Category: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

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904 Events Calendar October 27, 2021

Jacksonville Car Culture events calendar:

ALERT!! – The folks from NBC Sports will be filming at least one, probably two episodes of Caffeine and Octane at the next Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville, set for 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Avenues Mall at 10300 Southside Blvd. Here’s your chance to get your ride on national TV.

BMW M cars and the Ford Bronco will be highlighted at the event, and showcased in a special display within the Central Lot. So everyone parked there is asked to stay put until 11 a.m. for the filming (no leaving early/no exceptions), to make this the best C and O Jacksonville this year! That means everyone should bring their restorations, customs, classics and exotics to the event to fill every spot and show the world Jacksonville Car Culture.

Remember – submit your ride for consideration at: Ford Bronco – https://form.123formbuilder.com/6010449//. And if a BMW M Series is your ride, submit it to: https://form.123formbuilder.com/6010454//

As always, there will be a Porsche section, and an exotics area as well as hundreds of vintage and classic cars, muscle cars and so much more.

Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville is all over NBC Sports of late, as well as the 26th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, including a guy involved in both of them, as seen here on an episode this past week as he talks about the Supercars Class:

And don’t forget official Caffeine and Octane merchandise is on sale all Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville events.

Check out more at firstcoastcarculture.com.

Ponte Vedra Auto Show: The 2021 Ponte Vedra Auto Show returns on Sunday, Nov. 14, under the direction of Justin Felker and Art ‘n Motion. And this year, it adds a first-time A1A Cruise the night before on the same site as the auto show the next day.

The A1A Cruise runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the event field at 245 Nocatee Center Way in Ponte Vedra Beach, and it is free and open to any classic or modern sports car, motorcycle or specialty/exotic.

Then from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. that Sunday, the Ponte Vedra Auto Show is presented by Art ‘n Motion in association with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce and the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council at the same grass field. The show is free for spectators, and $40 to register a show vehicle. Event parking is free. To register a classic car or truck, supercar or modern collector/custom/hot rod, log onto https://pvautoshow.com/register-for-show-1. Only pre- registered cars will be allowed onto the Sunday show field.

Off-Road United Foundation seventh annual Krawl’n For The Fallen: November 12th to the 14th at the Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park (F.I.R.M) at 7266 Airport Road in Starke. The nonprofit Off-Road United Foundation supports law enforcement, fire fighters, EMS, service members, line-men and tow truck drivers. Krawl’n For The Fallen was started in 2015 to give back to Concerns Of Police Survivors National and support survivor retreats and kids camps. It has set a minimum donation goal of $80,000 to C.O.P.S each year.

This year’s event expects 2,000 attendees, 1,000 Jeeps and 12 local/state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Gates open at noon on Friday Nov. 12, with a nighttime concert planned for those camping on property. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. on Sat. Nov. 13, with opening ceremonies, open trails, K9 demos, a 5K Running 4 Heroes and more. There’s a Saturday night ride to honor those who we have lost from the year. For information, registration and ticket prices, go to https://bit.ly/3oEPDEK.

Now all the Car Shows:

Southside Business Men’s Club Annual Car Show: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fields Cadillac at 7999 Blanding Blvd.

Trunk or Treat Car & Bike Show: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Adamec Harley-Davidson, 380 Outlet Mall Blvd. in St. Augustine. Free for spectators and $20 for show vehicles, with live music from “Bluesdog 66.” Hosted by Callahan Cruisers of North Florida.

Dixie Chapter Pontiac Club Fall Classic: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat. Nov. 6, at the Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine, 4730 U.S. 1 S./Dixie Highway South in St Augustine. Open to all Pontiacs, Overland or GMC truck, it’s free to spectators and $25 for show vehicles day of show.

Hobos, Hot Rods and Heroes Festival and Car Show: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at the West Nassau Museum of History 45383 Dixie Ave. in Callahan. Live entertainment, arts and crafts, model trains and a car show hosted by Callahan Cruisers and Cochrane’s Collision Center.

Callahan Motorsports Expo: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, at the track at 543455 U.S. 1 in Callahan. Dirt and asphalt racing, radio-controlled and more, admission $10 per person per day.

Jtech Cars, Stars and Stripes Car Show and Drive-in Movie: 3 p.m. Sat. Nov. 6, at Jtech at 8813 Western Way. Double feature with “Cars” and “Thunder Road, starts at dark, $15 per car. Hosted by First Coast Car Council.

Prince of Peace fourth annual Car Show: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Nov. 13 at the church at 6320 Bennet Road. Free to spectators and $25 day-of-show for show vehicles.

Moosehaven 11th Annual Chili Cook-Off: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Nov. 13 at Moosehaven at 1701 Park Ave. in Orange Park. A classic car show, Kids Zone, arts and crafts, live entertainment and a chili cook-off, plus NASCAR driver Ross Chastain and his Moose-sponsored No. 42 show car. Free for spectators and $5 to judge the chili. The event benefits K9s For Warriors.

Rodeheaver Boys Ranch Classic Car Show: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the ranch at 380 Boys Ranch Road in Palatka. Free for spectators and $25 per show car, all registrants getting 2 free tickets to the ranch’s Palatka Fall Bluegrass festival. More information at https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1415523484.

10th Annual Exotic & Luxury Car Show: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at Porsche Jacksonville, 11211 Atlantic Blvd. Free for spectators and $50 registration for show vehicles. Proceeds will benefit Homes For Our Troops.

Cecil Pines Antique Car Show: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at Cecil Pines Adult Living Community, 6008 Lake Cove Ave. Free to spectators and show vehicles.

14th Annual Back to the Fifties Car Show: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at Moosehaven at 701 Park Ave, Orange Park. Hosted by the Clay County Cruzers, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain and his No. 42 car will be there.

Cruisin’ and Crossin’ 4 Kids Car and Truck Show: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the WW Ranch Motorcross Park, 1439 Otis Road in Jacksonville. Spectators are asked to bring a canned good or donation for the needy, while show vehicle registration is $20. Live music from Beau and The Burners, sponsored by the Callahan Cruisers.

The FIRM (Florida International Rally and Moto Park): Open Track Days held most weekends at the road course and rally course at 7266 Airport Road in Starke.

All the Cruise-ins

First Coast Car Council, Clay County Cruzers, Callahan Cruisers and Amelia Cruizers all hold regular weekend cruise-ins, so check their Facebook pages.

Jacksonville Caffeine and Gasoline: 7 to 10 a.m. on every first Saturday at the Orange Park Mall at 1910 Wells Road in Orange Park. 

Clay County Cruzers’ events: 3 to 6 p.m. every first Saturday at Big Dawg Sports Restaurant, 1330 Blanding Blvd.; 3 to 6 p.m. every second Saturday at Dick’s Wings, 1803 East-West Parkway in Fleming Island; 5 p.m. every third Friday at Freddy’s Steakburgers at 386 Blanding Blvd.; 9 to 11 a.m. every fourth Saturday at Nicole’s Café, 2216 S. Mimosa Ave. in Middleburg; and 2 to 5 p.m. every fourth Saturday at Gator’s Dockside Oakleaf, 316 Merchants Way, Jacksonville.

First Coast Car Council events: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every first Saturday at The Beaver Street Farmers Market, 1810 W. Beaver St. UPDATE: Second Saturday cruise-in suspended through the end of the year.

NEW – Crossroad Cruise-in: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Crossroad Church at 10005 Gate Parkway N.

Cruise Night at Beachwalk: 5 to 8 p.m. every second Friday at the Beachwalk Amenity Center, 1000 County Road 210 in St. Johns.

Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville: 8 to 11 a.m. every second Saturday at The Avenues Mall at 10300 Southside Blvd. Information: https://bit.ly/3gPRvVQ.

Cruise Fruit Cove: 4 to 8 p.m. every third Saturday at the PDQ at 194 Florida 13 in Saint Johns, just south of Julington Creek. And the site was packed last Saturday with all kinds of classics, MOPARS, Pontiacs, Mustangs….and more.

Amelia Cruizers: 4 to 7 p.m. every third Saturday at Cold Stone Creamery, 808 Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach.

Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine monthly cruise-ins: St. Augustine Cruiser’s “Cruise In” from 5 to 7 p.m. every third Saturday, and Cars and Coffee from 8 to 10 a.m. every fourth Saturday resuming on Nov. 27 (see above), both at 4730 U.S. 1 S./Dixie Highway South in St Augustine.

Cars and Coffee Fleming Island: 7 to 10 a.m. every third Sunday of the month at the New Vision Theatre at 1820 Town Center Blvd., Fleming Island.

White Brothers Auto Parts Cruise-in: It has a new name – The Part’s House/The Brothers Banter Podcast Cruise-n, but at the same time – 5 to 8 p.m. every second Friday at 405 Lane Ave. N.

Johnny Angels: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every third Friday at Johnny Angels diner at 3546 St. Johns Bluff Road S. 

Historic Springfield Main Street Cruise: 4 p.m. every fourth Saturday between 8th and 17th streets at Main Street in Jacksonville’s Springfield community.

And….speaking of Ford Broncos, coming to the next Caffeine and Octane Jacksonville…look at the bucking Broncos headed to SEMA:

Ford debuts some wild Broncos at the annual SEMA Show, set for next week in Las Vegas, with a lineup of personalized two- and four-door Bronco and Bronco Sport SUVs. All of the Ford components and parts on the SEMA builds – along with the entire catalog of Bronco and Bronco Sport parts and accessories – are now available on the new Ford Accessories website at Accessories.Ford.com.

Ford Performance Parts developed several new Bronco chassis components for the two- and four-door SUVs, including new severe-duty steering rack and tie rod ends to further improve steering system durability under high loads. The team also created performance tuning for the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that can be uploaded via a Pro-Cal 4 scan tool to the OBDII port. Ford Performance Parts is also unveiling new aftermarket wheels available at Ford dealers with the 17-inch Method Race Wheel sets for Bronco.

Here is a rundown of the six custom builds headed to SEMA:

2021 Bronco RTR Fun-Runner by RTR Vehicles – Ford Performance driver and builder Vaughn Gittin Jr. created a Bronco RTR dealer package with custom RTR and Ford Licensed Accessories sound bar, paint protection film and doorsill plates. Sport exhaust with twin black chrome tips from Ford Performance Parts gives the 2.3-liter EcoBoost a more powerful sound and look. It features an Ultimate Dana 44 FDU front axle, fun-haver long-travel spec Ultimate Dana 60 semi-float rear axle, RCV Performance CV axles and performance intake system. Suspension upgrades include Fox Performance Elite 2.5 coilovers and off-road long-travel suspension kit, with RTR Tech 6 forged bead-lock wheels and 37-inch off-road tires.

2021 Bronco by BDS Suspensions – BDS Suspensions, a subsidiary of Fox Shocks, created an off-road first responder vehicle based on a 2021 two-door Black Diamond series Bronco. It has a BDS 4-inch UCA System with Fox 2.5 PES coilovers, BDS rear adjustable control arms and track bar, swaybar disconnect and 37-inch BFGoodrich KM3 tires. CrawlTek Revolution bumpers include recessed winch mount, recovery hooks and belly skid up front, plus winch mount and recovery hooks in back. 

2021 Bronco by Tucci Hot Rods – Tucci Hot Rods will show a quad-track snow adventure vehicle based on a 2021 four-door Badlands series with Mattracks 88-Series quad tracks, Ford Licensed Accessories swing gate storage, flat snowboard rack and Yakima LockNLoad platform roof rack system. Lighting is augmented with Rigid Light Shop Adapt Light Bar, Radiance Pods and Rock Light Kit. A WARN Industries ZEON® 10s winch is added up front along with retractable running boards.

2021 Bronco BAJA FORGED by LGE-CTS Motorsports – Theresa Contreras, designer and founder of BAJA FORGED Parts, used a four-door Outer Banks series Bronco and added an onboard fridge, premium sound bar, cargo organizer and BAJA FORGED bumpers front and rear. The vehicle’s suspension is upgraded with an ICON Vehicle Dynamics 3.0 suspension lift. Exterior upgrades include Ford Performance Parts off-road rock lights, Ford Licensed Accessories tailgate folding table, and BAJA FORGED fender flares and spare tire carrier.

2021 Bronco Sport BAJA FORGED by LGE-CTS Motorsports- Sara Morosan of LGE-CTS Motorsports, created a rough-and-ready version of a 2021 Bronco Sport Badlands series, adding a 2-inch suspension lift and rock sliders, off-road rock lights and fender flares, plus upgraded 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine with a Borla cat-back performance exhaust, ICON Vehicle Dynamics suspension system and Hellwig Suspension Products front and rear sway bars.

2021 Bronco Sport by CGS Performance Products – CGS Performance Products updated this 2021 Bronco Sport Badlands series with a host of interior upgrades including seat covers and rear seat vault, as well as underbody light kit plus bumper and hitch enhancements. It’s outfitted with a CGS Performance Products cold air intake and a black ceramic coated cat-back exhaust. Rigid Light Shop rock lights assist nighttime trail running. The vehicle rides on Reserve Forged wheels and 17-inch Toyo® Open Country A/T III all-terrain tires.

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A Lost Art Found Again: Hagerty Driving Experience Teaches Youth How To Drive A Manual Transmission Vehicle

Let’s face it, the manual transmission is on life support as only a handful of automakers offer such in their new vehicle lineup. The take rate for manual transmissions is at an all-time low, and unfortunately, manufacturers have devoted their R&D into other automatic transmission types, such as the traditional automatic transmission, CVTs (Continuously Variable Transmissions), and automated dual-clutch units.

However, there are still a select number of manufacturers that still offer a manual transmission, the most notable ones being Porsche, BMW, Subaru, and even Toyota who are still churning out a few manual transmissions to keep the enthusiasm alive among purists. Additionally, manual transmissions are still a very relevant thing among a multitude of pre-own vehicles and classics.

Read More at AutomotiveAddicts.com

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FREE DOWNLOAD: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2021 Calendar from Deremer Studios Photography

Deremer Studios Photography – Automotive, Commercial & Fine Art, Jacksonville Car Culture’s official photographer, has created a stunning 2021 calendar showcasing the 25th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance that is FREE to download! FREE!

Deremer Studios offers incredible automotive photography packages for collectors and enthusiasts. If you’ve been looking for a wonderful way to showcase your ride online or in print, Deremer Studios is the way to go. Great photos can also help you sell you car if/when the time ever comes.

Here is a link to the 2021 Amelia at 25 Calendar:
https://www.deremerstudios.com/Freebies/Calendars/2021-The-Amelia-at-25-Calendar/

Deremer Studios 2021 Fine Art Desktop Wallpapers
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Lyn St. James named Official Honoree of the 26th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance May 20-23, 2021

Racer, writer, broadcaster, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Lyn St. James is the Honoree of the 26 th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance scheduled for May 20-23, 2021.

Lyn’s life is a high speed motorsports adventure. Her racing career began in a Ford Pinto –her daily driver – in the 1970s and had its grand finale more than two decades later in a special commemorative ceremony on the “yard of bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Lyn at the Indianapolis 500 in 1993. Photo courtesy of Lyn St. James.
Her first titles were a pair of regional south Florida road racing championships. She moved up quickly racing a Corvette at Sebring, Palm Beach and Daytona. A brave class victory in the punishing 1979 24 Hours of the Nurburgring racing an AMC Spirit AMX sponsored by BF Goodrich is an exotic and sometimes overlooked line on Lyn’s deep resume. By then corporate America liked what they were seeing and hearing from the racer from Willoughby, OH.

She graduated to the pro ranks in the 1980s as a Ford factory racer. In 1984 Autoweek magazine named her Rookie of the Year in IMSA’s GTO class. A year later she won IMSA’s Norelco Driver of the Year award. That was a very good year: an IMSA GTO victory came in August 1985 at Road America in the Lowenbrau Classic. A month later, on one of her favorite tracks, the full Grand Prix course at Watkins Glen, Lyn scored an unprecedented and still unequalled solo IMSA GTO class victory in the Serengeti Drivers New York 500 racing a Roush Mustang. The eighties also saw two class victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona. 
Lyn celebrates after winning the IMSA GTO class at the Serengeti Drivers New York 500 at Watkins Glen in 1985. Photo courtesy of Lyn St. James.

For Lyn the eighties were fast and productive. In 1988 she set a closed course speed record for women at 212.577 mph in a Bill Elliott-built Thunderbird. That was just one of 21 national and international speed records Lyn authored. She earned another page in the record books with an Indy 500 qualifying lap of 227.32 mph that stood as a record for women until Sarah Fisher’s lap of 229.675 mph qualifying for the 2002 “500.”

In 1989 she entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Ford-powered Spice. Another classic race course and even though her car retired on Sunday morning Lyn logged a lot of seat time. She returned to the classic French 24 Hours in 1991 with two-time World Sports Car Championship race winner Desiré Wilson and Cathy Muller, but their Cosworth-powered Spice prototype lasted just 47 laps. In 1990, Lyn earned yet another GTO class win in another famous classic endurance race, the 12 Hours of Sebring, with a Mercury Cougar XR-7.

Lyn gives a thumbs up after qualifying for the Indy 500 in 1992. Photo courtesy of Lyn St. James.

It was a visit to the Indy 500 with her mother in 1966 that revealed Lyn’s passion for motorsport. Her Indy 500 career began with a surprise test at Memphis Motorsports Park in a Dick Simon Racing Lola. Things began to move quickly. Lyn’s commercial, marketing and persuasive skills brought JCPenney to her Indy rookie program.

On Memorial Day 1992, Lyn raced her JCPenney sponsored Lola/Chevy — the Spirit of the American Woman — to eleventh place, becoming the first woman to win Indy’s prestigious Rookie of the Year award.

Even today she is quick to remind us that she still holds the record as Indy’s oldest Rookie of the Year winner. Eight years and seven Indy 500s later Lyn retired from Indy Car competition with career earnings of nearly $1.2 million.

Lyn St. James behind the wheel of the JCPenney sponsored Lola during the Indy 500. Photo courtesy of Lyn St. James.

Lyn’s strong entrepreneurial streak first emerged in an auto components business that fused with her passion for racing. Her ability to see and understand motorsport from the perspective of the cockpit and the boardroom has been a constant asset during her long tenure in and around motorsport. In 2010 those skills were honored by Automotive News as one of The Top 100 Women in the Automotive Industry. Sports Illustrated named her one of the “Top 100 Women Athletes of the Century.”

She has been a spokesperson for Ford, appeared in Rolex ads and is the founder of the Lyn St. James Foundation (a 501(c)(3) charitable organization) for the education, training and advancement of women in automotive fields. She has also served on the board of Kettering University, a top engineering school.

Lyn served as President of the Women’s Sports Foundation from 1990 to 1993. In 1994 Lyn was inducted to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame; Working Woman Magazine included her as one of the Top 350 Women Who Changed the World between 1976 and 1996. She’s been summoned to The White House for civic honors by three consecutive Presidents — Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

“Lyn has been an integral part of the racing community for years and followed in the steps of the likes of Elizabeth Junek, Janet Guthrie, and Lella Lombardi who won races, set records and broke barriers,” said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.  “Lyn earned her stripes driving a wide variety of race cars starting in club racing with her daily driver, a Ford Pinto, and culminated with a successful career in Indy cars. Along the way, she shared long distance drives with some of the best drivers of the day. There is more than a quarter of a century of proof that she is the “real thing” behind the wheel.”

Tickets for the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance can be purchased at https://www.ameliaconcours.org/shop/tickets

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Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Announces Special Classes for 2021

Jacksonville, FL – Announcing the special classes for the 26th Annual Amelia Concours d’Elegance, May 20-23, 2021.

1938 Hispano Suiza DuBonnet Xenia. Photo by Michael Furman.

Hispano-Suiza
The fabled Spanish-Swiss grand marque remains the only car named for a king, Alfonso XIII of Spain, himself a Hispano enthusiast, who owned as many as 30. His enthusiasm for the marque and its reputation for exquisite engineering made it a favorite of royals, celebrities, heroes of all stripes and even a few literary characters who drove Hispanos across the pages of bestselling fiction when the need to project a sense of wealth and style was required. Every famous European coachbuilder of the custom body epoch dressed Hispanos. Their V-8 engines helped win the air war in WWI. That elegant engineering blood gave the cars that wore the “flying stork” mascot, as the sales brochure put it . . . “vitesse, securite, confort, silence, elegance.” It wasn’t hyperbole. Even today the reputation of Hispano-Suiza ranks it with the greatest, most respected and revered names at the pinnacle of the auto industry.

The Porsche 935. Photo courtesy of The Brumos Collection.

Porsche 935
“The Racers’ Concours” honors and celebrates the 45th anniversary of the long-lived, fire-belching 200-plus mph Porsche 935 turbos that once ruled international endurance racing. The 935 was the backbone of international endurance racing for nearly a decade and owned championship titles from Daytona to Le Mans and back. Its popularity remains so potent that nearly five decades after its debut Porsche is creating 77 tribute cars to the 935/78 Moby Dick Le Mans racer based on the 911 GT2 RS.

1977 Chevrolet Corvette Supervette. Photo courtesy of Canepa Motorsport.

Chevy Thunder
Truly the “heartbeat of America” from Indy, Sebring, Daytona, Le Mans, Pro Stock, Can-Am, Trans-Am, club racers, Sprint Cars, Baja & Desert racers, IROC, F5000, Swamp Buggies, Dune Buggies, Hot-Rods, Kit Cars and even to off-shore powerboats, Chevy’s small blocks, big-blocks and pure racing engines set records, crushed competitors and dominated practically every type of motorsport for well over half a century. Chevy’s small block V-8 of 1955 was the elegantly simple engineering masterpiece that inspired hot rodders and race car builders alike. Chevy small block power even sat on the front row of the Indy 500 (1981), outran the fabled Offys on dirt tracks, ruled NASCAR’s high banks, short tracks and road courses, won the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and owned the Can-Am (at one point winning 33 races in a row).

Chevy Thunder is the soundtrack of NHRA Pro Stock competition winning the championship 24 times, more than any other manufacturer. Its impact on American culture even extends to popular music; in 1962 the Beach Boys composed a song commemorating the power of Chevy’s big block Turbo-Thrust V-8 entitled, appropriately, “409.” Specifically songwriter Gary Usher’s “ . . . 4-speed, dual-quad, positraction four-oh-nine!” Since its first V-8 in 1917, Chevy V-8 power has touched practically every facet of American life towing trailers, delivering groceries or taking the likes of McLaren, Scarab, Lola, Chaparral, Eagle, Corvette and Camaro to scores of racing victories and championships; some Chevy V-8s even replaced those legendary Italian V-12s in American sports car racing.

Ferrari 275 GTB. Photo Courtesy of Peter Harholdt.

Ferrari 275 GTB
It’s hard to imagine a tougher automotive act to follow than Ferrari’s landmark 250 GTs. From the mid-fifties to the immortal GTO of 1962, Ferrari 250 GTs set the standard, won the races and were the fast moving targets of every GT builder from Los Angeles to Coventry to Stuttgart. Unveiled in Paris in 1964 the 275 GTB became Ferrari’s first GT to fit modern alloy wheels and wear independent suspension at each corner. It proved itself in June 1965 with the Belgian racing yellow #24 275 GTB/C finishing third overall and eclipsing the Le Mans distance record of every previous class-winning GTO.

The 275 won Le Mans’ GT class again in 1966 and 1967. Easily the most famous 275 GTB — one of just ten NART Spiders built — was Steve McQueen’s signature ride in the 1968 double academy award nominated film The Thomas Crown Affair.

The 1909 Columbia Electric. Photo courtesy of Hyman LTD.


It’s Electric
The Amelia’s “It’s Electric” Class showcases the development of the electric car from the beginning of the automotive age when it was a viable alternative to steam and internal combustion automotive power. Fast evolving highway and road infrastructure and the rise of the petroleum industry eased the electric car aside turning its advantages and strengths into liabilities. Times and technologies have changed. So have the mission and operational envelope of the automobile and its place in society. Fast evolving technologies and acute civic awareness of environmental trends stand poised to return the electric car to mainstream motoring life well beyond its original duty as short range urban transportation

1970 Dodge Charger R/T. Photo Courtesy of Peter Harholdt.

1970s Muscle Cars
Purely American, the Muscle Car brought horsepower to the people with low monthly payments and practically unlimited brute force. Every manufacturer from Chevrolet to Ford, from Buick to Dodge offered an alternative and competitor to the Pontiac GTO, the car that started it all in the mid-sixties. The peak of the Muscle Car Era was 1970, just before emission laws and the fuel crisis hobbled Detroit’s horsepower warriors. Amelia 2021 will host a special display class from the renowned Wellborn Musclecar Museum in Alexander City, AL including a Muscle Car from every manufacturer that played Detroit’s high stakes high horsepower game at the overpowered breed’s showroom apogee in 1970.

1989 Ferrari F40. Photo by Deremer Studios LLC/Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Supercars of the 80s and 90s
While the term “supercar” dates back to 1920, the descriptor is often associated with the debut of the mid-engine Lamborghini Miura in 1966. The rules to play the supercar game were simple: big exotic engines between the driver and the rear wheels and a body shape that echoed Le Mans prototype contours: the wilder the better. Enter the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari F40, Bugatti EB110, Jaguar XJR-15 and the Ferrari F50.

Over time the term “supercar” expanded to describe an elite group of sports cars that stand apart in terms of design, performance, technology and price. For 2021, The Amelia will gather some of the world’s most iconic supercars of the 1980s and 1990s onto the main showfield.

Shadow DN4. Photo courtesy of Peter Harholdt.

Shadow
In 1970, the wildest year of Can-Am competition, everybody seemed to have a better, wilder or weirder idea. None more so than a radical, bizarre, unloved and evil handling little doorstop of a race car spawning a family that would claim the Can-Am Championship, deliver a future World Champion his first F1 victory and compete at the top level of Grand Prix racing. Don Nichols, Shadow Cars chief and a genuine international man of mystery, loved the Shadow radio serials and named his cars and team accordingly. The 2021 Amelia Concours will feature a special Shadow class including the bizarre and radical AVS — Advanced Vehicle Systems — Shadow Mk 1 of 1970, the 1974 Can-Am champion DN4 and Alan Jones’ 1977 Austrian Grand Prix winner, the Shadow DN8A. Shadow designers were an all-star team with world class credentials and imaginations: Trevor Harris, Peter Bryant and Tony Southgate drew the sinister shapes that were instantly recognizable as Shadows, right down to the team’s famous cloaked spy logo.

For tickets and more visit: http://www.ameliaconcours.org