One of the greatest gatherings of collector cars and their caretakers in the U.S. happens this week in northern Florida, culminating in the 25th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, March 8.
This week’s events include three major collector car auctions – RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company and Bonhams – plus a number of car shows, displays, seminars, test drives and related features.
The Amelia Island Concours celebrates its silver anniversary with a number of special highlights, including a homecoming for past concours honorees with a number of legendary motorsport figures scheduled to attend.
This year’s honoree is Roger Penske, the celebrated driver, team owner and business leader, and now owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar race series, who will be present along with a number of displays of his winning race cars – Indy 500 victors, NASCAR champs, Porsche stars and others.
Also recognized by the concours will be the iconic General Motors designer Harley Earl, with a class of his famous concepts; a Silver Anniversary showing of five Mercedes-Benz “Silver Arrow” champion race cars spanning eight decades of competition; and a class dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s first of 19 overall victories in the world’s most important and prestigious sports car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, featuring the mighty Porsche 917.
Other featured classes for the Amelia Island Concours include the centenary of the birth of Italian coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti, whose famed designs include the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO; the Rolling Bones class focusing on the origins of American hot rodding; mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette concepts; Motorcycles of Complexity; and the “That’s Cute” class of stylish minicars.
A popular feature of the Amelia Island weekend is the Cars and Coffee get together on Saturday, March 7, when hundreds of drivers cruise in with their own special vehicles on the same fairways of the Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island Resort where the concours is held the next day. Free and open to all.
For more information, visit the event website.
Americana Festival announced
The inaugural Americana Festival of military, aviation, collector cars and memorabilia, to be held June 11-14 in Auburn, Indiana, has been announced by Worldwide Auctioneers.
The festival will be a “four-day, historic event featuring two auctions and an immersive armed-forces experience – for one incredible cause,” Worldwide said in its announcement.
All proceeds from the auctions will benefit the J. Kruse Education Center, which provides career pathway development for veterans and students.
“At the Americana Festival, you will experience our militaria and memorabilia auction featuring original and authentic items,” Worldwide said. “Military re-enactors will be performing historical battles, and vendors from all over the country will feature incredible items for sale.” For more information, visit the event website.
British auto designer honored
The personal car collection of acclaimed car designer Ian Callum, the former Jaguar head of design, will be displayed at the London Concours, the second year that the “garden party” event has chosen an honoree for The Collector feature.
Callum, now a private designer with his own firm, owns a group of cars that his artistic eye favors, each of them subtly modified with his own special touches.
They are a 1976 Jaguar XJ coupe, a Porsche 911 (993), a Triumph TR6 roadster, an Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV and a 1932 Ford Model B hot rod.
More than 100 exceptional vehicles will be shown at the London Concours, held June 10-11 at the Honourable Artillery Company HQ in downtown London. For more information, visit the event website.
Drive history for yourself
Ten more vintage vehicles have been added for participant-driving duties during the International Drive History Conference presented by the Historic Vehicle Association April 23-24 at the group’s in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The conference, designed to bring together scholars, practitioners, hobbyists, students and others interested in the history and preservation of motor vehicle heritage, features seminars on a wide range of classic car topics, as well as a guided tour of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum hosted by Dr. Fred Simeone and a visit to the Philadelphia Concours d’Elegance.
The Driving Experience Cars that will be available for testing include a 1948 Tucker 48, a 1923 Ahrens Fox fire truck, a 1934 Buick 98C Convertible Sedan, a 1942 Hudson, a 1963 Buick Riviera, 1941 Dodge Luxury Liner Sedan, 1948 Buick Roadmaster woody wagon, a 1950 Chrysler Town & Country wood-bodied 2-door sedan, a 1933 Graham Blue Streak, a 1923 Buick Station Wagon, a 1951 Nash-Healey Roadster, a 1960 Plymouth Fury, a 1970 Dodge Challenger and a 1971 Ford Bronco.
For more information an to register for the conference, visit the event website.
Free Greenbrier Concours admission!
Two sponsors of the Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance – Greenbrier Automotive Group and Hagerty – have provided gifts to allow free admission to the prestigious event, held Sunday, May 3, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
“We wanted to provide the opportunity for more people to see these amazing collector cars that are some of the finest in the world, and these two great sponsors stepped forward and made that possible,” said Cam Huffman, a member of the Steering Committee for The Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance.
Registration is required for the complimentary tickets, which can be completed online at GreenbrierConcours.com. Registered guests will need only proper identification at the entrance to gain admission.
“We will allow registration at the entrance on the day of the event, but to avoid any wait, patrons should register now,” Huffman added.
For more information, visit the event website.
More concours and events
The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association kicks off its 2020 season with the Lone Star Nationals held March 13-15 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Acres of cool custom cars and trucks. For more information, visit the event website.
The 32nd Florida Mopar Nationals, a car, truck, Jeep show and swap meet presented by the Florida Mopar Connection Car Club, will take place March 8 at University Dodge in Davie, Florida. For more information, visit the event website.
