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2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance – Show Winners
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has been running since 1950, and for years, auto enthusiasts in Florida had been begging for a classic car show. In 1996, Bill Warner – a photographer, car collector, and writer for Road & Track – founded the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The show is traditionally held on the second weekend of every March at the Ritz-Carlton, but the first event actually took place on April 6, 1996. That first year there were 163 cars and 2,200 in attendance. Fast forward to 2016, and more than 315 classic cars and motorcycles were displayed with thousands in attendance.
While the Amelia Island Concours hosts some of the most beautiful classic cars you may ever lay eyes on, it’s important to remember that it is more than that. Every year, proceeds earned at the show are donated to various charities, with Community Hospice of Northeast Florida being the first chosen back in 1996. Over the last 20 years, more than $2.5 million has been raised by the show.
As is the case with most classic auto shows, each car in every class is judged for perfection. At Amelia Island Concourse d’Elegance, however, the judging criteria is extremely strict, with even the slightest flaw warranting the deduction of points. This year, there were two cars named best of show, so let’s take a quick look at them.
Continue reading for the full story.
2016 Amelia Island – Auction Recap
If you’re based on the East Coast and looking for exclusive automotive deliciousness, then the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance should be on your itinerary. Located north of Jacksonville, Florida, this annual event rolls out the red carpet for some of the world’s finest (and most expensive) collectible cars. And while the main attraction is undoubtedly the “competition of elegance,” there are a variety of ancillary car auctions that put the best on the block, with many lots exchanging hands for millions of dollars.
In fact, in this crowd, it’s hard to get noticed at all if you’re dealing in figures under seven digits. Of course, that’s the kind of thing you gotta expect in the world of top-shelf collectible automobiles. We’ve rounded up some of the biggest sellers from this year’s event, so read on and grab the drool bucket.
Continue reading to learn more about the 2016 Amelia Island auctions.
2015 is a special year for BMW of North America, which celebrates 40 years since it began operating in the U.S. Additionally, March 2015 marks four decades since BMW Motorsport scored its first victory on U.S. soil, at the 1975 12 Hours of Sebring. To celebrate these key milestones in the company’s history in the U.S., BMW announced it will join this weekend’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance with a series of events and historic vehicles, as well as special racing livery for the Z4 GTLM race car.
Arguably the main star of BMW’s anniversary party at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, the special Z4 GTLM will break cover wearing a livery inspired by the 3.0 CSL race cars of the mid-1970s. Even though the teaser only shows a covered Z4 between two classic racers, it’s safe to assume the livery will mirror the paint schemes of the 3.0 CSLs flanking it, meaning a white body with the traditional blue-purple-red stripes of the company’s M division. 1975 12 Hours of Sebring winners Brian Redman, Sam Posey, and Hans Stuck will be on hand for the unveiling of the car that will then travel to Sebring for this year’s 12 Hours endurance race.
Continue reading to learn more about BMW’s future 40th anniversary Z4 racer.
While the entire world was busy watching the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, on the other side of the globe - in Florida - the 2013 Amelia Island Concours was being held. The 18th edition of the show celebrated the 50th anniversary of models like Ford GT40, Porsche 911, Corvette Sting Ray and company Lamborghini.
There were more than 300 cars presented at the show and, as usual, the jury had to choose the Best of Show and Best of Show Sport. Best in Show was selected was a 1936 Duesenberg SJN owned by Helen and Jack Nethercutt of the Nethercutt Collection. The SJN features a convertible coupe body and is powered by a straight-eight engine that delivers a total of 420 horsepower.
Best of Show Concours de Sport was a model celebrating its 50th anniversary: the Ford GT40. The car is owned by the Rocky Mountain Auto Collection and has a pretty impressive history, as it scored numerous winnings for the Gulf Oil / J.W. Automotive Engineering team and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1968 and 1969.
The Alfa Romeo Stradale TZ3 was unveiled at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours and only nine units were going to be produced. Now Zagato has announced that the final unit will be presented by its new owner at the 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance field on March 10, 2013.
The last unit is owned by a Florida-based enthusiast who has chosen an Azzurro California blue color for the car’s exterior paint to match the Florida Sky. Everything else on the car is a cool combination between American underpinnings and Italian design.
On the exterior, the model pays tribute to cars like the one-off TZ3 Corsa and under the hood it uses the same engine seen in the Dodge Viper ACR: an 8.4 liter V-10 engine that delivers a total of 600 horsepower and mates to a six-speed manual gearbox. Zagato added a carbon-fiber body kit that features the Italian design house’s signature Kamm-tail (K-tail) and double bubble roof treatment.
Back in 2003, Cadillac developed a concept car called the Sixteen that it proudly showed off at the Amelia Concours d’Elegance. Rumor had it that the Sixteen came very close to production, but for whatever reason, those plans were scrapped and the concept went back to gather some dust.
It’s been 10 years since that time and apparently, Cadillac is getting ready to brush off the dust and bring the Sixteen back to the Amelia Concours d’Elegance. The automaker has given no indication as to why it’s bringing the Sixteen back, but don’t be surprised if they’re doing so to gather intel and feedback about the car in preparation for what could become Caddy’s next flagship sedan.
To refresh your memories, the Sixteen Concept was an extremely long car - 19 feet in length - that was powered by a ridiculous 13.6-liter V-16 engine that produced an astounding 1,000 horsepower. Its design, particularly the audacious vertical headlight setup, was eventually seen in a more recent Caddy concept, the 2012 Ciel.
The Sixteen’s powertrain alone is enough to make people take notice. We just don’t know how an engine with that much displacement will go over with the more environmentally aware population of today. But hey, Cadillac has long wanted a super luxury flagship in its lineup.
If they can do some tweaking here and there on the Sixteen, maybe it’ll receive that production future it was supposed to get ten years ago.
As if being the unquestioned headliner of the one of the biggest auto shows in the world isn’t enough, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been penciled in as the showcase car at the 18th annual Amelia Island Concourse d’Elegance.
This car has only been uncovered for a few days and people are already lining up to have it headline their shows. That’s the mark of what is looking like a transcendent supercar.
The Corvette Stingray, together with the original Sting Rays, will actually be part of an exhibit at Amelia Island on March 8th called "The Design Analysis of the Revolutionary Corvette Sting Ray Seminar, Presented by Chevrolet".
Understandably so, the organizers of Amelia Island are thrilled to welcome the new Stingray to its show, something that was echoed by the show’s founder and Chairman, Bill Warner.
"The 2014 Stingray has the same sort of ’bolt of lightning’ presence that the original Sting Ray did five decades ago," Warner said.
"We’re honored and humbled that Chevrolet has chosen ’the Amelia’ to celebrate the return of the Stingray."
The recently concluded Gooding & Company auction at the Amelia Island Concours typically draws a sizable number of classic vehicles from a lot of different automakers. This year’s event wasn’t any different from year’s past, but if there was one automaker that really captured the hearts - and pockets - of bidders, it was Porsches .
The German automaker was the unquestioned star of the show, thanks in part to an impressive run of bids on a number of classic Porsches.
After everything was said and done, Gooding & Company managed to smash 11 Porsche world records, including five different models from the Matthew Drendel collection. The biggest haul of the event belonged to a 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder that not only broke the record for being the most expensive 917 ever sold, but also became the most expensive Porsche model ever auctioned off at $4.4 million.
Check out the list of Porsche models that fetched record-breaking auction prices after the jump.
Gooding & Company, the acclaimed auction house that is universally lauded for possessing some of the most distinguished collector cars in the world, has officially announced the latest list of car consignments that will be auctioned off at the Amelia Island Auction on March 9.
The cars, ranging from a 1955 Porsche 550 to a 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe, are all part of an extraordinary list of valuable pieces of automotive history, all of which will have their respective turns crossing the auction block.
Responsible for fielding these cars and getting them prepped for auction is Gooding & Company and their respective team of specialists, all of whom are responsible for picking out the most attractive collectible classics and presenting them to an enthusiastic community of collectors.
“Before every auction is finalized, the specialists and I take a good look at what the market is receptive to and what hasn’t been offered lately to gauge what else we should consider presenting to the collecting community,” said David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company.
“With the exciting addition of consignments such as the Porsche 550 Spyder, Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe and 1948 Tucker #1034, we are honored to present the most exciting selection of collector cars we’ve ever had at our Amelia Island Auction.”
Check out some of the classic vehicles that will be auctioned off at the Amelia Island Concours after the jump.
Our lack of any artistic skills notwisthanding, we have a great deal of respect for those designers that can literally come up with something straight from nothing.
Artist Timothy Raines is one of those people with that certain knack for visual artistry. His latest creation - an interpretation of the Aston Martin wings, which he proudly displayed at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance - is the latest example of a talent that we can only dream of having.
This isn’t the first time Raines has done an artistic interpretation of a cat logo, having already established his own "Brand As Art" series featuring numerous logos from a bunch of other car logos.
Nice work Mr. Raines!
Back in 1930 the French automaker Gabriel Voisin unveiled the Voisin C20, however despite the vehicle’s extravagant two door cabriolet couch built body, it never made it past the working prototype stage. This is indeed a shame because the C20 is hailed as being one of the most sensational classics from the era, so the fact that it never made it into production is quite a shame. Luckily there is one example that has stood the test of time, code named Mylord it is believed to be the only C20 in existence. The elaborate grand tourer is powered by one of only five extraordinarily intricate Voisin 12 cylinder engines that are known to have been built, meanwhile Mylord’s interior draws heavily from its creator’s background in aviation with an array of dials and switches that are exposed for the driver to see. The auction house Gooding & Company have been fortunate enough to get their hands on this rare piece of automobilia and on March 12, 2010 at 4 PM at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance here in Florida, one lucky bidder will take home a true automotive icon.
Press release after the jump.
Bad news for those who were hoping to get a rock-bottom price for the Shelby Daytona Coupe going to auction: it won its class at Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance over the weekend.
The economy may be slowing down, but a best in class win for Race Cars at the prestigious show will definitely add some extra bucks to the hammer price. Then again, this is also the car that brought Shelby Racing the World Manufacturers Championship title in 1965, so the price was never going to exactly be “affordable”.
This one of six ever will be a part of Mecum’s Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis Auction this May.
Press release after the jump.
There were, of course, headliners at this year’s RM Auction at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance: the big buck classics. The softening that some say has hit the collector car market hasn’t touched the huge dollar cars, at least not yet. At Amelia, the cream of the collector car crop exceeded or met preauction price estimates.
Two Duesenbergs and Edsel Ford’s tailor-made hot rod - see yesterday’s post - all broke the million dollar barrier. At $2,650,000, a Murphy bodied Duesenberg exceeded the top preauction estimate by $650,000. The other Duesenberg, a 1929 LeBaron-bodied berline, 210,000 brought $10,000 above the preauction estimate at a sale price of $1,210,000. A 1931 Bentley 8 liter “Open Tourer” with bodywork by Harrison brought $2,200,000. RM had declined to make a preauction estimate on either the Bentley or the Edsel Ford special.
Even a notch down in price, the truly rare classics held their value.
(more after the jump)
When General Motors invites you to an event, they feed you. They take you to classy restaurants, and they pick up the tab. And there is always a GM executive there, to pull out the credit card at the end and tease you into believing that you’re getting inside information in the meantime.
At Amelia Island, the official host with the credit card was from Cadillac. (No, the photo accompanying this article has nothing to do with the car. It’s the view from the room at the Ritz. Off the balcony. I wanted you to understand the level of journalistic sacrifice involved in reporrting on these events.)
But, we digress.
General Motors – along with Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Bugatti – is an official sponsor of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. And, even though they no longer sell a model labeled the “Concours,” they still consider Cadillac their premium brand.
So, GM had the juice to park the CTS next to the Veyron on the circular drive in front of the hotel.
Now, we need to level with one another, so that I’ve made full disclosure.
(more after the jump)
Cars – expensive cars - line the circular driveway leading up to the front portico as you arrive at the Ritz. Reflexively, you think to yourself that there must be a million dollars of cars right on that driveway, exposing in your thought just how little you comprehend about cars like this. One car alone parked on that driveway – a Bugatti Veyron – goes for $1.2 million. A few spaces beyond are two Rolls-Royce “drophead coupes” and they sticker out at $350,000 each, more than either of the two Phantoms parked next to them, or the Bentley Arnage and Flying Spurs parked next to the Veyron.
And that’s only one side of the driveway.
The next day, Saturday, they will hold the RM Auction behind the hotel and, in anticipation of the event, RM has set up a display in the center of the hotel lobby: the arrestingly red 1934 Ford Continental Speedster designed by Robert Gregorie to the specifications of Edsel Ford. Seats for two, cycle fenders, mostly hood, low and long. It’s parked in the lobby. It is the start of the auction – so unique that RM had declined even to predict a sale price.
(more after the jump)
Online: https://www.ameliaconcours.org
Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 13th edition is set for March 7-9, 2008 at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island hotel. Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will celebrate General Motors’ 100 years of automotive history and the Henry Ford’s venerable Model T. Also you will be able to enjoy many test drives, auctions and seminars.