One of the greatest sports cars of all time, the Jaguar E-type, will be celebrated at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, held March 11 on Amelia Island, Florida. A full class of XK-Es will be presented on the show field among about 200 other special automobiles.
Six decades ago, the first prototype of the now-legendary XK-E was completed by the Coventry, England, automaker, essentially a new kind of Jaguar road car based largely on the highly successful Le Mans champion, the pontoon-fendered D-type.
On March 15, 1961, William Lyons wheeled out the finished E-type, which turned out to be a masterpiece of engineering and design that captured the fascination of the world and led to Enzo Ferrari’s famous utterance of the Jaguar being “the most beautiful car ever made.”
“The XK-E isn’t simply one of the greatest car designs of the 20th century, it’s one of the greatest designs of all time,” Bill Warner, founder and chairman of the Amelia Island Concours, said in a news release. “The XK-E is so beautiful and perfectly proportioned that Jaguar’s American ad agency simply put pictures of a red coupe and roadster on a white background in their magazine ads with the tag line, ‘This is the new Jaguar XK-E!’ The shape sold the car. No gimmicks, no slogans, just that perfect XK-E shape.”
Another special feature of the 23rd annual Amelia Island Concours marks the 90th anniversary of the MG sports car with a class of famous and pre-war MGs. Named for Morris Garages where they were created, the first MGs were produced by Cecil Kimber at the Oxford, England, company in 1928.
The concours also will host an appearance of the Martini Racing Porsche 917 that set a speed record at Le Mans’ in 1971, a record that stood for 39 years. The Porsche will be shown as part of the Cars of Martini racing class.
Also, there’s still time to enter the contest to select 15 young people to take part in the Hagerty Youth Judging Program at the Amelia concours this year, with entries accepted through Friday. For information, see the entry form.
For more information about the Amelia Island Concours, visit the event website.
Studebaker Museum starts concours
The Studebaker National Museum has announced a new concours d’elegance to be held August 11 at Copshaholm Mansion in South Bend, Indiana, which is the museum’s home town.
Named the Concours at Copshaholm, the inaugural theme is “Hoosier Made” and features three classes devoted to Indiana-built automobiles, including Studebaker, Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg. Other classes will highlight the Packard Motor Car Company, microcars, European motorcars, post-war American convertibles, barn finds/orignals and one-of-a-kind vehicles.
For information about the upcoming concours, visit the event website.
Artomobilia opening new event in Sarasota
The inaugural Sarasota Artomobilia will be staged on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Saturday, March 24, spreading the event that has been held for more than a decade in Indianapolis to another venue.
Artomobilia is set to feature more than 200 classic and collector cars in 15 classes, including Super Car, Exotic, Classic, Sports car, European, Domestic, Vintage and Racers in an event that focuses more on display and appreciation than competition, according to the organizers.
“The event embraces the essence of automotive art and design by uniquely combining the artwork of local galleries and artists with the presentation of significant automobiles and their iconic designs,” according to a news release. “To that end, the Artomobilia Team commissions a painting each year that features one of the most noteworthy cars presented against the canvas of the downtown Sarasota.”
For information about the Sarasota Artomobilia, vist the event website.
Concours events name celebrity guests
The Greenwich Concours d’Elegance has announced that Miles Collier, one of America’s premier car collectors and founder of the Revs Institute of Naples, Florida, will be grand marshal of the concours, held June 1-3 in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Collier is a noted collector of Cunningham cars, which will be celebrated at the concours with a special display of production vehicles and team race cars.
The Greenwich Concours also has named Ken Gross, automotive magazine writer, author and curator of classic car exhibits at fine-art museums, will serve as chief judge for the event.
For information about the Greenwich Concours, visit the event website.
A bevy of celebrity guests are slated for the second year of the Classic Auto Show, held March 2-4 in Los Angeles.
They include master of ceremonies Mike Brewer of the TV series “Wheeler Dealers;” famed car designer Steve Moal, who will serve as grand marshal; former “Tonight” show host and all-around car guy Jay Leno; author, classic car appraiser and TV personality Donald Osborne; “Urban Outlaw” Porsche 911 guru Magnus Walker; famed customizer Chip Foose; car restorer and “Chasing Classic Cars” host Wayne Carini; Dave Kindig of “Bitchin’ Rides;” and “All Girls Garage” hosts Bogi Lateiner and Rachel DeBarros
For more information about the Classic Auto Show, visit the event website.
