and Mary Jo Heckman - Newtown Square, PA
The "Wind In Your Face" Award for the Most Elegant Motorcycle
1934 BMW R7
BMW Group Classic - Munich, Germany
The Jaguar of North America Award for the Most Historically
Significant Jaguar
1955 Jaguar D-Type
Gary W. Bartlett - Muncie, IN
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