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HomeNews and Events‘Weird & Wonderful’ class at Amelia figures to be, well, weird and...

‘Weird & Wonderful’ class at Amelia figures to be, well, weird and wonderful

Our weekly roundup of car show news and notes

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Concours d’elegance live up to their name by featuring some of the most elegant cars ever built. But what makes such events fun is the creativity of the promoters in devising special classes, such as micro cars or Can-Am racers or, in the case of the upcoming and 26th annual soiree on Florida’s Amelia Island, the “Weird & Wonderful” class.

“On May 23, 2021, one special class will highlight The Amelia’s fondness for embracing a broader perspective of the established and traditional concours concept,” the concours said in offering a sneak peak of the grouping. “To quote a well-known (and maybe even famous) car designer, “Hey, Bill (Warner), what kind of weird class are you gonna have in 2021?’”

Enjoying the reaction to its recent “Cars of the Cowboys” and “What Were They Thinking?” classes, Bill Warner and his crew will present “Weird & Wonderful.” Among the cars invited are the 1948 Tasco Prototype by designer Gordon Buehrig, whose idea for an American sports car was quite different than what you might expect. 

Also to be showcased are vehicles such as Mike Vetter’s 2008 Extra Terrestrial Vehicle, the 1963 Corvair Futura built by Kaiser Aluminum, and the 2009 Monopoly Speedster, a full-scale car that looks just like the popular board-game token.

Monte Carlo cancels vintage rallies

Vintage vehicles rally again on their ray to Monte Carlo, but not this year

The Monte Carlo Rally is one of the highlights of the winter motorsports calendar in Europe. But while the FIA World Rally Championship event is taking place this week, though without spectators and with other health restrictions, the Automobile Club of Monaco has canceled both the 24th annual Historique and 5th annual Classique events that were to follow.

The reason: The resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in France.

“We really had no other choice available,” Christian Tornatore, ACM general commissioner, is quoted in the announcement, “since the current situation does not allow to organize this regularity competition in its usual friendly and festive spirit. Since the DNA of the race is not guaranteed anymore.”

The Historique event, for vehicles that competed in at least one Monte Carlo Rally between 1911 and 1983, was scheduled to start January 30 and the Classicque event, for special interest vehicles produced between 1911 and 1965, was to launch February 1. 

McQueen’s friends set show date

Racer/actor Steve McQueen got set on the right path in part because of time he spent at Boys Republic, a community for at-risk teenagers (boys and girls) in Chino Hills, California. To help raise money for the facility, the Friends of Steve McQueen car and motorcycle shows were established in 2008 by the Porsche 356 Club of Southern California. Show dates for 2021 are June 5 for cars and June 6 for motorcycles.

Updated 2021 concours, car show calendar

Following are dates currently set (but subject to change) for a variety of concours d’elegance, car shows and driving tours scheduled during 2021:

March

10-12, AACA Western Spring Nationals, Las Vegas.

April

8-11, Charlotte AutoFair, North Carolina; 9-11, Goodguys at Scottsdale, Arizona; 19-22, AACA Southeastern Division Chain of Lakes Tour, Florida; 30-May 1, Darryl Starbirds National Rod & Custom Show, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

May

15-16, Goodwood Members’ Meeting, UK: 20-23; Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Amelia Island, Florida.

June

2-6, Retromobile, Paris, France; 5-6, Friends of Steve McQueen, Chino Hills, California; 6, Albuquerque Lowrider Super Show, New Mexico; 17-19, AACA Eastern Spring Nationals, Saratoga, New York.

July

8-11, Goodwood Festival of Speed, UK; 18, Forest Grove Concours, Oregon.

August

15, Pebble Beach Concours, Monterey, California.

September

17-19, Goodwood Revival, UK; 21-26, Motor Bella, Pontiac, Michigan.

October

11-15, AACA Southeastern Fall Tour, North Carolina; 15-17,  Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Have an event to add? Email details to [email protected].

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Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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