It is meant as “a little note of reassurance;” we’ll allow you to decide whether the latest from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance has you ready to book your travel and housing reservations.
“While no one can promise tomorrow, we can assure you that our team is making every effort to produce a concours event that acknowledges and responds to the inherent challenges of hosting large events during the coronavirus pandemic,” writes Chris Brewer, communications director for the Amelia island concours.
“According to health officials, social distancing and masks have proven to be effective in slowing the spread of the disease. Plans for 2021 include options to allow guests the additional space necessary for social distancing. Our seminars, dinners and exclusive events will have limited ticket availability to meet the new capacity requirements that may continue to be in effect at the time of the event.
“March 4-7, 2021, remains more than six months away and if 2020 has proven anything, it is that conditions can change in a matter of days. According to news reports, there are signs that a vaccine might be available by that time. But there are no guarantees. With this reality, our team is preparing so that we can host our award-winning event at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and The Golf Club of Amelia Island even if the virus lingers and a vaccine remains elusive.”
Cause for optimism? But wait, there’s more, and Brewer ends on a positive note:
“In 2017 and in 2018, when faced with a foreboding forecast of high winds and rain, The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance moved Sunday’s concours to Saturday with a three-day notice. Just imagine what our team can do in six months.”
Those who were there in 2017 and ’18 remember what a great job the concours crew did in dealing with the weather. Good on ‘em, as my Aussie friends put it, as they prepare for their ’21 showcase.
Petersen’s virtual car week winners
With Monterey Car Week canceled for this year, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles hosted a virtual video car week to help fill the void.
Among the winners of the various shows were:
Petersen Concours d’Elegance — 1937 Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet owned by Aaron Weiss
Digital ‘Spirt of The Quail’ — 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet by Pinin Farina and owned by Joe Hurwich
ClassicCars.com Virtual Future Collector Car Show — 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback owned by Koji Yamaguchi
Classic Motorsports virtual kickoff — 1956 Triumph TR3 (and we have to mention that the Best Wow Factor award went to ClassicCars.com Journal contributor Howard Koby for his self-restored 1971 Volkswagen Karman Ghia coupe)
Big turnout for the not-the-Woodward Dream Cruise
The Woodward Dream Cruise was officially canceled for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t stop classic car enthusiasts from driving up and down the famed Detroit suburban boulevard this past weekend, nor did it do much to limit the number of folks who brought their camp-style chairs to sit along the roadway and enjoy the parade.
What was missing was corporate display and hospitality tents and the usual array of portable toilets. And instead of closing and renting out their parking lots to such activities, businesses along the boulevard were open.
“Classic cars and spectators make the non-Dream Cruise feel like the real thing,” was the headline in the Detroit Free Press. “Unofficial Dream Cruise looks, feels a lot like the real one,” was the banner type in the Detroit News.
‘Taste of Motorsports’ at Portland
Although its Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance has been postponed until 2021, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove, Oregon, will stage a “Taste of Motorsports” event August 30 at Portland International Raceway.
The event, approved by the state and open only to participants, will include a track day, a car show, demonstration drives and gourmet food.
For details, visit the Taste of Motorsports website.
Luftgekühlt 7 postponed to 2021
The annual Porsche celebration known as Luftgekühlt will be postponed until 2021, organizers said in a news release.
“Despite all of our best efforts, due to the domestic situation related to the Coronavirus pandemic, at this time we see no other responsible option than to postpone Luftgekühlt 7 until 2021,” the announcement said.
The event, which annually places historic Porsche road and race cars in an unusual setting — for example, a lumberyard or a movie studio’s back lot — was scheduled for Durham, North Carolina. However, “the venue has had all its remaining events canceled for the year,” because of regulations limiting crowd size.
“We explored other markets and options, but after thorough consideration the team decided the right thing to do is to allow more time before delivering our 7th happening.”
DuQuoin street machine show postponed
Due to continuing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, Bonnier Events has postponed the Continental Tire Street Machine Nationals scheduled for October 9-11 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois until 2021.
However, efforts continue to pursue an alternate location for an alternate event later this year, officials said.
60 years of E-type celebration
The Jaguar E-type Club is planning a 60th anniversary celebration for the iconic cars for June 12-13, 2021, at the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb venue in Worcestershire, England.
Plans call not only for an E-type celebration but for music, dance, film, art and fashion from the “Swinging Sixties,” and with some featured appearances by another ‘60s icon, the Mini.
For more information, visit the event website.
London Concours this week
The London Concours is scheduled for August 19-20 and will be the first major automotive event since February in the UK. Featured classes on the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company headquarters in London include vintage American hot rods and “million-pound” Ferraris.
“In what’s been a difficult year for all of us, we’re so happy to be able to bring together this incredible collection of cars for our visitors,” said event director Andrew Evans, who noted that the event will provide “much-needed escapism for the nation.”
Fall car-show calendar
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the fall car-show and concours calendar continues to evolve. Here’s the updated schedule, based on official announcements but subject to change, as of August 18, 2020:
August 21-23 — Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance (Colorado), Geneva (Illinois) Concours d’Elegance, Street Rod Route 66 Nationals (New Mexico), AACA Grand Nationals (Pennsylvania), Arthritis Foundation car show (Dublin, Ohi0)
August 27-30 — Corvettes at Carlisle, Fountain Valley concours (California), Taste of Motorsports (Oregon)
September 4-7 (Labor Day weekend) — Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance, Lime Rock Historic Festival, Groesbeck Grand Prix Festival of Motoring (Texas), Crescent Beach Concours d’Elegance, Royal Concours of Elegance (England)
September 11-13 — AAA Glidden Tour (Sarasota Springs, New York), Vail Classic, Wisconsin Dells Automotion
September 18-20 — New York City Concours, LaJolla Concours d’Elegance, Street Rod Nationals Northeast (Vermont), Arizona FuelFest, Balfour Car Show (Denver), Holley MOPARty (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
September 25-27 — Salon Prive (England), Telluride Festival, Ironstone Concours d’Elegance (California), St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance (Maryland), Goodguys Lone Star Nationals (Texas), Catskill Conquest Rally (New York)
October 2-4 — Fall Carlisle, Street Rod Nationals South (Knoxville, Tennessee), Goodguys Del Mar Nationals (California), Jagstravaganza Concours (California), Holley Ford Intergalactic Festival (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
October 9-11 — Zoute Grand Prix and Concours (Belgium), AACA Eastern Fall Nationals (car show only), Chico Concours d’Elegance (California)
October 16-18 — Goodwood Speed Week, Keels & Wheels, Lake Mirror Concours d’Elegance (Florida), Mid-American Street Rod Nationals (Missouri)
October 19-23 — AACA Central Divisional Tour (Oklahoma)
October 23-25 — Japanese Classic (Long Beach, California), Charlotte Auto Fair
October 30-November 1 — Copperstate 1000 vintage rally car show, Western Street Rod Nationals (Bakersfield, California)
To share news of your local car shows and cruises, email [email protected].
