The turbulence wasn’t too bad. Looking back, the invisible bumps in the sky were comparable to those suffered on Interstate 95 last year. You see, for 2019 and my maiden voyage to Amelia Island, I didn’t have the accommodations afforded (or lack thereof) by the Embraer ERJ145 and its smaller dimensions. I drove myself, ensconced in the luxuries offered by my 2017 VW Golf R, still shod with winter tires on downsized wheels. I imagine I was the only one at the Ritz prepared for a snowstorm, if Hell was to freeze over.
There was a large contingency of Corvette owners during Saturday’s Cars & Coffee event.
Being of average 5’7” height finally played to my advantage as I walked proud and upright down the aisle to my seat. No need to worry about staking claim to an armrest, as I drew the straw that placed me in the row of one. Aisle and window seat all in one? Can’t be beat.
Take off in a smaller jet instills of a greater sense of “am I going to die?” than a larger plane. The answer can be provided by an app (this is not a joke), but chances are no, although you’d be hard pressed to convince the woman sitting across the aisle from me of that. Thank goodness she popped a Prozac.
Inspecting the goods of the Revs Institute hot rod Beetle.
While I didn’t get to choose my seat on United Express’ Basic Economy, thankfully, the complimentary Stroopwafel was still included, delivered on a cafeteria tray by the sole flight attendant on board.
Humankind has been flying for over 100 years, but it’s still incredible to me that I can climb aboard the metal equivalent of a paper towel tube in NJ and in less time it takes to read an issue of Octane magazine, be 1,100 miles away and (usually) thirty degrees warmer. This time, the mercury barely changed position between points. A fact I was okay with given my length of time spent under the sun. Yes, dear, I still reapplied sunscreen.
Because I left my trusty chariot back in the Garden State, a fill-in had to be acquired to take me from point JAX to numerous destinations. I utilized Lyft for my last adventure and found the rides soon eclipsed the cost of a hire car, in this case a Hyundai Elantra in rent-me red. Thrifty isn’t just a rental agency’s name...
But enough about cheap flights and lowbrow rentals, it’s time to talk about the good stuff.
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is an affair unlike any other. Sure, it may have the staples seen at so many events across the nation, but the combination of people, places and things is really what allows Amelia to set the bar so much higher than anything else. And this year it celebrates its silver anniversary, marking 25 years of changing people’s lives.
As mentioned before, my wife was nearly eight months pregnant during my jaunt down south (although by the time you read this, she’s since given birth to a healthy and happy little boy). Thus, I had appropriately truncated my trip to just the Saturday and Sunday portions, which, for anyone with a fully functioning brain, is more than enough action to overload it.
My arrival on Saturday coincided with the Cars & Coffee at the Ritz. However, the ride from the airport offered a passing glance of the Concours d’LeMons and numerous auction sites. Such is the limitation of being but one person with many choices for placing your existence. Thank goodness for recaps.
Let’s address the virus in the room right off the bat. The Amelia weekend was just before the president declared a National Emergency for the COVID-19 outbreak. And while I don’t have enough attendances under my belt to make a proper assessment, it seemed the show field for the C&C was a bit light compared to 2019. Regardless, there were some real gems on display. Alfa Romeo’s modern collaboration with Zagato produced nine TZ3 Stradales (not including the one-off TZ3 Corsa). Two of them were on the field. A smattering of safari 911s seamlessly strolled over the rolling fairway as they departed, their lifted suspensions removing any worry of scraping.
This is the 911 R driven by Gerard Larrouse to victory in the 1969 Tour de France and Tour de Corse.
One special moment was the reuniting of Gerard Larrouse and the 911 R in which he won the 1969 Tour de France and the Tour de Corse. The exceptional car is part of the Miles Collier Collections at the Revs Institute, and along with the help of Collier AutoMedia and Collier Car Clubs, a lengthy discussion lead by Ray Shaffer of Porsche Classic took place with Gerard on the main show field. On Sunday, the 911 R took home the Amelia Award for Race Cars 1963 - 1967.
Once the C&C cleared from the field, the methodical process of staging the cars of Honored Guest, Roger Penske, began. When the shutter snapped, 37 tangible examples of Penske’s history proverbially smiled for the camera. My personal favorite was the Javelin campaigned by Mark Donohue to an SCCA Trans-Am Championship victory in 1971. The road-going AMC is one of my favorite muscle cars of the era, so to rewrap it as a Trans-Am racer really amps up the awesomeness. In addition to the wheeled wonders, the famed Borg-Warner trophy, an imposing five foot memorial to victorious Indy 500 entrants, was on display celebrating Penske driver’s 18 Indy 500 victories.
Above it all, quite literally, maestro Bill Warner made the effort to assemble look easy from atop his aerial platform.
Upon completion of the group photo, I continued my wandering throughout the field as Sunday participants began to arrive and set up shop for the evening. The Corvette display, with an incredible collection of mid-engine concepts lined up in front of the all-new mid-engine production C8, was ripe for the photographing. The late afternoon sun dipped below the tree line, providing the perfect lighting for a peopleless picture.
The Hagerty tent was bustling with all sorts of folks associated with the company, enjoying a cocktail party atmosphere and the pleasantly out-of-character weather that enveloped it. I ceased my step count early, as most of the show cars had been covered for the evening, and headed off to meet some friends for a dinner party and eventually dump some memory cards.
Sunday morning came sooner than anticipated, with Daylight Savings stealing away a precious hour of sleep. But the excitement of the day ahead soon elevated my energy levels and it was off to the races. PSA: Don’t forget to account for the adjusted sunrise time. While I aim to arrive early for every event I attend, it would be another hour before any usable light would appear. Let the additional wandering commence.
There is a short period in which the ratio of people to machine is favorable to a photographer. I did my best to not squander that opportunity and balanced the eyeball gawking with the camera captures. The cars arrived in a steady flow, providing some ideal chances for panning. By happenstance, I managed a glamour pan of the future Best in Show, as well as many others. Soon, traffic from golf carts proved more of a hinderance than I wished to overcome, so it was off to point my Nikons at other sights.
This year’s special classes included, among others, Porsche Firsts, Mid-Engine Corvettes, Cars of Scaglietti, and the Cars of Harley Earl.
Porsche’s 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, 917-023, was on display, as well as their first and only effort in F1, the 804. Switching gears from pavement to dirt, one of three factory-produced 953s, aka the Paris-Dakar 911s, looked absolutely menacing between the lithe 804 and 89P IndyCar.
Just a portion of the mid-engine Corvettes on display.
For any red-blooded Corvette fan, the assemblage of the Mid-Engine Corvette class should have raised every hair on the back of their necks. Ten cars, spanning from 1960 through 1990, were on view, including all three CERV (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) concepts. Another wild mid-engine prototype was the 1964 GS IIB, which currently resides in the Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas.
Cars of Scaglietti was broken down into Production and Race subcategories. Nearly the entirety of the lineup consisted of Ferraris, from a 1962 250 GTO (s/n 3527GT) to the 250 GT California Spyder LWB Prototipo (s/n 0769GT), which placed Best in Class in the Production category. On the racing side, there was a 335 S (s/n 0700) and a 410 S (0596CM), and a one of eight 1956 250 GT Competizione Berlinetta (s/n 0555GT). And, like an American spy gone abroad, the lone participant not to hail from Maranello was a Corvette, its Italian coachwork hiding a 283 V8 and a two-speed Powerglide.
The Cars of Harley Earl was blessed to have a handful of concepts from the General Motors Heritage Collection, including the 1951 Le Sabre which Earl himself daily drove nearly 40K miles after its show duties were complete. The 1938 Buick Y-Job, also from the Heritage Collection, is considered the first purpose-built concept car. A unique 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 Tourer, slathered in a strikingly bright purple hue and riding on white tires, belonged to silent film star “Fatty” Arbuckle and was designed by a young Earl in Southern California. At seven feet tall and 7,000 pounds, this one-off had a commanding presence when it was presented on the field during the fashion show.
The ‘Captain’, Roger Penske, was the Honored Guest, and a class devoted to his cars included some real gems, including a Ferrari 250 GTO, a Corvette Grand Sport, and a Chaparral 2. During the Concours, Penske entered the show field behind the wheel of his former 1956 Porsche 550A, currently from the Miles Collier Collections at the Revs Institute.
One of my personal favorites was the 1952 OSCA MT4 LM, with its unusual Vignale bodywork and racing provenance. What stood out for me was the literature on display at the rear of the car - Phil Hill’s Inside Track book turned to a page featuring a period photograph of the car at Le Mans.
The National Anthem was sung proudly by Donald Osborne, a familiar face in the car world. His eloquent delivery was followed up by a flyover of 1938 Lockheed Electra, one of only six still flying in the world. Shortly thereafter begun the Sandra Alford Cars & Vintage Fashions Show. I missed the majority of this last year so I made it my mission to see it up close. Models of both human and automotive form were paired in stunning displays of style and trend period correctness. The General Motors Le Sabre concept and the beautiful woman in the sequined flying suit were perfect examples of the jet age they were dreamed up in.
The action in the award area continued with the presentation of Dream Cars and the Parade of Significant Cars, both highlighting some absolutely incredible machinery. I can still recall feeling the ground shake as the horde of Penske Camaros rumbled by where I was kneeling. Additionally, all three Scimitars were assembled and explained while the crowd wondered to themselves exactly what they were looking at. Paintings for both Roger Penske and Bill Warner were presented to their respective recipients by the talented artist, Kelly Telfer. And if that wasn’t enough to get in before lunch, Bill was also handed the keys to his brand new C8 Corvette.
The Hagerty Youth Judges were working hard, learning the difficult task of selecting the best of the best from dedicated teachers. John Campion, who brought along his 1975 Lancia Stratos Group 4 monster, swayed the impressionable judges by allowing one to sit in the driver’s seat and bring the 2.4L Ferrari Dino V6 engine to life. The mile wide smiles of both driver and passenger predicted his ploy had worked, as Campion’s Lancia earned a deserved Second Place when it came time for awards. Third place went to a 1973 Porsche Carrera RS Lightweight and first was captured by a 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Pacesetter.
The award ceremony begun just after lunch, MC’d by Max Girardo and Bill Rothermel. With plenty of cars and motorcycles to celebrate, it was no surprise it lasted nearly three and a half hours. What wasn’t a surprise was Bill’s ability to bestow his expansive automotive knowledge upon the crowd, while Max chimed in with his fair share of facts as well.
At the end of the afternoon, just before my knees screamed for mercy, the final two awards and fanfare were bestowed upon two very deserving vehicles. The 1929 Duesenberg Model J-218 Town Limousine from the Lehrman Collection was crowned Best in Show, Concours d’Elegance, while the 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder of Rob Kauffman was awarded the Best in Show, Concours de Sport. Both cars possess an incredible history, the 917/30 being nicknamed the ‘Can-Am Killer’ and the Duesenberg was owned by an eclectic Captain George Whittell, Jr., an individual who managed to liquidate his entire 50 million dollar stock portfolio weeks before the market crashed.
I could have spent an entire afternoon with either of the winners, but instead, had to beat feet to catch a plane back to New Jersey. The uneventful flight home was made tolerable thanks to Amelia’s program, a 228-page book with dedicated full-length articles on many of the weekend’s subject matter. The program’s cover an amalgam of Penske’s storied career by artist Tom Fritz. Next year, without the worry of missing my child’s birth, I’ll be back with my own car and an extended timeframe without having to adhere to an airline’s schedule. I suggest you all do the same.